Beyond Belief: Woo-woo, Science, and Seed Oils
Wellness hype, political chaos, and the beliefs that keep us afloat
After the president fumbled through unfounded medical advice for pregnant women, we found ourselves in another internet storm. Who to trust. What the science actually says. Living in a body today means being inundated with information, wading through algorithms of outrage and oversimplification, and feeling worse from the overwhelm when all we really want is to feel better. The noise makes me want to reach for a Tylenol… oh wait. It’s harder and harder to know what to believe, or what might actually help.
When leadership reeks of corruption and we are constantly faced with turmoil, we feel it in our nervous system. We clench our jaws, our shoulders tighten, our backs stiffen. Stress makes us weird and desperate. We crave mythologies that explain the chaos, scientific explanations of our pain, and leaders who promise certainty and belonging.
Titans of the wellness industry and legions of influencers have rushed to fill that void. It’s seductive to follow the loud, confident voice that insists if we just cut the processed foods and follow the rules, we’ll be safe. In aligning with authoritarianism, they borrow the same playbook of fear-mongering, scapegoating, and purity-as-salvation. The CDC is cast as the villain, eager to hook you on pharmaceuticals. Ignore our lack of universal health care, point instead to immigrants and food coloring. Atone with a detox for $19.95. Reject authority and expertise, then replace them with a cult of personality.
We are desperate to take care of ourselves but late-stage capitalism has already hit the iceberg. Are our attempts at healing just arranging the deck chairs? Maybe I should buy the anti-inflammatory, anti-aging red-light UV face mask, so I get a flattering selfie against the backdrop of climate collapse in the backyard. Beyond the absurd beauty standards and expensive wellness routines, facing our reality is exhausting. Nihilism is such a pain in the neck.
So what stories actually keep us afloat? What beliefs give us buoyancy?
As much as I would love to drift into idealism, I can’t summon that kind of dissociation right now. Witnessing and grieving our collapse is an essential to knowing our truth. As Christian Nationalism tightens its grip as the foundational American mythology, MAGA smashes democratic norms, destabilizes institutions, and corrodes scientific integrity. Tracking the rise of white supremacy, widening wealth disparities, and accelerating ecological destruction is exhausting. Although the alarm and critique are both urgent, thrashing in constant reactivity only drains us further.
So we have to keep our heads above water and still have the bandwidth to craft a counter-narrative. How do we rebuild community cohesion, rein in technology, revive science, and repay colonial debts? It’s a lot when you’re also dealing with a nagging hip issue. Where do we even start?
To wrestle with the fragility of being in a body, being with each other, and being on a planet requires a robust belief system. While most folks I know would identify as “spiritual but not religious,” that doesn’t feel clear or strong enough right now. When my most fundamental beliefs are under attack, I have to ask what my core values really are. What do I actually believe? What can I anchor to that gets me through the day?
To answer those questions, I’m embarking on this series about belief systems. Some pieces have been simmering for years, others are I’m just at the edge of articulating. Here’s my current open tabs and rough outline of posts:
Woo-Woo, Inc.: Questioning Materialism and Selling Crystals
Magic, Manifestation, and Meritocracy
The Somatic vs. the Scientific
The Natural Way: Holistic Health, Processed Foods, and MAHA
Where Do We Belong: Finding Your (Wellness) Tribe
Uncertainty: An Anti-Fragile Belief System
Muscular Mysticism, Tarot, and Spelunking the Unknown
I will defend the scientific method (more on that in an upcoming post), but I also believe the stories we tell about our bodies, our politics, and our fragile planet shape us more than any dataset. Methodologies are not mythologies. The real challenge is not just deciding which facts are true but choosing which ideologies sustain us.
Even when we feel like we’re drowning, we need something to tether to. Embodying regeneration requires an advanced skill set and a profoundly different mindset, something that gives us buoyancy. We can get stronger, we can get clearer, and we can remind ourselves that we are in this together and can stay afloat.