BBC News appears to support drug taking! I have said before that the BBC rarely report evidence of the harm and damage Pharmaceutical drugs do to patients, or news about the fraud and corruption of the Big Pharma companies. I have also commented, many times, on their willingness to report the 'medical breakthroughs' reported to them by the Conventional Medical Establishment, without questioning them about the safety of these so-called 'breakthroughs' - which never seem to materialise!
Listening to BBC News would make it appear that all was well with the conventional medical world, and that all we have to do, as patients is to 'keep on taking the pills'.
But this morning, BBC News sank to new depths. In their flagship Radio 4 'Today' programme they discussed a wonderful idea. We could all be taking drugs in order to increase our mental and intellectual performance at work. Employers, and even employees, might even feel it necessary to take these drugs.
Lance Armstrong has just been stripped of 7 Tour de France victories because he took drugs to 'enhance' his performance. Yet, according to the BBC Today programme, it is okay to take so-called 'Mind Enhancing' drugs to improve our performance at work!
And just what drugs does BBC News suggest we should be taking to assist our work performance? The suggestion was ADHD drugs, including Ritalin.
Now, the question arises, is BBC News just ignorant about the disease-inducing-effects (DIEs) of Ritalin? Or are they taking their role as 'sales representative' for the Big Pharma industry more seriously than I have previously thought? Either way, it is unacceptable for a public service broadcaster.
So here is something I have published about Ritalin - in the vain hope, perhaps, that someone at BBC News will bother to read it, and understand that people are suffering out here because too many people are taking this drug that appears to have the support of the BBC.
* Global spending on ADHD drugs increased nine-fold, with 83% occurring in the USA
* In the UK, use of the drugs grew by 12.3% between 1999 and 2003 and expenditure grew by 30.8%. Monthly prescriptions for Ritalin increased from just 4000 in 1994 to 359,000 in 2004.
* High blood pressure (hypertension)
* Unusual heart rhythm (arrythmia)
* Heart attack (cardiac arrest)
* Hallucinations
* Depression or excitement
* Convulsions / seizures (excessive brain stimulation)
* Drowsiness or "dopey" feeling
* Confusion
* Lack of sleep (insomnia)
* Agitation, irritation, anxiety, nervousness
* Hostility
* Unhappiness (Dysphoria)
* Impaired mental abilities (cognitive impairment on tests)
* Jerky movements (Dyskinesias, tics, Tourette's syndrome)
* Nervous habits (such as picking at skin or pulling hair)
* Compulsive behaviour
* Depression/over-sensitivity
* Decreased social interest
* Zombie-like behaviour
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Stomach ache, cramps
* dry mouth
* constipation
* Abnormal liver function tests
* Weight loss
* Headache
* Dizziness
* Rash/conjunctivitis/hives
* Hair loss
* Inflammation of the skin (dermatitis)
* Blood disorders (anorexia, leukoplacia)
* Involuntary discharge of urine (enuresis)
* Fever
* Joint pain
* Unusual sweating
* Evening crash
* Depression
* Over-activity and irritability
* Worsening of ADHD-like symptoms
Listening to BBC News would make it appear that all was well with the conventional medical world, and that all we have to do, as patients is to 'keep on taking the pills'.
But this morning, BBC News sank to new depths. In their flagship Radio 4 'Today' programme they discussed a wonderful idea. We could all be taking drugs in order to increase our mental and intellectual performance at work. Employers, and even employees, might even feel it necessary to take these drugs.
Lance Armstrong has just been stripped of 7 Tour de France victories because he took drugs to 'enhance' his performance. Yet, according to the BBC Today programme, it is okay to take so-called 'Mind Enhancing' drugs to improve our performance at work!
And just what drugs does BBC News suggest we should be taking to assist our work performance? The suggestion was ADHD drugs, including Ritalin.
