The name Zach Bush elicits a variety of responses but of late it’s been an overwhelmingly gushy one. Speak to his converts, for like the angels of heaven, they too are legion, and you get a pretty standardized response. Zach Bush is, and I am quoting directly from supporters, a “saint”, a “godsend”, a “speaker of truths” and the unofficially anointed protector of many against the evils of modern medicine. These too, are apparently legion.
We know the levels of devotion Bush elicits, as his supporters continuously spam us with hate and righteous indignation.
Examining Zach Bush’s Health Cult
I wrote an article back in January of this year on Dr. Zack Bush, in which I categorized him as a quack, a new age one, but a quack nonetheless, based on many of his views. We won’t be listing links in this article unless they are to claims or statements we make. Bush receives enough promotion without having to rely on us.
The danger for all doctors, and even Dr. Bush is aware of this, is that no matter how much good you do, and I am certain he manages in his own way to achieve some good, jeopardizing the life of any patient, even one, with advice that negatively impacts the patient’s health and choice of care, is considered a cardinal medical sin.
To the extent that any good you may have in fact managed to achieve, can simply be set aside in an instant, negated by the damage, however co-incidental, of your misplaced advice. Such, I believe is the fate suffered by Zach Bush and all that is still open to debate is whether his preaching is based on misplaced belief or intentional deception.
In fairness to his very vocal and at times, insanely belligerent supporters, we decided to re-examine my earlier assessment of the good doctor. I’m saddened to say the indictment stands, and if anything, is now more pronounced.
The main problem posed by Zach Bush
A lot of what Bush proclaims is in fact true and I can easily find myself in agreement with some of his statements. I’ve even highlighted a few of these below to try and produce a more balanced overview of the man. There is however an incredibly important distinction that needs to be drawn early into this article, and if as a supporter of the man and his views, you’re not willing to concede the following, then this article most certainly won’t appeal to you.
If however, you remain open to logical and reasonable debate, let’s press ahead.
So to that distinction. Uttering truths some of the time, halfbaked or otherwise, does not mean I must or should interpret everything else you utter to be the gospel truth. Where health and wellness are concerned, especially our own health, we need to remain critical of everything we’re told. This statement doesn’t merely apply to the utterances of Zach Bush, it’s applicable across every sphere of healthcare, modern or alternate.
Health is not a religion of blind faith, it is a scientific study of the processes and diseases that affect our physiology, an effort to understand these processes, and where possible, to master them.
The problem, as I see it with Zach Bush, is that he manipulates the truths he professes to earn the undying and unquestioning loyalty of his followers. It’s an unhealthy position for any person to enjoy, irrespective of their chosen profession. It is the same failed logic that fuels the blind pursuit of religion and it most certainly has no place in healthcare.
It’s also a position Bush does nothing to discourage and it exposes the people who buy into his new-age vision of healthcare to complete and utter exploitation.
Let’s examine a few of the controversial statements he’s made of late.
Zach Bush on the mitochondria
Bush believes that the root of all chronic diseases can be traced to the malfunctioning of the mitochondria in our cells. In a roundabout way, there is some scientific validation to this statement, as emerging science, documented in various journals, confirms the active involvement of mitochondria in many, but not all diseases. Note the use of the word INVOLVEMENT.
It is a very simple matter to quote this science to your millions of followers. Making the jump or inference, however, from “associated with” to “responsible for all” is where the wheels come off.
There is zero scientific evidence to back this claim. Absolutely not one shred and I challenge anyone reading this to produce it, including Bush if he happens across this piece. It’s a childish logic flaw, which Bush has exploited to legitimize his theories. You may as well call out the nostrils as being responsible for all disease. Every human has them and they’ve been noted in all cases of disease therefore they must be to blame.
None of the scientific literature suggests that mitochondria are at the root of all diseases. They are merely present and play a role. So are the nostrils.
Zach Bush on Germ Theory
The entirety of Bush’s germ theory rests on a common false construct, that in many ways is reminiscent of the anti-vaxx campaigner’s insistence that the MMR vaccine causes autism. The MMR fallacy has been proven to be a fabrication concocted by Dr. Andrew Wakefield (now thankfully banned from practicing medicine) to promote his own vaccine in place of the MMR.
Germ denialism has been proven to be complete nonsense and Bush’s insistence that the viral and bacterial worldsare not to blame for disease and infections boggles the mind.
Here’s a fact to kick us off. Viruses, bacteria, and parasites of all sorts are very real, can very much cause disease and do. Ask anyone in India currently battling for breath from a Covid infection what their opinions on viruses are.
According to Bush, they’ve all brought it on themselves. If he is in fact so sure that viruses and bacteria are not the cause of disease, why does he pursue antibiotics and pesticides so aggressively, falsely labeling, for instance, the pesticide glyphosate (a synthetic compound which is a nonselective systemic herbicide, particularly effective against perennial weeds) as an antibiotic, which it most certainly is not?
The glyphosate is an interesting case in point so let’s stay with that for a moment. Why would Bush describe it as an antibiotic? It is simply a lack of understanding on his part and poor research. Licensing of the compound was based on its antimicrobial properties, which allowed it to include the category of antibiotic during the licensing process, increasing access to funds for later research.
