Health
For Some Measles Patients, Vitamin A Remedy Supported by RFK Jr. Leaves Them More Ill
Doctors in West Texas are seeing measles patients whose illnesses have been complicated by an alternative therapy endorsed by vaccine skeptics including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary.
Parents in Gaines County, Texas, the center of a raging measles outbreak, have increasingly turned to supplements and unproven treatments to protect their children, many of whom are unvaccinated, against the virus.
One of those supplements is cod liver oil containing vitamin A, which Mr. Kennedy has promoted as a near miraculous cure for measles. Physicians at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, say they’ve now treated a handful of unvaccinated children who were given so much vitamin A that they had signs of liver damage.
Some of them had received unsafe doses of cod liver oil and other vitamin A supplements for several weeks in an attempt to prevent a measles infection, said Dr. Summer Davies, who cares for acutely ill children at the hospital.
“I had a patient that was only sick a couple of days, four or five days, but had been taking it for like three weeks,” Dr. Davies said.
While doctors sometimes administer high doses of vitamin A in a hospital to manage severe measles, experts do not recommend taking it without physician supervision. Vitamin A is not an effective way to prevent measles; however, two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are about 97 percent effective.
At high doses, vitamin A can cause liver damage; dry, peeling skin; hair loss; and, in rare instances, seizures and coma. So far, doctors at West Texas hospitals have said they’ve seen patients with yellowed skin and high levels of liver enzymes in their bloodwork, both signs of a damaged liver.
Many of those patients had been in the hospital for a severe measles infection; doctors discovered the liver damage only after routine lab work.
As of Tuesday, the outbreak, which began in January, had spread to more than 320 people in Texas. Forty patients have been hospitalized, and one child has died.
In neighboring New Mexico counties, the virus has sickened 43 and hospitalized two. Seven confirmed cases in Oklahoma have also been linked to the outbreak.
Local doctors and health officials have become increasingly concerned about the growing popularity of unproven remedies for preventing and treating measles, which they fear is causing people to delay critical medical treatment and to reject vaccination, the only proven way to prevent a measles infection.
In Gaines County, alternative medicine has always been popular. Many in the area’s large Mennonite community, where most cases have been clustered, avoid interacting with the medical system and adhere to a long tradition of natural remedies.
Health officials said the recent popularity of vitamin A use for measles could be traced back to a Fox News interview with Mr. Kennedy, in which he said he had heard of “almost miraculous and instantaneous recovery” with treatments like cod liver oil, which he said was “the safest application of vitamin A.”
In an opinion essay for The Washington Post on Tuesday afternoon, Kevin Griffis, who was until last week the communications director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote that he had resigned in part because of Mr. Kennedy’s handling of the outbreak.
“In my final weeks at the C.D.C., I watched as career infectious-disease experts were tasked with spending precious hours searching medical literature in vain for data to support Kennedy’s preferred treatments,” Mr. Griffis wrote.
In the weeks after the Fox News interview, drugstores in West Texas struggled to keep vitamin A and cod liver oil supplements on their shelves. “I did not hear anything about vitamin A until he said it on television,” said Katherine Wells, the director of public health in Lubbock.
One local doctor — whom Mr. Kennedy named in the Fox News interview as one of the physicians who had told him “what is working on the ground”— opened a makeshift clinic in Gaines County and began doling out various treatments, including vitamin A supplements, to treat active measles cases and to prevent infection.
Dr. Davies said she suspected that a majority of the children she had treated had taken vitamin A supplements at home.
Experts say that vitamin A can play an important role in the “supportive care” that doctors provide to patients with severe measles infections.
It works by replenishing the bodily stores depleted by the virus, which bolsters the immune system, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
In the hospital, physicians give only two doses of the vitamin to children with measles, usually over the course of two days, and “very carefully calibrate” the amounts depending on age and weight, he said.
