Ross: Your doctor probably knows better than Trump
May 19, 2020, 8:29 AM | Updated: 1:07 pm
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
First, a disclaimer: This commentary should not be used as a source of medical advice — always consult your physician before taking any medication endorsed by a sitting president.
That being said, celebrity endorsements don’t get better than this.
“I happen to be taking it; I’m taking it – hydroxychloroquine,” President Trump said Monday.
Reporters were shocked that a President would take a drug based on a notion that it might work for him.
And yet – all of us every day see numerous prescription drug ads that include the phrase, “Ask your doctor about” this randomly named drug.
We are told every day to do just what the President did: ask about this drug. And his doctor said yes, so he’s taking it.
Does this mean you should take it? No. In fact on Fox News, the President’s endorsement was followed by Neil Cavuto delivering the scariest disclaimer ever.
“If you are in a risky population here and you are taking this as a preventative treatment to ward off the virus, it will kill you. I cannot stress enough — this will kill you,” Cavuto warned.
None of this “may inhibit sexual function” or “could cause an embarrassing rash.”
“This will kill you.”
But then on the other hand, one out of one sitting Presidents recommend it.
“So far I seem to be OK,” Trump claimed.
But again – always ask your doctor, and listen very carefully for the phrase, “it will kill you.”
It may mean your doctor is trying to tell you something.
Also, I had a feeling something was up when I noticed a few weeks ago that a president who avoids technical language was able to pronounce hydroxychloroquine better than a pharmacologist.
Listen to Seattle’s Morning News weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.