Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. doubled down on his support for non-pharmaceutical health treatments during a recent podcast appearance, saying, “We’re going to end the war at the FDA against alternative medicine.”
Speaking on the Ultimate Human podcast with host Gary Brecka, a “renowned Human Biologist, biohacker, and longevity expert,” according to the website, Kennedy said he would fix the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s bias against the following: stem cell treatments, chelating drugs, vitamins and minerals, amino acids, peptides, and hyperbaric chambers.
“Our position is that the FDA has a job: Just do the science on these kinds of issues and then tell the public what they’ve learned from the science … but don’t tell physicians what they can and cannot prescribe,” he said. And as far as the patients go, he said, “If you want to take an experimental drug … you ought to be able to do that.”
RFK Jr. added, “We don’t want to have the Wild West. We want to make sure that information is out there. But we also want to respect the intelligence of the American people” to decide what treatments will benefit them the most.
He acknowledged that, with this approach, there will be “charlatans” as well as “people who have bad results” from various alternative treatments.
“But ultimately,” he said, “you can’t prevent that either way, and leaving the whole thing in the hands of pharma is not working for us.”
Brecka called Kennedy’s pronouncements “music to my ears.”
Below, what you need to know about the alternative therapies RFK Jr. is advocating for.
Stem cell therapy
What is it: It’s a way to repair diseased or injured tissue in the body using stem cells—cells that can self-renew or become other types of tissues—typically grown in a lab, manipulated, and then be implanted into the patient.
What it does: Though it’s considered to be largely experimental, the FDA does permit stem cell therapies for blood and immune disorders. Leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and multiple myeloma, for example, are also often treated this way, with bone marrow treatments, which are backed by decades of science. Other types of the treatment are still in clinical trials, while more and more wellness centers are offering the treatment for unapproved reasons, using cells drawn from the patient’s body and injected back in without manipulation for everything from autism and ALS to Parkinson’s and better skin, according to the New York Times.
Kennedy told Brecka that he received the treatment for his voice disorder, spasmodic dysphonia, and that it helped him “enormously,” but that he had to go to Antigua to access it.
Risks: For starters, wellness clinic treatments cannot guarantee they are using actual stem cell, reported the Times. And improper injections can lead to a host of terrible consequences—clots, infections, blindness, and even the formation of tumors, which the FDA warned of in 2021.
Chelating drugs
What it is: Chelation involves the use of certain chemicals to remove toxic heavy metals, such as mercury and lead, from the body; all FDA-approved chelation therapy products require a prescription and can only be used safely under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner.
What it does: Some alternative medicine practitioners offer chelation therapy, through pill or injection, as a way to treat Alzheimer’s, autism, diabetes, high blood pressure, or Parkinson’s disease, all of which are unapproved and risky.
Children’s Health Defense, founded by Kennedy, has written about chelation as a way to treat autism, which compares “autism with mercury poisoning” due to childhood vaccines that contained the preservative thimerosal (largely mercury) before it was removed in 2001. Some flu shots still contain the preservative, but, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “There is no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines.”
Risks: The FDA warns specifically about using chelation therapy for autism, and notes, “Chelating important minerals needed by the body can lead to serious and life-threatening outcomes.” While minor risks may include fever, headache, muscle pain, and nausea or vomiting, severe reactions range from heart failure and kidney damage to respiratory failure and seizures, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Vitamins and minerals
What they are: Dietary supplements in almost every letter of the alphabet, from A to zinc, are over-the-counter pills or liquids that contain nutritional boosts of vitamins and minerals.
What they aim to help: Vitamin and mineral supplements aim to fill in with necessary nutrients that a person is not getting through food—though nutritionists believe that healthy food is the best source of such vitamins and minerals. Studies have found supplements may help with practically any issue under the sun—energy, heart issues, cognitive function, gut health, sleep, and more.
Risks: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates supplements, but doesn’t approve them for safety or effectiveness before they are sold to the public. Some may cause liver damage and toxicity, while others may just be a waste of money.
Amino Acids and Peptides
What it is: Amino acids are often referred to as the “building blocks of proteins,” needed for building proteins, hormones, and neurotransmitters. are compounds that play many critical roles in your body. You need them for vital processes such as building proteins, hormones, and neurotransmitters. Amino acids are concentrated in protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, and soybeans, and foods that contain all nine essential amino acids are called complete proteins.
Peptides are short proteins, and come in the form of hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and creatine and collagen.
What they aim to help: Amino acid supplements may help with various issues—such as L-arginine for blood flow and inflammation; tryptophan for mood and sleep; and valine, leucine, and isoleucine to help with energy and athletic performance.
Taking collagen supplements may help strengthen nails and bones, while people take creatine for boosting workouts and building muscle growth.
Risks: Side effects of taking either can range from toxicity and gastrointestinal issues to effects on brain function muscle protein balance. Creatine may cause muscle cramps and digestive problems (and may not have many benefits), while tryptophan may cause dizziness, headache, or nausea. And again, as with all supplements, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates them, but doesn’t approve them for safety or effectiveness before they are sold to the public.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
What it is: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a medical-grade, FDA-approved chamber lets you breathe pure oxygen—as opposed to everyday air, which is just 21% oxygen mixed with nitrogen. Hyperbaric oxygen is also highly pressurized, thereby allowing the lungs to take more in. Home chambers (used by folks including Lebron James, LeAnn Rimes, and Mayim Bialik), as well as those offered in many wellness clinics, do not deliver 100% oxygen. Instead, they use regular air that is 30% more pressurized than normal for what’s known as “mild hyperbarics.”
What it aims to help: The FDA has been regulating HBOT chambers since 1976, and has officially cleared 13 medical conditions—such as decompression sickness, burns, radiation injury, and certain wounds—for such treatment. But it’s used off-label for many other reasons, including concussions, traumatic brain injury, long COVID, age reversal, stroke recovery, fibromyalgia, and improved brain function, many of which are being looked at in ongoing clinical trials.
Risks: For medical-grade chambers, risks include ear and sinus pain, middle ear injuries, temporary vision changes, and lung collapse, which is rare, according to the FDA. For mild hyperbarics, risks include potential exposure to toxic oils from some compressors, carbon dioxide buildup that brings a risk of hypoxia inside the chamber—or, according to some experts and a body of inconclusive evidence, that the treatment may simply be ineffective.
- The Well Adjusted newsletter: Sign up to get simple strategies to work smarter and live better, in your inbox weekly.
