New research published last month in JAMA Pediatrics links maternal use of acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy to behavioral problems in children.
But for some unthinkable reason, doctors still recommend this dangerous, OTC painkiller as the first-line choice for pregnant women.
What a mess.
Why is this poison still on the shelf?
For the new study, researchers followed 7,796 mothers who gave birth during 1991 and 1992 in Avon, England. In this study alone, 53 percent of women reported using Tylenol at 18 weeks of pregnancy, and 42 percent reported using it at 32 weeks.
Overall, the researchers found a strong link between acetaminophen use by pregnant women and a greater risk of behavioral problems in children by the time they reached seven years of age.
Specifically, the children whose mothers took acetaminophen at 18 weeks were 42 percent more likely to have hyperactivity and 31 percent more likely to have problems with conduct compared to women who reported no use of the drug during pregnancy.
Children of women who took the drug at 32 weeks were 29 percent more likely to have emotional difficulties.
And children of mothers who took acetaminophen even later in pregnancy were 46 percent more likely to experience a number of behavioral difficulties.
The researchers considered every other possible, far-fetched factor that could have caused these behavioral problems other than the drug itself in an effort to explain away the findings. They even looked at mothers’ and fathers’ use of the drug after pregnancy. But there was no other explanation.
Tylenol use directly caused these problems.
FDA continues to turn a blind eye to the problem
I’m really not sure why the so-called “experts” can’t read the writing on the wall. It’s been there for years. In fact, several prior human studies linked use of this drug during pregnancy to ADHD disorders in children. And lab experiments on mice suggest the drug alters normal brain development by disrupting hormone functions, as well as other mechanisms of injury.
Research also links acetaminophen use in infants with behavioral problems during childhood, including autism spectrum disorders. As I reported in 2013, William Shaw, Ph.D., makes the case that vaccinations don’t cause autism. Instead, he believes this “safe,” OTC painkiller routinely given for fever after (or even before) vaccinations may trigger the disorder in susceptible children.
Yet mainstream medicine overwhelmingly considers acetaminophen safe for use by pregnant women and children. Specifically, mainstream doctors encourage pregnant women to choose acetaminophen as the first-line choice for treating fevers, which they consider an immediate threat to a developing fetus. And more than half of pregnant women in the U.S. and Europe use it during pregnancy. Mainstream pediatricians even recommend giving acetaminophen to infants to treat fevers starting as early as a few weeks old.
Why don’t doctors avoid recommending drugs all together? When I was in school, we were taught to never give a pregnant woman — or a baby — a drug unless in a life-threatening situation.
In my view, doctors should do a much better job recommending the many, non-drug, natural alternatives for pain relief. I tell you all about them in my new online Arthritis Relief and Reversal learning protocol. You can learn more about this protocol or enroll today by clicking here.
And if you need a reminder…here it is: Never take Tylenol. For anything. Ever. Period.
Source:
“Association of Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy With Behavioral Problems in Childhood,” JAMA Pediatrics (http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com) 8/15/2016