The Dangerous Web of Medical Myths: Why Big Pharma, Government, and Conventional Medicine Keep Us Sick

By Catherine Ebeling, Special to The MAHA Report

America spends more on healthcare than any nation in the world — yet our rates of chronic illness, obesity, cancer, and mental health disorders are the highest of any developed country.

How did we get here?

Few people know this, but much of the blame falls on Big Pharma. Along with government agencies, medical institutions, and some of the highest paid publicists in the world, Big Pharma has orchestrated a dangerous web of medical myths.

Such myths, detailed below, leave us with a lifelong dependence on medication that masks symptoms and suppresses root-cause solutions.

The Cholesterol-Heart Disease Myth

Among the most pervasive myths is the idea that cholesterol is the primary villain in heart disease, a narrative built on flawed studies and industry manipulation. This misconception has led to the widespread use of statins, with the assumption that lowering cholesterol translates to a reduction in heart attacks. However, mounting evidence suggests otherwise, revealing deeper truths about inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and the healing role cholesterol plays in the body.

The Myth: Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. The best conventional medical doctors’ advice is to avoid saturated fat in our diet, and lower cholesterol levels in our bodies to prevent heart attacks.

Mainstream doctors are now recommending cholesterol-lowering drugs to adults between the age of 40-75 with an LDL as low as 70. This broad approach has dramatically expanded the use of statins — even among those without diagnosed heart disease — while overlooking the importance of addressing lifestyle-driven root causes.

The Truth: Statins can lower LDL, but studies show little to no reduction in all-cause mortality for most people, and only very small reductions in those with existing heart disease. In fact, cholesterol is a vital healing substance in the body, used for hormones, cell membranes, synapses, and neurotransmitters in the brain. Low cholesterol has been linked to low hormone levels, depression, and cognitive decline.

Statins come with some serious side effects such as muscle pain, weakness, memory loss, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. They also deplete CoQ10, a nutrient critical for heart and mitochondrial function.

So why are millions of people taking statins to lower cholesterol, while heart disease remains the number one killer in the country? In the 1950s, a scientist with ties to the sugar industry was persuaded to alter his heart disease study to show saturated fat — not sugar — as the primary factor in heart disease. Large sums of money were exchanged, and the study vilifying cholesterol was published in top medical journals and adopted wholeheartedly by the medical industry.

The Solution: Heart disease stems primarily from metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, high glucose and a diet of processed foods and seed oils. Add to that a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and environmental toxins and you have the perfect storm that inflames and injures delicate blood vessels. Cholesterol is only sent out by the body as a healing and soothing agent where it settles in the blood vessels.

Prioritizing a nutrient dense, whole foods, low-carb diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle lowers inflammation and reduces heart disease. It’s far more important to monitor metabolic health by lowering blood sugar, than it is to monitor cholesterol levels.

The Cancer Myth

The Myth: Cancer results from a variety of factors over which we have no control – including genes, the environment and lifestyle. Conventional medical treatment options are a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.

The Truth: Cancer treatment is a multi-billion dollar industry with pharmaceutical cancer medication revenues growing from $98.8 billion in 2022, to $114.1 billion in 2023, to a projected 15.5% annual growth rate through 2032.

Conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can be effective but may also have harsh and toxic side effects including severe nausea and loss of appetite, hair loss, immune dysfunction, infertility, brain and cognition issues, organ damage, and secondary cancers. Sadly, promising non-toxic alternative treatments are often dismissed because they aren’t profitable to mainstream medicine.

The Solution: As cancer rates rise, patients and clinicians are exploring integrative and alternative therapies. Options like intravenous vitamin C, mistletoe extract, fasting, and the ketogenic diet are popular for their effectiveness and less toxic side effects.

A study from Japan found a compound from turkey tail mushrooms that significantly improved survival rates in colorectal cancer patients. Similarly, high-dose IV vitamin C has demonstrated powerful benefits in conjunction with chemotherapy, reducing tumor growth and enhancing patient well-being.

Repurposed medications like ivermectin and fenbendazole have also shown strong anti-cancer properties in studies, including inhibition of tumor growth, angiogenesis, and cancer cell proliferation.

These emerging therapies are not fringe science — they represent a shift toward evidence-based, patient-centered care that emphasizes immune support, metabolic balance, and lower-toxicity treatments; they should be considered in a cancer treatment plan.

