We’re Not Broken — We’re Being Poisoned
That was the message Dr. Casey Means delivered loud and clear during a powerful Senate roundtable on chronic disease. A Stanford-trained physician and co-founder of Levels Health, Dr. Means has become a leading voice for root-cause medicine — and this time, she took her mission to Capitol Hill to call attention to toxins in our food system and the health crisis they’re fueling.
“93% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy. We are not broken. We are being poisoned.”
Her words hit like a jolt of truth in a room full of decision-makers. At the heart of her message: the chronic disease epidemic isn’t simply a product of bad choices — it’s the result of toxins in our food system, ultra-processed diets, and chemical exposures that silently fuel dysfunction. From heavily sprayed crops to endocrine disruptors in our packaging, Dr. Means is calling out the forces making Americans sick—and she’s not mincing words.
In this post, we’ll break down her testimony, unpack why chronic illness is spiking, and explore the hopeful solutions she offers — because healing starts with understanding what we’re really up against.
Toxins in Our Food System: The Silent Drivers of Disease
From her testimony, it’s clear Dr. Means wants us to reconsider not just what we eat — but what’s being done to our food before it ever reaches our plates.
What She Told the Senate
Dr. Casey Means didn’t hold back. During her Senate testimony, she laid out a brutal truth: the chronic disease epidemic in America isn’t just a health issue — it’s a national crisis rooted in systemic failure.
Here are some of the most jarring facts she shared:
- 93% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy.
- 90% of the food grown in the U.S. is sprayed with chemicals banned in other countries.
- Chronic disease now accounts for 90% of U.S. healthcare spending.
- Half of American children have a chronic illness.
“We are seeing fatty liver disease in children. One in two children is expected to develop prediabetes. These are modern conditions — caused by the modern environment.”
Her core message? Our food system, our environment, and our healthcare policies are driving illness on a mass scale — and it’s not being treated as the emergency it is.
She pointed directly at the role of ultra-processed food, pesticides, additives, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are routinely allowed in American products but outlawed in other developed nations.
And she didn’t just call out the problem — she identified how backwards our system has become:
“The average American spends years suffering from a preventable disease while being prescribed drugs that manage symptoms instead of removing the cause.”
Instead of empowering people to reverse disease through nutrition, movement, and toxin reduction, the current system waits for breakdown — then treats it with pills.
Root Causes vs. Band-Aids
America’s health crisis isn’t a mystery — it’s a reflection of what we tolerate, normalize, and ignore. Dr. Casey Means called it out: we’re not dealing with a healthcare system — we’re trapped in a “sick care” model.
Rather than addressing the root causes of disease — like toxic exposures, poor diet, nutrient deficiencies, sedentary lifestyles, chronic stress, and gut dysfunction — our system reacts only after symptoms show up. By that point, it’s often too late for prevention. The solution? A prescription, a procedure, or a lifelong diagnosis.
“We are waiting for the body to break before we intervene,” Dr. Means warned. “Then we manage symptoms with expensive treatments instead of removing the source of the problem.”
This means millions of Americans are being medicated for:
- Insulin resistance that could be reversed with real food and movement
- High blood pressure triggered by stress and inflammation
- Chronic fatigue and autoimmune issues caused by poor gut health or chemical overload
Instead of empowering patients with real tools — like blood sugar monitoring, education, or personalized nutrition — most are left navigating a broken system that profits from disease maintenance.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
There is another path — and it starts by treating the environment inside the body, not just the symptoms.
We’re surrounded by toxins in our food system that disrupt hormones, inflame the gut, and create metabolic chaos — and we normalize it until symptoms force us to act.
The Hope — What Dr. Means Stands For
While Dr. Casey Means brought fire to the Senate floor, she didn’t just come to call out the problem — she came with a blueprint for change.
She’s not interested in doom and gloom. She’s championing a healthcare revolution grounded in:
- Prevention
- Empowerment
- Lifestyle-driven, systems-level healing
“Chronic disease is not our destiny. It is the predictable result of the environment we are creating.”
