RITALIN WAS DEBATED ON PAULA ZAHN TONIGHT!!!

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Of course I don't know what I'm talking about so therefore Bernard Lord will continue to drug and kill the 38,000 kids in this Province!!!!



Here's the transcript!!!!

ZAHN: And we change our focus when we come back. Are
your kids taking pills to help them calm down? Well,
those pills may be about to get some very scary new
warning labels. What's the problem? We'll explain.

And have you heard about the big find among the tombs
of the pharaohs? Well, you're going to get your first
look here tonight.

First though, we move on to number six on our CNN.com
countdown. Our lead story, former FEMA Chief Michael
Brown's contentious testimony about Hurricane Katrina
during today's hearings on Capitol Hill.

Number five, in Italy a big legal setback for this
man. He tried to bring a priest to trial for writing
that Jesus Christ did exist. Today that case was
thrown out. Don't go away number four is straight
ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: So is your front yard going to look like this
tomorrow? Coming up in this half hour, the latest
forecast for what could be this winter's meanest storm
yet.

Of course, there's no snow in Egypt, but there is an
exciting new find among the tombs of the pharaohs. Did
these guys actually know King Tut?

Now on to a story that I think will be a great deal of
interest to those of you parents that are watching
tonight. Ritalin is the focus of tonight's "Vital
Signs."

The drug is standard treatment for millions of kids
with a condition commonly known as ADHD or attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder. But now a new and
potentially explosive development to talk about
tonight.

This week a government panel recommended that Ritalin
and similar drugs carrying a black label warning about
the possible risk of heart problems and even sudden
death.

While the FDA considers that, doctors continue to
write three million prescriptions for these drugs
every month. Is Ritalin worth the risk? In a moment,
we'll ask senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay
Gupta that.

But first, I want you to meet two families faced with
an agonizing decision whether or not to give their
children Ritalin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY BETH BURROW, THOMAS' MOTHER: He was active in my
womb, always kicking and moving, and he sat up at six
months old, so he was just busy into everything.

ZAHN (voice over): Mary Beth and Tommy Burrows first
son Thomas was a handful from day one. But when Thomas
went to preschool teachers thought there might be an
even bigger problem.

BURROW: He's walking out of the classroom. He's doing
this. He's, you know, taking away from the other
children learning, and so they were suggesting that I
go see somebody about Thomas to find out kind of what
is going on.

ZAHN: A doctor delivered the news. Thomas had
attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and was
given a prescription for Ritalin. Thomas did well
during the school day. But at night when his dose wore
off, his behavior was shocking.

BURROW: It is off the wall. It is like you've thrown a
bunch of rubber balls in your room and it is all over
the place. Just jumping on furniture, jumping on the
table, making weird sounds, not caring if he breaks
things or pushes somebody down.

ZAHN: Thomas was given a different ADHD drug to try,
Concerta. This time Mary Beth and Tommy noticed an
even more disturbing change in their son. He seemed to
be a totally different child. Mary Beth remembers
watching her son on the playground. BURROW: Everyone
is picking teams or whatever and Thomas doesn't get
picked or doesn't, you know, raise his hand to be
picked. He's just standing there like a zombie, and it
was awful. I mean it was so sad.

Then my mother went up one day and said it makes me
want to cry to watch him.

DR. PETER BREGGIN, CHILD PSYCHIATRIST: You have a
young child whose brain is being bathed in a toxin
that is disrupting multiple neurotransmitter systems.
And the brain is trying to adapt to that while it is
growing.

ZAHN: Dr. Peter Breggin, a child psychiatrist and
author of the book, "Talking Back to Ritalin," thinks
that drugs like Ritalin can alter a child's brain
chemistry stunting their growth and suppressing their
personalities and their creativity even possibly
leading to depression.

And the FDA has been taking notice recently tracking
reports of possible side effects like suicidal
thoughts, hallucinations and violent behavior trying
to determine whether Ritalin and other drugs in its
class should carry stronger warning labels.

Dr. Breggin also worries that there may be a link
between use of the drugs and addiction later on in
life.

BREGGIN: Ritalin and amphetamines that we give our
kids are gateway drugs because the adverse effects of
these drugs lead to additional drugs, and then the
more drugs that the child becomes a life-long mental
patient.

ZAHN: Dr. Harold Koplewicz, founder and director of
the New York University Child Study Center, disagrees.

DR. HAROLD KOPLEWICZ, NYU CHILD STUDY CENTER: Ritalin
and Ritalin-like medicines are the only effective
treatment for children who suffer with attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder or with ADD.

ZAHN: He thinks that used wisely drugs like Ritalin
can be transforming for struggling children and their
familiars.

KOPLEWICZ: The reports that are coming out of the FDA
deserve our attention and should be investigated
carefully. And if there is concern then there should
be a warning label.

