Casey Means

American wellness influencer (born 1987)

Casey Means

Means in 2024

Surgeon General of the United States

Nominee

Assuming office
TBD
President| Donald Trump
Succeeding| Denise Hinton (acting)
Personal details
Born|

Paula Casey Means

(1987-09-24) September 24, 1987 (age 37)
Relatives| Calley Means (brother)
Education| Stanford University (BS, MD)

Casey Means (born Paula Casey Means; September 24, 1987) is an American medical doctor, entrepreneur and author.

Means graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2014. She dropped out of her surgical residency and subsequently chose to practice functional medicine, a form of alternative medicine. Her medical license has been inactive since the beginning of 2024. She co-founded the health company Levels. Means co-authored Good Energy, a wellness book with her brother, Calley, in 2024.

On May 7, 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Means as surgeon general, following the withdrawal of Janette Nesheiwat's nomination. She is considered as one of the leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Paula Casey Means[1] was born on September 24, 1987.[2] In a podcast interview in 2023, Means stated that she was named after Paul the Apostle, but legally dropped Paula from her name after graduating from medical school.[1] She is the first daughter of Grady and Gayle Means. Grady served as an assistant to vice president Nelson Rockefeller, worked on health and human welfare issues at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and was a managing partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.[3] Her brother, Calley, is a former food industry lobbyist.[4] Gayle died of pancreatic cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging her children to resolve "broken health incentives" in the U.S.[5][6]

Means graduated with honors from Stanford University, earning a bachelor's degree in human biology.[7] In 2014, she graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine.[7][8] After medical school, she started a residency in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of Oregon Health and Science University with the aim of becoming an ENT surgeon.[9] Six months before the end of the five-year program, she dropped out of her surgical residency,[7] due to stress and having become disillusioned with healthcare in the United States.[7][10][11][12][13] During her studies, she supported research at New York University and OHSU.[14]

## Career

[edit]

### Practice (2018–2024)

[edit]

Means began a medical residency in otolaryngology,[15] but dropped out before completing the program.[7] After quitting residency, Means established a functional medicine practice in Portland, Oregon.[16] Her state medical license was shifted to "inactive" status on January 1, 2024.[17]

### Businesses (2019–present)

[edit]

Means is the co-founder and chief medical officer of Levels, a company that offers continuous glucose monitors. She is involved in her brother's company, Truemed.[18] Means sells sponsored dietary supplements, creams, teas, and other products on her social media accounts.[19][20]

### Good Energy

[edit]

Means and her brother, Calley, co-wrote Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health in 2024.[21] Eschewing evidence based practice, the book's central claim is that a single mechanism, which the authors call "Bad Energy", described as a common form of mitochondrial dysfunction caused by improper lifestyles (contrasted with scientifically established, genetics-based mitochondrial diseases), cause disorders as diverse as depression, anxiety, acne, infertility, insomnia, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, cancer, as well as "most other conditions", because "it can show up in different cell types" and thus cause different symptoms.[22]

The book asserts that the underlying causes of this dysfunction are rooted in unhealthy modern lifestyles: "too much sugar, too much stress, too much sitting, too much pollution, too many pills, too many pesticides, too many screens, too little sleep, and too little micronutrients. These trends – with trillions of dollars behind them – are causing epidemic levels of mitochondrial dysfunction and underpowered, sick, inflamed bodies."[23] The authors also assert that diseases such as schizophrenia and depression are caused by the pseudoscientific "leaky gut syndrome", and falsely claim that "researchers can identify a person with depression or schizophrenia just by analyzing their gut bacteria composition".[24]

## Surgeon General nomination

[edit]

Through her social media impact and close association with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Means is considered one of the leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement.[25][26][27] Means and her brother, Calley, served as close advisers for Kennedy's 2024 presidential campaign, helping to negotiate his eventual endorsement of Donald Trump.[19] By October 2024, she had been considered as a potential appointee to lead a food and health agency in Trump's second presidency, according to The Washington Post.[28] The Wall Street Journal wrote the following month that she had been mentioned by Kennedy, Trump's then-nominee for secretary of health and human services, for surgeon general or commissioner,[4] as well as assistant secretary for health, according to Politico.[29] Means and her brother, Calley, served as advisers to Kennedy by that month.[30]

By January 2025, the Meanses appeared unlikely to join the Department of Health and Human Services, but remained connected to Kennedy.[31] On May 7, the Trump administration began planning to withdraw Janette Nesheiwat's nomination as surgeon general after her résumé was questioned and Laura Loomer, a far-right social media political activist, stated that Nesheiwat was "not ideologically aligned" with Trump.[32] Hours later, Trump announced that he would nominate Means as surgeon general.[8] Trump said he did not know Means but nominated her based on Kennedy's recommendation.[33]

## Views

[edit]

