The Slimming Pool Weight Loss Blog: Hey, I was Eating That!
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Drugging our Children - Weight Loss Drugs
Instead of teaching our kids better eating habits, and getting them off the couch and onto their bikes, we are testing more pharmaceuticals on them! I think it's criminal the way the drug companies market to children - no not directly, but most parents who feel terrible about their kid's weight problems, are easily talked into the idea of giving them a drug to solve the problem.
A recent study was reported by Professor Jean-Pierre Chanoine, of the British Columbia Children's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada who told the 13th European Congress on Obesity that the drug could help adolescents with a weight problem. The main problem? Reported side effects which include diarrhea caused by eating a high-fat meal. Chanoine said this side effect, "was not a major problem for the adolescents in the study." What? Those kids don't eat high-fat meals, or they just don't mind having to run for the restroom? Not too many kids I know stay away from fast food. If they did, they wouldn't need the diet drug in the first place.
I remember growing up in the 60's when we all believed doctors were Gods, and they could cure anything with a pill. Today we are spreading this nonsense to our kids. What kind of a society will we have when everyone grew up taking Ritalin for hyperactivity (which most don't have anyway), and now, Xenical for weight loss (proven ineffective).
Drugs are not the answer. No one knows the long-term effects of any of these drugs, yet we are more than happy to feed them to our kids? Not me. Sorry. I can say no to requests for sugary cereals at over $4 a box - that's easy, "No."
I can say no to supplying soft drinks for every day consumption, "Drink some water." It's gotten expensive enough - just say no to buying these products. The price we pay for water and sugar is ridiculous.
If you insist that taking pills is a good idea, look into some good quality vitamins instead of drugs, and you and your children will be far better off.
