The shady love affair between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Chiropractic Profession

The connections between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) cult, and the US chiropractic profession are complex and worrying.

Chiropractors’ support for RFK Jr.

The shady love affair had started long before RFK Jr. decided to join Trump. While Kennedy conducted his anti-vaccine campaign before running for president, chiropractors were hefty donors to his actions. In 2019, for instance, they donated nearly half a million dollars to the cause — about a sixth of the organization’s revenue that year. When Kennedy created the MAHA Alliance super PAC for his presidential candidacy, more than half of its initial donors were chiropractors. And when Kennedy’s nomination to lead HHS was questioned, a raft of chiropractors signed a letter of support for him.

RFK Jr.’s advocacy for so-called alternative medicine (SCAM)

After his appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), RFK Jr. has proven to be a vocal proponent of SCAM, particularly chiropractic. He has publicly supported chiropractic, for inctance, when speaking at chiropractic colleges and forums. His expressed his belief that chiropractic is a “necessary part of modern healthcare” and that chiropractors treat the “root causes” of disease, while conventional medicine is just masking symptoms. Major professional chiro-organizations, such as the “International Chiropractors Association” (ICA) and the “Georgia Council of Chiropractic” (GCC), have therefore applauded Kennedy’s appointment to HHS, viewing it as a “pivotal moment” for the advancement of chiropractic care and its integration into federal health programs. They anticipate his leadership will lead to expanded insurance reimbursement and greater acceptance by MAHA followers. “People that graduated with me in 2017, probably out of 100 people … around 70 or 80 of them were Kennedy freaks,” says Gabe Padilla, who once studied and worked as a chiropractor but has since left the field. “And I’m talking about, wow, they lived and breathed this man. They would drink his bath water if they could.”

The MAHA Initiative and Holistic Integration

The MAHA cult allegedly aims to tackle the chronic disease epidemic through a strategy that includes a focus on SCAM. It claims that factors like poor diet, environmental chemicals, over-medicalization and even vaccinations are major drivers of chronic illness. This over-emphasis on external and lifestyle factors, and a rejection of conventional medicine and science resonates with the “philosophy” espoused in the chiropractic, SCAM “wellness” spheres. The MAHA framework thus includes the goal of incorporating SCAM, opening the door for increased governmental support for chiropractic. There even is a chiropractic liaison for MAHA now, whose job is to keep chiropractic organizations connected to the larger movement.

Chiropractors are delighted, of course, advocating the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid coverage beyond spinal adjustments. In DD Palmer’s tradition, chiropractors advocate their quackery as a panacea. RFK Jr. and MAHA have developed strong ties to a dubious coalition of wellness influencers, holistic and functional medicine advocates, and anti-vaxers. This alliance favours SCAM and questions the scientific and medical establishment—a sentiment that creates a fertile environment for chiropractic. Spending on wellness in general has hit more than $500 billion in the United States and is projected to continue growing. Meanwhile, the employment of chiropractors is forecasted to rise 10 percent over the next decade, at a higher rate than the average for all occupations.

Conclusion

The connection between RFK Jr./MAHA and chiropractic is a relationship of mutual support and ideological alignment. The chiropractic profession sees Kennedy’s leadership as a political opportunity to achieve greater recognition and financial integration, while Kennedy’s MAHA framework provides an official platform for promoting chiropractic quackery.