DEAR READERS: President Trump’s so-called “war on woke” includes countless attacks on science. Soon, environmentalists and conservationists protesting the expansion of coal mining may be branded as domestic terrorists. They are already being called left-wing anarchists and communists. Scientists and institutions documenting the critical nature of climate change, which threatens generations to come, are losing federal funding and having their reports dismissed as “fake news.”

Many people and organizations, notably the Extinction Rebellion (rebellion.global), are rising up to oppose inhumanity, denial, greed and ignorance. Ultimately, this is enlightened self-interest, since what we do in this generation will impact the quality of life for generations to come, for better or for worse. Yet with the rise of fascist, authoritarian regimes in several countries, those who promote such humane and ethical initiatives are being demonized and treated as domestic terrorists.

This is indeed a tipping point for the survival of civil society, and of nature, and it has been gathering for several decades with the concentration of money and power.

Decades ago, when I got widespread media coverage of my documentation of how farm animals are mistreated in industrial-scale factories and slaughterhouses, I was called a communist by one Texas senator. Supposedly, I was working for the Soviet Union to overthrow American agriculture. Now the wheel has turned, and science is under attack, along with truth and freedom.

As Henry A. Giroux writes in the L.A. Progressive, “The stakes could not be clearer: Silence is complicity. To speak, to talk back, and to engage in mass action is now the most urgent precondition for building powerful modes of collective resistance. ... The lights are going out fast, but they are not yet extinguished. Justice, equality and freedom can still be made the foundation for a radical democracy -- but only if we act. Resistance is no longer optional; it is the urgent political and moral task of our time.”

For more details, see my 2001 book "Bringing Life to Ethics: Global Bioethics for a Humane Society," as well as "Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity" by Paul Kingsnorth.

DEAR DR. FOX. I am 87 years old. I read your articles about COVID vaccinations with great interest.

I had my shot last Saturday morning, and that afternoon, I suffered an atrial fibrillation event. I didn’t know if this was coincidental or not, so I notified my cardiologist, but I was told that they had no other reports of this kind.

I’ve never had any reaction with previous COVID shots, and I’ve never had COVID-19. What do you think? -- D.F.G., Naples, Florida

DEAR D.F.G.: I sympathize with you over what must have been a frightening experience. Fortunately, in your case, it was a short-lasting reaction. Post-vaccination atrial fibrillation has been reported in the medical literature, but its cause is not fully understood.

One hypothesis points to inflammation caused by the immune response to the vaccine. For most people, this is a transient, if not also a benign, immune reaction. (See the study "Atrial fibrillation after vaccination for COVID-19: analysis of the vaccine adverse event reporting system" by Ashish Kumar et al., published in the Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology, 2022.) Share this with your heart doctor!

Fortunately, adverse reactions to vaccines are rare, and the benefits of most vaccinations far outweigh such risks. People who do develop severe and chronic adverse reactions to any vaccination can seek compensation -- not from the manufacturers, but from the U.S. government’s National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Visit hrsa.gov/vaccine-compensation for more information.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: Your column entitled “Safety, Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccinations” was well balanced, but it gave too much weight to the Joseph Fraiman et al. article published in Vaccine in 2022.

Specifically, you have two main oversights. The first one goes to the risk vs. benefit of COVID vaccines. Other readers have discussed this, so I will not belabor the point, other than to say an overwhelming percentage of those admitted to hospitals due to a COVID-19 infections were not vaccinated.

The second oversight concerns the quality of the information presented in the Fraiman paper. Check out the follow-up review by Steven Black and Stephen Evans: doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.040. Basically, Black and Evans said the rigor was so wanting in the Fraiman paper that it would be rejected if it were submitted today (“today” being 2023). -- J.B.P., North Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR J.B.P.: I appreciate your comments, and agree that some published studies are lacking in statistical rigor. Even so, there were problems with the development of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines at “warp speed,” not limited to the issue of viral mutations, which can render vaccines ineffective.

A new review of health problems developing after vaccination concludes that “mRNA vaccines were linked to the increased risks of thyroid, colorectal, lung, and breast cancers. ... Vaccinated males were more vulnerable to gastric and lung cancers, whereas vaccinated females were more susceptible to thyroid and colorectal cancers.” (Full study: "One-year risks of cancers associated with COVID-19 vaccination: a large population-based cohort study in South Korea" by Hong Jin Kim et al., published in Biomarker Research, 2025.)

From a One Health perspective, there has been too much reliance on developing vaccines for emerging diseases and potential pandemics, and insufficient emphasis on prevention. I articulate this in my book “One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives.”

It is notable that plant-based diets have been associated with a lower incidence of COVID-19 infection. "These dietary patterns may be considered protective against COVID-19 infection," concludes the study "Vegetarian and plant-based diets associated with lower incidence of COVID-19" by Julio Cesar Acosta-Navarro et al., published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health, 2024.

People deficient in dietary vitamin D3, selenium and various protective antioxidants are more prone to viral infections (see doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/71.6.1676S). Also, some essential oils are antiviral (see doi.org/10.3390/ijms21103426), and some herbal extracts have antiviral properties (see pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35894129). These natural products have been marginalized by Big Pharma through its influence on medical school curricula.

