Does Hillary Clinton Have Parkinson’s?
Before Russiagate, the Podesta e-mails, and Wikileaks, many of the rumors plaguing Hillary Clinton’s 2016 run for the White House concerned her health. Fairly or unfairly, her every sneeze and stumble were observed and presented as a sign she wasn’t healthy enough to be President of the United States. The health of the former Secretary of State and senator certainly warranted scrutiny, given the office to which she aspired. Much of the speculation as to what ailed and continues to ail her revolve around Parkinson’s disease.
Hillary Forearm Crutches
A few days ago, keen eyes spotted Hillary Clinton at an event at Yale University. There was something unusual about her appearance. She was using forearm stabilizing crutches. The official explanation was that Hillary is nursing a broken toe. The hidden reason could be that she is confronting Parkinson’s disease. (Source: “Media Cover-Up Hillary’s Parkinson’s Disease As It Ravages Her Brain,” YourNewsWire, October 24, 2017.)
Advertisement
Parkinson’s disease occurs when brain nerve cells producing the dopamine neurotransmitter start dying. The first signs go unnoticed that’s why most people discover they are sick when the disease has progressed. This usually occurs as patients experience tremors and stiffness. Doctors say that by that point, they have lost 40% to 50% of dopamine-producing neurons. Pharmacological treatments do not restore the neurons; they merely slow down the loss, allowing a patient to keep as much as possible.
So, is Hillary Clinton sick? Parkinson’s disease certainly affects balance and gait. This explains why so many people who are afflicted suffer falls. Current treatments only deal with the symptoms of Parkinson’s; they don’t address the causes. Thus, problems of balance and gait do worsen, requiring sufferers to use progressively more intense ambulatory (walking) aides. A patient may start to use a cane, then switch to crutches, a walker, and finally a wheelchair.
That said, from personal experience, I would hesitate to suggest with any kind of certainty that Clinton suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Yes, the crutches certainly suggest she has a problem with gait. But contrary to some opinions, a broken toe can certainly require crutches. I used them for over two months some years ago, when I fell from my Vespa scooter and broke my big toe. The doctor at the emergency room said it was a traumatic fracture and promptly prescribed crutches–nothing else.
Still, for argument’s sake, allegations about Hillary and Parkinson’s abounded during the presidential campaign. It’s a sad topic; nobody wishes such an illness against even their worst enemy. However, Americans expect their leaders to be in good health. Thus, when rumors regarding Parkinson’s started to intrude into the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, her political supporters and detractors understandably engaged in heated discussions. The detractors tried to prove she had the disease, while her supporters suppressed or denied the reports. Still, those who claim Hillary is suffering from Parkinson’s have brought several videos from her campaign period as evidence.
Hillary Clinton Parkinson’s Video
Dr. Ted Noel, a U.S. physician with 32 years of clinical medical experience, has been one of the most vociferous advocates for the case that Hillary is suffering Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Noel has a few videos analyzing his contentions, one of which has received over 4.7 million views. In one Hillary Clinton Parkinson’s video, Dr. Noel makes a strong case that if not Parkinson’s, there are questions about Hillary’s health. There are many Hillary Clinton Parkinson’s YouTube videos. (Source: “Hillary Clinton’s Illness Revealed,” YouTube video, 16:35, August 29, 2016, posted by “Ted Noel,” last watched October 24, 2017.)
A clear majority allege the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate is either suffering from Parkinson’s or another illness that would have compromised her ability to act as Commander in Chief. Many point out that her three unexplained “falls” during the campaign were the result of her Parkinson’s. Some suggest that she would have suffered from gait and coherence issues simply as a side effect of the medications typically prescribed for Parkinson’s. Certainly, if you were to look up “Hillary Clinton illness” in a web search, most of the results would point to Parkinson’s.
The Case for Parkinson’s as the Hillary Clinton Illness
A few days before Hillary Clinton collapsed at the September 11 commemoration in New York City, Dr. Ted Noel made his strongest case yet for Clinton having Parkinson’s. He published a detailed analysis of the “clinical episodes” that had happened to the Democratic candidate since 2005: fevers, tremors, gestures and uncontrollable expressions, and sudden paralysis. Dr. Noel did not hesitate to deliver a clear conclusion–that Clinton appears to be suffering from an advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease. (Source: Ibid.)
At the time of the revelation, Clinton was beating Trump in the polls, thus there was no question about admitting to anything that would compromise the American people’s concerns about her health. Had rumors of Parkinson’s or any other physically incapacitating illness been revealed, it would have killed her campaign for the U.S. presidency before November 8, 2016.
