"Before her nomination last spring, Means-who dropped out of her surgical residency in 2018-embraced some unconventional theories about wellness. As Rina Raphael wrote for The Atlantic last month, Means has talked to trees, implied that natural disasters are a "communication from God," and dubbed the nation's health "a spiritual crisis.""
"In her 2024 book, Good Energy -which Means co-wrote with her brother, Calley, who is now a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and also a key figure in the MAHA movement-she advises readers to avoid tap water and conventionally grown food, and to trust themselves rather than their doctors."
"When she appeared on Tucker Carlson's podcast in 2024, she denounced seed oils and suggested that the widespread use of hormonal birth control was indicative of a cultural "disrespect of life." She has also questioned the universal birth dose of the hepatitis-B vaccine."
Casey Means, a health entrepreneur nominated for surgeon general, significantly altered her public messaging during Senate health committee testimony. Previously, she promoted unconventional wellness theories including psychedelics, raw milk, distrust of birth control, and skepticism of vaccines. Her 2024 book advised avoiding tap water and conventional food while promoting glucose-monitoring devices from her company Levels Health. During her nomination hearing, Means emphasized her Stanford medical degree, despite lacking an active medical license, and avoided her typical discussions of alternative health practices. Her brother Calley serves as a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and participates in the MAHA movement. Means committed to resigning from Levels Health to address potential conflicts of interest.
#surgeon-general-nomination #alternative-health-advocacy #medical-credibility #vaccine-skepticism #conflict-of-interest
Read at The Atlantic
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