After withdrawing from her residency, Means became a practitioner of functional medicine.[16][34] She believes that the real origin of most diseases is metabolic dysfunction caused by ultra-processed foods, environmental factors,[35] lack of sunlight, and lack of exercise.[36][34] In a 2024 interview, she compared "Type 2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's, dementia, cancer, [and] chronic kidney disease" to different "branches" of a tree, the "trunk" of which she believes to be metabolic dysfunction.[16]

Her views have been criticized by science communicator Jonathan Jarry of the McGill Office for Science and Society, who wrote that "[Means] is not a metabolic health expert" and "theories claiming to have found a single cause for all diseases never pan out".[37] Jarry points to her book as an example of "scienceploitation", using preliminary research on mitochondrial dysfunction to promote dubious products or policy.[38] In addition to proponents of evidence-based medicine such as Jarry, her appointment has been criticized by anti-vaccination campaigners who favored health influencer Kelly Victory, such as Americans for Health Freedom's Mary Talley Bowden, Steve Kirsch and Suzanne Humphries. Nicole Shanahan was also critical of the nomination, claiming there was an understanding that the Meanses would not play a role in the Trump administration.[26]

Means has criticized the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act[39] and has repeated Marty Makary's controversial claim that the third leading cause of death in the United States is "medical error and medication".[37][40] According to New York, she has "raised long-settled questions about the safety and efficacy of vaccines despite not representing herself an anti-vaxxer".[34]

Means has referred to infertility as a crisis[41] and has been critical of hormonal contraception on both medical grounds—questioning how it affects women's health—and moral grounds—referring to it as a "disrespect of life".[34]

Means has spoken in support of raw milk, stating, "When it comes to a question like raw milk, I want to be free to form a relationship with a local farmer, understand his integrity, look him in the eyes, pet his cow, and then decide if I feel safe to drink the milk from his farm."[42]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Esselstyn 2023.
2. ^ Means 2024.
3. ^ Trevenon 2012.
4. ^ a b Peterson & Essley Whyte 2024.
5. ^ Tin & Walsh 2025.
6. ^ Muller & Wingrove 2025.
7. ^ a b c d e Jarvie 2025.
8. ^ a b Pager 2025b.
9. ^ Semuels 2025.
10. ^ Eban 2025.
11. ^ Stone 2025.
12. ^ Essley Whyte 2025.
13. ^ Collins, Owermohle & Howard 2025.
14. ^ Egwuonwu 2025.
15. ^ "License Definitions". Oregon Medical Board.
16. ^ a b c Stone 2024.
17. ^ "License Verification Details". Oregon Medical Board.
18. ^ Svirnovskiy 2025.
19. ^ a b Kim & Perrone 2025.
20. ^ "Trump taps wellness influencer Casey Means for surgeon general". Al Jazeera.
21. ^ Venugopal Ramaswamy 2025.
22. ^ Means & Means 2024.
23. ^ Means & Means 2024, p. 40.
24. ^ Means & Means 2024, p. 165.
25. ^ Florko 2025.
26. ^ a b Butler & Merlan 2025.
27. ^ Nirappil & Roubein 2025.
28. ^ Diamond, Roubein & Weber 2024.
29. ^ Cancryn & Lim 2024.
30. ^ Miranda Ollstein & Cancryn 2024.
31. ^ Cancryn & Lim 2025.
32. ^ Pager 2025a.
33. ^ Samuels 2025.
34. ^ a b c d Dickson 2024.
35. ^ Huberman 2024.
36. ^ Jewett & Creswell 2024.
37. ^ a b Jarry 2024.
38. ^ Jarry 2025.
39. ^ Astor & Mandavilli 2024.
40. ^ Makary, Martin A.; Daniel, Michael (May 3, 2016). "Medical error—the third leading cause of death in the US". BMJ. 353: i2139. doi:10.1136/bmj.i2139. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 27143499.
41. ^ Blum 2024.
42. ^ Gilbert, David (May 9, 2025). "Trump's Surgeon General Pick Is Tearing the MAHA Movement Apart". WIRED. Retrieved May 12, 2025.

## Works cited

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### Books

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* Means, Casey; Means, Calley (2024). Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health. Norfolk: Prince Books. ISBN 9780593712641.

### Articles

[edit]

