(NewsUSA) - Pregnant women might want to think twice before reaching for that pain pill.
A new study published in the respected JAMA Pediatrics has discovered a possible link between acetaminophen -- found in Tylenol and many other pain pills -- and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. And while experts say the preliminary findings fall short of proving a direct cause-and-effect relationship, the fact that acetaminophen is the most common drug taken by expectant mothers is sounding alarm bells.
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"We really should start looking at non-pharmacological ways to deal with pain," Jeff Chapa, director of maternal fetal medicine at Cleveland Clinic, told USA Today, while advising that acetaminophen continue to be used in the case of fevers.
According to the study, which tracked more than 64,000 Danish children born from 1996 to 2002, those whose mothers took acetaminophen were:
* 37 percent more likely to be diagnosed with hyperkinetic disorder -- the equivalent of "high end" ADHD.
* 29 percent more likely to receive ADHD medications.
One drug-free alternative that continues to gain popularity is chiropractic care. The American Pregnancy Association notes it can help "maintain a healthier pregnancy" overall while also potentially "controlling symptoms of nausea, reducing the time of labor and delivery, relieving back, neck or joint pain, and preventing potential cesarean delivery."
"Doctors of chiropractic complete a typical undergraduate education along with a four-year postgraduate curriculum to earn their D.C. degree, and are trained to work with pregnant women," says Gerard Clum, DC, an avid supporter of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. "Establishing pelvic balance and spinal alignment are focal points of chiropractic care, helping reduce pain symptoms of postural changes and increased lower back curvature."