It's a rare occurrence when the subject of neurology intersects with public interest. Unless you've been in a hugbox for the past few months, you've noticed a LOT of talk about Hillary's neurological issues. I've been following her medical issues well before the election, so I'd like to provide a different perspective from what you may have heard thus far. Hillary has been accused of having a number of neurological disorders. I will defend her on some of these, and propose some alternatives.
I'll start with a video that surprised me. Somebody posted this short video on Twitter from a recent September 2016 Hillary encounter. Stare directly at her eyes.
Notice that the left eye cannot look to the left. While she is trying to look left, the right eye cooperates... the left refuses. Hence the uneasy feeling you get as an observer. Even when subtle, your mind is very attune to facial asymmetries.
I, however, don't think it's subtle. In fact, the top twitter comment (among others) mentions her 'crazy eyes'!
Why is this surprising? It suggests Hillary may have PERMANENT nerve damage (or brain damage) as I will explain.
It received very little coverage at the time, but the origin of this injury has already been written about and commented on by a very smart guy, Dr. Mark Kupersmith, Director of Neuro-ophthalmology at St. Lukes-Roosevelt. Strangely enough, it was covered by the very left wing NY Daily News way back in 2013:
This is also the reason she was wearing the Fresnel prism glasses that you may fondly remember.
I was under the impression that this injury had healed (as most do). This video posted above suggests it has not healed, and will likely not heal, now being over 3 years out from the initial injury.
WHAT IS IT?
First, let's talk about what IT is. Based on the video and admissions from Hillary's people, she had a...If you're searching for more info, be aware that it may be spelled or referred to differently. Examples:
WHAT CAUSES A CRANIAL NERVE PALSY?
There are two potential reasons for this injury which are discussed in the NYDailyNews article. In summary, you can injure:
1. The cranial nerve, which is a tiny string connecting the eye to the brain.
or
2. The brainstem (big-league injury).
Interestingly, the neuroopthalmologist (who has way more experience in this injury than I do) said that most CN6 injuries occur from falls, sometimes even minor falls, but they usually recover with time. Think of it as the nerve being pinched or strained. On the other hand, brainstem injuries causing the palsy usually do not recover.
The official story is that Hillary fell, which fits with the most common mechanism of injury. Yet... her injury seems to be permanent. It's very unlikely that she infarcted her brainstem (or the tiny portion of it that houses the CN6 "nucleus"). Reason being, this sort of injury usually leads to severe debilitation (not just a lazy eye).
The logical conclusion is that she hit her head HARD, enough to permanently damage the cranial nerve.
You may be asking, can other cranial nerves be injured? Yes. Can multiple be injured? Yes. Could this explain some of her other issues? Certainly.
Here is a medical journal article on the subject. One takeaway point from that review of 49 patients is particularly interesting. After minor head trauma, when more than one nerve was injured (which wasn't uncommon), cranial nerve EIGHT was often involved. Why is that interesting? Because CN8 is critical for balance. Could this explain some of Hillary's additional symptoms? Absolutely. Her struggles with stairs... constantly needing a handrail... etc.
WHAT IS A TRANSVERSE SINUS/VEIN THROMBOSIS?
In the time shortly after her fall, Hillary had a blood clot form in one of the major veins draining blood from the brain. This is a potentially serious problem, but it's also potentially harmless. Stroke/Infarction can result due to the clot/thrombus blocking the outflow of blood, which can prevent oxygen delivery or cause severe bleeding.
Initially, I was under the impression that her cranial nerve palsy was due to a stroke caused by the thrombosis. After reading through the neuro literature, this is not true. First, it'd be on the "incorrect" side. Second, there has never, ever been a case of transverse sinus thrombosis (or otherwise) that led to an isolated CN 6 palsy. Thus, the cranial nerve injury was not the result of the blood clot, as some have speculated (including myself).
WHAT CAUSED THE BLOOD CLOT?
So far, 100% of the news coverage of this assumes that Hillary developed the clot because she is "predisposed" to clot formation. I was surprised to find that nobody ever mentioned that these clots tend to form if the vein itself is injured, a common cause of which is a skull fracture intersecting the vein. I propose here that Hillary had an undiagnosed or undisclosed occipital bone skull fracture that led to the transverse sinus thrombosis.
