President Donald Trump is once again facing backlash from experts and the public after he claims that the common pain reliever Tylenol causes autism if taken by women during pregnancy. Speaking from the White House last week, Trump insisted pregnant women should avoid this over the counter drug. Trump claims that the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, has been linked to autism in the offspring of pregnant women who take Tylenol.
“Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it. Fight it like hell not to take it,” Trump explained during a press conference.
Despite the president’s claim, doctors and researchers have shared that there is no solid scientific evidence that links Tylenol to autism and it still is considered safe to use during pregnancy. If anything, there are many possible answers to link these two together, but the results have always been weak or ruled out. In addition, autism was first discovered in 1911, while Tylenol was created in 1955, almost 44 years later, making it impossible for Tylenol to be the source of autism.
Dr. Céline Gounder, a public health expert and a former advisor to President Joe Biden, talked about her concerns on this claim, “We, as health care providers, do get held up to a certain standard,” she said. “We can get sued if we make a recommendation that is harmful to our patients.”
Overall, health leaders are concerned that Trump’s comments could scare expected mothers away from treating their pain or fevers with Tylenol, which is typically what they recommend to expectant mothers. Not treating pain or fevers could lead to uncontrolled pain, high fever, and inflammation or other conditions. Health experts suggest mothers to follow medical advice from their doctors, who can go over the risks and factors with these patients.
Also, President Trump has been known to question medical professionals in the past. He blatantly refused to wear a mask during the pandemic, and promoted the use of drugs that contradicted what medical advisors suggested.
Dr. Paul Friedriches, a military combat surgeon and a retired Air Force major general also speaks out about this topic and calls Trump’s comments “dangerous”,
“He is a very effective communicator with his political base, and his statements complicate the ability of health care providers to give advice to their patients,” he said. “It puts the patients in the middle of having to reconcile their belief in him as a political leader and the best advice from medical professionals.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a statement as well, “at your direction, we are going to know by September,” Kennedy said. “We’ve launched a massive testing and research effort that’s going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world.” He then adds, “In September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures,”.
Trump’s claims on certain health discoveries and the people didn’t just start here. During his first presidency, Trump publicly stated and suggested people to inject bleach in their system, in order to “kill off” the coronavirus. Many people believe and argue that Trump has been abusing his position of authority to give out medicine advice, expecting people to listen and avoid medical experts advice.
Overall, it’s not confirmed whether Trump’s statements about Tylenol are true, but expected mothers are suggested that they continue to use the pain killer unless told otherwise by their doctor.