Dr. Schaffner emphasized that it is not a miracle treatment for the virus, and that there is no antiviral medication for measles. And there is no credible evidence that vitamin A helps prevent infection in children in the United States, where vitamin A deficiencies are exceedingly rare.
In fact, giving children repeated, high doses of the vitamin is dangerous. Unlike other vitamins, which are flushed out of the body through urine, excess vitamin A accumulates in fat tissue, making it more likely to reach dangerous levels over time.
“That kind of preventative use I think is especially concerning,” said Dr. Lara Johnson, another doctor at the Lubbock hospital.
“When we have kids taking it for weeks and weeks, then you do potentially have a cumulative impact of the toxicity,” she added.
Dr. Johnson added that local physicians were particularly concerned about parents’ relying on over-the-counter supplements — whose labels don’t always accurately reflect the amount of vitamin they contain — and accepting dosage recommendations from unverified sources.
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With over 32 million Americans battling food allergies, health advocates and officials are looking for the root cause — which includes looking into microbiomes.
The Food Allergy Fund (FAF) hosted a forum on Monday in Washington, D.C., with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, FDA Chief Martin Makary and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Makary shared how the function of microbiomes has evolved over time.
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The intestine hosts over a billion different types of bacteria, which normally live in balance, according to Makary.
The doctor added, “but when it’s altered by the modern-day diet and by antibiotics and other exposures … that disequilibrium can cause inflammation, it can cause health problems, and it may be implicated in food allergies.”
“Gut health is central to overall health,” said Makary, pictured at a Nov. 16 forum hosted by the Food Allergy Fund. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)
“Gut health is central to overall health,” Makary emphasized. Some beneficial microbes may be missing in modern populations due to dietary and environmental changes, which could play a role in the rise of food allergies, he added.
Researchers at Siolta Therapeutics are testing this theory. Their oral microbiome therapy, STMC-103H, has shown promising results in a Phase 2 trial involving 238 newborns with a family history of allergies.
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Early data suggests the therapy could reduce the risk of developing food allergies by 77%, indicating that improving gut bacteria early in life could prevent allergies before they start.
Final results are expected in early 2026.
Early data suggests the therapy could reduce the risk of developing food allergies by 77%, indicating that improving gut bacteria early in life could prevent allergies before they start. (iStock)
Ilana Golant, FAF founder and CEO, told Fox News Digital “food allergies may be the canary in the coal mine for a much larger health crisis tied to the microbiome.”
FAF launched its Food Allergy Fund Microbiome Collective in New York City to further investigate how gut bacteria could help prevent or treat not only allergies, but also autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.
“Gut health is central to overall health.”
“Solving allergies could reveal how to prevent and treat a range of diseases — from autoimmune disorders to neurodegeneration — that impact millions of lives,” said Golant.
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Food allergies are widespread, affecting one in 10 adults and one in 13 children, according to FAF. Every three minutes, someone in the U.S. is treated in the emergency room for a severe allergic reaction.
Peanut allergies are among the most prevalent food allergies in the U.S., with new research showing that early peanut introduction could significantly reduce childhood allergies.
Ilana Golant, FAF founder and CEO (left), chats with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Washington, D.C., at the Food Allergy Fund Forum. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)
Secretary Kennedy observed at the FAF conference that food allergies — particularly involving peanuts — appear to be far more common among children today than when he was growing up.
“When I was a kid, I never met anyone with a peanut allergy,” Kennedy said. “I had 11 siblings and about 71 first cousins, and I didn’t know a single person in my schools or at any of the camps I went to who had one.”
“There may be many causes, or there may be just one — we don’t know yet.”
One of his sons has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and several other foods, he shared.
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“By the time he was 2 years old, we’d been to the emergency room about 22 times,” Kennedy said.
“At first, I focused on how we were going to treat it and keep him safe. But my mind quickly went to the bigger question — why is this happening? I have five of my seven children with allergies,” he said.
