Overmedication in America

As a society, we’re severely overmedicated in America. Too often, we are willing to take the easy way out by swallowing a pill. We’re passing this ritual down to our kids.

Many of us anesthetize ourselves by plopping in front of the TV or using drugs to “zone out” and escape life. This too, is being passed down.

Overmedication in Schools

I recently read a mediocre yet alarming article on the overmedication of children who are diagnosed with ADD & ADHD. The article reads, “Walk into any American high school and nearly one in five boys in the hallways will have a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.”

Our solution? Pills & iPads. If a kid is misbehaving, we are so willing to prescribe stimulants & amphetamines or place an iPad in his/her hand allowing them to “zone out” and thus stop “misbehaving.” We’re not saying ADD isn’t real but we are too quick to diagnose & treat unnaturally.

Natural Alternatives to Overmedication:

• Change in diet (eliminate processed food & add more fresh veggies & fruit) Has anyone seen the food in cafeterias of US public schools? I don’t like to be negative but it’s deplorable. You wouldn’t eat your 11 year old nephew’s cafeteria food the same way you would’t eat your dog’s food.
• Exercise/Sports/Outdoors (real sports, not video games) The amount of time allocated towards outdoor recess in US public schools has decreased dramatically in recent years. One of my best friends is a teacher at a public elementary school — he says that the kids have been so conditioned to technology that instead of going outside to play football or soccer, they’d rather sit inside & play computer games.
• Yoga (UCLA 2003 study scientifically proved that yoga helps kids relax, focus, & feel better about themselves) A natural alternative that requires a bit more discipline than popping a pill or toggling a touchscreen.
• Prayer/Meditation/Spirituality (not necessarily in school but in general) The sooner kids realize the importance of spirituality, the better. They will learn to connect w/ themselves, each other & the earth at large as opposed to “connecting” w/ a virtual cornstalk in Farmville.

Kale and Spinach Growing in an organic garden next to an elementary school

What are the short+term effects of chronically bathing young brains in stimulants and amphetamines & solving their “bad behavior” by handing them electronic devices?

For starters, it’s rare to see a teenager in America who can go 5 minutes without their smartphone.

Furthermore, it’s proven that those subjected to ADD pills are more likely to experiment w/ illicit drugs later on.

This is a new trend. The short+term effects are alarming but the long+term effects could be catastrophic.

We can reverse this trend. The four alternatives above are only the beginning.

Excerpt from WSJ article on overmedication::

“History has already taught us that overprescribing stimulants to millions of Americans leads to dependence, addiction and overdose. By medicating children for wiggling in their chairs, losing their homework and shouting out answers, we are not teaching them vital coping skills to manage their behavior. Instead, we are teaching them to take a pill. One day, we’ll look back and wonder: Why did we do this? Again.

Walk into any American high school and nearly one in five boys in the hallways will have a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 11% of all American children ages 4 to 17—over six million—have ADHD, a 16% increase since 2007. When you consider that in Britain roughly 3% of children have been similarly diagnosed, the figure is even more startling. Now comes worse news: In the U.S., being told that you have ADHD—and thus receiving some variety of amphetamine to treat it—has become more likely.”

Lucid Practice is rooted in positive energy so hopefully this post doesn’t come across as a negative. The Lucid Practice mission is to help people, hopefully this post serves as a helpful reminder that overmedication is a problem that needs our attention.

What’s your opinion?

What are some alternatives to help reverse the trend of overmedication in the US?