Twenty Years of Health Scams and Wellness Trends by Cara Santa Maria

Cara Santa Maria reflects on two decades of debunking health pseudoscience as a cohost of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe (SGU). From bleach-based “cures” like Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) to enduring myths such as homeopathy, chiropractic, detoxes, and anti-vaccine rhetoric, she tracks the dangerous persistence and evolution of medical quackery. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/06/twenty-years-of-health-scams-and-wellness-trends/ About the Author: Cara Santa Maria, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist, science communicator, podcaster, and Emmy Award–winning journalist. She is the host of the weekly science podcast Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria and cohost of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. She also coedited the book Pseudoscience in Therapy: A Skeptical Field Guide. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.