Skull fracture would also indicate a more severe head injury, consistent with the permanent 6th cranial nerve palsy, and a higher likely hood of additional brain damage.
DOES HILLARY HAVE PARKINSON'S DISEASE?
Despite many doctors and news outlets claiming so, I see no evidence of the sort. First, let's talk about Parkinson's Disease and the classic symptoms. We will use Bill Clinton as an example. Bill, without a shadow of a doubt, has Parkinsons. People suffering with Parkinson's disease, or those with suffering family members, recognize the symptoms all too well. To familiarize yourself, watch one of more of the following short <2-3 min videos that I've found on Youtube.
Short Videos Demonstrating Symptoms of Parkinsons
Now, look at Bill Clinton. Images tell the entire story. This guy, Scott Rouse, compiled a fantastic set of GIF images (linked below) at this blog post.
Classic Parkinsonian Tremor
Stone Face and Involuntary Mouth Movements
THAT is Parkinsons (or a very close mimic of Parkinsons with a similar or worse prognosis).
Why doesn't Hillary have Parkinson's Disease (PD) you ask? Per UpToDate, a paid premium source of medical knowledge...
The cardinal features of PD are:
Hillary has NONE of the cardinal features!
She doesn't have an expressionless face. If anything, her facial expressions are exaggerated.
The "tremor" that people cite is nothing but awkward, yet intentional, nodding. Ask yourself... why does the "tremor" always occur when she's being asked a question? Ever seen an interview of Hillary from the early 1990's? She does the exact same awkward nodding.
Even if <insert scenario here> showed a symptom suggestive of Parkinsons, there should be hundreds of similar videos given her amount of media exposure! Almost every single video of Bill from 2016 shows signs of Parkinsons.
DOES HILLARY HAVE SEIZURES?
Seizures are one of the most misunderstood medical topics among non-physicians (and even physicians). For example, have you ever seen someone get "choked out"? They often shake for a few seconds while going under. Many people, including some physicians, might point and say "SEIZURE!". It's not. Parents bring their children to emergency rooms around the world, every single day, suggesting that they witnessed a seizure. Usually, upon further questioning, it is found what they are describing is not a seizure.
Hillary's Most Commonly Cited Seizure
I'm dumbfounded. Perhaps someone could explain it to me? Why do people think this is a seizure? Is it the slightly rhythmic bobbing? I can't get into the specifics of all the different types of seizures, but this fits none of them. If it were, it would be classified as a clonic seizure or a focal motor seizure or a myoclonic seizure.
More basic info here for those interested.
Quite simply, these types of seizures are quite rare. When they do occur, most isolated clonic seizures involve the arms or legs, not the head and neck like Hillary's "seizure". Furthermore, most of these focal seizures only start focally, then subsequently "generalize". That's fancy talk describing someone shaking on the floor, pissing their pants, completely unconscious.
If you watch the full video, Hillary turns around and faces 3 reporters that swiftly and simultaneously shout questions at her. As a result, their questions are individually indecipherable. Hillary's reaction says to me, "Whoa, one question at a time ladies! I'm being barraged." Is it normal? No. It's just Hillary's reptilian attempt to act human.
Her response reminds me of this classic recurring skit from In Living Color.
In summary, there is zero evidence to suggest Hillary has ever had a seizure.
THE ONE UNIFYING DIAGNOSIS
By far, the most common question I get is....'If it's not Parkinsons or seizures... how do you explain Hillary's fainting, falls, coughing, crazy eyes, affinity for handrails, incoordination around stairs, etc?'
The problem is that people are seeking a "unifying diagnosis", one disease to explain to them all. This is usually not the case in medicine, especially with elderly folks like Hillary. If there was an overarching disease that explained everything, I would not be able to make that call based on the little information (or misinformation) that is available. That, however, does not prevent me from saying with confidence that Hillary shows no signs of having seizures or Parkinson's disease.
If you insist on a singular diagnosis, the most likely option would be multiple sclerosis, a neurological disorder that is essentially capable of anything at any time and duration.
TLDR Version
I'll start with a video that surprised me. Somebody posted this short video on Twitter from a recent September 2016 Hillary encounter. Stare directly at her eyes.