At the core of her message is a return to fundamentals:
- Real food, not ultra-processed products
- Sleep, not stimulants
- Movement, not sedentary sedation
- Data, not guesswork
- Toxin-free living, not blind trust in broken systems
Dr. Means believes every American deserves the opportunity to understand their body and reverse chronic illness — not just manage it. She’s a loud voice for:
- Metabolic awareness through continuous glucose monitoring (CGMs)
- Accessible testing for inflammation, hormone, and nutrient levels
- Removing chemicals from our food system and environment
- Integrating functional medicine into the mainstream
“We must change the inputs if we want to change the outcomes.”
This is the part that aligns directly with what I believe — and what I write about on this site. Health isn’t found in another prescription. It’s found in removing what harms, rebuilding what’s missing, and creating the conditions where the body can thrive.
What If Dr. Casey Means Becomes Surgeon General?
Imagine a future where our top health official doesn’t just manage disease — but actively works to prevent it. Where the national conversation shifts from prescriptions to root causes. From sick care to self-care.
If Dr. Casey Means is appointed Surgeon General, it could signal the beginning of a long-overdue revolution in public health:
- Policy aligned with metabolic health — including food quality, agricultural chemical regulation, and clear labeling
- Mainstream education on root-cause healing — empowering people to understand their bodies, not just manage symptoms
- Support for functional and lifestyle medicine across communities, clinics, and schools
- Less pharmaceutical dependence and more focus on healing environments — both internally and externally
It would mark a shift from “How do we treat this?” to “Why did this happen, and how do we prevent it for others?”
A nation guided by Dr. Means’ principles could look radically different. And if she gets that seat — it won’t just be a win for medicine, it’ll be a win for every person trying to reclaim their health in a toxic world.
Final Thoughts: You’re Not Broken — You’re Being Called to Wake Up
If Dr. Casey Means is right — and I believe she is — then the chronic disease crisis in America isn’t a life sentence. It’s a call to action. A signal that it’s time to stop outsourcing our health to broken systems and start learning what our bodies truly need.
You don’t need to become a doctor or functional medicine expert to make real changes. You just need to take the first step — remove what’s harming you, and rebuild with what works.
If you’re feeling “off,” inflamed, fatigued, or like your body isn’t responding the way it used to — you’re not alone. These symptoms might not mean you’re sick. They might mean you’re being poisoned slowly, and it’s time to reset.
Want to take action? Start here:
- Read: Why Most Multivitamins Don’t Work (And What to Take Instead) — foundational support that actually absorbs
- Explore: Top Parasite Cleanse Stack for 2025 — remove what’s blocking your body’s healing
- Learn: Balancing Hormones Naturally: What Really Works — because toxins don’t just hurt the gut — they hijack your hormones too
If Dr. Means were appointed Surgeon General, we could see a new standard of care — one that values prevention, detox, clean food, and real education. But even if that day hasn’t come yet, you can still lead your own revolution.
Your body already knows how to heal. Let’s start treating it like it matters.
Sources & References
- Means, C. (2024). Newsletter #30: Behind the scenes – Senate Roundtable on Chronic Disease. Retrieved from caseymeans.com
- U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (2024). Roundtable on Chronic Disease and Nutrition. Retrieved from YouTube
- Medical Economics. (2024). Who is Casey Means, MD, Trump’s New Surgeon General Pick? Retrieved from medicaleconomics.com
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Chronic Disease Overview. Retrieved from cdc.gov
Health Disclaimer
The information in this blog post is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, lifestyle, or supplement routine. The views expressed here are based on research, personal insight, and public testimony, and should not replace professional medical advice.
Devin Brundell is the founder of Brundell Co., a wellness platform dedicated to natural healing, lifestyle medicine, and intentional living. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) and a Bachelor’s in Holistic Health Sciences from Quantum University. Devin is also finalizing certification as a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner through the AADP. His mission is to empower others to reclaim health through practical tools, clean living, and purpose-driven change — one intentional choice at a time.