Child Cholesterol: Lower without Drugs

Friday, August 13, 2010 by: Derrell Jones
Tags: cholesterol, children, health news

(NewsTarget) An obesity crisis is gripping our society and unfortunately our children have not been spared from it. It is believed that some 20% of youth today are obese and that obesity brings a host of potential adverse health conditions including high cholesterol. A problem once thought to be a rarity is now prevalent enough to garner the attention of concerned parents and the medical community alike.

The Right Kind of Attention?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has given its approval to prescribe statins to children as young as 8 years old. Parents are finding themselves trying to decide if statins are right for their child. Putting children on statins could lead to many years of exposure to this family of powerful drugs which makes the decision more daunting. But there are obese children out there who have concerned parents who are looking for insight. With the long term safety and efficacy of statins on kids being unknown what should a parent do?

There is a push to medicate as many people as possible for as long as possible. With the prevalence of pharmaceuticals in our society an intense conditioning is well under way. This conditioning is now extending to our children who remain the most vulnerable and will undoubtedly experience frightening side effects from years of prescription drug use leading to the need for more pharmaceuticals. Over 2 million prescriptions were written for children in 2009. With the recent approval of Livalo, a new high potency statin, and a chewable version of Lipitor which was recently approved for use in the United Kingdom, our children are being directly targeted by big pharma. Unfortunately for us and our children not many people in the medical community are advocating for a natural non-chemical approach to the obesity problem.

A Plan of Action

Obesity in our society and specifically our children tend to be the result of sedentary lifestyles and poor dietary choices. Parents should focus on having their children be more active. Seek advice on increasing your child`s activity level through exercise and extra-curricular functions at school or in the community. Parents should also participate with their children in these activities to serve as motivation and inspiration. Counseling on healthier eating habits is also an effective consideration, especially when combined with increased physical activity, for lowering cholesterol. Start by increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, that kids eat. A whole foods diet is also recommended with emphasis on eliminating, as much as possible, any artificial sweeteners and chemically altered foods. Again parents should also engage in a healthier eating regime to serve as a positive example for their children to follow. A naturopath or holistic practitioner should be able to properly guide you and your child.

Why Not Statin Drugs?

No parent wants their child to suffer and great care must be taken to ensure the long term health of our children. By encouraging healthy habits like exercise and proper eating our kids long term health can be secured. The promise that pharmaceutical use is the answer to our ills is a fallacy. Just consider the possible side effects of any statin drug: headaches, abdominal cramping, nausea, muscle aches and weakness, difficulty sleeping, diarrhea, and constipation. More serious conditions can occur such as myositis, which is inflammation of the muscles, or myalgias, which are characterized by muscle pain. Both myositis and myalgia can be serious in rare cases.

The side effects of proper nutrition and exercise are a decrease in obesity and a positive increase in healthy, vibrant and active children.

Sources for this story include:

www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=PRNI2&STORY=/www/story/06-29-2010/0005265418&EDATE=

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/o...

www.webmd.com

About the author

Derrell is a Nutritional Consultant and is currently seeking a diploma as a Holistic Health Practitioner. His mission is to assist as many people as possible during a time when good health is stolen instead of fostered. Follow Derrell at thoughtfulhealth.blogspot.com or email him at [email protected]. If you are interested in toxin free personal care products please visit mysisel.com/thoughtfulhealth. Sign up to purchase products.