The Truth about RFK Jr

[Chris_Halkides]

David Gorski discussed Functional Medicine and its relationship to Casey Means, the nominee for Surgeon General. Dr. Gorski wrote, "Over the years, I’ve frequently referred to the kludge that is known as “functional medicine” as the “ultimate misnomer” in medicine and “worst of both worlds.” What I mean by that is that FM combines the worst elements of conventional medicine, overtesting and overtreatment involving reams of questionable lab tests and imaging studies (many not reimbursed by health insurance), with the worst elements of alternative medicine, specifically embracing quackery like naturopathy and acupuncture and “integrating” them with medicine."

He went on to say, "And so the process of “integrating” quackery into medicine that began nearly 35 years ago will continue apace, only turbocharged by President Trump, MAHA, RFK Jr., and, yes, Casey Means. Her conversion is, as I have described above, every bit a religious one, and, like many converts, particularly “medical apostates,” Means appears to revel in being seen as a “heretic.” Again, note her frequent characterization of standard evidence-based medicine as more of another religious sect than anything else."

 

[Chris_Halkides]

Dr. Noc discussed the claim that the MMR vaccine contains fetal debris in this video.

 

[EHocking]

The Trump/RFJ disease has already spread to Australia.

‘This is not the record we want to be breaking’: Anti-vax ideology helping flu surge, GPs say

Record flu numbers across the country have raised alarm among doctors as data shows vaccination rates for vulnerable populations are in steep decline.

www.theage.com.au

Weird coincidence, we’re travelling to Melbourne in December and I asked the local pharmacy about a flu jab.
Too late in the season now, so free jabs are not on offer anymore. A new one will be on its way in the new year (as is usual).
Shoved a free Covid booster up my arm while we were talking about prescription costs being capped in January.
So swings and roundabouts

 

[EHocking]

Get out.

A problem shared is blem halved

 

[Andy_Ross]

Apparently the fall in birth rate is due to all the abortion drugs in the water supply

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL): The nation's water supply "is being severely contaminated" by abortion drugs.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1980484498744615217

 

[EHocking]

Apparently the fall in birth rate is due to all the abortion drugs in the water supply

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL): The nation's water supply "is being severely contaminated" by abortion drugs.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1980484498744615217

But, would this not be counteracted by all the (apparent) oestrogen polluting drinking water?

 

[dann]

What could go wrong?
Idiot.

It is not as dumb as you might think:
RFK Jr. to unveil new guidance encouraging more saturated fats (TheHill, Oct 20, 2025)
See:
Is some saturated fat better for health than we think? (BBC, Oct 14, 2021)
Full-fat dairy foods and cardiovascular disease: Is there a connection? (Mayo Clinic, Jan 5, 2024)

This is the part of it that's insane, not the saturated fats from dairy:

Kennedy has argued that Americans need more trans and saturated fats, not less, saying foods like butter, cheese, milk and red meat have been unfairly demonized for decades. The updated guidance could be released as soon as this month.

Trans fats are the major problem, and they shouldn't be confused with saturated fats. (I doubt that RFK Jr. is aware of the difference. Most people aren't.):
Trans fat is double trouble for heart health (Mayo Clinic)

Trans Fats (American Heart Association, Sep 9, 2025)
How do trans fats affect my health?
Trans fats raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. Eating trans fats increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. It’s also associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

This has been discussed extensively in the thread about the Global Obesity Epidemic.
From a much longer post:

And once again you contradict yourself. You just told us: "Hey I don't know why people won't buy proper food," and now (again) you suddenly know exactly why they won't!
By the way, loading up to make the drive worth it, isn't what you do with carrots and potatoes and other perishable foods. It's what you do with the ****** stuff that manufacturers and sellers of food prefer, too. It's also the reason why they can't seem to get rid of the industry-produced trans fats that they are so fond of: They last longer!
We got rid of them here 16 years ago, and "it is hypothesized that the Danish government's efforts to decrease trans fat intake from 6 g to 1 g per day over 20 years is related to a 50% decrease in deaths from ischemic heart disease." But in the rest of the world, the arteries of consumers aren't clogged up because industry thinks it's easier that way, they are clogged up because fat parents are teaching their fat toddlers that industry's fatty acids are good for them, right?!
Get used to the FACT: Industry is killing people because industry is lazy and doesn't want to do the little extra effort that it takes to get rid of their trans fats! Trans fats are so convenient for industry. What consumers want has very little to do with it.
Have you seen many commercials lately for food products telling consumers that they are "chockfull of trans fats, the best that industry can buy!"?
Industry wants consumers to buy ****** foods, and it teaches consumers to do so.

 

[dann]

Michael Ryan on X, Oct 21, 2025
From autism myths to wellness grifts — antivax has evolved into a billion-dollar fear industry.
Dr Hotez nails it: this was never about “freedom,” it’s about followers and profit.

Peter Hotez on X, Oct 21, 2025
Tomorrow Tuesday 10:30 AM here in ATL @IDWeekmtg I will deliver sobering remarks on the transitions of antivaccine activism over the last 30 years beginning with false claims around autism to health freedom propaganda a decade ago to today’s corrupt wellness influencer industry

Peter Hotez on X, Oct 21, 2025
This V3 iteration has launched a full on frontal assault versus medical schools, academic health centers, journals to discredit these institutions and sell the snake oil: ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, fenbendazole, vitamins, budesinide, soon leucovorin detailed in our book

 

[Resume]

It is not as dumb as you might think:
RFK Jr. to unveil new guidance encouraging more saturated fats (TheHill, Oct 20, 2025)
See:
Is some saturated fat better for health than we think? (BBC, Oct 14, 2021)
Full-fat dairy foods and cardiovascular disease: Is there a connection? (Mayo Clinic, Jan 5, 2024)

This is the part of it that's insane, not the saturated fats from dairy:

Trans fats are the major problem, and they shouldn't be confused with saturated fats. (I doubt that RFK Jr. is aware of the difference. Most people aren't.):
Trans fat is double trouble for heart health (Mayo Clinic)

This has been discussed extensively in the thread about the Global Obesity Epidemic.
From a much longer post:

As a person with heart disease, I am aware of the difference between trans, unsaturated and saturated fats. My personal diet is restricted to Omega 3 and MCTs, and beef perhaps once or twice a month.