Even if she managed to get the people to vote for her, the electoral colleges would have likely chosen Trump. Indeed, the reason that they ended up doing so regardless may have had something to do with the unanswered question of “is Hillary Clinton sick?” There’s no evidence suggesting that they didn’t.
Far from helping Trump, the media worked hard to suppress the voices surrounding Clinton’s rapidly deteriorating health–and rapidly increasing questions about it. Hillary Clinton’s Parkinson’s YouTube videos have prompted other medical experts to add more fodder for thought. Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a physician to Congress, spoke about Hillary Clinton’s health. In one YouTube video, He notes that there were many coughing fits, the collapse, and other episodes during the campaign. Dr. Jasser speaks of a neurological or pulmonary problem, rather than her campaign’s famous explanation that the former Secretary of State suffered a dehydration incident. (Source: “Dr. Zuhdi Jasser discusses Hillary Clinton’s collapsing as she left a 9/11 Ceremony at Ground Zero,” YouTube video, 3:00, September 12, 2016, posted by “M Zuhdi Jasser,” last watched October 24, 2017.)
Clinton suffered fainting in 2005, losing consciousness as she was delivering a speech. In 2009, she fell and broke her elbow. In 2012, she suffered a cerebral congestion after fainted from beating her head. These falls can be explained with Parkinson’s disease, which affects the motor system. Clinton’s personal assistant, Huma Abedin, wrote in an e-mail that Clinton is “often confused.” Again, this would be consistent with Parkinson’s disease, which in its advanced stages can also lead to dementia. (Source: “Newly released email shows top aide Huma Abedin warned colleagues Hillary was ‘often confused’ and needed hand-holding about calls with foreign leaders,” The Daily Mail, last accessed, October 24, 2017.)
Finally, one of the videos that many of her critics present as the “smoking gun” proving her Parkinson’s, show her bobbing her head uncontrollably. Here, Clinton shows signs of trembling. Her fingers also appear to be causing pain. Now, nobody but her doctors and Clinton herself have the final right to clarify whether she is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. However, the symptoms displayed in that now infamous video show a very common side effect of “Levodopa,” a common and effective treatment for Parkinson’s. Visual stimuli or anxiety–as one would expect a presidential candidate to experience–can cause unnatural reactions, according to Dr. Noel. (Source: “Does Hillary Clinton Suffer from Parkinson’s Disease,” The Post & Email, September 9, 2016.)
Perhaps Hillary Simply Has Paranoia
Others might conclude that Clinton is suffering more from paranoia, specifically of the Russian variety. The one Hillary Clinton illness that warrants little speculation is her obsession with Russia; it has clouded her judgment, analysis and writing. The former First Lady and aspiring White House occupant has been speaking about her book, What Happened, during an extensive tour.
At the Cheltenham Literature Festival during a visit to Great Britain, Clinton devoted most of her speech to Vladimir Putin, targeting the Russian leader even more than Trump himself. She suggested that Russian interference in the elections was even more alarming than anyone had imagined and accused Putin of trying to pit Americans against each other, creating discord among European Union member states, and weakening NATO to break up the Atlantic Alliance to undermine Western democracy. (Source: “‘I’m worried’ says Hillary Clinton as she attacks Trump and Putin in Cheltenham Literature Festival talk,” GloucestershireLive, October 16, 2017.)
Credits: Matthew Horwood / Stringer/Getty Images
Hillary Clinton and Parkinson’s: True or False?
Ultimately, only an MD can diagnose whatever, if anything has been affecting Hillary Clinton, Parkinson’s included. She has shown considerable resilience after losing the presidential race, going on tour with a new book. That alone should raise doubts about the claims. However, concerning the videos, only she and her doctor know the truth.
There are early symptoms that range from odd sleeping patterns and disturbing dreams to difficulties in writing by hand. Many Parkinson’s patients experience a pain in the neck. To many, Clinton might be a pain in the neck, but we don’t know if she has one–other than her husband Bill, anyway. Another frequently cited symptom is a loss or a gradual and severe loss of the olfactory sense. Parkinson’s sufferers also gradually start to lose their sense of smell.
However, as interesting the analyses of doctors such as Ted Noel might be, they do not tell us anything about these common Parkinson’s issues and whether Hillary Clinton has experienced them. Until a medical expert can confirm it, wisdom and fairness suggest it’s best to remain doubtful about claims that Hillary Clinton is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.
