I couldn't believe my eyes when I read in the New York Times that the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines to "aggressively screen and medicate for high cholesterol in children" and that they plan on administering cholesterol-lowering drugs - called statins - to kids as young as age 8! Age 8!
 
WHAT'S NEXT - PUTTING YOUR NEWBORN ON ANTI-DEPRESSANTS BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SMILE ENOUGH??
 
But before we go into that, let me remind you of the simple facts about cholesterol...
 
DON'T ACCUSE CHOLESTEROL OF A CRIME IT DIDN'T COMMIT!
 
Back in April, I posted an article that dispelled the myths surrounding cholesterol, so allow me to reiterate a few things: in Ayurveda, there is no "bad" and "good" cholesterol - it's all good. High cholesterol is the informant, a warning sign, that something else is not right in your body - it's not the criminal. Don't blame the cholesterol!

Use of cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins, also known as Lipitor - Pfizer; Pravachol - Bristol Myers Squibb; and Lescol - Novartis) rose by 156% (from 15.8 million people to 29.7 million people) between 2000 and 2005. Spending on these drugs catapulted from $7.7 billion to $19.7 billion, and prescriptions rose from about 90 million to nearly 174 million during that same time period.

In 2004, the U.S. government's National Cholesterol Education Program advised those at risk for heart disease to reduce their LDL ("bad") cholesterol to the ridiculously low levels of less than 100 (or even 70). If you want to meet these dangerously low targets, you would generally have to take multiple statins in combination.

Big business shouldn't dictate how we treat ourselves or especially our children, and statins are not the solution to the "problem" with cholesterol. Don't just take my word for it. Dr. Joseph Mercola, D.O., (www.mercola.com) has spoken out against the use of statins for children.

"I do not find it particularly heartening that these drugs are as safe for children as they are for adults, considering that they are highly dangerous for adults to begin with," Dr. Mercola notes in his article "Now They Want to Treat Kids with Statins."

Dr. Mercola also lists some of the known dangers of statins ("Crestor and Other Statins: Are They Really Worth the Risk?") including: "potential increase in liver enzymes...muscle aches, weakness, immune system suppression, an increase in cancer risk, and a serious degenerative muscle tissue condition called rhabdomyolysis."
 
OUR CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER!

Hugs (and Ayurveda) Not Drugs: Treat childhood weight and obesity disorders the SAFE and NON-TOXIC way...

Choose the RIGHT Labels: Vata, Pitta, or Kapha - NOT "Fat" or "Lazy"...

May The Force (of Ayurveda) Be With YouCHILDHOOD OBESITY CAN BE MANAGED AND CURED THROUGH AYURVEDA

There are three main types of digestive imbalances and tendencies according to the child's body type:

1. "Visnagni" - characterized by irregular appetite, overstimulated stomach and intestines. A child with a "nervous stomach" will have problems with indigestion, nausea, stomach pains and may want to eat at odd times. Johnny or Susie's tummy aches and refusal to eat for hours at a time can be an indicator of a Visnagni digestive body type. So can their emotional stress, fear, anxiety and sleeplessness. In severe cases, they may even have dark rings around their eyes. Not the recipe for a happy, balanced child!

2. "Tiksnagni" - or an "acid stomach." If Johnny or Susie gets cranky when they're not fed on time, or if they exhibit hot, red skin, there's nothing irregular about this child's digestive fire. Rather, they could be agitated because the acidic stomach overcooks the food, causing a lack of nutrients being absorbed. The key to this type is regular feedings: same time every day.

3. "Mandagni" - indicated by a heavy, slow and clogged up digestive system. Too much stomach mucus causes undigested foods to clog the fat channels and all other tissues. Johnny or Susie is lethargic, always hungry, and susceptible to colds and mucus problems. With their un-metabolized food toxins clogging their body channels, they gain weight easily and lose it slowly.

Each one of these digestive disorders can lead the way to childhood obesity, and by identifying which category your child is part of, you are taking the first step towards creating a wellness weight loss program for your unique little one. copyright Dr.Helen M Thomas 2008-2012