A recent trend has emerged in the United States, with people turning to medieval-style health beliefs and practices. This shift is characterized by a growing interest in alternative wellness methods, such as herbalism, energy healing, and other non-traditional approaches to health.

Loss of Trust in Institutions

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a loss of trust in institutions, particularly those related to public health. As a result, many individuals are seeking health advice from non-traditional sources, including social media and wellness influencers.

According to Roy Perlis, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, the transparency of the scientific process during the pandemic created a vacuum of confidence that wellness influencers have eagerly filled. Perlis notes that people are now seeking health advice from Facebook, TikTok, and AI chatbots, often based on misinformation.

Return to Pre-Modern Simplicity

Historians like Robin S. Reich, who studies the science of the Middle Ages, suggest that the current trend is an attempt to return to a pre-modern simplicity. Reich notes that when people look to the past for solutions, it’s often because they think their current life is overly complicated by heartless systems.

The desire for clarity about one’s body is an old one, predating modern medicine. As people understood more about the world, they started to understand more about their bodies and how they worked. However, the health theories developed in the Middle Ages were not entirely accurate, and it wasn’t until modern medicine developed that a complete picture of human biology emerged.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.