The product works by impacting the Shikimate pathway in plants, a mechanism absent in mammals and humans. While it may exhibit antimicrobial properties in plants, glyphosate cannot be classified as an antibiotic. It’s an easy mistake to make and the result of sloppy research.
So rather than killing us, according to Bush, viruses exist merely to update our genetic software. They are innocent and innocuous messengers of genetic code, life’s happy little programmers. If you happen to fall ill it’s the fault of pesticide manufacturers and antibiotics that have corrupted your system’s ability to be happy and healthy. This absolute drivel, particularly given the current pandemic, doesn’t even justify a response.
Pasteur provided ample evidence in support of his germ theory, as did Koch after him, and thousands of microbiologists following in their footsteps, to the point where the germ theory of disease is as established as the theory of evolution, plate tectonics, and a round planet (no, its not flat, unless of course Bush proclaims it to be) that revolves around a stationary sun. To me, the most simple deconstruction of this nonsense idea is to be found in the remote jungles of South America.
Tribes previously unknown to man were discovered in the course of the 1900s by explorers venturing into previously inaccessible portions of South America’s jungles. These tribes had no prior exposure to modern-day toxins or antibiotics, living a life of complete isolation. Contact with outsiders soon decimated their villages as they died in large numbers, stricken by viruses and bacteria they had never previously encountered. An unwelcome and unintended gift shared by the explorers. Viruses kill, bacteria kill, no matter your health status or toxicity levels.
No doubt, had Bush been around, he would have saved the unfortunate villagers with a tonic and a little positive earth energy.
Zach Bush is the not anti, anti-vaccinist
Bush is outspoken about the covid vaccine and you’re unlikely to find his converts queueing outside the local covid vaccination center, patiently awaiting their shot. A far more likely course of action for his followers is the path he so disingenuously guides them down. Purchasing his products and following his advice in the hopes of boosting their immune systems. Here’s a news flash for converts of the Zach Bush Church of Health.
Under the right circumstances, the coronavirus will kill you, irrespective of your immune system. You can be a yoga monk perched among the rocks in the Himalayas or an Olympic athlete. If you have an undiagnosed physiological condition, are in an at-risk category, or possess a genetic predisposition towards Covid (these are documented) then it’s got your ticket punched. All the immunity, Youtube video’s and supplements in the world aren’t going to save you, but the vaccine probably will. At least, you’ll give your body a fighting chance.
Zach Bush on Autism
Autism is possibly the most used and abused condition by alternate health gurus and quacks. As modern medicine has come up pretty much empty-handed, opportunists seize on this to offer up their own theories and treatments, and while I am not discounting the possibility that someone, somewhere may have identified the actual root cause of autism, I doubt it’s Bush.
I also seriously question the wisdom of him offering an opinion on the disease if he fails to understand the simple concept of passive immunity, that mothers pass on their immunity to their newborn children, who benefit from it after birth, allowing their little bodies time to develop their own defenses. They arent “perfectly balanced against disease and organisms” as Bush ridiculously claims, they are in fact sporting mom’s immunity.
I would be more than a little cautious in even entertaining Bush for an instant on the topic of autism.
Generations of scientists, far better qualified than Dr. Bush, have been examining autism for decades. The fact their research is only now starting to yield marginal success in understanding the disease doesn’t entitle Bush to share insights possibly obtained from a spiritual interlude with a tree.
Particularly when that advice may lead a very vulnerable sector of the community to begin experimenting on their children based on his ramblings. His reference to the runaway incidence of autism is also complete nonsense. We’ve dealt with that before and you can refer to our older article on him.
The Health Cult Lives
We are sorry to dash the hearts and minds of thousands across the globe, ardent supporters who latch onto Zach Bush’s every word but the facts, if viewed objectively, are damning in their conclusion. Dr. Bush is a quack par excellence, a gifted and highly intelligent orator and businessman who has lost the plot, either intentionally or through a firm belief in the deluded principles he espouses.
It’s hard to imagine that someone boasting his education would follow his current course out of mistaken beliefs, but we will allow him the benefit of the doubt.
Either way, with con artists and grifters, there are always financial rewards, and Bush masks his monetization strategies behind his clinics, websites, therapeutic courses, and health products he markets to his eager flock. It is, as I’ve noted before, the slickest of slick operations, carefully orchestrated and flawlessly executed.
In many ways, Bush has perfected the alternative health scam, connecting health and the environment in a seamless package he pawns incessantly to his followers, and I am certain aspiring quacks look to his model for inspiration. His work is littered with trending catchphrases, ideas like “optimize your gut brain”, “gut brain connection”, “natural ancient soil extracts”, “regenerative agriculture” and “soil extracts that work’. The eco-health warrior has arrived.
Where real solid science is concerned, however, Bush has long since parted company with it. It no longer serves his purpose, other than to selections of choice misrepresentations, abused for the sake of validating his lie. While he may not be the most ethical doctor we’ve ever encountered, he’d make one hell of a poker player. Watch your wallets!
Zach Bush, MD, images are all used in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, commonly known as “fair use law”. This material is distributed without profit with the intent to provide commentary, review, education, and increase public health knowledge.
