We have life-saving allergy treatments that also can target digestive issues that we did not 5 years ago. We have vastly expanded research into chronic illnesses thanks to long covid putting viral fatigue syndrome on the map. Autism diagnosis has risen because research has expanded drastically. There have been major improvements because of existing systems, they do not require entire dismantling
Until he learns that a rise in tracked cases does not necessarily an imply a rise in actual incidence, anything he says is suspect.
There are nuggets of truth to what he says but he completely ignores for instance that a lot of the increase in autism numbers is simply due to a better understanding of how to flag someone as being on the spectrum. 50 years ago, a lot of these people would have just been seen as odd. Same with chronic illness & allergies. I do believe there's a true increase here. But it is also the case that we're measuring & tracking things now that we didn't use to measure.
Then anything anyone says is suspected because nobody knows if it's real incidence or observation. Frankly, I evaluate claims by the medical community with the same skepticism as I do RFK - show me the data, reproducibility, etc.
It would make sense to investigate from both angles to see if there is anything worth looking into. Eg. Tylenol may not increase autism rates, or maybe it does, or maybe it's specific illnesses/conditions that precipitated its use.
This is a good example though. If you watch the press conference, he doesn't say that Tylenol is the singular cause of autism. He talks about numerous contributors and he is very careful to say that there's enough correlation to warrant an official warning. He also acknowledges that there's no other solution safe for pregnant mothers in pain so doctors are advised to use their discretion, but recommended to not prescribe more than is necessary.
Here's the official write up, it's all very balanced and reasonable.
> Second, HHS will act on acetaminophen. Today, the FDA will issue a physician notice and begin the process to initiate a safety label change for acetaminophen (Tylenol and similar products). HHS will launch a nationwide public service campaign to inform families and protect public health.
> The FDA is responding to prior clinical and laboratory studies that suggest a potential association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. FDA also recognizes that there are contrary studies showing no association and that there can be risks for untreated fever in pregnancy, both for the mother and fetus.
> Given the conflicting literature and lack of clear causal evidence, HHS wants to encourage clinicians to exercise their best judgment in use of acetaminophen for fevers and pain in pregnancy by prescribing the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration when treatment is required. Furthermore, FDA recognizes that acetaminophen is often the only tool for fevers and pain in pregnancy, as other alternatives (e.g., NSAIDs) have well documented adverse effects. FDA is partnering with manufacturers to update labeling and drive new research to safeguard mothers, children, and families.
RFK is a crackpot, and just because he's got someone to write it to sound plausible, it doesn't mean it is plausible. It's incredibly irresponsible to promote his pet theories over scientific orthodoxy.
