Maintenance Phase

Maintenance Phase

Seed Oils

August 26, 2025

The "seed oil" panic, largely originating from far-right and wellness grifter circles, has gained traction by selectively misinterpreting scientific literature and personal anecdotes, often amplified by platforms like Joe Rogan's podcast.

Herbalife

Herbalife, a multi-level marketing company founded in 1980, has a history marked by numerous regulatory investigations, lawsuits, and accusations of operating as a pyramid scheme, yet it has consistently maintained significant revenue and global expansion.

Ultra-Processed Foods

The term "ultra-processed food" lacks a consistent, scientifically agreed-upon definition, leading to arbitrary classifications and making it difficult to draw clear nutritional conclusions.

BONUS: MAHA's First 90 Days

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) agenda, despite superficially addressing health concerns, is deeply rooted in misinformation, conspiracy theories, and a "health grifter" worldview that demonizes established science and marginalized groups.

The Bulletproof Diet

Bulletproof Coffee, created by Dave Asprey, claims to enhance cognitive performance and maintain a fasted state, but scientific evidence for these benefits is often weak or based on misinterpretations of studies.

Blue Zones

January 30, 2025

The concept of 'blue zones' as areas of exceptional longevity, popularized by Dan Buettner, is largely based on flawed or misinterpreted data, with significant clerical errors and potential fraud undermining the claims of concentrated centenarians.

BONUS: What's New With RFK Jr.?

December 20, 2024

RFK Jr.'s potential appointment as HHS secretary has triggered a series of bizarre political alliances and public reactions, highlighting concerns about his controversial views on public health and his association with fringe figures.

Richard Simmons Isn't Missing

November 21, 2024

Richard Simmons' early career was marked by a severe eating disorder and extensive plastic surgery, which he later acknowledged as a mistake, though his public message often downplayed these struggles.

Growing Up Richard Simmons

October 25, 2024

Richard Simmons' early life was marked by a volatile father, a seemingly detached mother, and societal pressures related to his weight and perceived effeminacy, leading to the development of compensatory behaviors.

The Myers-Briggs Personality Test

September 12, 2024

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, despite its widespread popularity, lacks robust scientific validity and reliability, with research showing inconsistent results and limited correlation with other established personality assessments.

BONUS: Breaking Down The Latest Anti-Trans Victory Lap

The CAS report, intended to review gender-affirming care for youth, is criticized for its flawed methodology, lack of transparency, and biased framing that mirrors anti-trans talking points.

Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria Part 2 Panic At The Endocrinologist

The concept of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) originated from transphobic online forums and was popularized by parents expressing discomfort with their children's gender identity, rather than being a clinically validated phenomenon.

Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria Part 1 The Cooties Theory Of Transgender Identity

The history of gender-affirming care, while modern formalization began in the 1960s, has roots in earlier medical practices, initially focused on discouraging transition rather than affirming it.

Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver's public image and career have been marked by a pattern of well-intentioned initiatives, particularly concerning school food and children's diets, that have often been overshadowed by accusations of hypocrisy, classism, and problematic execution.

COVID Conspiracies

Conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19 emerged rapidly, within a month of the first published report, encompassing ideas from lab leaks to bioweapons, and evolved to include wellness-based misinformation and drug efficacy claims.

Ozempic

October 10, 2023

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovi, is a GLP-1 agonist that mimics a natural hormone to regulate hunger and insulin production, leading to significant weight loss and improved health markers, but its effectiveness in real-world settings is less pronounced than in clinical trials.

Soy Boys

September 12, 2023

The 'soy boy' insult weaponizes the perceived feminizing effects of soy, rooted in historical racist stereotypes linking plant-based diets to effeminacy and a threat to white masculinity.

RFK Jr. and The Mainstreaming Of The Anti-Vaxx Movement

The anti-vaccine movement's arguments have remained largely unchanged since its inception, with figures like RFK Jr. contributing to its spread by shifting focus from early concerns about pertussis vaccines to later claims about mercury and autism.

RFK Jr. and The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s conspiracy theories span a wide range of topics, including the CIA's involvement in assassinations, the cause of mass shootings, the lab leak hypothesis, and the efficacy of vaccines, often lacking scientific evidence.

Pilates

Pilates, originally called Contrology, was developed by Joseph Pilates while he was interned in a British camp during World War I, inspired by the movements of feral cats.

Brittany Dawn

Brittany Dawn's initial rise as a fitness influencer was built on a foundation of before-and-after photos and claims of personal transformation, which later unraveled as customers discovered her "personalized" plans were not individualized and her support was generic.