Ditching the drugs
THE DOCTOR WHO GAVE UP DRUGS
BBC1, 9pm
PARENTS the world over have been known to dose their kids up with drugs when they’re feeling under the weather. Whether it’s a high temperature, a tummy ache or teething, there’s a particular brand of liquid paracetamol that Brits are buying by the bucketload.
Yes, we are raising a generation of Calpol Kids and Doctor Chris Van Tulleken wants to shed some light on the sweet pink stuff that kids just love. Two years ago, Chris discovered we are taking more drugs than ever (a whopping billion prescriptions are written a year), so he worked with patients to try med-free alternatives. Now the new dad wants to do the same for children, having discovered that British kids take three times more medication than 40 years ago. “All drugs do harm, without exception,” he points out. “We just hope that the benefits outweigh the harm.” This is an eye-opening and thought- provoking documentary that reveals our kids don’t need drugs as often as we think they do, and looks at the marketing ploys used to manipulate us. Elsewhere, Chris also tackles the problem of treating kids’ behavioural issues, such as ADHD, with drugs that have side effects such as a loss of hunger and stunted growth. One mum says her son Tom describes taking the drugs as having “the fun sucked out of him”. “It’s the modern equivalent of peddling snake oil,” says one expert. Chris joins six children with hyperactivity as they trial mindfulness. But will it work well enough for them to ditch the meds?