Under HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) initiative, alternative medical treatments that lack scientific support are gaining attention once again.

This pattern of promoting unproven and dangerous chemicals has been around for a while, mostly pushed by anti-vaccine activists who think that vaccines are dangerous. I know this makes no sense, but very little about anti-vaxxers makes much sense.

Unfortunately, four alternative medical treatments, not backed by any legitimate science, are returning. This post will examine those four and explain why they are all useless, dangerous, and utter medical quackery.

Alternative treatments are dangerous and useless

There are probably more, but I’m going to focus on the four most prominent alternative medical treatments that are making a comeback.

Hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxychloroquine is primarily used to treat malaria and certain autoimmune conditions, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The drug was pushed as a COVID treatment by alternative “medicine” practitioners, but real science showed that it was useless.

It’s still being promoted as a “miracle cure” based on anecdotal evidence that is circulating on social media. But the drug did not demonstrate any effectiveness in treating COVID-19. Its use for COVID was widely discouraged by the medical community.

The health risks of using hydroxychloroquine outside of its approved indications are severe. These include potential heart arrhythmias, kidney damage, and retinal toxicity, particularly with prolonged use.

It is still being pushed by many people in RFK Jr’s orbit, and with his push for alternative treatments, hydroxychloroquine may be pushed as a treatment for any new infectious disease that makes a comeback in the upcoming anti-vaccine world.

Colloidal silver

For those of us who observe the pseudoscience world, colloidal silver, a suspension of fine silver particles in liquid, has been around for a long time, being pushed as a “medical” treatment for everything from cancer to bacterial infections.

Colloidal silver is being marketed as a treatment for everything from immune system support to curing viral infections like COVID-19. Some alternative “medicine” quacks claim it can treat conditions like cancer, arthritis, and severe infections.

Silver had been used in medicine for its antibacterial properties, especially before the advent of antibiotics. Unfortunately, colloidal silver has persisted despite the utter lack of evidence supporting most of its claimed uses.

Colloidal silver can be dangerous. According to the Cleveland Clinic,

The use of colloidal silver can lead to serious, irreversible health consequences. One of the most well-known side effects is argyria, a condition where silver builds up in the body, leading to a bluish-gray discoloration of the skin. Additionally, colloidal silver can interfere with the absorption of certain medications, cause kidney damage, and lead to neurological problems, making it a dangerous choice for patients seeking legitimate treatments.

Colloidal silver isn’t actually coming back, it has never left the alternative treatments world. But in the world of pseudoscience pushed by RFK Jr, we can expect it to become more popular.

Vitamin D

The popularity of vitamin D therapy has exploded over the past few years, especially during the COVID pandemic. To be clear, Vitamin D is a critical micronutrient for bone health and immune function.

Unfortunately, alternative medicine practitioners are pushing vitamin D as a broad-spectrum treatment for a variety of conditions, ranging from depression to chronic illness. The belief is that too many people are deficient in vitamin D, leading these advocates to recommend extended sunlight exposure or even unsupervised tanning as a remedy for all sorts of ailments.

Furthermore, some of these quacks seem to think that if a little vitamin D does some good, then a lot will do even more. Essentially, they are saying if you get more vitamin D, your immune system will be powerful, stopping any disease.

During the pandemic, it was pushed as a treatment for COVID. Research showed that it did not work.

And vitamin D can cause harm. Individuals who take large doses of vitamin D supplements may end up with dangerous levels of vitamin D, which can lead to toxicity, resulting in kidney damage, bone pain, and calcification of soft tissues.

Miracle Mineral Solution

Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), also known as chlorine dioxide, is a bleach solution marketed as a “cure-all” for numerous medical conditions, including cancer, malaria, and autism. It’s often pushed as a detoxifying agent.

During the pandemic, it was sold as a treatment for COVID. It did not work. It was marketed as a treatment for “COVID vaccine-induced cancer.” Setting aside the fact that the COVID vaccine does not cause cancer, it did nothing as you probably suspected.

I first heard of Miracle Mineral Solution many years ago as a treatment for autism. Giving bleach to an autistic child is offensive and should be considered a criminal act.

Chlorine dioxide has no legitimate medical applications. It is essentially a solution of sodium chlorite, which, when activated, turns into chlorine dioxide, a chemical used in water treatment and industrial bleach.

Ingesting chlorine dioxide is dangerous. It can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration, and in severe cases, it can lead to life-threatening conditions such as respiratory failure, kidney failure, and even death. The FDA has issued multiple warnings about the dangers of MMS, but it continues to circulate in some alternative medicine circles.

Sadly, RFK Jr seems to be warming to chlorine dioxide and may be willing to remove some of the warnings about it.

Calling bleach “Miracle Mineral Solution” does not make it safe or effective in anything but killing bacteria in water.

Vaccine activist Fiona O’Leary said:

I and other activists, scientists, have been speaking out against this lethal bleach product for more than a decade now. When chlorine dioxide is ingested, it causes serious, life-threatening illness.

Summary

RFK Jr seems to rely on pseudoscience and germ theory denial as the basis of his policy decisions. So the alternative treatments proponents who push bogus “cures” think they have an opening to go to the next level of quackery.

Catchy political messaging, lingering distrust of “conventional medicine”, and a population still reeling from pandemic fatigue are all contributing to new life for these quack alternative treatments.

Since social media seems to be less interested in policing fake science, beliefs in these alternative treatments grow in these echo chambers. And real science is ignored while people rely upon the anecdotes that seem to be more persuasive to many people.

Of course, in the current atmosphere of harsh divisions between political groups, believing in these treatments with the tacit support of RFK Jr will continue to grow.

Still, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it must be an alternative treatment quack, errrrr, duck.

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