Medicines killing people - again

Today's newspaper presented two articles that should bring outrage to parents everywhere.

On the front page was the article saying that now the FDA has decided that cold medicines are unsafe for toddlers and babies - they could even prove fatal. And anyway, they don't do any good. They haven't decided yet if these remedies are safe for older kids. They're pretty sure they aren't safe for anyone under the age of 6. The ruling however, just says not to give them to anyone under 2.

So... will they leave them on the shelf for a few more years until we see? It says they'll make a decision before next year's cold and flu season.

The second outrage was almost buried in the story of a young man (19) who is being tried for the murder of his parents a year ago. I knew his parents, so was interested in seeing what his sister had to say about the whole thing.

She said he was a sweet little boy, but then he was diagnosed with ADD and given medication. He became more and more violent while on that medication. Much later the doctors said he had been mis-diagnosed and he really had Bi-polar disease. They changed his medication, but the violence didn't go away. (According to earlier stories, his parents had been afraid of him for several years.) Then, almost as an off-hand remark, she said that later the family learned that "...it's a common issue if someone is bipolar and was given that medication."

So many questions - Why didn't the doctor stop the medication as soon as the boy became violent? Did it permanently alter his mind? Are the potential side effects of medication worth the risk - just to hopefully get a kid to sit down and pay attention?

I thank God that I never had to make that decision, and I hope that if you have a child on medication for ADD and he or she is showing violent tendencies, you'll do the research and go back to the doctor with it in hand. You might save your child's life - or maybe even your own.

Before you have knee surgery, learn about prolotherapy

Are you considering surgery for painful knee joints?

If so, do some research first. Prolotherapy might be a better solution. I'll admit, some people have had good results from surgery - my neighbor is one of them. But for others, it means huge expense, a prolonged and painful recovery period, and mediocre results.

After going through all that, they still have pain and still can't get around well.

But - there's an up side to their story. The doctor, the anesthesiologist, the hospital, the physical therapy people, and the pharmacist all made good money!

In my family, prolotherapy is considered a miracle. The cost is minimal, there's no hospital stay, no recovery period, and no danger of dying on the operating table - or later from a blood clot. Learn more at: www.pharmfreehealth.com/prolo.html.

If you have a treatment that you and your family consider a miracle, please write and tell us about it. We'd like to spread the word about natural treatments

Natural Cures for High Cholesterol

If cholesterol reducing drugs scare you as much as they do me, you'll be glad to hear that oatmeal and oat bran are both good at reducing cholesterol- because they're rich in soluble fiber.

You do need to eat quite a bit of it, so make oatmeal a routine, and add a bit of oat bran to give it a boost. You can also find a recipe on the Quaker Oat Bran box for making a delicious loaf of cholesterol-reducing bread.