Trump's new Surgeon General pick embraces Woo Woo
And the hits just keep on comin'
So the President dumped his first choice for Surgeon General, Janette Nesheiwat, a Fox News contributor who had been criticized for misrepresenting her medical credentials. She was also criticized by some conservatives for her support for COVID vaccines.
His second choice provides even more fodder for fun discussions.
Some news stories refer to Casey Means as a “wellness influencer.” I don’t like buzzword labels that don’t explain anything so I’m not going to call her that. She went to medical school but dropped out of her surgical residency. She started a company called Levels, which peddles continuous glucose monitors. What else we know:
Newsweek reports: “According to publicly available records from the Oregon Medical Board, Means' (medical) license was granted in 2014 and transitioned to an inactive status five years later, in July 2019. An inactive license means she is no longer authorized to practice medicine or prescribe medication, although there is no indication of disciplinary action or revocation. Her continued use of the "Dr." honorific and promotion of health interventions has prompted backlash from physicians who argue that it blurs the line between credentialed medical advice and wellness entrepreneurship.”
On her LinkedIn account, she calls herself a “former surgeon turned metabolic health evangelist.” That’s a stretch for someone who dropped out of her surgical residency. It’s not clear if she’s had any training in the field in which she sells products and she has no experience in public health administration. The Surgeon General oversees 6,000 uniformed members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. It might be a leap of faith to see that she is qualified for this position.
Her brother, Calley, is an advisor to RFK, Jr.
She appears to be more aligned with RFK, Jr.’s stance on vaccines than was Nesheiwat. In an October newsletter Means wrote: “There is growing evidence that the total burden of the current extreme and growing vaccine schedule is causing health declines in vulnerable children.”
The brother-sister team of Calley and Casey co-authored a book, Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, promoting the idea that most Americans have “metabolic dysfunction.” The continuous glucose monitors and the app that she sells are supposed to help people monitor their metabolic function. Hmmm -products to address the needs of “most Americans.”
In that book, the Calleys refer to pancreatic cancer as “a preventable metabolic condition.” That’s a claim that warrants debate, not one-liners.
She links intake of microplastics and pesticides with obesity - a not-ready-for-prime-time preliminary connection at best.
She links seed oils like canola oil with “exacerbating inflammation and contributing to the development of chronic diseases.” Once again, she jumps to scary conclusions based on shaky evidence.
MedPage Today reports: “Casey is also an investor and advisor for her brother's company, as well as for Function Health (a $499/year service for over 100 lab tests and a clinician summary of results), Farmer's Juice (an organic cold-pressed juice company), and Zen Basil (a basil seed company that touts their products' gut and heart benefits).”
The Associated Press reports that she also sells “dietary supplements, creams, teas and other products sponsored on her social media accounts.”
On her website, she promotes products like:
naked body oil and naked body mousse
mud cleanser
“Lip Doctor”
skin products “clinically proven to energize your cells from within”
branded soap “minis” for face, body and hair and branded mascara, dry shampoo, non-toxic hair spray, cardamom floss, jojoba oil, leaf razor kit, pure Castile Liquid Soap, cleaners, laundry detergent, dish soaps. There’s more.
What we don’t know yet is whether she will still promote her continuous glucose monitors and all of the above products if she continues to preach about “metabolic dysfunction” as Surgeon General. Seems like that’d be a big fat conflict of interest.
Finally - although I could go on with more - she posted “9 Steps I took to find love at age 35.” Screenshot:
Trump said she “has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States history.” And I once had the potential to be a basketball star.
I have a feeling that her confirmation hearing will be must-see TV.