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“There may be many causes, or there may be just one — we don’t know yet,” Kennedy continued. “But we’re going to study it. We’re going to break that omertà, end the taboo and find out what’s causing it.”
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Gen Z — largely comprised of middle- and high-school students — reported the lowest smoking rates on record in 2024, according to CDC and FDA data, but that trend may be in jeopardy.
“Overall, the decline in smoking in the U.S., [down] to about 11.9% of the population overall, is a great public health success story that has occurred over the past 20 years,” Dr. Neil W. Schluger, dean of the School of Medicine of New York Medical College and pulmonologist, told Fox News Digital.
Some experts, however, fear that the “cool factor” could be making a comeback, hooking a new generation on smoking.
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In certain populations, there is reportedly a movement to re-glamorize cigarette smoking, Schluger said.
One Instagram account, @Cigfluencers, posts photos of celebrities with cigarettes to its more than 83,000 followers.
Some experts fear that the “cool factor” could be making a comeback, hooking a new generation on smoking. (iStock)
“SMOKING HOT!” reads a caption for a provocative image of Sabrina Carpenter smoking over a bathroom sink. “Also, Smoking = Hot.”
Additional celebrities who have been open about their cigarette use — and are also pictured on @Cigfluencers — include Ben Affleck, Jeremy Allen White and Natalie Portman, among others.
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“Influencers can be influenced by marketing dollars and can attract younger generations, particularly if the channels used are popular among younger people, such as with social media,” said Judith J. Prochaska, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University in California, whose research focuses on developing effective treatments for tobacco dependence.
Multiple studies show that adolescents and young adults who watch smoking-related content are more likely to begin using tobacco products in the future, but those risks are magnified when they engage with tobacco content on social media.
Gen Z reported the lowest smoking rates on record in 2024, according to CDC and FDA data, though that trend may be in jeopardy. (iStock)
“It’s confusing and a dangerous contradiction for young people who take their cues from pop culture and celebrity influencers, and are especially vulnerable to believe that smoking is more popular than it really is,” said Truth Initiative CEO and President Robin Koval in a news article on the organization’s website.
In a recent opinion piece published in The BMJ, the author wrote that smoking is experiencing a “pop-culture revival” that is an “unwelcome throw-back for public health.”
“This normalization of smoking risks is re-igniting a harmful cultural association between cigarettes and coolness, to which young people are particularly vulnerable,” the article says.
Smoking trends among youth
In the mid- to late-90s, around one-third of high-schoolers smoked cigarettes. That has dropped to less than 3% today, according to the American Lung Association.
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“It is harder to track trends in youth and young adults, because they tend to be less connected to survey efforts, and behaviors can change quickly,” Dr. Daniel J. Boffa, vice chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and division chief of thoracic surgery at Yale School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
“The signals we do have suggest that tobacco smoking rates are much lower in Gen Z than for some earlier generations.”
Boffa noted, however, that around 8% of Gen Z teens use e-cigarettes — “which is important because we really don’t know the long-term effect of e-cigarettes yet, and some young adults will switch over from e-cigarettes to smoking tobacco.”
In the mid- to late-90s, around one-third of high-schoolers smoked cigarettes. That has dropped to less than 3% today, according to the American Lung Association. (iStock)
The U.S. saw a surge in vaping rates in 2019, largely due to the popularity of the brand JUUL, which resonated among youth because of its high nicotine delivery, discreet design, kid-friendly flavors and appealing marketing tactics, Prochaska noted.
E-cigarettes are also on the rise among young adults — in part due to adolescents aging into young adulthood, she added.
Health risks of smoking
Over 90% of long-term smokers started before the age of 18, Boffa said.
“The problem with tobacco smoking in the teenage and young adult years is that the most severe health-related consequences won’t appear for a few decades, making it easier to ignore the warnings,” he warned.
