Americans have a long history of being drawn to medical claims that lack scientific backing, from the 18th century to today. This pattern is not new, as seen in the 1897 claim by a Baptist minister that gold could be extracted from seawater near Lubec, Maine, or the 1925 product Radithor, marketed as a "cure for the living dead" but which actually poisoned users with radiation. The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry later found that Charles Stanley's "snake oil liniment," which claimed to cure a wide range of ailments, was primarily mineral oil with some other additives. Though the term "snake oil" may have originated from Chinese laborers using oil from a specific snake with possible anti-inflammatory properties, the product itself was largely ineffective. Dr. Lydia Kang, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and author of Quackery, explains that people are naturally driven by a deep desire to live long, healthy lives, making them vulnerable to such claims. Other experts suggest that sociological and evolutionary factors also play a role in the attraction to unproven or disproven medical ideas. While this phenomenon is not unique to the U.S., the country's culture of optimism, individualism, and lightly regulated capitalism can amplify the appeal of these claims. Dr. Tali Sharot, a neuroscience professor at University College London, explains that people don't necessarily hold beliefs to create an accurate view of the world, but rather to gain rewards and avoid harm. Sometimes these beliefs are accurate, but sometimes they are not. False beliefs can still offer a sense of community and belonging. For example, the belief that vaccines cause autism—despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary—has created a sense of shared anger or fear among like-minded individuals. Hope and belief can also provide a temporary boost to mood and mental health, similar to the way people buy lottery tickets, knowing they are likely to lose money but still finding value in the hope of a better future. This is also seen in the appeal of supplements and techniques that promise benefits unlikely to materialize, offering a sense of anticipation or excitement. These tendencies leave people vulnerable to exploitation by companies that profit from hope and desperation. Throughout U.S. history, when a hint of potential benefit emerges, companies often capitalize on it, especially targeting those who are hurting, tired, or scared. For example, during the yellow fever epidemic in 1793, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, used extreme methods like bloodletting, which caused significant suffering among patients. Today, the pursuit of longevity has led to interest in drugs like rapamycin, which has extended lifespans in yeast, flies, and mice. Successful drugs like insulin and the weight loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound are peptides, which have sparked an industry marketing other peptides with unproven and untested claims of increasing muscle growth, speeding recovery, and fighting aging. These trends echo historical patterns of medical quackery. True breakthroughs and powerful anecdotes have also fueled expectations. Medical advances and vaccinations have nearly eliminated childhood diseases that once killed up to half of children before age 5. Life expectancy in the U.S. has risen from 47 years in 1900 to 79 years today, raising questions about the limits of human longevity. This progress may make people more susceptible to current claims, especially with the rise of social media, which constantly delivers messages from influencers and hawkers promoting unproven treatments. Dr. Kang notes that the current situation is worse than ever before, with social media amplifying claims and trusted figures promoting unproven treatments. The U.S. health system's complexity and high cost may also drive people to seek alternatives, even if they are unproven. The nation's history of belief in quackery continues, with new schemes and products emerging to exploit the same human desires and vulnerabilities.