PARENTING OR DRUGGING?
- Madhukar Dama
- May 24
- 3 min read
How Educated Indian Parents Are Turning Childhood Into a Pharmacy Trial
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1. THE NEW NORMAL
In many educated Indian households, parenting has quietly transformed into pharmaceutical management. A sneeze prompts antihistamines. A missed bowel movement results in fiber supplements. A hint of tiredness calls for iron tonics. Every minor deviation from perceived "perfect health" is met with a product. From multivitamins and protein powders to over-the-counter (OTC) medications and so-called superfoods, children are being raised on a steady diet of interventions.
This is not attentive parenting. It is an anxiety-fueled, symptom-suppressing approach that confuses care with control, and health with absence of discomfort.
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2. THE ROOTS OF FEAR-DRIVEN CARE
Educated Indian parents are under intense social and psychological pressure. Many were raised to equate performance with love and appearance with value. In such a model, a healthy-looking, active, fast-learning child is a symbol of good parenting. Any deviation—be it a fever, delay in speech, or skin patch—is seen as failure. Rather than understanding or observing the child, the immediate reflex is to correct.
In an age of high-speed internet and instant Amazon delivery, correction has become synonymous with consumption.
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3. PHARMACEUTICAL PARENTING
The modern educated Indian parent now relies on a daily pharmacy lineup:
Vitamin D drops, B-complex syrups, calcium supplements
Iron tonics, appetite boosters, enzyme syrups
Omega 3 chewables, protein powders
Laxatives, antihistamines, gas drops, fever suppressants
Probiotics, prebiotics, and oral rehydration solutions
These are often self-prescribed or guided by social media, WhatsApp groups, and YouTube parenting channels. Pediatricians—under time pressure and pharmaceutical influence—frequently add to this spiral.
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4. WHAT IS HEALTH, REALLY?
Health is not a static, spotless state. It is a dynamic ability to respond, recover, adapt, and thrive. Falling sick is part of building immunity. Feeling fatigue is a call to rest. Constipation may signal dehydration or poor food choices. Skin eruptions may reflect gut imbalance. Each symptom is communication—not a malfunction.
Suppression of symptoms teaches the child nothing about their body. It teaches the parent nothing about patience.
> “The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
—Thomas Edison
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5. THE DAMAGE DONE
When drugging replaces parenting, multiple harms occur:
Microbiome disruption: Constant supplements and medications alter gut flora, weakening immunity.
Dependency and fear: Children lose trust in their body’s natural healing ability.
Side effects: Supplements are not without risk. Iron tonics can cause constipation, calcium can suppress magnesium, probiotics can displace native flora.
Early disease: Allergies, autoimmune disorders, hormonal imbalances are now common in children under 10.
Loss of self-awareness: Children become passive health recipients, not active self-carers.
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6. EXAMPLES FROM EVERYDAY INDIA
A 2-year-old is given daily multivitamins, despite eating home-cooked food.
A 5-year-old is on appetite stimulants because she prefers fruits over rotis.
A 7-year-old is on vitamin D shots without a deficiency or sun exposure check.
A 10-year-old is prescribed probiotics after every cold.
In each case, there is no time allowed for observation, no questioning of diet, sleep, activity, or stress. The solution is external, instant, and synthetic.
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7. TRUE PREVENTION IS NATURAL
The body has powerful internal medicine:
Real food: Seasonal, diverse, fiber-rich
Natural movement: Outdoor play, walking, climbing
Sleep: Deep, uninterrupted, tech-free
Sunlight: For vitamin D, mood, immunity
Rest and sickness: As healing cycles
What children truly need is trust. Not in the market. Not in fear. But in the ancient intelligence of their own growing body.
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8. REFERENCES
1. Blaser, Martin J. Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues.
2. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Psychology Syndrome.
3. WHO Guidelines on childhood supplementation practices
4. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – Guidance on symptom observation in children
5. Harvard Health Publishing: "Let kids get dirty"
6. Indian Pediatrics Journal – Articles on unnecessary pediatric supplementation
7. American Academy of Pediatrics – Guidance on treating fever and minor symptoms
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