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Unbiased presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. skilled a sequence of well being points lately, together with an abnormality that he mentioned was brought on by a worm that entered his mind after which died, The New York Instances reported on Wednesday.
In 2010, Kennedy, now 70, skilled extreme reminiscence loss and psychological fog, he mentioned in a deposition two years later. In line with the Instances, he consulted prime neurologists aware of the medical historical past of his uncle, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, who had died of mind most cancers in 2009. A New York physician, after reviewing a scan of his mind, instructed him that his well being points might be “brought on by a worm that obtained into my mind and ate a portion of it after which died,” Kennedy mentioned within the 2012 deposition, which involved a divorce from his second spouse, Mary Richardson Kennedy. Robert Kennedy mentioned on the time that his incomes energy had been negatively affected by the cognitive points, the Instances reported.
Across the identical time, the Instances mentioned, he suffered from mercury poisoning, which might result in neurological points equivalent to lack of peripheral imaginative and prescient, muscle weak spot and points with motion, listening to and speech, in addition to reminiscence loss. Kennedy instructed the paper he has recovered from the reminiscence loss and mind fogginess and that the parasite didn’t require remedy.
As well as, he has grappled for many years with atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, an irregular heartbeat. He instructed the Instances it has been greater than a decade since he skilled the situation and mentioned he believes he now not suffers from it.
Kennedy’s marketing campaign declined to offer his medical data to the Instances. In an announcement to CNN, Stefanie Spear, a spokesperson for Kennedy’s marketing campaign, mentioned he had “traveled extensively in Africa, South America and Asia” as a part of his work as an environmental advocate and mentioned he contracted a parasite in a type of journeys.
“The problem was resolved greater than 10 years in the past and he’s in sturdy bodily and psychological well being. Questioning Mr. Kennedy’s well being is a hilarious suggestion, given his competitors,” the marketing campaign mentioned, referring to the superior ages of the 81-year-old President Joe Biden and 77-year-old former President Donald Trump.
In his first public feedback after the report revealed, Kennedy in a social media post supplied “to eat 5 extra mind worms and nonetheless beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate.”
“I really feel assured of the consequence even with a six-worm handicap,” he joked.
Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious illness professional and Dean for the Nationwide Faculty of Tropical Medication on the Baylor School of Medication in Houston, instructed CNN that it’s troublesome to totally evaluation Kennedy’s declare with out trying on the scans. “It’s an incomplete story,” as he put it.
However, talking usually, Hotez mentioned individuals with pork tapeworm infections of their brains — a situation generally known as neurocysticercosis — extra generally expertise seizures and typically have to be on anti-seizure remedy for a very long time as a result of when the worms die, they kind a calcified cyst within the mind that may trigger the mind to launch inflammatory chemical substances known as cytokines.
The connection to reminiscence issues and dementia is beneath examine, Hotez mentioned. These signs are additionally related to mercury poisoning, and Kennedy instructed the Instances that on the time he was recognized with that ailment, he was consuming excessive portions of tuna and perch.
“Yeah, the worms usually are not feeding the mind. They’re residing within the mind,” Dr. Hotez mentioned. The worms get vitamins from the physique, however they aren’t consuming the mind tissue, he mentioned.
Pork tapeworm infections will be troublesome to diagnose as a result of when the worm is alive it masks itself from detection and doesn’t present up on scans. It’s extra frequent to seek out the worm after it has died and left behind a calcified cyst within the mind, Hotez mentioned.
Kennedy mentioned he modified his life-style following these well being episodes, together with getting extra sleep, touring much less, decreasing his fish consumption and present process chelation remedy that seeks to expel metals within the physique.
On the marketing campaign path, Kennedy has portrayed himself as vibrant and youthful in comparison with Biden and Trump, partaking in strenuous actions like snowboarding and weightlifting. Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, mentioned in February that there have been “no new considerations” with the president’s well being revealed in a bodily and the White Home has mentioned no cognitive check was administered as O’Connor didn’t discover it obligatory. Trump’s marketing campaign late final yr launched a letter that made broad statements about his well being — together with claims that the previous president is in “wonderful” well being and that his cognitive exams “had been distinctive” — however didn’t embody details about the sorts of checks that Trump took or what the outcomes had been.
Kennedy’s views on private well being, together with his long-held skepticism of sure vaccines, have been a particular function of his public picture. He has disputed ideas that he’s “anti-vaccine,” although he’s the founding father of the Kids’s Well being Protection, a bunch that has been accused of spreading falsehoods about vaccines.
This story has been up to date with further particulars and response.
CNN’s Brenda Goodman and Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.