
Earlier this week, on Honestly, Bari interviewed prominent advocates of the MAHA movement. MAHA, or “Make America Healthy Again,” as we put it, is “an unexpected coalition of nutritionists, longevity experts, wellness influencers, holistic and functional doctors of medicine, moms wearing babies and natural deodorant, mushroom shamans, and some vaccine skeptics.” The conversation included Calley Means, Vani Hari, and Jillian Michaels.
After it aired, we heard from several listeners who took issue with some—and in some cases, a lot—of what the proponents of the New Age health regime said. Aren’t vaccines a miracle? Should we ever rely on science that hasn’t been peer-reviewed? Is fluoride really that bad?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the king of MAHA, and as his Senate hearings to become the next secretary of Health and Human Services continue, we think these questions are going to become only more critical.
And while most of our letter-writers aren’t quite as worked up about his nomination as his cousin Caroline Kennedy—she recently accused him, among many other things, of being “a predator”—the episode certainly elicited a strong reaction. Here are two of the letters we received from doctors with serious objections to the MAHA panel, particularly with regard to vaccines. —The Editors
I was frustrated by the conversation between your guests Calley Means, Jillian Michaels, and Vani Hari on the recent MAHA podcast. As the mother of four kids, I am deeply committed to the health of all children. And as a pediatrician, I commit to this mission daily using the foundations of medical evidence rigorously studied and tested over decades.