Notice that the left eye cannot look to the left. While she is trying to look left, the right eye cooperates... the left refuses. Hence the uneasy feeling you get as an observer. Even when subtle, your mind is very attune to facial asymmetries.
I, however, don't think it's subtle. In fact, the top twitter comment (among others) mentions her 'crazy eyes'!
Why is this surprising? It suggests Hillary may have PERMANENT nerve damage (or brain damage) as I will explain.
It received very little coverage at the time, but the origin of this injury has already been written about and commented on by a very smart guy, Dr. Mark Kupersmith, Director of Neuro-ophthalmology at St. Lukes-Roosevelt. Strangely enough, it was covered by the very left wing NY Daily News way back in 2013:
This is also the reason she was wearing the Fresnel prism glasses that you may fondly remember.
I was under the impression that this injury had healed (as most do). This video posted above suggests it has not healed, and will likely not heal, now being over 3 years out from the initial injury.
WHAT IS IT?
First, let's talk about what IT is. Based on the video and admissions from Hillary's people, she had a...If you're searching for more info, be aware that it may be spelled or referred to differently. Examples:
- cranial nerve 6 palsy ...
- CN6 palsy
- CN VI palsy
- abducens palsy
WHAT CAUSES A CRANIAL NERVE PALSY?
There are two potential reasons for this injury which are discussed in the NYDailyNews article. In summary, you can injure:
1. The cranial nerve, which is a tiny string connecting the eye to the brain.
or
2. The brainstem (big-league injury).
Interestingly, the neuroopthalmologist (who has way more experience in this injury than I do) said that most CN6 injuries occur from falls, sometimes even minor falls, but they usually recover with time. Think of it as the nerve being pinched or strained. On the other hand, brainstem injuries causing the palsy usually do not recover.
The official story is that Hillary fell, which fits with the most common mechanism of injury. Yet... her injury seems to be permanent. It's very unlikely that she infarcted her brainstem (or the tiny portion of it that houses the CN6 "nucleus"). Reason being, this sort of injury usually leads to severe debilitation (not just a lazy eye).
The logical conclusion is that she hit her head HARD, enough to permanently damage the cranial nerve.
You may be asking, can other cranial nerves be injured? Yes. Can multiple be injured? Yes. Could this explain some of her other issues? Certainly.
Here is a medical journal article on the subject. One takeaway point from that review of 49 patients is particularly interesting. After minor head trauma, when more than one nerve was injured (which wasn't uncommon), cranial nerve EIGHT was often involved. Why is that interesting? Because CN8 is critical for balance. Could this explain some of Hillary's additional symptoms? Absolutely. Her struggles with stairs... constantly needing a handrail... etc.
WHAT IS A TRANSVERSE SINUS/VEIN THROMBOSIS?
In the time shortly after her fall, Hillary had a blood clot form in one of the major veins draining blood from the brain. This is a potentially serious problem, but it's also potentially harmless. Stroke/Infarction can result due to the clot/thrombus blocking the outflow of blood, which can prevent oxygen delivery or cause severe bleeding.
Initially, I was under the impression that her cranial nerve palsy was due to a stroke caused by the thrombosis. After reading through the neuro literature, this is not true. First, it'd be on the "incorrect" side. Second, there has never, ever been a case of transverse sinus thrombosis (or otherwise) that led to an isolated CN 6 palsy. Thus, the cranial nerve injury was not the result of the blood clot, as some have speculated (including myself).
WHAT CAUSED THE BLOOD CLOT?
So far, 100% of the news coverage of this assumes that Hillary developed the clot because she is "predisposed" to clot formation. I was surprised to find that nobody ever mentioned that these clots tend to form if the vein itself is injured, a common cause of which is a skull fracture intersecting the vein. I propose here that Hillary had an undiagnosed or undisclosed occipital bone skull fracture that led to the transverse sinus thrombosis.
Skull fracture would also indicate a more severe head injury, consistent with the permanent 6th cranial nerve palsy, and a higher likely hood of additional brain damage.
DOES HILLARY HAVE PARKINSON'S DISEASE?
