"I've Been Doing Some Research": Wellness, Mistrust, and the Space Between

In this episode of Pharmacy Focus Oncology Edition, Forrest N. Ridgway, PharmD, BCOP, a clinical pharmacy specialist in malignant hematology with a focus on ambulatory oncology practice, discusses the growing impact of wellness culture, health misinformation, and artificial intelligence on cancer care decision-making.

The conversation explores how large language models, social media, and direct-to-consumer wellness marketing are reshaping the information landscape for oncology patients—and the clinical risks that follow when that information is incomplete, presented without context, or simply wrong. The speakers examine the alternative and controversial therapies that patients bring up in the clinic, from intravenous infusion lounges and herbal supplements such as green tea extract, turkey tail, and black seed oil to repurposed drugs including ivermectin and mebendazole. Along the way, they highlight clinically significant drug-supplement interactions, underscore the evidence gaps that make these conversations so complex, and discuss the emotional and psychological forces—mistrust, vulnerability, loss of agency—that drive patients toward these options in the first place.