"WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?"
Take care of yourself, family, and community
Summary: To Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) government needs our help.
On the day of his swearing in as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in an interview: “When we get up in the morning, the question to ask ourselves is, ‘What can I do to help?’” This pulls forward from history another famous request made by his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Only if Americans are able to think this way will we truly be able to conquer the disease epidemic and reclaim the health of our children. Secretary Kennedy promises a refocusing of research and health policy at the national level, and this will go a long way toward better health. But can research and policy alone make us well? Government can do many things, but even its best work can only go so far.
It will be up to us as consumers, parents, and patients to do the daily work of taking care of ourselves, our families and our communities. This is our personal role in MAHA.
The announcement of the President’s MAHA Commission noted: “Overall, the global comparison data demonstrates that the health of Americans is on an alarming trajectory that requires immediate action”. In late 2025, the Commission will deliver its report on the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis. In his welcome remarks to HHS staff, Secretary Kennedy noted disease statistics and declared that all potential causes are up for review, from food ingredients and electromagnetic radiation to health policies and the “over-utilization of medication”. (Given as examples of the latter are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antipsychotic drugs, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs.)
Healthcare contributes $3.5 trillion to the American economy (ahead of 9 other developed countries), yet our health is still declining. Can America be truly great if the health of our population continues to decline?
In remarks made directly to the American people, Secretary Kennedy said: “After we get clear on the causes of chronic disease, we are going to take action to reverse it. I know that many of you have lost hope. I know that many of you take these chronic conditions as a normal part of life. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. I know that because it wasn’t that way when I was a kid, and it doesn’t have to be that way tomorrow.”
Now that HHS is prioritizing and actively focused on the causes of disease, we will all be more empowered to take control of our health. So, “What can (we) do to help?” Selfcare may just be the most patriotic answer we can give.