The wellness industry is a booming business, but its reach extends far beyond overpriced supplements and dubious diets. Increasingly, figures from this space are being positioned for roles of real authority – including positions like Surgeon General. This article examines the playbook used by wellness influencers to gain credibility, sow doubt in institutions, and ultimately profit from a public hungry for simple health solutions.
The Rise of the “Wellness to MAHA” Pipeline
The question of how individuals advocating for unscientific practices can end up in positions of public health authority seems bizarre. The answer isn’t just misinformation spread on social media; it’s a deliberate strategy. Wellness influencers exploit a growing distrust in established institutions while simultaneously offering easily digestible, often misleading, alternatives. The case of Casey Means, President Trump’s controversial Surgeon General nominee, exemplifies this trend perfectly.
Means’s qualifications are questionable; she doesn’t currently hold an active medical license, never completed her surgical residency, and is primarily known as a wellness influencer. This lack of credentials is a red flag, but the real danger lies in her background and the methods she uses to gain influence.
Step 1: Selective Science & Manufactured Credibility
Wellness influencers aren’t necessarily wrong about everything. They often mix actual scientific facts with emotional narratives to create persuasive, if misleading, conclusions. Means’s book, Good Energy, is a prime example. It accurately explains basic metabolic processes (like mitochondrial function and insulin resistance) but then ties those facts to unsubstantiated claims about preventing cancer or curing chronic illness.
The tactic is simple: present enough truth to make the rest seem plausible. The book includes citations, and Means’s medical background (Stanford graduate) adds a veneer of expertise. However, the book also promotes dubious ideas, such as claiming that oral antibiotics, birth control, and even scented candles are “toxins.” The nuance is deliberately obscured; the reader is left with the impression that these influencers have cracked the code to optimal health.
Step 2: Sowing Doubt in Institutions
Once trust is established, the next step is undermining confidence in conventional medicine. Means repeatedly portrays herself as disillusioned with the medical establishment, sharing anecdotes about her mother’s frustrating experiences and her own concerns as a surgical resident. She then leverages legitimate criticisms of the pharmaceutical industry (lobbying, financial incentives) to cast doubt on all of healthcare.
The message is clear: traditional medicine may save your life in an emergency, but for chronic conditions, you’re better off looking elsewhere. This narrative is potent because it preys on real frustrations with the healthcare system while offering a simple alternative: trust yourself, not your doctor.
Step 3: Monetizing Solutions
Finally, influencers offer “solutions” – often products or services they have a financial stake in. Means promotes blood tests from Function Health, supplements from WeNatal and ENERGYBits (which have been questioned by health experts), and her own newsletter, all while failing to disclose her financial ties in many cases.
The pattern is consistent: establish authority, undermine trust in institutions, and then sell a product as the answer. This playbook isn’t unique to Means; it’s how the wellness industry thrives.
The Broader Implications
The wellness-to-power pipeline is not limited to individual influencers. It’s influencing health tech, with companies rushing to market dubious gadgets based on unproven trends like hormone balancing and inflammation reduction. The scariest part? Some of what these influencers say is partially true, exploiting real frustrations with the healthcare system. But where science demands nuance, they offer simple solutions…at a price.
This isn’t just about bad advice; it’s about a calculated strategy to profit from distrust and desperation. And as figures like Casey Means gain influence, the line between wellness hype and public health policy will continue to blur.
