Outspoken doctor and Goop critic Jen Gunter is known for her hot takes on vaginal health, abortion restrictions, and some of the more controversial Gwyneth Paltrow-backed wellness trends.
B次元官网网址淢y feature and my flaw is bravery,B次元官网网址� Gunter says of her no-holds-barred tactics on social media and in interviews, adding sheB次元官网网址檚 not afraid to B次元官网网址渟hameB次元官网网址� those she feels are spreading misinformation and exploiting the vulnerable.
But while GunterB次元官网网址檚 quippy delivery and online prowess have cast her as a firebrand, she insists she never envisioned that identity for herself when she studied medicine in Winnipeg and London, Ont.
B次元官网网址淚 was very impacted by the second wave of feminism and I think I really believed that at this point in my life as a 52-year-old woman that we wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be fighting for these things B次元官网网址� we wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be fighting for bodily autonomy; we wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be fighting for access to all the types of health care that we need, and yet we are. So I felt that if people are listening to me that I have a duty to speak up.B次元官网网址�
Gunter, now based in the San Francisco Bay area, does exactly that in a new docuseries for CBCB次元官网网址檚 streaming service Gem, in which she tackles womenB次元官网网址檚 health in 10 episodes 12-to-15 minutes long. Topics include menstruation, the wellness industry and vaccines.
B次元官网网址淛ensplainingB次元官网网址� begins streaming Friday, while GunterB次元官网网址檚 book, B次元官网网址淭he Vagina Bible,B次元官网网址� came out earlier this week.
During a recent stop in Toronto, Gunter sat down at CBC headquarters to discuss her mission to be B次元官网网址渁n advocate for good health information.B次元官网网址�
The Canadian Press: Doctors face backlash for speaking politically, but you seem unfazed by that.
Gunter: This idea that the health of the public isnB次元官网网址檛 a concern for physicians is incorrect. We care for people whether theyB次元官网网址檙e in our office or globally. I mean we talked about vaccines B次元官网网址� thatB次元官网网址檚 the health of the public B次元官网网址� we talked about seatbelts, thatB次元官网网址檚 the health of the public, bicycle helmets. Incorrect information can harm us in so many ways. We see individual harm in the office but we also see people voting to have fluoride removed from water because of unfounded fears. This can affect us all in so many negative ways and I just kept thinking that if people were listening to me, I really had a duty to do it right.
CP: How do you handle social media backlash?
Gunter: IB次元官网网址檝e had to get people involved at higher levels at Facebook and on Twitter B次元官网网址� although Twitter doesnB次元官网网址檛 really take threats very seriously, unfortunately. Unless youB次元官网网址檙e somebody threatening a white man B次元官网网址� and not even really making a threat B次元官网网址� then thatB次元官网网址檚 seriousB次元官网网址�. Fortunately, I donB次元官网网址檛 care what anyone thinks about me so thatB次元官网网址檚 probably a positive feature. And I know who I am. I have a really good sense of self and I know what IB次元官网网址檓 doing is right.
CP: Where are we now in addressing vaccine misconceptions?
Gunter: People who are the hardcore (anti-vaxxers) are actually a minority and the most important thing that we can do is try to contain those views so they donB次元官网网址檛 contaminate the people that maybe donB次元官网网址檛 actually have all the information who are maybe more fear-driven.
CP: A lot of smart women know crystals arenB次元官网网址檛 magical but they enjoy having them. WhatB次元官网网址檚 the harm in that?
Gunter: A lot of people have used wellness as an excuse to have joy. So the analogy I always give is my shoes B次元官网网址� I love high-end shoes (and) I donB次元官网网址檛 kid myself that those shoes help the health of my feet in any wayB次元官网网址�. If having crystals on your counter or having expensive jars of beauty products sparks joy for you that way, thatB次元官网网址檚 OK. ThatB次元官网网址檚 totally fine. But thereB次元官网网址檚 a big difference between saying, B次元官网网址業 love all these different crystals, when I look at them itB次元官网网址檚 coolB次元官网网址� (and) saying, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檓 going to spend $85 on crystals because IB次元官网网址檓 really worried about my health, and I think thatB次元官网网址檚 going to help me get better.B次元官网网址�
CP: But women are not getting the information they need. So who has failed them?
Gunter: ItB次元官网网址檚 a global failure across the board. Medicine has long dismissed women. We have only had women in medicine, really, for 30 or 40 years and even then, I still have never had a female head of a department until recently in my whole career. IB次元官网网址檓 52. I didnB次元官网网址檛 even meet a female surgeon in my medical school and that was in the B次元官网网址�80s, so I didnB次元官网网址檛 have a female mentor to look up to in my training in OB-GYN.
CP: And then thereB次元官网网址檚 the abortion debate.
Gunter: I always say thereB次元官网网址檚 no abortion debate, thereB次元官网网址檚 an abortion discussion because a debate would mean one sideB次元官网网址檚 wrong and there is no wrong side. IB次元官网网址檓 pro-abortion. IB次元官网网址檓 happy to say that. Being pro-abortion doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean that IB次元官网网址檓 hauling women off subways telling them that they should have abortions. IB次元官网网址檓 pro-abortion in the same way IB次元官网网址檓 pro-appendectomy, or IB次元官网网址檓 pro-C-section or IB次元官网网址檓 pro-podiatry. If you have a medical condition or a situation where that procedure is indicated, great, then you should have it. And if you donB次元官网网址檛 have a situation where that procedure is indicated then you shouldnB次元官网网址檛 have it.
Abortion is health care and in Canada, weB次元官网网址檝e proved that. We donB次元官网网址檛 have abortion in the criminal code in Canada and women are not flocking to have buy-one-get-one free abortions with their best friends at malls. We can trust women and we can trust their providers. (And) we know studies tell us that laws B次元官网网址� donB次元官网网址檛 change the abortion rate, all they do is change the safety for the people having abortions. To say that abortion laws are pro-life is the exact opposite because itB次元官网网址檚 affecting the life of the pregnant person.
CP: Tell me about B次元官网网址淭he Vagina Bible.B次元官网网址� Are there any other wellness trends that get under your skin?
Gunter: The whole last chapter is dedicated to snake oil. Wellness is so funny B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 trendy and health care is not trendy. So I think weB次元官网网址檙e done with turmeric and weB次元官网网址檙e done with charcoal. With CBD, weB次元官网网址檙e still stuck in that and thereB次元官网网址檚 absolutely no science to say that it does anything useful. It might, we donB次元官网网址檛 know. It hasnB次元官网网址檛 been studied but I wouldnB次元官网网址檛 pay to put CBD in anything. But thatB次元官网网址檚 me. I like the science.
B次元官网网址� This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press
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