** If you’re interested in the research, you can click HERE to download Dr. Simone Gold’s HCQ White Paper, which was originally hosted on the now barred Frontline Doctors website, and click HERE to download the ebook titled “Medical Studies Support MDs Prescribing Hydroxychloroquine for Early Stage COVID-19 and for Prophylaxis” by Vladimir Zelenko, M.D., Harvey A. Risch, M.D., PH.D. and George C. Fareed, M.D.
Since the Frontline Doctors went viral two days ago, there has been a media firestorm both for and against their efforts. Some outlets have taken to dragging them through the mud, and others have called them unsung heroes. The Hot Mess Press team isn’t interested in either the personal attacks, OR sweeping things under the rug. So, we’ve begun to compile a comprehensive “TRUTH-FINDERS” list, outlining each physician’s credentials as we confirm them, their current practice area, as well as some of the research they cite and commentary from other physicians not associated with the group.
A High-Level View of Their Points: The Frontline Doctors believe Americans should be allowed to receive hydroxycholoroquine (HCQ) as a pre-exposure prophylactic in the fight against Covid-19. They have also stated post-exposure, early-case patients should have the option to be treated with a combination of HCQ, zinc, and zithromax, as they assert high rates of success within their own circles using this regime. They advocate for over-the-counter hydroxychloroquine, as well as the right of patients to advocate for their own care when no verifiable medical cause can be given to withhold the off-label use of the drug. The doctors are also speaking out against the censorship of their medical views and the repression of their content, as well as the violation of their First Amendment rights to free speech.
CUT THE NOISE (and the muckraking).
Who are the Frontline Doctors? What We Know So Far:
Simone Gold, MD – Both a doctor AND a lawyer. Gold is an Emergency Medicine Specialist in Los Angeles, CA and has over 31 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from Rosalind Franklin University Of Medicine Science/The Chicago Medical School medical school in 1989. She is affiliated with Centinela Hospital Medical Center. After she graduated from Chicago Medical School, she attended Stanford University Law School and earned her Juris Doctorate degree. She completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Stony Brook University Hospital in New York, worked for the Surgeon General in Washington D.C., as well as for the Chairman of the Labor & Human Resources Committee. Gold was one of two doctors who met with VP Mike Pence to discuss allowing doctors to prescribe hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of Covid-19. She wrote a white paper on hydroxychloroquine, which you can download HERE Gold is also credited with founding the Frontline Doctors group, whose website still appears to be barred.
-
- Gold’s critics call her “right wing.” She has appeared on Fox News citing the dangers of a national lockdown. Her critics also allude to her as being part of an “anti-vax” sect, but we have found no specific evidence supporting this claim. Others have stated she is a co-organizer of the Beverly Hills Conservative Club, and has taken to Twitter to voice her views about censorship.
-
Dr. Joe Ladapo MD, PhD – Physician at UCLA and clinical researcher. He practices in Internal Medicine, and became a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine in 2011. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr-East Campus, 2009-2011. His internship took place at Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr-East Campus, 2008-2009. After some time at Wake Forest, he received his medical degree at Harvard Medical School in 2008. Ladapo is also a PhD graduate of the Harvard School of Arts, Sciences. He is Assistant Professor of Population Health and Medicine at NYU School of Medicine and cares for hospitalized patients at NYU Langone Medical Center. He has also served as a Staff Fellow at the Food and Drug Administration. He also operates a research program, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Dr. Ladapo received the Daniel Ford Award for health services and outcomes research and the American College of Physicians’ Junior Investigator Recognition Award. He was a regular columnist for the Harvard Focus during his time at medical school and during his residency.
-
- Dr. Ladapo’s presentation at the Frontline Doctors podium has received little-to-no hate, however his critics have cited his contributions to the “right” and his media credentials as discrediting. In particular, pieces by the Washington Times and Wall Street Journal, wherein his quotes were used to detail how “Democrats created a ‘credibility gap’ over protesters’ free pass on COVID rules,” have been mentioned.
