Though Means holds a medical degree from Stanford Medical School, she dropped out of her medical residency and holds no active medical license. Instead, she has pursued a career as a wellness influencer, embracing "functional" medicine, an ill-defined form of alternative medicine.
Paloma Shemirani, from Uckfield in East Sussex, died in July last year - seven months after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Ms Shemirani, 23, had declined chemotherapy in favour of juices and coffee enemas advocated for by her mother, Kate Shemirani, a former nurse who was struck off for her anti-vaccination views. Coroner Catherine Wood said at Kent and Medway Coroners Court on Thursday: "The influence that was brought to bear on Paloma... did contribute more than minimally to her death."
In the fictional part of the film, Carrie's father has died; he was a quack doctor who attempted to market an alternative healing machine as part of a pyramid-selling scam, but who also had many friends and followers who were bowled over by his charm. The lawyer executing his will tells Carrie there won't be any money left after all her dad's debts are paid,
"Ten years ago, he found, on average in the population, 20 toxins over the threshold of detection. In just 10 years, that number has gone up to over 500, which is a shocking number ... That's an exponential increase that is not compatible with life ..."
Welcome to Dave Asprey's 2025 Biohacking Conference: a symposium of tech bros, wellness influencers, psychonauts, and scientists, all hoping to thwart the ravages of time with unorthodox—and often unproven—medical treatments.
