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The Syndrome of Syndromes
By Don Bennett, DAS

A new syndrome is upon us: AED, Any Excuse for a Drug. The pharmaceutical industry has become very adept at taking a bunch of already existing symptoms and assigning them a syndrome or disorder (usually identified by a three or four letter acronym so it's easy for you to remember). But don't worry, they've created a new drug to manage this new condition. Ask your doctor if Restorall is right for you... You needn't suffer from RLS anymore (Restless Leg Syndrome). The fact that AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder) might be avoided simply by eating the diet you're designed to eat, getting amounts of physical activity you're designed to have, and not consuming things that help cause this "disorder" in the first place, is not something you're going to hear from them. But who can blame them; they're not in that business! You can't blame the shoe industry from trying to get you to buy more shoes than you actually need, and neither can you blame the drug industry for wanting everyone on the planet to be on multiple drugs. Shoes that you don't need will only hurt your bank account; drugs that you don't need will hurt you.

When you tell a child in school to sit still in their chair and pay attention, the pay attention part isn't the problem, the problem is the sitting still in the chair when the child is full of vibrant energy and exuberance (and maybe stimulation from a sugar-laden breakfast). It's not natural to expect a child like that to pay attention! And if his attention is less than desired, then by definition, he's got an attention deficit. Make that attention deficit a disorder, and it's Ritalin to the rescue. Did you know that school districts are given financial incentives to recommend students be put on Ritalin? If the school is desperate for funds (and what school district isn't), might it affect their judgment in this matter?

Only healthy doses of knowledge will help rid our society of AED.

UPDATE: December 6, 2009
TV commercials are now talking about the latest 3-letter condition; P.A.D. (Peripheral Arterial Disease) and naturally it's dealt with by taking medications. But to really deal with it naturally, try living in harmony with nature and respect your body's requirements, and you'll find, as with most ill-health conditions, you can forgo the meds.

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