-
Dr. Bob Hamilton – Pediatrician from Santa Monica, California. He has over thirty years in practice, and is the owner and founder of Pacific Ocean Pediatrics, established in 1996 in Santa Monica, California. Dr. Hamilton graduated from UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA and also took an internship there. He completed his residency there before beginning his career. Dr. Hamilton is also well known for the “Hamilton Hold,” which is a hold method designed to soothe crying babies. His instructional video on YouTube has been viewed by more than 28 million people. He founded and still works with a medical mission organization called Lighthouse Medical Missions which has been making trips to both Africa and Central America every year for more than 20 years.
-
- Dr. Hamilton’s critics cite the “Hamilton Hold” as “peculiar.” He has received backlash for his pro stance on reopening schools, a stance he reiterated during the Frontline Doctors SCOTUS press conference, though that heat has subsided a bit since the American Academy of Pediatrics came out in full favor of reopening schools as well. There have been some outlier critiques of his seemingly conservative views, though we have found no specific public information concerning his political stance whatsoever.
-
Dr. Stella Immanuel – A pediatrician and primary care doctor, practicing in Houston, TX. Immanuel attended medical school in West Africa, Nigeria. She spent the early part of career treating patients on her native continent before moving to the U.S.. Dr. Immanuel has practiced in Louisiana and now resides in Texas (receiving her state medical license in November 2019) where she has treated more than 350 Covid patients at the Rehoboth Medical Center. She also runs the Rehoboth Pediatric Clinic, which is next door to her primary care practice. In a video posted on the medical center’s Facebook page three months ago, Immanuel encouraged social distancing, masks, good hygiene, telemedicine and donned an N-95 mask and other PPE. You can see that video HERE. Immanuel is the founder of FirePower Ministries and calls herself a “praying doctor.” She is a hydroxycholoroquine advocate and she believes many of the “talking heads” are secretly taking prophylactic HCQ. She claims that she supports the safety of the drug in part because grew up taking prophylactic hydroxychloroquine as a malaria preventative in her native Africa.
-
- Dr. Immanuel has taken the brunt of the media firestorm, specifically and predominantly for her religious beliefs. However she also took the media by storm for being the most impassioned of the Fontline Doctors to speak during the press conference on 7/27. She received backlash for stating that HCQ+Zinc+Zithromax could be considered a “cure” for Covid-19. In the last 24-hours alone, her name was mentioned in more than 415,000 publications under the heading of “news.” Many in the media have labeled her a “quack,” and seem to pin this label on the fact that Immanuel is openly Christian, but also espouses some rather unorthodox spiritual perspectives. Though she has been in the crosshairs of the MSM critical response articles and media fallout, according to our current findings, the criticisms thus far have nothing to do with her practice, medical expertise or track record, and instead seem to hinge only upon her personal religious views (we will continue to look for citations of medical malfeasance in her history, and will update this article should new information come to light).
-
Dr. Dan Erickson, DO – Erickson has been a practicing Emergency Medicine Specialist for more than sixteen years. He is affiliated with San Joaquin Community Hospital and practices in in Bakersfield, CA. He graduated from Western University Of Health Sciences/College Of Osteopathic Medicine Of The Pacific and the Western University Of Health Sciences medical school in 2004. Dr Erickson has become well know during the Covid-19 pandemic for his criticism of the lockdowns and has provided commentary on a number of news programs and podcasts. He has spoken on the efficacy of herd immunity and social distancing policies and he’s also well known for his viral video with fellow doctor Artin Massihi, in which he reviewed and deciphered government data, spoke on the pressure to add Covid to death certificates, the pressure to test, and questioned the medical process at the time, etc. This video was censored by YouTube and removed from the platform after it had received more than five million views.
