Bogus Science, An Ethics Complaint and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortze Impact on Public Safety
Republished with permission from AbleChild.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), also known as AOC, has been quite the outspoken firebrand since becoming the freshman darling of the Democrat party and has on several occasions made statements to the effect of wondering if President Trump was mentally fit to hold office calling the President “erratic” and “volatile.”
These characterizations of the President’s mental faculties become very interesting with the recent news that AOC used nearly $20,000 in campaign funds to pay for “leadership training and counseling” provided by Brian W. Boyle, MD, a psychiatrist that specializes in the use of the experimental Ketamine to “treat” mental disorders.
Seems harmless and completely acceptable until one considers that nowhere on Dr. Boyle’s website is “leadership training and counseling” offered as a service. Because Dr. Boyle is not known to provide these services, some believe that AOC may have been using campaign funds to pay for her own personal mental health services. If true, it’s kind of the pot calling the kettle black, right? Afterall, it’s no secret that AOC has had her struggles with mental health.
After the January 6 protest at the U.S. Capitol, AOC said that she was “in therapy” to deal with the trauma she experienced. The Congresswoman said, “oh yeah, I’m doing therapy but also, I’ve just slowed down.”
Given these statements about AOC’s deteriorating mental health, some have concluded that the payments to Dr. Boyle may have been for personal mental health services, leaving many to wonder if AOC is using Ketamine of which Boyle is considered a “leading authority” of the experimental “treatment.”
The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) has filed an ethics complaint with not only the Federal Election Commission (FEC), but also the Office of Congressional Conduct in the United States House of Representatives for allegedly “violating rules prohibiting the expenditure of campaign contributions for personal use.” The NLPC further alleges that AOC used campaign funds for personal psychiatric services for herself or her staff.
It cannot be ignored that AOC has not publicly responded to the ethics complaint, nor has the junior member of New York’s Congressional Delegation denied the allegations that Dr. Boyle’s services were for her own mental health issues.
Beyond that, the information that Dr. Boyle provides in a YouTube video on the Stella Mental Health website, Boyle’s place of business in Boston, MA, is surprisingly inaccurate and typical of psychiatrists still clinging to unproven, dangerous psychiatric jargon, leading one to conclude the doctor’s expertise is questionable.
For example, Dr. Boyle discusses on a “Executive Leadership” YouTube video how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Spravato (esketamine) works for depression, explaining “traditional antidepressants raise or lower the amount of chemicals called neurotransmitters that exist inside the connections between neurons.” Dr. Boyle is apparently discussing the theoretical “chemical imbalance” here, which was thoroughly debunked by Dr. Joanna Moncrieff in a 2023 peer-reviewed research paper. But then Dr. Boyle explains further, “we’re not just adjusting chemical balances here, we’re stimulating the growth of new circuits that increase signaling in parts of the brain that have gone dormant in depression.”
“Adjusting chemical balances…?” There is no way to “adjust chemical balances” in the brain, as there is no test available that measures brain chemicals, making it impossible to know which chemicals are “out of balance.” And, even if there was a test, who decides what is “normal,” what is “balanced” chemical levels? But what does the FDA say about how Spravato works?
According to the FDA, “the Mechanism of action (how the drug works) by which esketamine exerts its antidepressant effect is unknown.” Where in the potato salad with raisins did Boyle come up with “new circuits,” “increase signaling” and brain parts “dormant?!” Clearly the FDA doesn’t even venture a guess about how the drug “works,” but Dr. Boyle apparently has expertise unknown to the FDA.
But the Harvard/Yale trained Dr. Boyle is also well versed in the use of Ketamine, which has not been approved by the FDA for use with mental disorders. So, the question is: was AOC treated by Dr. Boyle with the FDA approved esketamine or the off-label Ketamine? Was she “treated” at all? The Congresswoman so far is mum.
The side effects associated with the FDA approved esketamine, however, include dissociation or perceptual changes (including distortion of time, space and illusions), derealization and depersonalization. Because of the risks associated with dissociation, patients must be monitored by a healthcare provider for at least 2 hours at each treatment session…”
On the other hand, the side effects associated with the off-label (not approved for use by FDA) Ketamine is that it acts like a sedative and alters sensory perceptions, dissociation (feeling detached from the body), nausea, dizziness, confusion, headache, memory impairment, slurred speech, hallucinations, vivid dreams, nightmares, anxiety or agitation and psychosis to name a few.
Given that AOC’s name has been bandied about as a possible Presidential running mate with Kamala Harris raises serious questions about the Congresswoman’s suitability if in fact she has been “treated” with the mind-altering, experimental Ketamine or even the FDA approved Esketamine.
On the other hand, this campaign funding to Dr. Boyle also raises questions about the New York Congresswoman’s understanding of mental health issues if Dr. Boyle is the “expert” advising her on policy. Think about it, Dr. Boyle is still espousing the chemical imbalance theory in videos that simply never existed and has been thoroughly debunked.
There simply is no way to test chemical levels in the brain and surely the esteemed Dr. Boyle is aware of this fact. Further, Dr. Boyle’s explanation of how Spravato “works” as “treatment” for treatment resistant depression (TRD) is not supported by the FDA that said it doesn’t know how the drug works as treatment.
If, in fact, Dr. Boyle is merely AOC’s mental health policy guru, receiving nearly $20,000 in campaign funds for his “expertise,” one cannot help but wonder specifically what mental health issues Dr. Boyle has explained for the Congresswoman? The other question that must be asked is how many other Members of Congress are being treated by Dr. Boyle or are also paying for the doctor’s mental health advice that affects public policy and enormous levels of federal funding?
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Original Photo of Representative Ocasio-Cortez by J. Scott Applewhite for the Associated Press.