The Problem With Quick Fixes: Medicine Isn’t Always the Best Answer

Medicine can do amazing things these days. Whether it’s face transplants or new treatments for diabetes or curing many kinds of cancer, it can seem like medicine can do everything. But medicine can’t—and shouldn’t—do everything. There were a couple of news stories this week that got me thinking about this. First, there was a study published in Pediatrics showing that when a fussy, spitty baby was given the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), parents were more interested in getting medication for their baby than they were if the fussiness and spitting were simply referred to as “a problem.” And here’s the crazy part: they still wanted the medicine even when they were told it likely wouldn’t work. The thing is, lots of babies are fussy and spitty. The vast majority of those babies are, well, just fussy and spitty babies that get better with time. There is nothing actually wrong with them. It’s a problem, sure, but it doesn’t warrant a diagnosis, let alone a medication—but that doesn’t stop lots of doctors from giving both. Mostly, doctors do it in an attempt to be helpful—and we do it because it’s easier for us to give a diagnosis and a medication than teach parents to deal with a really stressful baby. But when we do that, not only do we risk side effects from the medication, we risk giving parents false hope. And more importantly,  if they think it’s a disease, it gets in the way of helping parents actively find ways to soothe...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: ADHD Claire McCarthy, MD Gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD Source Type: news