Earlier this month, Netflix released a six-episode limited series inspired by “a true story based on a lie,” targeting Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson.

“Apple Cider Vinegar,” reflects Gibson’s strong belief in wellness cure-alls, including homemade remedies, miracle balms and healthy recipes that she claimed cured her terminal brain cancer.

In the 2010s, Gibson started to gain traction online when she falsely posted that she was diagnosed with a stage four brain cancer — glioblastoma. She fed people lies that she was only given between six weeks and four months to live but that alternative wellness therapies had cured her.

She was a beacon of hope for people struggling with illness, portraying herself as a sick mother who decided to take matters into her own hands and, against all odds, recovered.

Gibson began to encourage those who actually are sick to abandon traditional medical treatments.

While the series fictionalized some aspects, including several characters, the show intentionally dramatized real-life moments, making the story much more unusual, tragic and memorable.

It has you praying for the inevitable downfall of her wellness empire.

Kaitlyn Dever plays Gibson and perfectly captures the manipulative nature of her character, painting herself as a victim in every situation to gain sympathy from everyone in her life.

A self-proclaimed wellness guru, Gibson used her “brain cancer” to monetize her fame with an app called “The Whole Pantry,” which offered recipes claiming to cure cancer.

The app launched successfully, amassing 200,000 downloads in a month and was picked up by Apple in 2013. In the early stages of Instagram, her account, @healing_belle, gained a massive following and increased exposure.

Along with her public scams, endorsing various wellness “cure-alls” for the disease she never had, she neglected the various charities she had vowed to donate the majority of her earnings to.

Gibson also breached the consumer law. Of all the money she made, only 2% of it was donated to charity, according to ABC.

Her platform takes advantage of, and exploits patients who feel like a number in the healthcare industry. Those seeking someone to fight for them and remind them they’re not alone. Someone who has been through what they have and survived.

This show blurs the lines between belief and scientific fact, between perceived wellness and health — showing how misinformation thrives in gaps left by an inaccessible healthcare system.

“Apple Cider Vinegar” reveals a dark side of the wellness movement — the dangers of a $6.3 trillion industry.

Wellness assertions made by influencers can quickly spiral out of control, especially regarding the connection of nutrition to healing the body.

It’s a gray area where anyone feels qualified to give advice, whether promoting an extreme detox diet or unregulated supplements that will “heal” the body.

Throughout her fame, Gibson recommends countless medical treatments to her trusting followers despite having no medical qualifications.

To help decipher the online noise from reality, Liza Osagie-Clouard, a medical expert, has called for stricter regulations around health-related content to prevent influencers, whether intentional or not, from misleading impressionable followers.

Regulations, she said, should simply require “scientific evidence for health-related products while being held accountable for misinformation.”

Gibson caused irreparable harm within the wellness community, damage that she still hasn’t paid for. In 2017, Australia’s federal court found her guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct and fined her over $410,000.

To this day, Gibson has never faced any criminal charges, though authorities have said they’re still pursuing her.

The wellness industry offers real benefits, from encouraging mindfulness about mental health to reshaping how we prioritize self-care. Our well-being is so important, but the key is distinguishing evidence-based wellness practices from pseudoscientific claims.

It is even clearer now with “Apple Cider Vinegar” how easily misinformation spreads and how vital it is to demand accountability in an industry that thrives on trust.