Snake oil salesmen shall be consuming good in the course of the Trump presidency. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lately declared that he’ll tremendously develop folks’s entry to experimental and various medical remedies, even whereas acknowledging {that a} “lot of charlatans” are more likely to make the most of struggling folks because of this.
RFK Jr. made the announcement throughout a latest interview on the Final Human Podcast hosted by Gary Brecka, a self-proclaimed biologist, biohacker, and longevity skilled (Brecka seems to possess two bachelors’ levels in biology, however just isn’t a licensed medical physician). Kennedy acknowledged that, underneath his reign as Secretary of Well being and Human Providers, Individuals will extra simply have the ability to get their fingers on remedies not at present accepted by well being regulators.
“If you wish to take an experimental drug—you are able to do that, you ought to have the ability to try this,” Kennedy instructed Brecka.
Whereas many affected person advocates normally have pushed for looser laws surrounding experimental or off-label remedies, different consultants have cautioned that it’s necessary to strike a steadiness between improved entry and security. And it’s unlikely Kennedy’s method will meet that threshold.
For starters, Kennedy has long spread misinformation about vaccines (one of the vital efficient medical interventions ever created), diet, and other health topics. And he’s no stranger to backing alternative treatments which have subsequent to no proof supporting their use. Throughout this newest interview, as an example, he referenced chelation and stem cells as unproven therapies that individuals ought to have simpler entry to.
Stem cell medication is a legitimate and growing field of analysis. However direct-to-consumer stem cell clinics typically exaggerate their advantages, claiming stem cells can deal with every thing from most cancers to long covid. In recent times, this cottage trade has exploded within the U.S. and abroad, and a few sufferers have been severely injured from shopping for into the hype. Individuals have skilled pulmonary embolisms, bacterial infections, and other serious complications, together with blindness, from visiting these clinics.
The danger-balance equation is arguably even worse with chelation remedy. Chelation entails utilizing medication that bind to heavy metals within the physique, permitting them to be excreted out by way of urine. It’s an efficient remedy for sure sorts of acute poisoning or poisonous exposures. However in various medication circles, chelation is frequently used to “cleanse” folks of supposed toxins dubiously blamed for a bevy of continual sicknesses, together with autism. As with stem cells, folks have gotten damage or died after taking chelation for unapproved makes use of.
RFK appears to be totally conscious of the potential hazard that will include making these remedies simpler to entry, but brushed that off as inevitable throughout his interview.
“And naturally you’re going to get a whole lot of charlatans, and also you’re going to get individuals who have unhealthy outcomes,” he stated. “And finally, you possibly can’t stop that both method. Leaving the entire thing within the fingers of pharma just isn’t working for us.”
The Meals and Drug Administration has beforehand warned the general public to steer clear of chelation therapy for autism and from unregulated stem cell treatments, however who is aware of if these warnings will look ahead to for much longer. Kennedy and the Trump Administration have repeatedly undermined accepted medical remedies like vaccines. Now he’s set to open the floodgates for unlicensed medication that won’t work or will hurt folks determined sufficient to make use of them.