 

[Chris_Halkides]

A quick comment: trans-fats are a by-product of partial hydrogenation of oils. Whether one considers this to be an example of ultraprocessing of foods is a more difficult question.

 

[W.D.Clinger]

Apparently the fall in birth rate is due to all the abortion drugs in the water supply

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL): The nation's water supply "is being severely contaminated" by abortion drugs.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1980484498744615217

She isn't the dumbest Republican in Congress, not by a long shot. If she were any smarter, her IQ would be positive.

 

[shemp]

She isn't the dumbest Republican in Congress, not by a long shot. If she were any smarter, her IQ would be positive.

The light bulb in her brain blew out a long time ago and hasn't been replaced.

 

[bruto]

Borrowing one from elsewhere, though I wish it had been mine, I'll add that if a bird had her brain it would fly backwards.

 

[dann]

Lucky Tran on X, Oct 22, 2025
The New England Journal of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy will be publishing regular public health alerts to replace the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which has been paused due to the federal government shutdown.

NEJM and public health group are launching rival to CDC’s MMWR publication

Two institutions are coming together to create an alternative to the CDC’s vaunted Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

www.statnews.com

 

[dann]

New PBS Frontline documentary.

Director of "The Rise of RFK Jr." on HHS secretary's childhood, politics (CBS News, Oct 21, 2025)
PBS's new Frontline documentary, "The Rise of RFK Jr.," premieres Tuesday night and explores how Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a member of one of the United States' most prominent Democratic families, ended up in President Trump's administration. The film's director, co-writer and co-producer Michael Kirk joins "The Takeout" to discuss.

New FRONTLINE Documentar Explores the Rise of RFK Jr. (PBS Frontline, Oct 16, 2025)
FRONTLINE tackles that question in a new, two-hour documentary, The Rise of RFK Jr., exploring how the scion of the famous Kennedy dynasty endured tragedy and scandal, broke with the Democratic Party and his family, stoked conspiracy theories, and is reshaping government and public health.

I can't access it. I don't know if it's not available outside of the USA.

 

[Chris_Halkides]

At SBM Mark Crislip was unimpressed with acetaminophen as a pain reliever.

 

[a_unique_person]

At SBM Mark Crislip was unimpressed with acetaminophen as a pain reliever.

In Australia there has been a big tightening of rules for OTC paracetamol. People do misuse it and die from misuse. They also removed paracetamol/codiene from OTC completely about five years ago.

 

[gabeygoat]

In Australia there has been a big tightening of rules for OTC paracetamol. People do misuse it and die from misuse. They also removed paracetamol/codiene from OTC completely about five years ago.

anything with codeine has always been Rx only in the US.

 

[Chris_Halkides]

Jess Steier and colleagues discussed leucovorin as a potential treatment for autism at Unbiased Science. Based upon what they wrote, I am far from certain whether autoantibodies against the brain's folate receptor are a central player in this condition. Unbiased Science also expounded upon the role of the FDA in gaining approval for leucovorin as a treatment as was unveiled at the September press conference.

"This second claim [Pledging to secure FDA approval of leucovorin for cerebral folate deficiency] is highly unusual. Normally, a drug manufacturer, not the FDA, initiates the request for a new indication of an already FDA-approved drug. Manufacturers do this by submitting a supplemental new drug application (sNDA), which is typically supported by large, randomized, controlled clinical trials demonstrating safety and effectiveness.

But in this case with leucovorin, there’s a significant departure from the normal approval process for two reasons. First, the FDA itself prompted GSK to pursue an indication change. And second, the evidence base for leucovorin in autism largely consists of small, heterogeneous studies, rather than the robust, large-scale trials that can prove effectiveness and safety. While a few small randomized, controlled trials of leucovorin in autism do exist, they vary in design and quality. Even among researchers studying leucovorin, there’s a general agreement that the current data are preliminary and that stronger trials are needed before a labeling change is justified."

 

[Planigale]

Jess Steier and colleagues discussed leucovorin as a potential treatment for autism at Unbiased Science. Based upon what they wrote, I am far from certain whether autoantibodies against the brain's folate receptor are a central player in this condition. Unbiased Science also expounded upon the role of the FDA in gaining approval for leucovorin as a treatment as was unveiled at the September press conference.

"This second claim [Pledging to secure FDA approval of leucovorin for cerebral folate deficiency] is highly unusual. Normally, a drug manufacturer, not the FDA, initiates the request for a new indication of an already FDA-approved drug. Manufacturers do this by submitting a supplemental new drug application (sNDA), which is typically supported by large, randomized, controlled clinical trials demonstrating safety and effectiveness.

But in this case with leucovorin, there’s a significant departure from the normal approval process for two reasons. First, the FDA itself prompted GSK to pursue an indication change. And second, the evidence base for leucovorin in autism largely consists of small, heterogeneous studies, rather than the robust, large-scale trials that can prove effectiveness and safety. While a few small randomized, controlled trials of leucovorin in autism do exist, they vary in design and quality. Even among researchers studying leucovorin, there’s a general agreement that the current data are preliminary and that stronger trials are needed before a labeling change is justified."

At least folinic acid (leucovorin) is pretty safe, as compared with other things desperate parents are persuaded to give to their autistic children.