Category: Herbs & Supplements

Detox Your Body (sign)

Detox 2026: What Big Wellness Wants You to Believe

Detox trends come and go. Modern “detox” claims, from microplastics to microbiome resets are marketing, not science.

/ January 2, 2026

The FDA under MAHA control: Weakening the quack Miranda warning on supplements

The FDA sent a letter to the supplement industry assuring that it would make it easier for them to hide disclaimers (which we like to call "quack Miranda warnings") about unproven health claims for supplements. What does this tell us about MAHA?

/ December 15, 2025

Creatine Supplements for Brain Function

There is a long history of supplements marketed to enhance memory, focus, overall cognitive function, and brain health. None of them are backed by quality scientific evidence, and they seem to go through the typical conveyor belt of claims – by the time one claim is collapsing, such as ginkgo biloba, the industry is happy to move on to the next. The...

/ November 19, 2025
Casey Means

Surgeon General nominee Dr. Casey Means and functional medicine: Legitimizing quackery

Surgeon general nominee Dr. Casey Means is an advocate of "functional medicine." She, MAHA, and a new "board certification" will falsely legitimize quackery.

/ October 20, 2025

The Growing Problem of Supplement–Drug Interactions in Seniors

Many people take supplements alongside prescription drugs without realizing the risks.

/ October 9, 2025
Two prescription pill bottles labeled Eltroxin (100 mcg) and Synthroid (88 mcg), both containing levothyroxine tablets, are placed side by side on a gray surface.

What do mRNA vaccines, Synthroid, and pharmaceuticals have in common (according to MAHA)?

If you want to understand why Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has halted $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine development, look no further than Synthroid and herbal medicines.

/ August 18, 2025
A close-up of a person's upper arm wearing a white sleeveless shirt, with a large beige adhesive patch applied to their skin.

Your terrain, your fault? Germ Theory Denial 2025

Terrain theory is making a comeback, offering the illusion that illness is always preventable, and blaming the sick for being sick.

/ July 17, 2025
A bit of the great PNW in Adelaide. No healing benefits from the Chihuly.

Garden of Healing

As I read the plaques in the Garden of Healing, I thought it would be a fun project to compare the content with reality.

/ July 15, 2025
A comic shows text: "When you see a claim that a drug or vitamin 'kills cancer cells in a petri dish,' keep in mind: So does a handgun." An illustrated figure points a gun at a lab dish on a desk.

Oregano Snake Oil

Oregano oil is being marketed with a variety of health claims, including as a treatment for various infections, inflammatory disorders, and skin conditions. This TikTok video by an “Ayervedic specialist” is typical of the claims made for this product. The claims suffer all the usual problems of the supplement industry, which we can go through them in some detail. But here is...

/ June 25, 2025