“Sick care system.” That’s what the Make America Healthy Again movement calls the health care system. It’s shorthand for a conspiracy theory spread by the legion of wellness influencers. Many of them believe that doctors, Big Pharma and the U.S. government are intentionally keeping people sick in order to profit. Like other tantalizing conspiracy theories, this one carries a kernel of truth. The U.S. health care system is driven by profit, often at the expense of people’s health. But some MAHA influencers tell their followers to reject medicine entirely. In an Opinion video published today, former followers of these influencers share their stories of falling down the MAHA rabbit hole. My colleagues and I reconstructed their journeys, using artificial intelligence to analyze nearly 12,000 videos and podcasts. We found that popular health trends, such as avoiding artificial food dyes and seed oils, can serve as a gateway to conspiracy theories. These influencers can persuade their followers to forgo lifesaving treatments — including vaccines, statins and chemotherapy — and in some cases purchase their own supplements instead. Our reporting offers insight into Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign against health care institutions. The MAHA movement is rewinding the scientific clock, returning American medicine to a time when quack healers peddled snake oil. This video should be a warning about what can happen if the MAHA movement has its way with America’s health system. Here’s what we’re focusing on today:
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