Casey Jones

Paula Casey Means, known as Casey Means, is an American wellness advocate, author, and former physician. She graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2014 and began an ENT surgical residency, which she left in 2018 due to stress and disillusionment with the healthcare system. Although trained as a physician, she does not currently hold an active medical license. Means founded a functional medicine practice and a health technology company, Levels, which offers wearable glucose monitors. She also lectures at Stanford on food and health and has been involved in advising health-related businesses.

Means co-authored the book "Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health" with her brother, Calley Means. The book explores the concept of "good energy" derived from unprocessed foods and "bad energy" from ultra-processed items, linking metabolism to overall health. Critics have described the book as a memoir and a guide promoting lifestyle choices as primary health solutions, aligning with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Means has been considered a leader of this movement alongside her brother, who is also her business partner.

Born Paula Casey Means on September 24, 1987, she later dropped her first name. She is the daughter of Grady and Gayle Means; her father held positions in government and business, while her mother's death from pancreatic cancer inspired her children to address health system issues. Means earned honors in human biology from Stanford University in 2009 and her M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2014, where she was recognized for her commitment to patient care and leadership in a free clinic. Following medical school, she started a surgical residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Oregon Health and Science University. However, she withdrew from the program before its completion, citing stress and a growing disillusionment with the state of American healthcare.

After departing her surgical residency, Means established Means Health, a functional medicine practice and wellness consulting business in Portland, Oregon, in January 2019. While she obtained a medical license in Oregon in late 2018, it has been inactive since 2024. She also founded Levels, a health technology company focused on wearable glucose monitors and bodily metrics tracking. In 2022, she served as a lecturer at Stanford, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses on food and health. Means has also engaged in business ventures, including advising a company that facilitates tax benefits for health and nutrition programs, and has utilized social media for sponsorships of various wellness products.

Means co-authored the book "Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health" with her brother, Calley Means. The book posits that food is converted into energy within the body, differentiating between "good energy" from nourishing, unprocessed foods and "bad energy" from foods that cause metabolic dysfunction. The authors aim to eliminate "bad energy" from diets, advocating for unprocessed foods and criticizing ultra-processed items, sugars, and inflammatory proteins. While some reviews praise the book for its nutritional advice, others criticize it for promoting an "orthorexic diet guide" and advancing the MAHA movement's core tenets: the idea that "Big Food" and "Big Pharma" profit from illness, that conventional medicine is often ineffective, and that most ailments can be managed through diet and lifestyle choices.

Means was nominated as Surgeon General by President Donald Trump in May 2025, following the withdrawal of a previous nominee. Her nomination was influenced by her association with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and her role in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. The nomination faced scrutiny and criticism from various groups, including proponents of evidence-based medicine and anti-vaccination campaigners. Concerns were raised regarding her financial disclosures and ethics paperwork, which led to delays in her confirmation process. Her nomination stalled in the Senate, and after expiring, she was renominated. Her confirmation hearing was postponed, and the nomination continued to face challenges and delays due to her testimony on health topics, including vaccines.