All of this means that government health agencies should focus more on nutrition education and pursue a more holistic approach to health care and treatment. They should cease to align so exclusively with Big Pharma.

The current administration has caused significant public confusion and distrust in science and medical advice, which is regrettably spilling over into veterinary medicine. This puts cats and dogs at risk when their owners do not follow veterinary advice regarding the core vaccinations that all kittens and puppies should receive. According to one review, compared with 2020 rates, pet owners are much more hesitant about any type of vaccine -- including those for their pets. (Full study: "Sick as a dog? The prevalence, politicization, and health policy consequences of canine vaccine hesitancy" by Matt Motta et al., published in Vaccine, 2023.)

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: Regarding the recent news about Tylenol, please see the following write-up from Nature.com, posted Sept. 23:

"'Don’t take Tylenol,' was the blunt advice of President Donald Trump during an announcement that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will slap a new warning label on the painkiller (also known as acetaminophen and paracetamol) that flags a 'possible association' with autism in children. But there is a lack of strong evidence to back up the claim. Association does not mean causation. 'The evidence does not support a causal link between acetaminophen or vaccines and autism,' says clinical teratologist Sura Alwan, the executive director of PEAR-Net Society, a nonprofit advocating for maternal fetal health and research. There are few safe alternatives to treat pain and fever during pregnancy, so advising against it is 'bound to increase fear in pregnant women,' says Helen Tager-Flusberg, a psychologist who studies autism. 'It is absolutely not grounded in the scientific findings.'"

The Trump administration has announced that a drug called leucovorin (or folinic acid), currently used to treat the side effects of cancer drugs, will be made available to treat symptoms of autism in some children.

How this essential nutrient may help autism symptoms, if it does, is unknown, but its role in neurologic development has been long recognized. Folate deficiency is a significant risk factor for spina bifida and other neural tube defects. Women of childbearing age have long been advised to consume folic acid through supplements and fortified foods.

There are significant unknowns regarding the use of leucovorin to treat autism. From Nature.com, Sept. 24:

"Some specialists warn that the drug's efficacy has not been established, that scientists don’t know how much of the drug to give or how long people should take it, and that safety data in children are lacking. According to the FDA’s current plans, leucovorin will be available to only a minority of autistic people. All of this has led to widespread confusion, say clinicians. 'If anyone tells you they have found a magic bullet cure for autism, doubt them,' says Alycia Halladay, chief science officer of the Autism Science Foundation. 'There is not going to be one cause and one singular treatment.'"

Continued, from Nature and Scientific American:

"The FDA’s proposed approval, which has not yet been finalized, would apply only to people with low levels of folate in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. That represents about 7% to 30% of autistic people, depending on how folate levels are measured," says Halladay. "'Families are in the Facebook groups saying, "We can get a prescription now," she says. 'And that’s not what's going to happen.'"

In my opinion, when looking into contributing factors for autism, the Department of Health and Human Services should examine the pesticide contaminants in our food and water. These substances are also put on millions of pets to prevent fleas and ticks, and can then be inadvertently ingested by family members after petting the animals.

To that end, see the study "Are the growing levels of neurotoxic and neuro-disruptive chemicals in our food and drink contributing to the youth mental health crisis? A narrative review" by J.J. Newson et al., published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews in 2025.

Here is an excerpt from that study's abstract:

"Over the past few decades, there has been a marked and largely unexplained decline in the mental health and well-being of young people worldwide. One such factor, often overlooked, is the increasing exposure of children and adolescents to neurotoxic and neuro-disruptive chemicals in the food and beverages they consume. These include agricultural and industrial chemicals (e.g., pesticide residues, heavy metals), additives in ultra-processed foods, and packaging-derived contaminants such as microplastics and bisphenols. ... Altogether, the widespread presence of these neurotoxic and neuro-disruptive chemicals in the body and brain, and growing reports of their adverse impacts on behavior, cognition, and mental health in young people, points to the potential for progressive degradation of brain function that poses a grave threat to the future well-being of society and underscores the urgent need for increased research, funding, and regulation in this area."

Decades of research suggests that genetics plays a huge part in the development of autism, although a string of environmental factors have also been linked to it.

“There will never be a sound-bite answer to what causes autism,” says Tager-Flusberg. Meanwhile, many experts say the increasing prevalence of autism is predominantly caused by an increase in diagnoses and awareness rather than a true rise in occurrence.

As for companion animals, scientists have selectively bred dogs with symptoms of autism for research purposes, and I believe some cats may have a similar condition. Some dogs and cats may prefer to be feral, remaining averse to human contact. Some engage in compulsive behaviors, like the many bull terriers who have been documented to obsessively chase their tails. Cats can develop the equivalent brain disease to Alzheimer’s, so one may consider there could be a similar parallel with autism. For more, read veterinarian Patrica Jordan's article here: dogsnaturallymagazine.com/can-dogs-have-autism.

In my opinion, there are multiple environmental factors that can influence brain development. I am especially concerned about pre- and post-natal exposure to the nonionizing radiation and electromagnetic fields of telecommunication systems. For details, see my post here: drfoxonehealth.com/post/electropollution-existential-threat-to-public-health-and-life-on-earth.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)