During the COVID-19 pandemic, an unlikely alliance developed between New Age wellness influencers and far-right conspiracy mongers. While the two groups first found common ground in their opposition to vaccines, their shared suspicions now extend to the causes of cancer and dangers of wifi. In an essay for TIME, Simon Williams, Gavin Yamey, Peter Van Heusden, and Sarah Downs—doctors and medical researchers in South Africa, the U.S., and the U.K.—explore this phenomenon, which they call “conspirituality.” These strange bedfellows, they say, include Dr. Joseph Mercola, a notorious U.S. purveyor of false medical information, and Peter Evans, an Australian celebrity chef, who both campaign against the supposed ills of sunscreen. At a most basic level, these unlikely allies share a skepticism about government and the medical industry. But underlying their motivation is profit, and many are making money selling bogus supplements and health products. Reining in false health information is an uphill battle, the authors caution, and will require debunking efforts from physicians as well as increased medical literacy among the public. READ THE REST |