-
- Dr. Erikson’s critics have cited his criticism of censorship and a single quote pertaining to George Soros as their reason for discrediting his medical expertise. Apparently, Erikson said, addressing the executive body at YouTube and Facebook, “Soros will say that you should no longer have control, and government should have control of Facebook, according to George Soros.” Critics allude to this statement as “imbalanced.” His viral video with Artin was also widely disparaged on various outlets, which seemingly prompted his response to medical censorship. Thus far, we’ve found no medical malfeasance in his history, but, as before, we will update this piece should new information come to light.
-
Dr. James Todaro, MD – An Ophthalmology Specialist who received his medical degree from Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in NY. Todaro, completed his surgical training with four additional years of residency in ophthalmology. He is credited with a viral paper cowritten with his friend and lawyer Gregory Rigano. The paper highlighted the use of chloroquine in China and was published on March 13. Many believe it was this paper that began President Trump’s intrigue with the potential benefits of HCQ in the first place. The paper was censored by Google, despite it becoming the apparent driving force behind widespread HCQ use for Covid-19 early intervention and the clinical investigation of its effectiveness in more than 100 clinical trials. Todaro joined Dr. Simone Gold in her meeting with VP Mike Pence to discuss allowing American doctors to provide prescriptions for low-dose and prophylactic HCQ as treatment for Covid-19 if their patients seemed like viable candidates. Dr. Todaro is a staunch advocate of free speech and has publicly spoken out about the dissemination of vital medical expertise and evidence throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a regular Twitter user and openly shares findings and opinions. He is also co-administrator of the Omni Journal, an open collaboration focused on the review of scientific publications and discoveries in real-time. Dr. Todaro is the co-founder and CEO of MedXProtocol. which is a physician registry designed to combine medical tourism and telemedicine, and to connect patients all over the globe, including those without access to affordable healthcare, to doctors who specialize in their areas of need through telemedicine opportunities.
-
- Todaro’s critics cite his hydroxycholorquine paper, his affiliation with what they call “right wing” media, and the implication that it may have contributed to President Trump’s interest in HCQ, as discrediting. He has also been criticized for having left his hands-on practice at Kresge Eye Institute in 2018 to apply his medical education to the MedXProtocol endeavor, as such a move would imply his “frontline” status is largely virtual. We have found no medical malfeasance in Dr. Todaro’s history, but will update should new information come to light.
-
Are The Frontline Doctors “Quacks” or Not?
The Author Sounds Off: While the Hot Mess Team is still researching this topic, as of yet, we’ve found no evidence that the ‘Frontline Doctors’ can rightfully be dubbed as “quacks” from a professional standpoint. Their credentials are all accurate and they do have a history of medical longevity. From our research, it seems much of the criticism they’ve received in the press is ad hominem. Though their points have been largely censored on social media and the web, nothing in our research indicates they are nefarious or overtly politically motivated.
We have searched at length for medical studies disparaging the use of HCQ as a low-dose, early intervention, and/or pre-exposure prophylactic treatment for Covid-19. Since the “dangers” of HCQ are the catalyst for its aforementioned ban, a study citing those dangers would be warranted to prevent doctors from prescribing it. Since both Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine retracted their studies, no such information is yet available.
During our research, we found ONE study referring to the POST-EXPOSURE use of hydroxychloroquine, WITHOUT the recommended added zinc or zithromax. This study found that HCQ, given at four days after exposure, had only a negligable impact on the rate of infection when compared to a placebo. You can find that study HERE. Since the study does not fit the parameters of the Frontline Doctors’ assertations, it may or may not be relevant to the topic. We’ll let you decide.
During our research, we also found all of the following content, anecdotal, opinion, and otherwise SUPPORTING the use of HCQ against Covid-19. If you’re a random-info-junky like we are, you’ll love this stuff:
HCQ Helps Contain COVID-19 Cases: New Evidence and a Major Retraction
Shock Testimony of Professor Didier Raoult of Hydroxychloroquine Fame at French National Assembly
Hydroxychloroquine and Fake News
Thousands of Doctors: Yes, Hydroxychloroquine Works Against Wuhan Coronavirus
There’s a lot more stuff like this, but we think this will suffice for one day.
