Is the likely next US health secretary a crank? Trump’s appointment of conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr has alarmed medical experts. But some think, on certain issues, he may have a point.
The very strange beliefs of RFK Jr
Is the likely next US health secretary a crank? Trump's appointment of conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr has alarmed medical experts. But some think, on certain issues, he may have a point.
In 2014, Robert F Kennedy Jr found a dead bear on the side of the road. He decided to pick it up, pose for a photograph with his fingers in his mouth, and then dump the bear in New York's Central Park.
Donald Trump has nominated this man to serve as America's next health secretary.
His appointment has shocked many experts. American Public Health Association director Georges C Benjamin calls him "a risk to the public's health".
Here are some of his most eye-opening claims.
Kennedy ran the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. He has accused vaccines of causing autismA condition characterised by difficulty in social interaction and communication. According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 160 children has an autism disorder.. In reality, severe side-effects from vaccines are very, very rare - and autism is not one of them. Vaccines in fact prevent up to five million deaths a year.
Fluoride is added to drinking water in much of the US. Kennedy claims it causes arthritis, bone fractures, cancer and IQA means of measuring human intelligence. A person's IQ is usually ascertained by making them sit a standardised test. Some have criticised these tests as a means of evaluating intelligence, claiming that they ignore much of what it means to be intelligent. loss, yet dental research finds that fluoride helps strengthen teeth and prevent decay.
Kennedy has pushed against processed foods, additives and artificial flavourings, and he has a point. Research earlier this year found that those who eat ultra-processed food face a 40-66% increase in the risk of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Is the likely next US health secretary a crank?
Yes! Kennedy believes that antidepressants cause school shootings and that HIV does not cause Aids.
No! Sometimes we need a maverickSomeone who thinks and behaves in an unusual way. to shake things up. Kennedy might not be right on everything, but some of his calls could do a lot of good.
Keywords
Autism - A condition characterised by difficulty in social interaction and communication. According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 160 children has an autism disorder.
IQ - A means of measuring human intelligence. A person's IQ is usually ascertained by making them sit a standardised test. Some have criticised these tests as a means of evaluating intelligence, claiming that they ignore much of what it means to be intelligent.
Maverick - Someone who thinks and behaves in an unusual way.
The very strange beliefs of RFK Jr
Glossary
Autism - A condition characterised by difficulty in social interaction and communication. According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 160 children has an autism disorder.
IQ - A means of measuring human intelligence. A person’s IQ is usually ascertained by making them sit a standardised test. Some have criticised these tests as a means of evaluating intelligence, claiming that they ignore much of what it means to be intelligent.
Maverick - Someone who thinks and behaves in an unusual way.