Hillary Clinton’s health has long been in question, and it’s no wonder. With photos of her being helped up stairs by Secret Service and a video of her head bobbing uncontrollably, voters are questioning Clinton’s fitness to serve as President of the United States.
Throughout her campaign, Clinton’s health has come under intense scrutiny by voters. The media, on the other hand, has largely ignored the elephant in the room by skirting around the issue of Hillary’s fitness to serve as President of the United States.
On August 29, retired Florida Ted Noel posted a video to his YouTube channel, Webtech Vidzette. Noel, who has 36 years of experience as a physician, released a 16-minute video providing a detailed analysis of publicly available information, photos, and videos of Clinton that seem to provide legitimacy to the question of her health.
One could overlook the fact that Noel began his analysis with a source from Alex Jones’ conspiracy theory site InfoWars after watching the video in its entirety. Noel begins his argument by clarifying that he is not making a diagnosis and cannot claim to know everything, as he is not her physician. But he says, just like anyone else, he connected the dots to draw his conclusion of Parkinson’s disease.
“I am not Hillary’s treating physician, so I can’t claim that what I’m about to tell you is a conclusive diagnosis. What I can do is exactly what the CIA does: I look at the public record and then I put it together to see if there’s a single story that explains all of the odd things we see with Hillary, and arrive at an answer as to what’s going on medically.”
In early 2016, while the primary race against Bernie Sanders was especially heated, photos emerged showing Clinton clinging to associates while mounting steps leading up to a building. Clinton has both arms extended with a man on either side literally pulling her up by her arms.
Another symptom of Parkinson’s disease, according to the Mayo Clinic, is constant nodding, odd hand movements between the thumb and index finger called “pill rolling,” and “freeze falling.” The National Parkinson Foundation describes freeze falling as what happens when a person suddenly begins to fall for no apparent reason or loses control of their movements. This would explain Clinton’s previous falls in 2005, 2009 (during which she broke her elbow), and in 2012, which caused her serious concussion.
The Mayo Clinic also describes symptoms as rigid muscles, slowed movement, impaired posture, and balance. One visible symptom is the loss of automatic movements such as “smiling, blinking, smiling, or swinging your arms when you walk.”
Even the most casual observer can see Hillary Clinton’s movements have become increasingly stiff in the last several years. When she walks, it appears as though she is mentally pushing herself forward and her feet don’t lift high off the ground. Her arms don’t swing naturally, and critics have mocked her cackling laugh as artificial.
In his video, Noel indicates an unusual hand position Clinton has been seen making. It is one in which the fingers are bunched together, with the middle finger on top and the pinky tucked under. It looks like a tight duck bill position and is uncomfortable. He uses this as just one of many indications of Parkinson’s disease.
However, unless Hillary Clinton began exhibiting symptoms of Parkinson’s at a young age, this particular hand position may not be indicative of serious health problems. A photo of Clinton when she was 25-years-old in 1975 clearly shows her using this hand position while speaking. So, at the very least, this one photo would provide some proof that Clinton’s unusual hand position may not be indicative of Parkinson’s.
One of the more famous video clips is one where Clinton’s head involuntarily bobs back and forth while speaking to members of the news media. For a few seconds, it appears as if Clinton is an animated bobblehead. The sight is disturbing, but the reporters surrounding her act as though it’s nothing unusual. Noel claims this is not actually a symptom of Parkinson’s but rather a side effect of the medication used to manage it.
This odd movement is referred to as dyskinesia, a result of the drug levodopa. The Michael J. Fox Foundation describes such movements as “smooth tics… like an uncoordinated dance.”
Another potential health issue for Clinton is cancer. While Parkinson’s can cause fits of coughing due to involuntary inhalation of phlegm, liquids, or solids, it can also by symptomatic of cancer.
In the most recent WikiLeaks release, emails emerged showing Clinton’s keen interest in drugs that combat Parkinson’s disease. She also expressed interest in a recent invention that could target cancerous tumors beneath the skin called DaRT (Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy). An email sent to Cheryl Mills notes that “a particular doctor” was recommended to then-President George H.W. Bush in 1991 when he was having throat problems.
During a recent campaign stop, Clinton suffered another coughing fit, similar to the one she suffered last winter while speaking at a rally. NBC News reports that it was “one of the most aggressive” bouts during the 2016 election cycle, and it hampered her ability to talk throughout the remainder of her speech.
Speculation as to why Clinton refused to hold press conferences focused on her ties to big banks, big oil, and her other corporate loyalties, but perhaps the 278-day delay in holding a press conference may have had more to do with her health problems than anything else. However, Clinton finally held one on the tarmac at White Plains, New York, on Thursday. Time reports she took six questions for approximate 15 minutes. During the brief press conference, Clinton appeared as though she hadn’t slept in days.
If Hillary Clinton does, indeed, suffer from Parkinson’s disease, or even cancerous tumors, she has a moral obligation to inform the public. In the last several years, Clinton’s health issues have become more frequent and prominent. If she does suffer from Parkinson’s, cancer, or another serious health issue, it is not fair to the general public to withhold such crucial information that will drastically affect her ability to serve should she be elected.
I reached out to Ted Noel to confirm of his medical credentials, which he provided.
[Photo by Andrew Harnik/AP Images]