Doctor responds to RFK Jr.'s appointment to lead HHS

President-elect Donald Trump nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Department of Health and Human Services’ leadership has baffled some in the medical field, with one doctor saying the appointment was “crazy.”

Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, has said he is not “anti-vaccine.” However, he has made numerous claims about vaccines that are disputed by major health organizations. One such widely debunked claim is that vaccines are linked to autism.

He has also suggested that “fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease.” The American Dental Association has stated that it stands by its recommendation to add fluoride to tap water.

The group said the study cited by Kennedy had “important limitations.” The review was not intended to demonstrate cause and effect, and only considered exposure to fluoride at levels twice that in drinking water.

Dr. Pat Basu, a former White House adviser and Stanford physician, said Kennedy’s nomination to lead America’s top health agencies is “completely crazy.”

Basu quoted a World Health Organization report that claimed Modern vaccines have saved 154 lives around the world.

“Mr. Kennedy’s statements about vaccines are incredibly dangerous, and they could quite frankly set back a century of progress,” Basu said. “They could take us back to 1924. The bottom line is that vaccines are one of the greatest, safest and most effective inventions in modern history. They have saved more than 100 million lives over the past fifty years, half of them babies. “

Kennedy has spoken about reforming leading health agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration. Kennedy said the FDA’s “war on public health” is about to end.

He claimed that the FDA is aggressively banning “psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals, and anything else that promotes human health that does not can be patented, suppressed. by Pharma.”

Basu agreed there are issues that need to be addressed, but said Kennedy is taking the wrong approach.

“The difference between necessary reforms and extreme measures or proposals is enormous,” he said. “Shutting down immunization programs, shutting down the FDA because their job is to regulate drug manufacturers is, let’s put it this way, we’re not talking about shutting down the Department of Defense because they have defense contractors for procurement, right? ? In typical conspiracy fashion, this is an attempt to tie a potential half-truth to a blatant lie.”

Basu cited raw milk consumption as an example of Kennedy’s dangerous position.

“Drinking raw milk, the reason we banned that, was because it can cause serious illness and serious diarrhea,” he said. “And unfortunately, the largest and most vulnerable populations are children and infants. So it’s dangerous to get rid of these public health initiatives, whether it’s drinking raw milk or eliminating vaccination programs.”

Prominent Democrat who supports Kennedy

Colorado Governor Jared Polis said he was “excited” that Trump had appointed Kennedy to lead HHS. Polis said he agreed with Kennedy that Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration need a shake-up. He also said he is optimistic that Kennedy will take over big pharma.

Polis later issued a statement clarifying his position that he supports vaccines and medical science more broadly.

“If we as a country follow the science, we would also be much more concerned about the impact of pesticides on public health, agricultural food policy and the lack of access to prescription drugs due to high drug prices This is why I am in favor of a major shake-up at agencies like the FDA, which have been barriers to lowering drug costs and promoting healthy food choices.