By Emily Moser

Vitamins in the kitchen cupboard. Ibuprofen in the bathroom drawer. Maybe even a bottle of old prescription medication in the nightstand.

Welcome to Many-a-Home, U.S.A.

Annual sales of vitamins, diet supplements, over-the-counter drugs and prescription medication are measured in the billions of dollars. It’s difficult to go any length of time without seeing or hearing advertisements for them. It seems as if whatever ails us – or for that matter, however we might want to better ourselves, like getting an energy boost or building muscle – there’s a pill or concoction that’s touted to help.

Our kids are aware of this reality, and it presents a great opportunity to engage in an open, ongoing conversation with them about this simple fact: What we put in our bodies has an effect on us.

It’s a prime chance to talk about why certain medications or supplements are sometimes helpful, when we should take them, and why sometimes it’s better if we don’t. As parents, it’s also important to consider the attitude and approach we model when it comes to taking pills, from vitamins to Vicodin.

The importance of this issue is underscored by the increase in prescription drug abuse. A national survey shows nearly one-third of people aged 12 and older who used drugs for the first time in 2009 began by using prescription drugs non-medically. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified prescription drug overdoses as a national epidemic.

As parents, how do we shape healthy values in young people when it comes to vitamins and medications? Here are a few tips:

• Start talking about the importance of a healthy diet when children are young. Medical professionals largely agree that the best way for healthy children to get vitamins and minerals is through the food they eat. Eating meals together can help. If you choose to give your kids vitamins and other dietary supplements, take time to explain, in language they can understand, what the vitamins are and why some kids take them.

• Help young children understand that medication is not candy and any medicine they ingest has an effect on their body. Use visuals to help them recognize the difference between an over-the-counter cold pill, for example, and hard candy. Young children are information sponges and your messages to them establish an important foundation for healthy living.

• Model healthy use. Do you sometimes take over-the-counter medication for a cold or flu? Have you had an accident that precipitated taking prescription drugs for pain? Whatever the case, the good example you set, including following a doctor’s instructions and dosage recommendations, is invaluable. Explain to your child why you take medication and that you are careful about it. When it comes to prescription pills, make it clear they should never be shared and that it’s important to have a doctor’s approval to take them. Also discuss the importance of not mixing medications without a health care professional’s approval.

• Monitor prescription drugs at home and keep them in a secure place by locking them up. Keep track of how many pills are in a bottle or packet and keep tabs on refills. Remember this is not a matter of trust. It’s all about safety. A recent national study underscores one reason securing medication is so important: According to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the number of young children admitted to hospitals or seen in emergency departments because they unintentionally took a potentially toxic dose of medication has risen dramatically in recent years. Exposure to prescription products accounted for most of the emergency visits, admissions and significant harm.

• Help your kids think critically about what they see, hear and read in the media. TV ads for prescription medicine listing the numerous side effects that seem as bad as or worse than the original health problem may elicit chuckles. Other ads promote supplements and powders as ways to perform better or get healthier or in better shape. Use these and other moments as teaching opportunities.

• As a family, consider natural ways to stay healthy. This can include everything from deep breathing and taking walks for stress management to using natural remedies for illnesses. This underscores the important message that while medication is and can be helpful in many cases, there often are steps we can take before opening the medicine cabinet that benefit our bodies.

Emily Moser is the director of parenting programs at Oregon Partnership, a statewide nonprofit that exists to prevent substance abuse and suicide. For more information and parenting resources, please visit www.parentingforprevention.org, or call 503-244-5211.

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