Making America a healthy and re-moval is beyond its architects

For enthusiastic supporters, the Make America Healthy (Maha) movement itself is nothing new. It began long before Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign and subsequent confirmation as Secretary of Health.

“The principles of the Maha movement were once a life-style across the nation decades ago,” Samantha Rayburn, the 40-year-old mother of two teenage sons, told the Epoch Times.

“It is encouraging to see more people adopt those beliefs and realize that God has given us what we need to nourish our bodies and heal our bodies.

Rayburn became interested in herbs and plants foraging when she was a little girl, and was inspired by making her first tincture when her eldest son coughed at age 2.

She describes the Maha movement as a “return to basics.”

“We grew it and got things we didn’t have from the local farmers, so we’re back when we learn what the food is,” said Rayburn, who lives in Ohio.

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“RFK Jr. and Maha have created something that many of us believe in more mainstream. People are now reaching out to me and wanting to learn more about herbs. I don’t seem to be that crazy anymore.”

When Kennedy gave a speech last August announcing he had suspended his campaign and was supporting then-President Donald Trump, he said Trump was giving him the opportunity to help America get healthier again.

The subsequent social media frenzy was accompanied by the “Make America Healthy Again” and the “Maha” hashtags. The acronym Maha was born.

New Jersey-based Jacqueline Capriotti volunteered for Kennedy’s campaign and defended the creation of the garden.

She is now leading the Victory Garden Alliance, which encourages people, communities and organizations to grow their own food.

“There’s a revival in growing our own food, supporting our local farms and knowing what’s in our food. The Bobby and the Maha movement sparked that interest,” Capriotti told the Epoch Times.

“We need this. Our kids need this. It’s important that they understand how the food grows and where it comes from. It inspires a healthier new generation as they become smarter consumers.”

Capriot calls what’s happening in the Maha movement a “health revolution.” She works to educate elected officials and political candidates.

“Many of us who worked on the presidential campaign didn’t stop our goal when it was over. That’s an example of how Maha is a move that isn’t connected to one person,” Capriotti said.

These plans are one of the Maha movement’s initiatives, along with encouraging Americans to grow their own food and buy and produce meat from farmers that do not use pesticides or toxins.

Jeffrey Rose is a New York-based sleep specialist, hypnotherapist and addiction recovery coach who helps raise funds for America’s Value 2024, the super PAC that lined up with Kennedy during the presidential election. He says that the “passion for change” that was instilled in the interim has motivated many volunteers to continue their efforts on the Maha issues that are important to them.

Rose is now focusing on what he is calling health issues that require more discussion and emphasis.

He is an organization consisting of clinical professionals who later became the Legislative Coordinator for New York and work to change the start times for high schools in the United States.

Rose said that Kennedy presidential election volunteers came from all backgrounds.

“We had Republicans, Democrats, libertarians, independents, people who were passionate about removing chemicals from our food, people who advocate for informed consent, vaccine safety, and medical freedom.

“Maha is a movement that started a few years ago, but it had its official name last August, and it is the first time that it has become a mainstream media interest.”

Calley Means has advised Trump and Kennedy on health care policies and is now serving as a counsellor to Kennedy.

He believes it is the grassroots efforts of supporters and groups across the country that will help you achieve results.

“This movement has energy and impatience, both of which are strengths,” Mess said. He is the founder of True Med, a platform aimed at enabling health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts for the costs associated with healthy living.

“This is a long-term plan and requires time and tenacity to continue winning. I think Maha is a lasting move that lasts longer than Bobby Kennedy and President Trump,” he said.

“It’s a long-term journey to truly revolutionize the agricultural and healthcare systems.”

Del Bigtree, host of “The HighWire” and founder of the Informed Consent Action Network, served as communications director during Kennedy’s campaign. He is currently CEO of MAHA Action PAC, who advocates policies such as transparency in vaccine safety information, improving access to overall health care, researching the food industry and addressing the impact of businesses on government health agencies.

PAC is also a Pro Maha, making its debut national directory of doctors who prioritize lifestyle adjustments over prescription drugs.

The organization has a database that tracks health-related laws in states around the country.

“There are times when drugs and surgery are needed, but that means something went wrong. How can we prevent more people from having a healthy state? Do they not need to reach the point where they need those drugs and surgery to encourage them to change their lifestyle? That’s part of the focus of Maha Action.”

“Maha is not limited to what happens in the government, and should not be limited to it. To achieve long-term outcomes, there must be public education and public pressure on the government,” he added.

Jeff Hutt, former national field director of the Kennedy Campaign, is currently the outreach director of Make America Healthy Again PAC and was founded by 12 former senior presidential campaign staff members.

Initially, the PAC focused on confirming Kennedy as Health Secretary. Hutt said the organization is currently focused on supporting candidates at the state and local level who will accept the MAHA platform.

The work includes state-level activities to encourage the passage of Maha-friendly bills and election of Pro Maha candidates.

“Americans are disillusioned with Washington, DC, and there has been a growing understanding since Covid that you need to think of your local area to make substantial changes. You need to take action in your own town and in your state,” Hutt said.

“What’s going on in all states across the country that have no connection with Secretary Kennedy is driving the Maha movement outside of the Trump administration,” Hutt said.

During the Kennedy confirmation process, groups such as Maha Action, Maha PAC, American Value Pack, and short for Freedom of Health killed phone calls, emails and letters urging candidates to support.

Sayer Ji, chairman and co-founder of the Global Wellness Forum and founder of Greenmedinfo.com, is also co-founder of Health Freedom, a nonprofit advocate for informed consent, custody, religious freedom, freedom of speech and privacy.

“The grassroots movement behind the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation fight proves that real change will rise from scratch,” Zi told the Epoch Times.

“Senator Parum worked to silence him, but that was a people, an increasingly speaking majority, stepped up,” he said. “They reminded us that political survival depends not on the dollars of the industry, but on the will of the people.”

Ji said the Maha movement has a broad focus and will remain here.

“It’s about regaining medical freedom, body autonomy and the right to informed choice,” he said. “It’s no longer a niche issue, it’s a demand for accountability, transparency and the end of a policy that benefits people.

“The future of Maha is in the hands of this awakening majority.”