Childhood chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, asthma, anxiety, and depression are rising sharply, with nearly one in five U.S. children obese and one in seven teens experiencing mental disorders
On February 13, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14212 establishing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, chaired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to address children's health
The Commission identified four main drivers of childhood chronic disease — poor diet, toxic chemical exposures, lack of physical activity combined with chronic stress, and overmedicalization through unnecessary prescriptions
The Commission's strategy rests on four pillars — advancing research, realigning incentives and systems, increasing public awareness, and fostering private sector collaboration, creating a comprehensive plan to reverse the health crisis
Key reforms include stricter food safety rules, updated infant nutrition standards, greater transparency in healthcare, expanded mental health support, and partnerships that put real food and prevention at the center of children's lives

Episode 99: Oliver de la Paz, Pantoum Beginning and Ending with Thorns