How The Election Could Affect Your Health

When you read this, it’ll have been just over a week since President Trump won the 2024 election.

In what I believe was probably one of the most intense election cycles in decades, the people voted overwhelmingly to ensure that everything Donald Trump said he was going to do would happen.

The House and the Senate also went to the Republican party.

Now as a physician, I don’t care how you voted. My aim is always to help people fix their underlying health issues as best I can, regardless of their political affiliation.  I also understand that many of our patients are very upset about the outcome of this election, so I know that even writing about Trump in a positive light could rub people the wrong way.

My aim today isn’t to say anything to sway your opinion of him. Or even to tell you what I think about him.

Instead, I’m writing as a doctor whose sole professional aim is to help improve the lives of my patients.

And I believe that the chances of doing this without additional bureaucracy interfering in the pursuit will increase with Donald Trump at the helm.

It’s a controversial statement, I realize, but that’s why I wanted to write this article, because here at Robinhood Integrative Health we believe that doctors and patients alike should enjoy certain rights as it pertains to healthcare.

This is what we believe:

- We believe in medical freedom and that we all have a right to have an opinion.

- We believe that getting money out of the politics of medicine enhances the ability of all Americans to experience better health outcomes.

- We believe that many of the most common health maladies that Americans are subject to by and large are the result of corrupt relationships between the agricultural lobbies and the pharmaceutical companies.

-  And we also believe that too much government creates environments where health is not prioritized and managed sickness is.

These statements are our opinions (well, at least Dr. Lanteme’s and mine), and what will happen under Donald Trump as it relates to our health are also opinions…

That being said, let’s talk about what we might expect for the future of health and healthcare with Trump serving as our 47th president.

Four Things That May Happen With Trump

First, let me be clear about something.

Just because a new President is in office doesn’t mean they have an incredible amount of power to change institutions that have been in place for decades.

What will likely happen, though, is that the threads that bind us to these institutions may begin to unravel.

This is the prevailing hope for those of us who wish to see America healthy again.

Now, here’s what I believe will happen with Trump as president.

1- Vaccine Science and Other “Accepted Truths” Can Be Questioned:

Vaccines seem to be one of the more controversial topics in America right now.

If you’re on the fence about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and voice those opinions publicly then you’re going to be called a lot of names.

Bear in mind that most doctors know very little about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Vaccine science isn’t explored in depth in medical school, and many doctors don’t devote an incredible amount of time doing independent research on vaccines either.

I think that because Donald Trump has a plan to lean on Robert F Kennedy Jr. to help formulate health policy you’re going to see vaccine science, and other commonly accepted “truths,” questioned.

I believe this is a good thing.

Science is not beyond interrogation. And it shouldn’t be, either.   The constant pursuit of better ways of doing things should be commended.

RFK Jr. has a long history of helping to expose the weaknesses of vaccine science.  While he is not against vaccines, he does believe that they should be tested against controls while monitoring a wide variety of potential health outcomes over an extended period of time (that doesn’t sound too crazy, right?)   

On top of that I think we’ll be able to have freer conversations about health than we’ve enjoyed in years.

One of the first things Trump said days after his election was he planned to fight censorship.

President Trump believes the first amendment is incredibly important for people to retain their freedom and by extension, their health.

Back in 2020/2021 you and I weren't allowed to question the narrative around things like “the flu” and where it came from. In fact, doctors were threatened or reprimanded for speaking their mind about how they believed they should be able to practice medicine.

Trump announcing plans to prosecute companies and governmental agencies that interfere with free speech will greatly improve conversations that positively impact health.

Truth dies in darkness and constantly putting light on issues will only allow the best answers to rise to the top. 

2 - Fluoride Might Be Removed From Water Supplies:

Fluoride is in almost all municipal water supplies.

The operating theory is fluoride is a “must-have” for strong teeth.

But there’s quite a bit of research to indicate it isn’t, and I’ve written about it in the past. In fact, chronic exposure to it is likely to have some pretty serious consequences. 

In a post on X on Saturday,  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said one of his first acts as an official in a new Trump administration would be to “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.”

Now, there are plenty of people who think fluoride is needed for healthy teeth.

The good news is if you want to still use fluoride, the Trump administration is not making it illegal.

You’ll still be able to buy products (like toothpaste, and mouthwash) that have fluoride in it, but it just won’t be dumped into the water supply any longer.

If you’re at all concerned about fluoride, but don’t have enough information to help inform yourself on its potential benefits, or harm, watch this video.

3 - Agricultural and Pharmaceutical Lobbies May Be Weakened:

If there was one thing that Trump could make happen, or at least set into motion, this may be one of the most important.

It’s also one of the most difficult.

Trump has already tipped his hat to installing Kentucky state representative, Thomas Massie, as the Secretary of Agriculture as well as signaling Joel Salatain could help craft policy for the United States that would weaken the relationship between the two lobbying organizations.

If you need more of an explanation of the problem let me describe the issues from a 50,000 foot view.

The government has been subsidizing (paying for) farmers and companies that help manage agricultural output for decades now.

The incentives for the farmers and the companies benefitting from their crops is less about getting healthy foods onto people’s plates, and more about creating products that are cheap to make, tasty (and addictive), and easily transported.

These foods are then sold for cheap in grocery stores all across the U.S.

When these foods make up most of a person’s diet, they make people sick.

Arguably 90% of the diseases the American healthcare system is beset with trying to “fix” come from the food-stuffs produced by “Big Ag.”

The problem with these foods isn’t that they exist, it's that the government creates food guidelines that encourage people to consume these products over healthy foods and  they remain sick - all while the pharmaceutical industry creates drugs to help manage their diseases.

Breaking this cycle will help break this insidious death-loop and help people get well.

Both Massie and Salatin are all-in on the kinds of things I’ve been encouraging patients to invest in for years now. This includes regenerative farming, eating organic and animal-based, and rejecting foods with artificial ingredients.

If they’re able to establish policy that promotes these kinds of changes I think it would change the face of our nation forever.

For an incredibly informative and encouraging discussion I suggest watching this video where Calley and Casey Means talk to Joe Rogan about this issue. 

This Brother and sister duo are incredibly informed on the issues, as Casey was a surgeon who quit medicine when she saw the corruption and Calley was a DC lobbyist for Pfizer who also quit when he started to see the corruption.

They show that should the link between the lobbying groups break, it would absolutely change the world of health in America.

4 - May Be Increased Innovation for Drugs (and lower costs):

One potential positive impact could stem from a continued focus on deregulation in the healthcare sector.

By reducing regulatory burdens, the Trump administration might aim to encourage innovation and competition among healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies.

This could potentially lead to the development of new treatments and more efficient delivery of healthcare services, ultimately benefiting the American consumer.

I’ve said this many times, but it bears repeating.

Just because I’m an advocate of functional/integrative medicine, doesn’t mean that I think all drugs from pharmaceutical companies are bad.

I think the prices on them, however, can be egregious…

And I think that many of the drugs sold today don’t need to exist (see point 3).

So by reducing regulation and also possibly breaking the connection between Ag and Pharma the drug companies may actually be encouraged to tackle other kinds of projects that will help improve human health.

What Do You Think Will Happen?

These are only my guesses as to what will happen.

Overall I think the election of Donald Trump will be a boon to American health.

But, I want to hear what you have to say.

Would you respond and let me know your thoughts?