Prescription nation

How can a 2-year-old child be diagnosed as being bipolar and having ADHD? That's what happened to Rebecca Riley. At the age of 4 the little girl from Hingham was being given large doses of prescription meds, which eventually killed her in December. Riley's parents are now charged with her death and the girl's doctor is being investigated by the state medical board.

In America we focus on the use of illegal drugs when it seems that the legal stuff is causing just as many problems. Why do our young people need to be on so many meds? Does the clout and ubiquity of the pharmaceutical industry have anything to do with it? Didn't we survive as a species for 200,000 years using natural herbs instead of these manufactured pills?

Look at the recent comments by a Tufts doctor on the subject of multivitamins that so many people take. There seems to be little evidence that they work. As is true with most health-related issues, the bottom line is to eat your vegetables, go easy on the meat, drink in moderation, don't smoke and exercise regularly.