OBESE CHILDREN-THERE ARE MANY CAUSES

THE DOCTOR IS IN
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LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?

Everybody is blaming the child obesity problem on snacks, soft drinks and fast foods. I guess that would be the political correct thing to do. But the parents should be aware that a number of the anti-psychotic medications that are shoveled into the child each and every day actually causes rapid weigh gain.

A child can very quickly pack on 20 pounds or more within about 10 to 12 weeks after beginning a regimen of some of these medications. Fact is, many doctors can see the child balloon up between treatments.If your child is being treated with anti-psychotic drugs for such things as: attention deficit disorder(s); schizophrenia; a bipolar disorder; autism and /or other behavioral disorders they are a candidate for this obesity side-effect.

The study, one of the largest in children is reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association and it involved 205 New York City-area children. Their ages ranged from 4 to 19 years old. The average age of the child was 14 years old. The children gained an average of between 10 and 20 pounds in an amazing eleven weeks. Between 10 and 36 percent of the children became obese.This study also said that there were increases in blood fats including cholesterol, which is also seen in adults.

Many scientists and doctors worry that this obesity will cause heart problems with the child later in their adult life.The drugs in question, so far, is: Abilify, Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa . The drug makers acknowledge the side effects but they maintain that the drugs are safe.

From last count it appears that there are approximately 2 million children using these anti-psychotic drugs annually. I leave the decision up to you and your doctor to determine if these particular medications are your drug of choice for your child.

My thought? Don't blame child obesity just on a soft drink, a cookie, a piece of candy, etc.--Do your homework.It seems political correctness has been popular this past decade and that's a shame.- And, that's my opinion.

Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
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Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com