The Chemical Strait-Jacket Destroying Our Children

by Frank Sabatino, D.C., Ph.D.

As a Hygienic physician, scientist, and concerned parent, I am extremely angry and upset with the consistent decline of physical and psychological health that continues to occur in children, and the medical treatment they are receiving for these problems. Especially when I’ve seen how simple, positive lifestyle changes can dramatically improve physical, behavioral, and mental health issues.

The health crisis in children has been fostered over many years by the dramatic increase in toxic fast foods, a decreased emphasis on exercise and physical education in schools, the exaggeration of social violence, including brutally violent computer games, and sedentary mind-numbing computer activity. In addition, expanding numbers of fat, sick parents, conditioned by the medical system, constantly provide the message that drugging your problems away is a better option than taking responsibility for the actions and choices that cause disease, serving as models and mirrors for fat, sick children.

Children under the age of 20 are arguably the most rapidly growing obese population in America. At a time when two out of three adults are overweight in the U.S., 9 million children are overweight or obese. Over the past 20 years, overweight 6-11 year-olds have increased approximately 130 percent, while overweight 12-19 year-olds have increased 200 percent.[1] Chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease are showing up at younger and younger ages. Mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), self-mutilation behavior, learning and attention deficits, have also increased remarkably in children.

Unfortunately, the care for these health problems has been woefully inadequate and dangerous, typically without any regard for the long-term impact on developing bodies and minds. Nowhere is this more evident than in the medical treatment of mood, emotional, and behavioral disturbances in children. The dramatic increase in psychotropic drugs that alter mood and behavior may be the most disturbing trend of  “modern” medicine and is nothing short of a slaughter of the innocents.

Ostensibly, because of better methods of diagnosis and detection, there has been a significant increase in the psychopathology of small children and adolescents. This pathology includes attention deficits, hyperactivity, depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder (alternating between depressive and manic mood swings). Paradoxically, however, disturbances of mood, behavior, focus, and cognitive performance are often labeled as disease entities too quickly by physicians, schools, and state agencies without adequate testing and tracking. This can result in the misdiagnosis and over-diagnosis of certain conditions, thereby exaggerating the incidence of these problems.  As a result, an aggressive medical treatment model appears more validated and necessary, as parents feel compelled to subject their children to risky drug therapy for conditions that may not exist. Children are then stigmatized and treated with dangerous drugs, without any real consideration for whom the child really is, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and what the environmental situations are in which they find themselves. Yet, even with this controversy, there is evidence to support escalating psychological disturbances of children.

Attention Deficit Disorders, Depression and Drugs

More than 5 million American children are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The number of school age children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and ADHD ranges from 3-6 percent of children in elementary through high school. [2]  Seven to fourteen percent of children will experience an episode of major depression before the age of 15.[3]   Shockingly, the number of teenage suicides increased by 30 percent between 1980-1992,[4] and African-American children were particularly likely to commit suicide when depressed.[5] From 1980-1995, the suicide rate for African-American children between 10-19 years of age more than doubled.

This has led to a devastating popularity and reliance on dangerous psychotropic drugs to attack the mood and behavioral changes in children at younger and younger ages. Unfortunately, while the needs of the bodies and brains of children are at a unique and sensitive stage of development, they are being treated like “little” adults with drugs that can have adverse effects that hurt children for years to come. Under the guise of helping kids settle down, fit in more comfortably, and focus and learn more clearly, drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are sold as the perfect answer for ADHD, and have been approved for children as young as 6 and 3 years of age respectively. Shockingly, data released from Medco, the nation’s largest prescription benefit manager, revealed a 369% increase in spending on attention deficit drugs for children under the age of 5. In many cases, these so-called “behavioral” drugs are devastating drugs of restraint, imprisoning the brains and spirits of children. These powerful brain stimulants act like dexedrine, and are associated with adverse effects that include decreased appetite, weight loss, insomnia, nervousness, rapid heart beat, high blood pressure, and potential addiction. These effects are frightening to consider. Especially, since these drugs are being poured into children as young as 3, before their young bodies and brains are fully developed. Giving children these drugs to restrain their so-called “wild,” unfocused behavior in preschools and elementary schools increases the risk of severe cardiac and behavioral problems in teenage years.