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When someone smokes over time, the inhaled combusted tobacco and paper damage the tiny air sacs in the lungs called alveoli, which facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This damage could lead to chronic obstructive lung disease, according to Mayo Clinic.
The habit can also increase cancer risk, health experts warn. Humans produce random mutated cells that can potentially become cancerous, but a healthy immune system usually eliminates those cells.
When someone smokes, toxic substances enter the body and depress the immune system, giving those mutated cells a chance to grow and become cancerous. (iStock)
When someone smokes, however, toxic substances enter the body and depress the immune system, giving those mutated cells a chance to grow and become cancerous.
Repeated exposure can also increase the risk of oral health problems, pregnancy harms, sexual dysfunction and even mental health effects, Prochaska warned.
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Smoking is also a risk factor for coronary artery disease, aneurysms in the aorta (the main artery of the heart), peripheral vascular disease, and heart attacks and strokes, according to the FDA.
“The reduction in tobacco use in the U.S. is a huge advance in public health, and we should be vigilant not to slide backwards,” Schluger said.
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To maintain this progress, the doctor is a proponent of banning smoking in public places, raising tobacco taxes, increasing funding for cessation programs, and cracking down on illegal advertising and sales to minors.
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Tucking yourself in like a smothered baked potato is the newest way to get a great night’s sleep.
A TikTok trend called the “potato bed” has gone viral as a comfy way of rearranging sheets and pillows to be surrounded and snuggled.
The first step is to lay out a fitted bedsheet upside down and stuff the perimeter with thick pillows and blankets.
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Once there’s a solid foundation of fluffy walls, the middle of the nest gets filled with blankets, comforters and any other objects to get cozy.
A laptop playing a movie or a good book is recommended.
TikTok creators have been attempting the trend themselves. One user named Alice (@alicekateea) wrote in the caption of her video that she “had the best night’s sleep ever.”
TikTok creator @rubyyy.eg shares a tutorial on making a potato bed. (TikTok @rubyyy.eg)
“So just an adult-sized baby nest?” one user commented. “No wonder you slept good!”
Another user wrote, “I’m already a couch potato, now I’m going to be a bed potato too.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. William Lu, medical director of Dreem Health, commented that the potato bed is a “fun, cozy take” on the concept of “cocooning” or creating a nest-like sleep environment.
“It’s really about recreating that snug, safe feeling we associate with deep rest.”
“I’m not surprised it’s catching on,” said the California-based expert. “People are craving comfort, calm and security right now, and the potato bed taps right into that. While it looks playful, it’s really about recreating that snug, safe feeling we associate with deep rest.”
The sensation of being “gently surrounded by pillows and blankets” can mimic the effects of a weighted blanket or being cuddled, according to the sleep expert.
“That light, even pressure can help lower stress hormones like cortisol while boosting serotonin and oxytocin, chemicals that make you feel relaxed and sleepy,” said Lu.
“When your body feels secure and your mind feels safe, it’s easier to drift off and stay asleep.”
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Lu did caution that too much warmth may cause disruption to sleep, since the best sleep occurs when the core body temperature drops slightly. Piling on too many layers can “trap heat,” making it harder for the body to cool down, he noted.
“Also, if you’re surrounding yourself with soft pillows, you might lose proper spinal alignment,” Lu added. “Over time, that can lead to neck or back pain. If you wake up feeling sore or sweaty, that’s your sign to scale it back.”
Using too many heavy and hot blankets can lead to fragmented sleep, an expert cautioned. (iStock)
Lu recommended thinking of the potato bed as a “cozy relaxation ritual” rather than a permanent sleep setup.
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Building a potato bed for a short nap, a wind-down before bed or a warm respite during the colder months are the best options, he said.
The sleep expert also suggested keeping one lightweight duvet and fewer layers to ensure that the mattress and primary pillow are still providing plenty of support.
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“The goal isn’t to bury yourself in fluff — it’s to create a comfortable, calming space that helps your body and mind relax before sleep,” he said.
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