(Photo BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI)
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement has received mixed receptions. Many – including HHS Secretary RFK Jr., who has spearheaded the movement – are enthusiastic about reforming American institutions to promote healthy consumption and lifestyles. But others have criticized the movement for being “anti-medicine” or “anti-science.”
As an obesity medicine physician, I’m well-acquainted with traditional medicine – both its potential and limits. And contrary to widely held opinion, MAHA and traditional medicine can coexist; they’re two sides of the same coin. MAHA wins are wins for medicine, and wins in medicine are great for MAHA.
For too long, traditional medicine has been cast in opposition to the type of “crunchy” lifestyle that MAHA tends to represent. What if, instead of juxtaposing them, we saw them as complimentary? I’ve spent my career in medicine, often treating patients who would not have recovered without the help of drugs like GLP-1s. Yet medicine is just one factor in a truly healthy life. It alone can’t keep you healthy. In the example of obesity, medication is helpful for correcting its biological causes, but patients don’t have success without making the necessary lifestyle changes as well. This is where MAHA comes in — the movement has seen great successes in lifestyle changes that complement – not threaten – traditional medicine.
The Trump administration has made American health a priority, and in just its first several months, it has seen huge wins when it comes to promoting healthier lifestyles for American citizens. MAHA initiatives have precipitated several bans on harmful food additives – including artificial food dyes – at the state level in West Virginia, Arizona, and Indiana. Some of this legislation included measures to remove candy and soda from SNAP eligibility. Coming from an obesity medicine physician, this is great news. America has a major problem with obesity — especially childhood obesity — and something as simple as removing unnatural and unhealthy additives from consumption goes a long way in fixing that issue.
Recently, the FDA banned Red 40 (FD&C Red No. 3) from food, beverages, and ingested drugs, with phase-out deadlines set for January 2027 (food) and January 2028 (drugs). This addresses national concerns about chemical additives linked to health issues, a fight I’ve seen play out in patients battling obesity-related co-morbidities.
But beyond legislation and orders, MAHA is influencing the culture for good. Fast food chains like Steak-n-Shake and In-n-Out are making transitions to healthier options: Steak-n-Shake is frying their food in beef tallow instead of processed seed oils, and In-n-Out is removing artificial colors from their strawberry shakes and pink lemonade. Kraft Heinz has committed to remove artificial dyes from their products by the end of 2027. These are more important steps towards promoting American health. So many of the chronic diseases can be reversed with lifestyle changes – a huge part of that is reforming the American diet. These cultural shifts, paired with traditional treatments like GLP-1s, are transforming lives.
That’s the whole point of MAHA. Making America Healthy Again is about making holistic changes, addressing all things related to health. It’s promoting health-forward legislation, habits, and culture alongside trusted medical interventions.
All of these changes are moves in the right direction, and the latest appointment of Dr. Casey Means as Surgeon General is as well. Dr. Means is highly qualified, trained in medicine, but transitioned to holistic wellness after being disillusioned by the corruption she saw during her residency. MAHA focuses on lifestyle factors such as food, toxins, culture, exercise. In order to address the obesity crisis in this country, we need to have a broad perspective about how to address each one of these topics.
Some have criticized Dr. Means as “unorthodox” or “anti-medicine.” But her career trajectory actually puts her in a great place to approach the chronic disease issues in America in a holistic way. She is a trained physician, who left the medical profession and began advocating for positive change after seeing where medicine was failing. To me, that underscores – not undercuts – her expertise and credibility. For far too long, traditional medicine and holistic health advocates have been juxtaposed.
The success of MAHA is proving that cultural shifts and lifestyle changes are incredibly helpful and complimentary to traditional medicine. Health wins – whether in diet, exercise, lifestyle, or medicine – are wins for the country.
The confirmation of Dr. Means is just the kind of win the country needs to continue the momentum of MAHA. Under her guidance and the continued efforts of the administration, we hope to continue on the path to Making America Healthy Again.
Dr. Jessica Duncan is a board-certified Obesity Medicine Physician and the Medical Director at Ivim Health.
