Dr. Casey Means: A New Take on Health and a Delayed Senate Hearing

Dr. Casey Means, the chosen candidate for the surgeon general position, had her confirmation hearing postponed. Why? She went into labor. This unexpected event happened just hours before she was supposed to appear before the Senate health committee. No one knows when the hearing will be rescheduled. Dr. Means is known for her unique approach to health. She believes in tackling chronic diseases by addressing their root causes. This idea is similar to the "Make America Healthy Again" message of her close ally, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. However, her qualifications and potential conflicts have raised some eyebrows. Dr. Means has an interesting background. She studied at Stanford University but left her surgical residency program in 2018. She cited her belief that the health care system was broken and exploitative as the reason for her withdrawal. After that, she turned to alternative approaches to address what she describes as widespread metabolic dysfunction. She co-founded Levels, a nutrition, sleep, and exercise-tracking app. The app also provides insights from blood tests and continuous glucose monitors. Dr. Means has made a significant amount of money promoting health and wellness products. These include specialty basil seed supplements, teas, elixirs, probiotic products, and a prepared meal delivery service. An investigation found that she sometimes failed to disclose her potential profit or benefit from the sales of these products. If confirmed, Dr. Means has pledged to resign from her position with Levels and forfeit or divest stock options and stock in the company. She will also stop working for Rupa, a specialty lab work company for which she developed an online course. As surgeon general, Dr. Means would oversee 6, 000 U. S. Public Health Service Corps members. She could issue advisories that warn of public health threats. She would also help promote Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda. This agenda calls for removing thousands of additives and chemicals from U. S. foods, rooting out conflicts of interest at federal agencies, and incentivizing healthier foods in school lunches and other nutrition programs. Dr. Means has mostly steered clear of Kennedy's controversial views on vaccines. However, she has called for more investigations into their safety. The nomination for President Donald Trump's first pick for surgeon general, former Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat, was withdrawn after she came under criticism from the Republican president's allies.