In addition, severe brain-altering drugs that have been okayed for adult use are being prescribed “off label” for younger and younger children. Perhaps the worst example of this is the alarming increase in the use of antidepressant drugs like Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft that increase the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain to maintain feelings of satisfaction and stability. Between 1995-1996, prescriptions for Prozac increased 50 percent in 13-18 year- olds and more than 200 percent in 6-12 year-olds.[6] Dr. Thomas Delate recently reported disturbing increases in the use of antidepressants in children between 1998-2002.[7] In a random sample of almost two million children 18 years and younger, antidepressant use increased almost 50 percent. Shockingly, the fastest growing segment of antidepressant drug users were preschool children aged 0-5 years old, showing more than a 60 percent increase in the use of these drugs, even though the safety and efficacy of these drugs have never been effectively evaluated in children. In fact, a recent British study suggested that researchers conducting drug trials for antidepressant medications are often supported with money and services by drug companies that market these drugs, and often exaggerate the benefits of these drugs while downplaying the negative side effects,[8] even when the drug trials indicate significant improvement in depression in adolescents in the  “untreated” control and placebo groups.

To make matters worse, the drugs paroxetine (Paxil) and Prozac were the most commonly prescribed, and showed the largest increases over Dr. Delate’s study period. Yet, Paxil was recently banned in the UK and Ireland for children under the age of 18 because of its potential to incite violence, suicide, self harm, and medical damage. In the U.S., the FDA has also recommended that Paxil not be used in children and adolescents because of its association with an increased risk of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts. Only Prozac has been approved to treat depression and OCD in children 7 and older, even though it is associated with adverse reactions of insomnia, nervousness, and mania. In addition, Prozac has been associated with an increase of committed and attempted suicides almost from its inception in the marketplace in the early 1990s, even though there is some indication that this information has been known to the FDA for more than a decade and a half. Yet, because of the power of drug conglomerates like Glaxo and Eli Lilly, this information was kept on the back burner until the FDA just recently was compelled, by consumer reactions, to urge these drug companies to put suicide warnings on the labels of these drugs.

This is shameful, especially since physicians prescribing these drugs have no idea how these drugs will affect the bodies and brains of children. Each time a child takes these drugs, it is an experiment with potentially dangerous, unknown consequences. As Dr. Glen Elliot, director of the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at the University of San Francisco, has stated, “Our use of these drugs has outstripped our knowledge base. We’re experimenting on these kids without tracking the results.” [9]To be more direct, I  have spent six years of my life doing the most rigorous brain research possible.  I can tell you unequivocally that there is not a man, woman, physician, or scientist alive who has any idea what these drugs will do to the brain of any child. Yet, according to the FDA, in 2002, nearly 11 million prescriptions for antidepressants were given to children under the age of 18. Since adolescence is already an unstable period of life, ripe with feelings of confusion, depression, self-doubt, and even self-loathing, it is reprehensible that these drugs, associated with increased suicidal tendencies, are being given in such large numbers to young people most likely to entertain thoughts of suicide!

I think it becomes obvious that if we are going to help children grow and function with better health and balance, a different approach is necessary. Constantly treating the array of behavioral and psychological disturbances with quick and inexpensive drug fixes denies them access to informed, diverse lifestyle approaches and supportive therapies associated with healthier outcomes. As Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, chairman of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, states, “Unless there is a more careful assessment, we might start medicating normal variations of behavior. We know that the areas of the brain that manage both feeling and thought don’t fully mature until the age of 30.” [10] So I ask you, what does all this pharmacological meddling do to the developing brains of children? And what does it do to the child’s ability to develop emotional skills to effectively deal with the stresses, anxieties and disturbances of life?

