Calley Means, a top adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., called Monday's federal announcement on the link between acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and autism a "shockwave to the medical system," praising President Donald Trump for challenging entrenched health orthodoxy.
Appearing on Newsmax, Means said the move — unveiled by Trump alongside Kennedy — signals "a real stake in the ground" against what he termed the medical industrial complex.
"At the highest level, what President Trump did today is really declare war on the medical industrial complex," Means told "Greg Kelly Reports." "There's a dogma that autism and even conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity are genetic conditions. They're actually arguing obesity is genetic, too. There really is an allergic reaction to any discussion about external factors."
Means highlighted that the National Institutes of Health announced new grants to investigate the causes of autism with "nothing off limits," pointing to the sharp rise in diagnoses — "1 in 20 boys in California now have autism," he noted.
He said the evidence linking Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism is "resounding," citing studies from institutions such as Harvard's School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University.
"We're not saying that this is everything. We're not saying this is a panacea," Means cautioned, "but anyone saying that this is medical misinformation is going into the Harvard School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins and other leading institutions that say there's a real problem with Tylenol."
Means added that researchers are also examining folate receptor issues, with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announcing a new therapeutic aimed at that potential risk factor.
For Means, the significance lies as much in the process as in the findings.
"For the first time in modern American history, bold questions are being asked, big questions are being asked, and the entire government is working together to give parents solutions," he said.
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