As America’s healthcare system falters, a $6.3 trillion wellness industry is filling the void with dubious cures, anti-science influencers, and political power grabs.
Sheila McClear writes for The Atlantic.
In short:
- Amy Larocca’s new book unpacks how the wellness boom — fueled by poor healthcare access and cultural trends — has become both a lifestyle and a political movement.
- Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign taps into this disillusionment as the administration nominates influencers with dubious medical credentials to key health posts and embraces anti-vaccine sentiment.
- For many, especially women and those with chronic illness, the wellness movement offers answers where mainstream medicine fails, but often at a steep price.
Key quote:
“Good health in America has been elevated as a luxury commodity as opposed to a fundamental right.”
— Amy Larocca, author of How to Be Well
Why this matters:
In a country where a trip to the emergency department can cost more than a month’s rent, it's no surprise that millions are turning to turmeric pills and breathwork gurus instead of doctors. However, the wellness industry risks deepening inequality, undermining science, and shifting responsibility for systemic failures onto individuals.The book’s conclusion: When people feel unheard by medicine, they don’t just seek other answers. They build new belief systems. And those systems — whether backed up by scientific evidence or not — are now helping to shape elections, public health, and what it means to be “well” in America.
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