Navigating Healthcare Pt 3: Snake Oil
Navigation of Healthcare
By
May 4, 2025
Original post available https://www.professionalintegrativecare.com/post/navigating-healthcare-pt-3-snake-oil
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In the world of health and wellness, we face a persistent problem: snake oil salesmen and self-proclaimed saviors offering miracle cures. Historically, “snake oil salesmen” were traveling peddlers hawking tonics that promised to cure everything—from chronic pain to deadly disease. Though the packaging has evolved, the gimmick remains the same. Every year, new fads emerge: pills, potions, devices, and protocols marketed as the one solution for all your problems—for just a small monthly fee.
The Zealot Trap and Hanlon’s Razor
I don’t believe that most of these people set out to deceive or harm others. Hanlon’s Razor states: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by ignorance." Many truly believe in their products—often because they’ve seen them help someone, somewhere. But this gives rise to false attribution bias: assuming that because something worked for one person, it must work for everyone.
One of my favorite quotes from a friend is:
“Sometimes I wish I was dumber. I’d probably have more money.”
Why? Because it becomes harder to be a true believer the more you learn. Certainty is a luxury of the uninformed.
I meet with medical sales reps weekly. Many of them genuinely believe that their product is a miracle. Part of this is due to corporate training—often steeped in selective data and emotional persuasion—that convinces reps their product is the solution. But let’s not forget: the more they sell, the more they earn. This creates a powerful conflict of interest. And thanks to cognitive dissonance, they rationalize that they’re helping people—because we all like to believe we’re good people doing good things.
Most people already know what it takes to live a healthy life. One of my favorite frameworks is the acronym NEW START:
These are the true foundations of health. No supplement or screening replaces these principles. The best “insurance policy” you can buy is to invest in each of these areas, regardless of your genetic hand.
One giant red flag in healthcare marketing is fear-based urgency:
“If you don’t do this right now, something terrible will happen.”
In the longevity space, this shows up as expensive tests and interventions pushed under the threat of imminent death. But let’s bring some perspective. The leading risk factor for death is age. Each year, roughly 0.92% of Americans die, and most of them are elderly. The average life expectancy (2023): Men: 75.8 year and Women: 81.1 years
Roughly 7.3% of deaths are accidental, meaning only about 0.067% of the U.S. population dies from accidents each year. But media coverage makes it feel like danger is always around the corner.
Despite the noise, life is better than you think. Books like Freakonomics and Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now highlight just how far we’ve come.
Too many people I meet have given up. They’ve become victims of their reality, convinced they’re powerless. But the truth is: you can change your life. It’s hard. It takes community, effort, and years of consistent energy—but it’s possible. The greatest limitation most people face is self-doubt, often rooted in a childhood of being told they weren’t good enough.
We overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a year. If you extend your timeline, you reduce your stress and increase your ability to change. Even if you feel like you’ve wasted time, there’s still time to repair broken relationships.
People under pressure do desperate things. Before judging them, ask yourself what you might do in their shoes. No song captures this better than What It’s Like by Everlast. Five minutes, a lifetime of wisdom.
We’re all going to die.
No matter how much money we spend, or how many biohacks we try, immortality isn’t coming and thank God for that. What we can do is pursue a life aligned with our values. The conversation is slowly shifting—from lifespan to healthspan: not just how long we live, but how well we live.
There’s no holy grail. No magic pill. Winning the lottery won’t save you from yourself.
My favorite quote these days:
“Pray, and move your feet.”
We need more reflection and more purposeful action.
If anyone promises to grant you all your wishes with a pill, potion, or device—smile, say thank you, and walk away. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The only person who can improve your health is you.
Know thyself.
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