The wellness world is tired of being discredited. That’s the message, anyway. I see it more often now – on curated grids, in captioned rants nestled between pseudoscience and supplements: “Science doesn’t have all the answers. Just because it’s not peer-reviewed doesn’t mean it’s not real.”

And here’s where I pause.

I’ve studied science. I’ve walked hospital halls, read through dry, dense research publications that didn’t fit in an Instagram post. I know the difference between something feeling true and something being provably true. What’s quietly happening in the wellness space is a rewriting of the rules – rules that science still has to follow, but they, apparently, do not.

Wellness influencers want to be taken seriously. They want to offer solutions, guidance, and even – let’s be honest – revenue-generating products, but when those solutions haven’t been tested, validated, replicated, or peer-reviewed, they are asking for something quite different than credibility. They’re asking for trust without accountability.

Science isn’t perfect, but it’s designed to be challenged. A study only means something if it can be repeated, if its results hold up under scrutiny. Claims are interrogated, funding is declared, conflicts of interest are examined. You don’t get to skip all of that and then say you’re being silenced when someone asks for receipts.

This isn’t about silencing wellness. It’s about recognizing that you can’t expect to be treated like a legitimate source of health advice and refuse to follow the standards that make health advice trustworthy in the first place.

The argument that “science discredits us” might sound righteous and brave – but it conveniently ignores the fact that many wellness claims have never earned credibility to begin with. They were never discredited. They were never even vetted.

There’s a difference between being dismissed unfairly and being questioned appropriately. Between being suppressed and being scrutinized. What some call “discrediting” is often just someone asking, “What’s your evidence?” and getting nothing back but a reel, a vibe, and a long caption about “energy flow.”

When scientists make a claim, they expect someone to try to tear it down. That’s part of the process. It doesn’t mean they’re being attacked—it means they’re doing science. But in some corners of wellness, any criticism is instantly framed as oppression. And that’s not empowerment. That’s evasion.

So no, we’re not the ones discrediting wellness. We’re asking it to rise to the same standard it demands respect from. Because if you want to influence someone’s health, you don’t get to build your empire on feelings alone. You need proof.

And if your ideas are strong enough to stand on their own, then why are you so afraid to let them be tested?

Maybe the real question isn’t why science doesn’t trust wellness.
Maybe it’s why wellness doesn’t trust itself enough to be challenged.