Trump's MAHA influencer pick for surgeon general goes before Senate

Here's something that might surprise you — President Trump's nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, is facing Senate questions despite a pretty unconventional background. Now, she’s got a Stanford medical degree, but she dropped out of her residency and doesn’t have an active medical license anymore. Instead, she’s built a career as a wellness influencer, pushing ‘functional’ medicine — an often vague and controversial form of alternative therapy. According to Beth Mole writing in Technology, she co-founded Levels, which promotes continuous health tracking like glucose monitors for people without diabetes — a practice lacking solid evidence. Last year, The Washington Post reported that Means earned over half a million dollars from companies selling herbal remedies, supplements, and diagnostic tests. So what does this actually mean for you? Well, it raises questions about how much influence wellness trends should have in public health roles — and whether qualifications matter when it comes to safeguarding our health. Beth Mole highlights how her background blurs the lines between credible medicine and marketing hype — and that’s definitely something to watch as her confirmation hearing unfolds.