* Astor, Maggie; Mandavilli, Apoorva (October 31, 2024). "Trump's Transition Team Head Says R.F.K. Jr. Converted Him to Vaccine Skeptic". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Blum, Dani (November 26, 2024). "Does the United States Have an Infertility Crisis?". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Butler, Kiera; Merlan, Anna (May 8, 2025). "Trump's New Surgeon General Pick Wants to "Raise the Vibration of Humanity"". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on May 8, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
* Cancryn, Adam; Lim, David (November 19, 2024). "Trump transition closes in on picks for top health posts". Politico. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Cancryn, Adam; Lim, David (January 15, 2025). "Trump transition puts up guardrails around RFK Jr". Politico. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Collins, Kaitlan; Owermohle, Sarah; Howard, Jacqueline (May 7, 2025). "White House withdraws another key nomination with last-minute pivot to MAHA influencer for US surgeon general". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Cueto, Isabella (October 7, 2024). "With boost from RFK Jr. and Tucker Carlson, two chronic disease entrepreneurs vault into Trump's orbit". Stat. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Diamond, Dan; Roubein, Rachel; Weber, Lauren (October 18, 2024). "Trump, RFK Jr. vow to 'Make America Healthy Again,' raising hopes and doubts". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Dickson, E. J. (December 16, 2024). "The Siblings With RFK Jr.'s Ear". The Cut. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
* Eban, Katherine (May 9, 2025). ""She Was Tearful About It": The Nuances of Casey Means's Medical Exit and Antiestablishment Origins". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
* Egwuonwu, Nnamdi (May 7, 2025). "Trump abruptly pulls surgeon general nominee and names new pick with ties to RFK Jr". NBC News. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Essley Whyte, Liz (May 7, 2025). "Trump Picks a 'MAHA' Movement Leader for Surgeon General". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Florko, Nicholas (May 8, 2025). "The MAHA Takeover Is Complete". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 9, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
* Jarry, Jonathan (February 14, 2025). "Kennedy's Coalition of Quacks Wants to Feed America a Diet of Lies". Office for Science and Society. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
* Jarry, Jonathan (November 15, 2024). "Mitochondrial Dysfunction Is a Bit of a Fad". Office for Science and Society. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Jarvie, Jenny (May 8, 2025). "Trump's pick for surgeon general quit medical residency due to stress, former department chair says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
* Jewett, Christina; Creswell, Julie (November 15, 2024). "Kennedy's Vow to Take On Big Food Could Alienate His New G.O.P. Allies". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Kim, Seung Min; Perrone, Matthew (May 7, 2025). "Donald Trump taps wellness influencer close to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for surgeon general". Associated Press. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Miranda Ollstein, Alice; Cancryn, Adam (November 22, 2024). "Kennedy's 'MAHA transition team' includes anti-vax activists". Politico. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Muller, Madison; Wingrove, Josh (May 7, 2025). "Trump Taps Means as Surgeon General After Pulling First Pick". Bloomberg News. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Nirappil, Fenit; Roubein, Rachel (May 7, 2025). "Trump taps MAHA influencer for surgeon general, replacing first pick". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Pager, Tyler (May 7, 2025). "The White House is planning to withdraw the nomination of Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be surgeon general, according to a person familiar with the decision". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Pager, Tyler (May 7, 2025). "Trump Withdraws Surgeon General Nomination and Announces New Choice". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Peterson, Kristina; Essley Whyte, Liz (November 13, 2024). "The Siblings Behind RFK Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' Campaign". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Samuels, Brett (May 8, 2025). "Trump chose new surgeon general pick on RFK Jr.'s recommendation". The Hill. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
* Semuels, Alana (May 10, 2025). "Inside the Health Views of Casey Means, Trump's Surgeon General Nominee". Time. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
* Stone, Will (June 14, 2024). "In 'Good Energy,' a doctor lays out how to measure and boost your metabolic health". NPR. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Stone, Will (May 7, 2025). "Trump picks Casey Means for surgeon general, after first nominee withdraws". NPR. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Svirnovskiy, Gregory (May 7, 2025). "Trump picks Casey Means for surgeon general". Politico. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Tin, Alexander; Walsh, Joe (May 7, 2025). "Dr. Casey Means, Trump's new surgeon general nominee, is RFK Jr. ally and MAHA advocate". CBS News. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Trevenon, Stacy (November 19, 2012). "Book presents the 'Endgame' as a winner". Coastside News. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* "Trump taps wellness influencer Casey Means for surgeon general". Al Jazeera. May 7, 2025. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
* Venugopal Ramaswamy, Swapna (May 7, 2025). "Trump changes mind on surgeon general pick, tapping wellness influencer close to RFK Jr". USA Today. Retrieved May 7, 2025.

### Documents

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* "License Verification Details". Oregon Medical Board. Retrieved May 7, 2025.

* "License Definitions". Oregon Medical Board. Retrieved May 8, 2025.

### Podcasts

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* Esselstyn, Rip (November 30, 2023). "Casey Means, MD - Improve Your Metabolic Health with a "Food as Medicine" Prescription". PLANTStrong (Podcast). Retrieved May 7, 2025.
* Huberman, Andrew (May 6, 2024). "Dr. Casey Means: Transform Your Health by Improving Metabolism, Hormone & Blood Sugar Regulation". Huberman Lab (Podcast). Retrieved May 10, 2025.

### Posts

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* Means, Casey [@CaseyMeansMD] (September 24, 2024). "Today is my 37th birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved May 7, 2025 - via Twitter.

## External links

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* Official website

Authority control databases: Academics |

* Scopus
* 2

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