The Healthcare Access Crisis
Americans are increasingly turning to wellness influencers for health guidance as traditional healthcare becomes harder to access, according to reports. A 2023 study by the National Association of Community Health Centers and HealthLandscape at the American Academy of Family Physicians found that over 100 million Americans, approximately one-third of the U.S. population, now face barriers to accessing primary care. Analysts suggest this number has nearly doubled since 2014, creating an information vacuum that wellness influencers are rapidly filling.
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“Survey data indicates that trust in institutionalized expertise has been in decline in the US since the 1950s,” says Stephanie Alice Baker, associate professor of sociology at City St George’s, University of London. Sources indicate this distrust was further cemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Pew Research Center data showing confidence in scientists acting in the public’s best interests dipped by 14% between April 2020 and fall 2023.
Why Influencers Are Filling the Void
Dr. Mike Varshavski, known as “Doctor Mike” to his over 29 million social media followers, explains that multiple factors have contributed to healthcare’s inability to provide people the answers they seek. According to his analysis, these include solo practice family medicine physician offices closing or being bought out, fallen reimbursement rates by insurance companies, and significant administrative burdens facing family medicine physicians.
When asked why people might trust wellness influencers more than their own doctors, Dr. Garth Graham, director and global head of healthcare and public health partnerships at YouTube and Google Health, referenced the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust and Health. The report, which included over 16,000 participants across 16 countries, found that people consider someone a legitimate health expert not only when they have academic training, but also when they have personal experience with health issues.
“People trust information from people who are similar to them or at least can empathize with their own cultural or personal experiences, so that opens the room for a diversity of voices to be able to contribute to that,” Graham stated.
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The Misinformation Problem
Brian Southwell, a distinguished fellow and lead scientist for public understanding of science at RTI International, points to a definition of misinformation he helped develop in a 2025 consensus study with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. According to their published report, “Misinformation about science is information that asserts or implies claims that are inconsistent with the weight of accepted scientific evidence at the time.”
Wellness influencers have been implicated in several high-profile misinformation cases. Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson, whose story inspired the Apple Cider Vinegar series on Netflix, falsely claimed to have terminal brain cancer and allegedly earned half a million dollars by promoting natural healing methods. Fitness influencer Brian Johnson, known as “Liver King,” promoted ancestral lifestyle practices while reportedly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Tragically, some cases have proven fatal. Paloma Shemirani died at 23 from a heart attack caused by an untreated tumor after refusing chemotherapy in favor of alternative cancer treatment promoted by her mother, conspiracy theorist and anti-vaccine influencer Kate Shemirani. The problem of vaccine hesitancy has also been amplified by influencers, with several prominent anti-vaccine voices, including Dmitriy Stuzhuk, ultimately dying from COVID-19 after claiming the virus wasn’t real.
The Wellness Economy and Regulation Challenges
The wellness industry represents a multitrillion-dollar market encompassing mental wellness, healthy eating, physical activity, and alternative medicine, according to the Global Wellness Institute. On platforms like TikTok, approximately 79% of TikTok Shop products are in the health and beauty category, according to Capital One Shopping’s research.
Despite Federal Trade Commission requirements that influencers disclose brand relationships with #ad or #sponsored tags, enforcement remains challenging. Andrew Pattison, team lead of digital channels in the Department of Digital Health and Innovation at the World Health Organization, created Fides, a network of credentialed healthcare influencers, during the COVID-19 pandemic to counteract health misinformation with evidence-based information.
“To create misinformation takes minutes. To debunk misinformation sometimes takes weeks,” Pattison says. “To create good health content takes time, effort, knowledge and research, whereas to create health misinformation, you can do it in 5 minutes and all you need is a phone.”
Political Dimensions and Future Concerns
The situation has become increasingly complex with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s appointment as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services. RFK Jr., who is not a medical doctor and has no background in medicine, reportedly surrounds himself with wellness influencers who promote the Make America Healthy Again agenda.
Young people appear particularly vulnerable to wellness misinformation. According to Edelman’s research, people aged 18 to 34 were twice as likely to listen to uncredentialed advice as adults over 55. Fifty-eight percent of people in this age group reportedly regretted a health decision they made based on misinformation at least once.
As coronavirus concerns continue to evolve and healthcare access remains challenging, experts emphasize the importance of critical evaluation of online health information. While platforms like Unbiased Science and credible medical educators including Doctor Mike on YouTube and his media platform provide evidence-based content, the broader landscape remains dominated by commercial interests and potentially dangerous misinformation that continues to impact public health decisions.
This article aggregates information from publicly available sources. All trademarks and copyrights belong to their respective owners.
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