Here is what Dr. William Campbell Douglas has to say about this:
Cholesterol wackos target kids
Dear Friend,
I know you've already heard from me once today - and perhaps that's enough
- but I just had to get this urgent news into your hands right away.
Believe it or not, drug companies and some mainstream docs are cooking up a
scheme that could put millions of kids on dangerous cholesterol drugs.
Kids on cholesterol drugs? I never thought I'd live to see the day. But
according to an AP report this morning, the American Academy of Pediatrics
is now recommending that children as young as 8 years old be put on
cholesterol-lowering drugs in order to prevent heart problems in the
future.
If this isn't a racket to make more money, I don't know what is. I find it
mighty suspicious that this new recommendation came on the heels of several
of these drugs getting approved for use in children. Now, suddenly they
want kids to get screened as early as 2 years old. What's next giving the
drugs in vitro?
Dr. Stephen Daniels is on the AAP's nutrition committee ("Nutrition
committee?" What a joke!). He said that this recommendation is "based on
mounting evidence showing that damage leading to heart disease, the
nation's leading killer, begins early in life." He went on to say that
"recent research shows that cholesterol-fighting drugs are generally safe
for children."
"Generally safe?" How can that be? They're not even safe for adults! Side
effects include memory loss, cancer, and congestive heart failure!
I wasn't the least bit surprised to learn that Daniels is affiliated with
Abbott Laboratories and Merck & Co., two big time pharmaceutical companies
with cholesterol drugs. Of course, he was careful to state that he wasn't
involved with the companies' statins, but what difference does it make? The
bottom line is the bottom line, as far as I'm concerned.
As you might expect, most of the kids that are considered "at risk" are
overweight, but rather than teaching them how to live a healthy lifestyle,
their doctors prefer to throw drugs at them. Just another quick fix
everyone seems to love so much. But here's what gets me:
There's not much data on kids using these drugs
There's no evidence that putting a child on statins will prevent a heart
attack when he gets older
No one is saying how long the children will have to stay on the drugs
The icing on this cholesterol cake is that you shouldn't even be lowering
your cholesterol to begin with. In fact, I would panic if my cholesterol
dropped below 200. Latest studies show that cholesterol levels of over 200
could actually lower your cancer risk and slash your risk of stroke.
Do me a favor and pass this along to anyone who has young children. They
need to know to skip the screenings, and by all means, to turn their noses
up at the even the THOUGHT of putting their children on a statin drug. I'm
not kidding when I say that the future health and happiness of these
children depends on it.
Looking out for the children,
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
P.S. Click here to learn the REAL truth about cholesterol and how the
medical mainstream's got us duped.
http://www1.youreletters.com/t/1514179/4584208/1585474/5092/__.
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/07/health/main4235922.shtml
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/cholesterol-drugs-for-kids/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOI5SfvQ8Ac