Donald Trump has nominated Casey Means, a physician and wellness advocate aligned with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s controversial health movement, to serve as the next U.S. surgeon general.
Nicholas Florko reports for The Atlantic.
In short:
- Casey Means, co-author of the wellness book Good Energy and an Instagram health personality, would take over the educational post as the nation’s top doctor if confirmed by the Senate.
- Means, who dropped out of medical residency, promotes unorthodox ideas such as “metabolic dysfunction” causing societal decay and claims birth control pills undermine women's biological rhythms.
- Her nomination follows the rise of other skeptics of mainstream medicine within the Trump administration, including Jay Bhattacharya and Marty Makary, part of a group embracing RFK Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" platform.
Why this matters:
While Means' advocacy for better nutrition and sleep might seem benign or even beneficial, her ties to pseudoscientific trends and wellness influencers blur the lines between evidence-based guidance and internet health culture. Public health campaigns rely on clarity, consensus, and data, especially in moments of national health crisis. Mixing those campaigns with theories not grounded in rigorous science risks confusion and declining adherence to public health advice. The consequences could fall hardest on communities already suffering from chronic disease, misinformation, and barriers to care. As the MAHA movement gains traction in federal health agencies, watchdogs, clinicians, and public health leaders are watching closely.
Learn more: Trump’s health team faces scrutiny over vaccine skepticism and pandemic readiness