But if there turns out that this is not significant,
then there shouldn't be a warning label because the
one thing we don't want to do, we don't want to
prevent children who really have this disorder from
getting treated.

ZAHN: Eleven-year-old Allison Stoll is an energetic
big sister.

SUSANNAH BUDINGTON, ALLISON'S MOTHER: She's outgoing.
She's personable. And she's just a great kid to be
around.

ZAHN: But five years ago this family's story was quite
different.

BUDINGTON: And we were just watching her struggle so
much and always running around, couldn't stay still
ever, restaurants, home, always climbing on things,
always talking, talking, talking, which was great,
but, you know, interrupting, a lot more oppositional,
a lot more temper tantrums.

ZAHN: At the age of 6, Allison was put on Ritalin.

BUDINGTON: And within the first day at school and at
home, we saw a remarkable difference in her without
changing her personality, which was important to us
too. I like to say on a scale of one to 10 on normal
activity level, Allison is about 11. And this probably
brings her to a nine.

I don't think anybody would ever meet her and say, oh,
she's drugged. It is something -- it's just one tool
that we use to help her.

ZAHN: Allison is still on medication. Even so the
daily struggles go on.

ALLISON STOLL, 11-YEAR-OLD: Sitting here right now is
really hard because I want to get up, like, I don't
know, walk around my room or something. Just sitting
still in general, just because I want to be able to do
something, like -- it is real really hard to explain.

ZAHN: But Allison believes that the medication is
helping.

STOLL: The medicine just helps me be a better person
because I'm not really being me because me would be
hyper, not paying attention, bouncing off the walls.
But it helps me be a better more nicer, calmer, little
more on task person. That's who I want to be and
that's who I am.

ZAHN: Thomas Burrow's parents recently took him off
his ADHD medication. Mary Beth and Tommy are
experimenting with diet changes and testing Thomas for
allergies that they think may be contributing to his
ADHD. A very active Thomas will start first grade in
the fall.

THOMAS BURROW: I like being at recess like playing
with my friends, and I like writing. I really like art
because I want to be an artist one day.

ZAHN: Mary Beth and Tommy know the road forward won't
be easy. But one thing is certain, they think that
getting Thomas off the drugs gave them their son back.

BURROW: Thomas is smiling, and it is a true smile like
a happy, happy, happy, happy, and, you know, that's
what matters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: So let's turn our attention now to senior
medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. So Sanjay,
this is a wrenching decision for any parent to have to
make. So if these bottles of these drugs carry
ultimately this warning, what would you do as a doctor
or parent? Would you feel comfortable giving your
child these pills?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well,
I tell you, it is a good question. As a parent, first
of all, Paula, I think you can't ignore, you know,
significant warnings. This is one of the most severe
warnings that is actually placed on medications, these
black box warnings you're talking about. So you have
to pay attention to those if they get passed.

As a doctor though, a couple of things. One, if ADHD
is interfering with my child's way of life, I'm going
get her treatment. And I know that the vast majority
of these children, this treatment works. These
medications do work over 90 percent of the time.

But, you know, this concern about heart troubles, I
might want to get her blood pressure checked, get a
quick heart exam or something before I start on these
medications. That's probably how I would balance it as
a doctor and as a parent.

ZAHN: And are there any other alternatives? We heard
what that last family was trying with diet. Does that
work?

GUPTA: Yes, well, you know, it is interesting. And,
you know, you mentioned with Thomas that he had food
allergies ultimately and that could play a role.

And I think it brings up a very important point,
Paula. People always criticize the medical
establishment for being too quick to pull out the
prescription pad.

Make sure you get everything else checked out in your
child, food allergies, things like that. Changing the
diet can get make a difference. Behavioral
modification sometimes can make a difference.

I know a lot of parents are watching saying, come on,
that stuff doesn't work, but there have been lots of
stories where it can, and it should be tried.

ZAHN: Well, we appreciate all of your advice tonight.

Thank you, doctor. Appreciate it.

And are you ready for a big dose of winter this
weekend? Well,guess what, it is coming your way. And
where exactly is the storm coming from? Where is it
headed? We'll have the very latest for you.

And then what exactly is inside the new tomb
discovered near King Tut's burial site? We're going to
give you your first look.

But before that let's move on to number four in our
CNN.com countdown. A California woman with a rare
disorder, she's just three feet tall, weighing only 37
pounds before her pregnancy, gives birth to her first
child, a healthy baby boy.

We've got number three right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: All right. We have to admit it not too many
complaints this winter. For most of us, this has been
a pretty mild one. But, guess what? That's about to
change.

A big storm is hitting Memphis, Tennessee, tonight. It
is heading east. It is going to make one big mess all
along the East Coast.