Bernarr Macfadden was a renowned figure in the world of wrestling who deeply cherished raw milk and had a penchant for cold dips. He harboured a strong aversion towards vaccines and white flour, referring to the latter as ‘lifeless food.’ The American Medical Association was deemed his most formidable adversary, even more than white flour. He had a firm belief that America’s level of physical inactivity amounted to a form of misconduct and he deemed excessive consumption of food as immoral. He penned down his thoughts on the matter in a literary work titled ‘Strength From Eating’, stating, ‘Almost every household experiences a certain level of distress deriving from this practice, albeit varying in degrees.’
His book ‘Strength From Eating’ showcased a photograph of Macfadden as he flexed his extremely vascular and well-defined arm, placed just prior to the preface. Attached to the photograph was his distinguished autograph captioned ‘yours for health.’ Macfadden was a pioneer in the arena of self-publicity and recognized that his mission could be propagated by flooding various media channels with his philosophy and images of his scantily dressed physique through tabloids, periodicals and radio transmissions. He believed that a physically fit form, like his, was a paragon of virtue. He advocated that one could stave off numerous fatal ailments without needing medical assistance, given that they maintain their individual health.
As described in his biography, ‘Mr. America’ penned by Mark Adams, Macfadden viewed vaccination as, ‘A nonsensical act of injecting lifeless germs into the bloodstream.’ Despite originating in the pre-internet period, born in 1868, Macfadden’s concepts continue to influence millions of people daily in 2025 via health-and-wellness influencers on social media. He was arguably the most significant champion of unconventional health practices starting from roughly 1900 until the post-World War II era. He resonated with figures such as President Franklin Roosevelt and Hollywood star, Rudolph Valentino.
It’s impossible to delve into Macfadden’s life — who used the term ‘medical freedom’ as early as 1920 — without drawing parallels to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., our contemporary secretary of health and human services, and the raw milk-drinking, vaccine skeptical, psychedelic endorsing ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement that has rallied in his direct support.
On the inaugural day of his confirmation hearings, Kennedy echoed Macfadden’s sentiments concerning the health crisis facing the nation’s youth, framing it as a moral endeavor: ‘It is an issue concerning spirituality as well as morality. We won’t be able to meet our responsibilities as a model nation if we continue overlooking an entire generation of children.’
For a significant duration, I viewed the MAHA movement as being primarily anti-establishment. However, that perception deteriorates under scrutiny as physicians have always advocated for cleaner air, purer water along with improved accessibility to wholesome food. I haven’t ever encountered a doctor who didn’t emphasize consistent physical activity. A number of individuals have noted that Mrs. Obama also expressed worries regarding child obesity similarly to Mr. Kennedy, and made use of her position to encourage Americans to adopt healthier diet and exercise habits.