The New York Times recently printed an article in its Health section that I find deeply troubling. Evidently some parents whose young children experience “a nagging case of hypochondria” are being advised to use a placebo pill.

The message is clear: if you don’t feel well, there is some type of medication that will cure you. It doesn’t take much imagination to see the logical extension of this philosophy. If your life is not going well, if you’re unhappy, if you’re bored or tired or out of sorts - there’s a pill or drug to fix you up.

It’s never easy to see a little one unwell or in pain. But to condone administering placebos - fake pills - just seems wrong to me. When their illness is a minor one, comfort your children with kisses and hugs. Rock them and cuddle them and let them know they are loved. But don’t give them the message that drugs are the answer to all problems.