The Courage to Question: Why RFK Jr. and the MAHA Commission Are Not the Enemy
Let’s get something straight: questioning the overprescription of stimulants for ADHD is not anti-science. It’s the beginning of an honest conversation — one that’s decades overdue.
Earlier this week, ADDitude Magazine published a reactionary and deeply biased article titled “MAHA Commission Means Fear, Stigma, Health Threats for Two-Thirds of ADDitude Readers.” In it, the author, Anni Layne Rodgers, condemned the MAHA Commission and its chairman, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for daring to evaluate how we treat children with ADHD in this country — specifically calling into question the unchecked use of psychiatric medications, including stimulants.
Let’s be clear: this kind of condemnation is exactly why we’re stuck in a broken system.
The Real Threat Is Silence
Rodgers paints RFK Jr. and the commission as fear-mongers. But what they’re doing — finally — is what the ADHD community desperately needs: asking hard questions about a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical empire that has turned kids into lifetime customers of chemical solutions.
We now know, thanks to data referenced in The New York Times, that stimulant medications stop showing benefit after three years. Worse, we’re now seeing evidence — including from prominent cardiologists like Dr. Evan Levine — that long-term stimulant use can increase the risk of cardiomyopathy by 57% in young, otherwise healthy adults.
So I ask you: How is it fear-mongering to ask whether these drugs are being overprescribed?
How is it a “health threat” to suggest that maybe — just maybe — pumping kids full of amphetamines for 20 years might not be in their best interest?
When Journalism Becomes Propaganda
Rodgers doesn’t just critique the MAHA Commission — she weaponizes the personal experiences of select ADDitude readers to reinforce the idea that any questioning of ADHD medication is an attack on patients. It’s not. It’s a call for accountability.
No one — not RFK Jr., not the commission, and not me — is saying that all medications are bad or should be banned. What we are saying is this:
ADHD is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that requires nuanced care — not lifetime chemical dependency.
Yet Rodgers and ADDitude have become de facto mouthpieces for a pharma-driven model that treats ADHD with a near-exclusive focus on pills, despite mountains of research on the importance of emotional regulation, sleep, nutrition, environment, and trauma-informed care.
They defend the status quo because they benefit from it — through ad partnerships, clinician endorsements, and an ideology that treats alternative views as threats rather than conversation starters.
The ADHD Med Crisis Is Real — and RFK Jr. Is Right to Investigate
I’ve lived this story. I was put on stimulants at 8 years old. I know what it feels like to have your sense of self distorted by pills designed to improve performance but that end up numbing joy, creativity, and connection. I’ve spent the last decade rebuilding myself — and helping others do the same through coaching, holistic protocols, and the work we do at Bonding Health.
And let me tell you — the stimulant crisis is very real.
Here’s what the medical establishment and ADDitude aren’t telling you:
Rates of stimulant use have exploded. According to recent CDC data, prescriptions for Adderall and similar drugs rose more than 45% since 2020.
Pharma profits off our kids. ADHD stimulant sales surpassed $13 billion in 2023. That’s not care — that’s capitalism.
We’re ignoring emotional regulation. Most families I work with have never been taught simple nervous system tools before medication was prescribed.
We’re seeing damage to the brain. Research from Dr. Leonard Sax and others shows that chronic stimulant use can shrink the nucleus accumbens — the very center of motivation.
So again, I ask: Why is it wrong to investigate this? Why is it wrong to ask whether we’ve gone too far?
ADHD Is Not a Disorder of Adderall Deficiency
Let me speak directly to the parents, educators, and ADHD professionals reading this:
You are not anti-science if you question the stimulant-first model. You are not reckless for wondering whether long-term chemical intervention is hurting your child more than helping. You are not dangerous for exploring tools that don’t come in a bottle.
You are brave.
You are the future of this movement.
And if RFK Jr. and the MAHA Commission have the guts to ask the questions that need asking — even in the face of backlash from establishment-friendly outlets like ADDitude — then they deserve our respect, not our condemnation.
We Need Options — Not Absolutes
Let me be clear: medication should remain on the table. For some, it’s lifesaving. But it should not be the first tool — and it should never be the only one.
That’s why I created PKJ Coaching and co-founded Bonding Health — to offer a real alternative.
We help families taper safely, heal naturally, and build resilience through tools like:
Emotional regulation
Nutritional support
Exercise and sleep optimization
Somatic practices and Qiks™ (our in-app emotional resets)
We’re not anti-medication. We’re anti-dependency. We’re pro-choice — in the truest sense.
To Anni Rodgers and ADDitude: We See You
Your fear-driven narrative doesn’t reflect the full story. It reflects a system protecting its power. You claim to speak for two-thirds of readers who are “afraid” — but I speak for the millions of families who feel failed by this system.
They don’t need more medication.
They need more truth.
They need more tools.
They need someone willing to say what too many are afraid to say:
The overprescription of stimulants is not care. It’s convenience.
And it's time we ended it.
👉 Want real solutions? Visit www.pkjcoaching.com or follow us @pkjcoaching for tools that help you reclaim your clarity, naturally.
If you’re an ADHD coach, educator, or parent ready to be part of the change — reach out. Let’s build this movement together.
