Opinion: MAHA kids\u2019 health report misinforms about tonsillectomies and ear tubes
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The Make America Healthy Again commission\u2019s recent report on children\u2019s health<\/a> has received a lot of attention for its citation errors<\/a> and focus on ultra-processed foods, smartphones, and stimulant use. But the less-discussed part on \u201covermedicalization\u201d of American children stood out to us. While the report mentions surgical care only briefly, it identifies two common procedures, adenotonsillectomy and tympanostomy tube (ear tube) placement, as surgeries that \u201ccause harm without offering benefits.\u201d These procedures are among the most performed surgeries in children.<\/p>\n We are pediatric ear, nose, and throat surgeons with years of clinical and research experience. One of us (EB) leads research on how parents make decisions about elective surgeries like tonsillectomy. The other (DT) has led development of national evidence-based clinical practice guidelines aimed to ensure appropriate surgical care. We agree that these two childhood procedures are performed often enough to warrant vigilance around overuse and unnecessary surgery.<\/p>\n