A practice we should seriously consider ending
Research is mounting on the dangers of Tylenol (acetaminophen) across all ages, including fetuses. Research out of John Hopkins University, funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), made some pretty remarkable discoveries. The study examined umbilical cord blood from 996 newborns whose mothers had used Tylenol at least once during pregnancy. These newborns all had traces of Tylenol in their bloodstream at birth. They were followed for up to 21 years to see if they were ever diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or another developmental disorder (DD).
Of the 996 participants
257 children (25.8%) had been diagnosed with ADHD only
66 (6.6%) had been diagnosed with ASD only
42 (4.2%) had been diagnosed with both ADHD and ASD
304 (30.5%) had been diagnosed with other DDs
327 (32.8%) were neurotypical by their 21st birthday
Acetaminophen is the most commonly used medication for analgesic (pain relief) and antipyretic (fever reducing) purposes among mothers during pregnancy and infants in early life. More than 65% of women in the United States and 50% in Europe use acetaminophen during pregnancy. However, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have refrained from making recommendations regarding use
This was a dose dependent response as well, meaning the more Tylenol consumed the higher the risk of developing one of these conditions.
Diagnosis of ADHD, ASD, and other developmental disorders have been on the rise with traditional medicine unable to offer much in either treatment or prevention. This increase can be directly attributed to our changing world. Now more than ever we are exposed to inflammatory foods, pesticides, herbicides, environmental toxins, prescription and over the counter medications, and microbiome dysbiosis. All of these factors can and must be addressed during pregnancy and early development to help treat and prevent such disorders.
This is just the beginning of Tylenol's destruction. Tylenol continues to be consumed regularly throughout one's life and can have some of the following effects.
Asthma
Other research has concluded that the use of acetaminophen, even as infrequently as once per year, could have permanent, life threatening health effects. Children who receive acetaminophen only once per year have a 70% greater risk of developing asthma and those who receive acetaminophen once a month have a 400% greater risk compared to those who do not.
Immune Function
Tylenol significantly down regulates the immune system. It is commonly taken to lower a fever, which is ironic because a fever is our body's greatest weapon against infections. It is very rare that a fever actually becomes high enough to cause concern. Supressing a fever actually prolongs illness. Remember, signs and symptoms are indicative of an underlying pathology. Medications that suppress symptoms are doing more harm than good. Inducing and raising a fever is a much better practice than lowing.
Liver Damage
In contrast to NSAIDs like ibuprofen and aspirin which cause damage to the intestinal lining, Tylenol wreaks its damage on the liver. Everything that enters the body must be processed by the liver but some things are more taxing to process than others. Tylenol directly destroys liver cells by damaging mitochondrial and cellular DNA which can cause any number of diseases.
Over the counter medications are not as safe as we have been led to believe. Naturopathic Doctors and Chiropractors have many safe and natural alternatives that are just as effective, if not more effective, at treating pain, infections, and disease. Hopefully research like this will continue to come out and will change the paradox of our current medical model.
Take a look at the research to learn even more
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3314460/