Despite many doctors and news outlets claiming so, I see no evidence of the sort. First, let's talk about Parkinson's Disease and the classic symptoms. We will use Bill Clinton as an example. Bill, without a shadow of a doubt, has Parkinsons. People suffering with Parkinson's disease, or those with suffering family members, recognize the symptoms all too well. To familiarize yourself, watch one of more of the following short <2-3 min videos that I've found on Youtube.
Short Videos Demonstrating Symptoms of Parkinsons
Now, look at Bill Clinton. Images tell the entire story. This guy, Scott Rouse, compiled a fantastic set of GIF images (linked below) at this blog post.
Classic Parkinsonian Tremor
Stone Face and Involuntary Mouth Movements
THAT is Parkinsons (or a very close mimic of Parkinsons with a similar or worse prognosis).
Why doesn't Hillary have Parkinson's Disease (PD) you ask? Per UpToDate, a paid premium source of medical knowledge...
The cardinal features of PD are:
- tremor
- bradykinesia (slow movement)
- rigidity (including facial rigidity)
Hillary has NONE of the cardinal features!
She doesn't have an expressionless face. If anything, her facial expressions are exaggerated.
The "tremor" that people cite is nothing but awkward, yet intentional, nodding. Ask yourself... why does the "tremor" always occur when she's being asked a question? Ever seen an interview of Hillary from the early 1990's? She does the exact same awkward nodding.
Even if <insert scenario here> showed a symptom suggestive of Parkinsons, there should be hundreds of similar videos given her amount of media exposure! Almost every single video of Bill from 2016 shows signs of Parkinsons.
DOES HILLARY HAVE SEIZURES?
Seizures are one of the most misunderstood medical topics among non-physicians (and even physicians). For example, have you ever seen someone get "choked out"? They often shake for a few seconds while going under. Many people, including some physicians, might point and say "SEIZURE!". It's not. Parents bring their children to emergency rooms around the world, every single day, suggesting that they witnessed a seizure. Usually, upon further questioning, it is found what they are describing is not a seizure.
Hillary's Most Commonly Cited Seizure
I'm dumbfounded. Perhaps someone could explain it to me? Why do people think this is a seizure? Is it the slightly rhythmic bobbing? I can't get into the specifics of all the different types of seizures, but this fits none of them. If it were, it would be classified as a clonic seizure or a focal motor seizure or a myoclonic seizure.
More basic info here for those interested.
Quite simply, these types of seizures are quite rare. When they do occur, most isolated clonic seizures involve the arms or legs, not the head and neck like Hillary's "seizure". Furthermore, most of these focal seizures only start focally, then subsequently "generalize". That's fancy talk describing someone shaking on the floor, pissing their pants, completely unconscious.
If you watch the full video, Hillary turns around and faces 3 reporters that swiftly and simultaneously shout questions at her. As a result, their questions are individually indecipherable. Hillary's reaction says to me, "Whoa, one question at a time ladies! I'm being barraged." Is it normal? No. It's just Hillary's reptilian attempt to act human.
Her response reminds me of this classic recurring skit from In Living Color.
In summary, there is zero evidence to suggest Hillary has ever had a seizure.
THE ONE UNIFYING DIAGNOSIS
By far, the most common question I get is....'If it's not Parkinsons or seizures... how do you explain Hillary's fainting, falls, coughing, crazy eyes, affinity for handrails, incoordination around stairs, etc?'
The problem is that people are seeking a "unifying diagnosis", one disease to explain to them all. This is usually not the case in medicine, especially with elderly folks like Hillary. If there was an overarching disease that explained everything, I would not be able to make that call based on the little information (or misinformation) that is available. That, however, does not prevent me from saying with confidence that Hillary shows no signs of having seizures or Parkinson's disease.
If you insist on a singular diagnosis, the most likely option would be multiple sclerosis, a neurological disorder that is essentially capable of anything at any time and duration.
TLDR Version
- Hillary fell and hit her head so hard she injured a cranial nerve (permanently) that controls her left eye's movement. Hence, the "crazy eyes".
- Hillary Clinton shows ZERO signs of Parkinson's disease.
- Bill Clinton, however, has classic symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
- Seizures are highly misunderstood. There is no evidence that Hillary has ever had a seizure.
- In the very unlikely event that Hillary has a single, unifying diagnosis, the most likely culprit would be multiple sclerosis.