Emotional disturbances are affected by all our lifestyle choices, and how we have been conditioned to respond to the routine events of our lives. Approaches like cognitive therapy can help both children and adults reframe their view of the world. As the world-view is transformed, the setbacks and losses of life are seen as less catastrophic, and people can learn to relax, think more positively, and handle the stress of life more successfully. Can there be chemical imbalances in the brain that respond in a positive manner to conventional drug therapy? I believe that there are, but they are not nearly as prevalent as the medical advertising and medical profession would have us believe. However, if we do not take a broader and more integrated view of all lifestyle factors, with more rigorous assessment of the efficacy and long-term consequences of drug therapy, we will do more harm then good.

Importance of Good Nutrition

Nutritional factors, and the aberrations in our food supply, play a big role in the psychological health of children. The dramatic increase in refined, processed foods, and the remarkable decrease in fresh fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates, can affect our brains and behavior. Over the past 20 years, the diets of our children have gotten progressively worse. Refined sugar accounts for 20-30 percent of all calories consumed daily by teenagers in America,[11] while rancid, processed, trans- and saturated fats account for another 50 percent of their daily calorie consumption.[12]  That means that close to 80 percent of the diets of teenagers in America have nothing to do with food! Do you think that this could have something to do with their bodies and brains deteriorating at a rate that has never been seen before? As the consumption of fresh produce has plummeted, the consumption of processed foods has escalated beyond belief, so that ketchup and French fries are now listed as major vegetables in America!

By two years of age, almost 25 percent of all babies in America are consuming some form of junk food (candy, sweetened soft drinks, French fries, hot dogs) at least once per day. [13] This assault on body and brain already begins to establish patterns of craving, addiction, blood sugar instability, and the foundation for psychological disturbances in infancy! In addition, forty percent of all teenagers in America get no whole grains in their diets at all. These food choices have created major deficiencies of essential vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. These alterations in the diet can compromise the function of all body cells, including the brain, and cause severe, reactive hypoglycemic disturbances of blood sugar and other endocrine and neurological imbalances that increase fatigue, anxiety, and depression while decreasing cognitive function, focus, and performance.

Excitotoxins, like glutamate in the MSG found in many processed chips, packaged foods and junk foods, and aspartate in Nutrasweet, have increased dramatically in our food supply. The exaggerated use of these chemicals may cause a cascade of free radical damage in brain cells, resulting in a brushfire of cell death in the brain, and toxic effects on brain function and behavior.[14] The excessive use of caffeine in sodas and chocolate can also create a cycle of stimulation and depression in children associated with fatigue, hypoglycemia, nervousness, insomnia, and depression.

Food allergies, especially in response to the increased consumption of milk and refined cane sugar, can create what Dr. Frank Oski calls a tension-fatigue syndrome.[15] As a result, the child vacillates between listless periods of fatigue and increased tension, irritability, anxiety, and hyperactivity, having a difficult time focusing, learning, and functioning in general. They don’t need Ritalin; they need to be separated from milk and refined sugar.

Physical Activity, Sleep and Poise

Consistent exercise and regular sleep patterns are crucial to psychological well-being. Regular physical activity and sleep enhance and balance transmitters like serotonin and dopamine for improved attitude and psychological stability. Sleep deprivation is so prevalent in pre-teens and teenagers that it can be a significant factor for increased fatigue, irritability, attention deficits, anxiety, and depression. Martial arts like aikido and kung fu, and energy cultivating activities like tai-chi, chi-gung, and yoga are also extremely beneficial for helping children reduce tension, improve their mental focus and attitude, and create an environment of psychological health and balance.

Positive lifestyle choices and a natural-foods diet abundant in fresh produce, complex starches and nuts is an essential foundation for the healthy development of all children. However, we must also feed children a steady diet of compassion and love, helping them understand that life has pain, trauma, and incredible ups and downs. And when things seem the worst, they need to know that they can find the resources within themselves to resolve conflict and disturbance. Poise under pressure fosters a sense of empowerment. We all need it. Children require it for their psychological stability and balance. Therefore, with our support and love, they can and must develop the cognitive tools, awareness, self-love and self-control that help them truly resolve the needs and issues of their lives, without just constantly looking for a quick fix, distraction, or the illusion of short-term pleasure.