The Blood Pressure Myth

The Myth: Most hypertension is diagnosed as “essential hypertension,” meaning there is no known cause. Patients are told to avoid salt, cut back on dietary cholesterol, lose weight, and exercise. Patients are almost always instructed to take medication for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, these medications for hypertension can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, dizziness, fatigue, and sexual dysfunction.

The Truth: Hypertension is often the result of insulin resistance (chronically high blood sugar), chronic inflammation, and nutrient deficiencies. Pharmaceutical companies have adjusted the criteria for diagnosing hypertension, which has resulted in an increased number of individuals being classified as hypertensive and eligible for medication.

While framed as preventive, it should be noted that 70% of the panelists behind the 2017 guideline had financial ties to drug companies. Critics argue the move promotes overdiagnosis and overmedication, rather than addressing root causes.

The Solution: Low carb diet, reduce alcohol, avoid processed foods and seed oils to boost insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and regulate glucose levels. Focus on vegetables, healthy fats, and clean protein. Exercise regularly.

The Osteoporosis Myth

The Myth: Osteoporosis is a normal part of aging, especially for women. Women are told to consume more foods with calcium, along with calcium supplements. Mainstream doctors advise women to take medication, usually bisphosphonates like Fosomax or Boniva, to increase bone density.

The Truth: Osteoporosis is the result of lower hormone levels post menopause, high levels of inflammation, and a lack of load bearing activity to stress bones.

Medications commonly prescribed to enhance bone strength frequently disrupt the normal process of bone remodeling, leading to increased brittleness. While these medications increase bone density, the bones become more susceptible to fractures Bisphosphonates have been linked to spontaneous femur fractures, jaw necrosis, gastrointestinal damage, and higher rates of esophageal cancer. Without load-bearing activity, bones weaken, regardless.

The Solution: Diet and lifestyle modifications have been found to be especially valuable in preserving bone. Prevention is the key to avoiding osteoporosis. People diagnosed with osteoporosis can benefit from weight-bearing exercises such as hiking, weightlifting, or rebounding. Supplementing with vitamin D3, K2, magnesium, collagen, and trace minerals —not calcium – is helpful, as is a healthy whole foods diet with high quality protein.

The Menopause-HRT-Cancer Myth

The Myth: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is dangerous and causes breast cancer.

The Truth: This belief originated from the flawed 2002 Women’s Health Initiative trial, which used synthetic hormones, included elderly participants (average age 63) with preexisting health conditions, and missed key data. The study's findings were published with an emphasis on incorrect relative risk (like 24% relative increase in breast cancer risk), leading to fear and a drastic reduction in HRT use. It’s important to note, absolute risk increase was minimal (0.1 percentage point, or one potential case of breast cancer per thousand patients).

Avoiding hormones out of fear left many women suffering needlessly. Meanwhile, antidepressants, sleeping aids, anti-anxiety medications and more are being prescribed in their place — along with the associated side effect of weight gain, fatigue, loss of libido, and emotional numbing.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), initiated within ten years of menopause, offers a safer and more health-protective solution. It reduces the risks associated with Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, heart disease, and depression.

Combining natural supplements with diet and lifestyle strategies such as strength training, blood sugar control, gut health, and liver detoxification can enhance hormone metabolism.

We Can Take Back Control of Our Lives and Our Health

The common thread running through all these serious health issues is that diet and lifestyle modifications can either prevent or improve the health of a patient. There is no pill or easy fix. The real fix for all these chronic health issues is a healthier diet, free of pesticides, herbicides and toxic additives, combined with lifestyle changes.

The MAHA movement champions real health — honest, evidence-based, and accessible. We must challenge health myths and the systems profiting from misinformation.

We’ve been misled by a medical model built on profit over prevention. It’s time to question the narrative. True health is not found in a prescription — it’s found in root-cause care, honest science, and empowered self-education.

If we want a healthier nation, we must challenge the myths so carefully crafted by overpaid flacks, and the industries that profit from their narratives..

Catherine Ebeling is an RN, MSN in Public Health with a background in functional medicine and longevity. She is a best-selling author and content creator for a top health and wellness platform.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Do not stop or change any medications without first consulting your physician or qualified healthcare provider. Always seek personalized medical guidance before making changes to your health or treatment plan.