A new placebo pill for children has hit the market. The pill, a cherry-flavored sugar tablet, is for children who think they need medicine. It’s called Obecalp, which is placebo spelled backward. Obecalp’s website introduces us to the reassuring power of placebo -
“Hi. Welcome to the Placebo Store. I'm Jen. I am a mommy. It's what I love. Whether it's a kiss or a big hug, the magic happens immediately. This is the power of placebo.”
Gosh, when I experienced childhood distress, my mommy gave me a hug and said it would be alright. It never entered her mind to use deception instead of nurturing when dealing with a child awakened in the night from a bad dream. She explained that if something bad happens in a dream, it won’t happen in real life. Now parents can reach for relief in a bottle of Obecalp and say, “Here you go, take two of these; those scary monsters will disappear and you’ll sleep through the night.”
How ethical is it to teach children that the only way they can get better is by taking a pill? Is this the inevitable effect of a Ritalin-filled world? I don't know whether this is good use of placebo or not. The pills will make some kids feel better and really, how much difference is there between the “kiss and make it better” approach and Obecalp? Nonetheless, Obecalp may increase children’s psychological need for medical intervention, when they might be better off developing tolerance for life's minor aches and pains.
6 comments:
Dr. Mark Lange, PhD is absolutely correct that there are very close ties between the FDA and big pharmaceutical companies. I think of it as an unholy alliance. After all, how can an FDA official get a lucrative job with a pharmaceutical company upon retirement from the federal government if he or she doesn't take care of those companies while working for the FDA?
I spent 3 years working for a Congressional oversight committee and conducted several investigations of the FDA. Since then I have continued to lobby on behalf of organizations that want to protect our access to nutraceuticals. Believe me, the risk of losing the top tier of health supplements to the pharmaceutical industry is very real.
While we'd all like to think that the FDA's only role is to protect the health of the American public, it isn't that simple, or that wholesome. Often their decisions are based on money -- money for the pharmaceutical companies and future money for themselves.
Companies that sell nutraceuticals and their trade associations need to be very alert to what is going on and should be much more vigorous in their defense of our product lines than they have been in the past.
As I said, Dr. Lange is correct in his conclusions and I'm very glad to see that he is aware of the situation.
John Rowe
Oxon Hill, Maryland
MA Professional Coordinator and
Congressional Lobbyist
I have a real hard time with people that try to pass off, or make others think that the way to solve all problems is to pop a pill. We all know that's probably the pharmaceutical companies working the next generation of people, that will then be in their pockets as far as taking all their pills that they will be pushing. I would certainly hope that most people wouldn't be that naive, but we know that's probably not the case. We need to open our mouths as much as possible to the scams that keep being pushed down our throats!
How ridiculous is this? Why do we set our children up for life long issues? When I was a child it was the candy cigarettes that were being given out to children - and look what happened to the amount of smokers that came out of my generation - Parents PLEASE do NOT buy into this silly idea of placebo pills to make your child feel better. Give them a kiss and a hug and reassurance.
What's next? A pill to help you do your math homework?
Let's face it, we are in a "I want it now" society. This is nothing more than an a sad excuse to make money off of parents that just won't take the time or worse yet cannot take the time due to their hectic lifestyles to properly deal with their children. It's time to be a parent again! These people need to build an Unfranchise and create time freedom so that THEY can bring up their own kids NOT SOCEITY!
I totally agree that this is not good for our kids. Let's get back to basics. Not to be mean, but we are creating little monsters in our society because we don't talk to our kids and help them face their emotions and communicate them. I have an 8 year old and yes, she tries me often and has used the, "I'm sick, I need medicine"...usually it's something else that is bugging her and we talk about it. This choice to have a pill to fix your problems is ridiculous...sit down with your kids and chat about what the real issue is....don't cover it up with a pill.
Thank you all for adding your views to this post. Yesterday I took my daughter to Girl Scout summer camp. The first step was a routine health screening where all prescription and OTC drugs were to be declared along with instructions on how often the child was to receive her medicine(s).
The lines were long and it was obvious why - it looked as if every child had a bag of medicines to hand over, along with a complex dosing schedule to record. When at last we made it to the front of the line and were asked for our medicines, the woman gave a look of disbelief when I said my daughter was healthy and not taking anything. "First one today!", was her reply.
Parents need to discuss and explore options with their doctors when their child has a minor health issue. For example, allergies sometimes are successfully addressed through changes in environment and diet. Children don't necessarily need a new pill for every sniffle or ache. The body has remarkable abilities to heal itself, when given the opportunity and support to do so.
Mark Lange, PhD
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