Now, the question arises, is BBC News just ignorant about the disease-inducing-effects (DIEs) of Ritalin? Or are they taking their role as 'sales representative' for the Big Pharma industry more seriously than I have previously thought? Either way, it is unacceptable for a public service broadcaster.
So here is something I have published about Ritalin - in the vain hope, perhaps, that someone at BBC News will bother to read it, and understand that people are suffering out here because too many people are taking this drug that appears to have the support of the BBC.
"Ritalin is an amphetamine drug used unsparingly for children with ADHD. But other costly and long-acting medications Concerta, Strattera, and Adderral and also used. Some statistics about the rise in the use of this and similar drugs to treat hyperactivity in children shows the soaring sales figures
* In the USA between 1993 and 2003, prescriptions of ADHD medications, including Ritalin, almost tripled (274%), with one in 25 children and adolescents in the USA now taking drugs for the condition
In 2000, NICE estimated there are around 400,000 under 16-year olds with ADHD in England and Wales. Richard Scheffler, an expert in health economics and public policy, who led the study said that "ADHD could become the leading childhood disorder treated with medications across the globe. We can expect that the already burgeoning global costs for medication treatment for ADHD will rise even more sharply over the next decade"
A 'What Doctor's Don't Tell You' (WDDTY) report dated 18th October 2007 stated that children as young as three were being given Ritalin, and similar powerful drugs to treat ADHD – even though they are not licensed for use with small children, and there had been no studies to see how safe the drug is in with age group. The report said that early studies suggested around a third of small children given Ritalin or similar drugs have had such a bad reaction that treatment had to be stopped. The reactions included sleeplessness, irritability, repetitive behaviour or thoughts, and appetite loss. The drugs were also found to affect the child’s growth. Children on an ADHD drug were around 20% shorter, and 55% lighter, for their age. The source was the Journal of the American Medical Association, 2007; 298: 1747-9).
Indeed, the disease-inducing effects of these drugs are staggering. In another WDDTY report dated February 2005, the following side-effects were listed, indicating how damaging the drugs can be to young children who are probably already suffering from a condition created by other Big Pharma drugs.
Cardiovascular
* Rapid heart beat (palpitations, tachycardia)* High blood pressure (hypertension)
* Unusual heart rhythm (arrythmia)
* Heart attack (cardiac arrest)
Central Nervous System
* Altered mental status (psychosis)* Hallucinations
* Depression or excitement
* Convulsions / seizures (excessive brain stimulation)
* Drowsiness or "dopey" feeling
* Confusion
* Lack of sleep (insomnia)
* Agitation, irritation, anxiety, nervousness
* Hostility
* Unhappiness (Dysphoria)
* Impaired mental abilities (cognitive impairment on tests)
* Jerky movements (Dyskinesias, tics, Tourette's syndrome)
* Nervous habits (such as picking at skin or pulling hair)
* Compulsive behaviour
* Depression/over-sensitivity
* Decreased social interest
* Zombie-like behaviour
Gastrointestinal
* Eating disorders (anorexia)* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Stomach ache, cramps
* dry mouth
* constipation
* Abnormal liver function tests
Endocrine/Metabolic
* Growth problems (pituitary dysfunction)* Weight loss
Other
* Blurred vision* Headache
* Dizziness
* Rash/conjunctivitis/hives
* Hair loss
* Inflammation of the skin (dermatitis)
* Blood disorders (anorexia, leukoplacia)
* Involuntary discharge of urine (enuresis)
* Fever
* Joint pain
* Unusual sweating
Withdrawal and Rebound
* Sleep problems (insomnia)* Evening crash
* Depression
* Over-activity and irritability
* Worsening of ADHD-like symptoms
So this is the drug that BBC News so casually thought might be capable of enhancing our work performance this morning. The Today programme made no mention whatsoever that it could cause innumerable health problems as a 'side-effect'. So perhaps we should all be avoiding listening or watching BBC News programmes? Or perhaps they should not be broadcast without a health warning - that listening to this programme could seriously damage our health!
