{"id":660994,"date":"2026-06-27T11:11:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T11:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/660994\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T11:11:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T11:11:12","slug":"21-dangerous-wellness-trends-health-experts-say-people-need-to-stop-falling-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/660994\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Dangerous Wellness Trends Health Experts Say People Need To Stop Falling For"},"content":{"rendered":"

Somewhere along the way, “wellness” went from drinking water and getting enough sleep to taking medical advice from a “looksmaxxing guru” on TikTok \ud83d\ude2d. So, we asked<\/a> health experts in the BuzzFeed Community<\/a> which trends people seriously need to stop falling for. From viral diets to sketchy products and dangerous internet fads, here’s what they advised:<\/p>\n

Note: Some responses were pulled from these Reddit threads: 1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. “People need to stop telling cancer patients to cut out sugar<\/a> to ‘starve’ the cancer. I heard that so much during my own cancer battle, and it was infuriating. Before I was diagnosed, I had basically stopped eating, and my cancer still spread like wildfire. So if my oncologist tells me to eat everything in sight, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”\"A<\/p>\n

Matthew Horwood \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

2. “Douches<\/a> and crotch deodorants<\/a> need to die forever. I taught and specialized in sex ed for many years, and douching can significantly increase your risk of getting an STI, especially viral STIs that stay in your body permanently. Even the new ‘natural’ stuff is bad for your parts. Your privates clean themselves, and if the odor is so bad that you’re worried other people can smell it, you probably need to see a doctor anyway.”<\/p>\n

\u2014colleend9<\/p>\n

3. “MLM diet products<\/a> need to stop being treated like harmless weight-loss hacks. I had a coworker lose teeth over one of those diets when they were brand new, and I’m so glad I listened when other coworkers told me to wait and see what she looked like in a year before buying it. These companies always make it sound like some rare, life-changing offer, when half the pitch is basically, ‘Message me if you want to lose 360 pounds in 10 days.'”\"A<\/p>\n

San Francisco Chronicle\/Hearst N \/ San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images<\/p>\n

4. “Chiropractors<\/a>. No thanks, I don’t want to have my spine messed with by something people treat like routine wellness care. I get that some people swear by it, but I don’t want a medical procedure that was invented by a literal ghost.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/Floyd_Pink<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: “Most People Won’t Pass This Basic 5th Grade Health Test \u2014 Can You?”<\/a><\/p>\n

5. “You don’t have to be a healthcare expert in order to know that injecting yourself full of peptides<\/a> is a terrible idea. What a truly horrifying trend.”\"A<\/p>\n

UCG \/ UCG\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

“The med spa drip menu and the gym locker room DIY version of amino injections are both a lot of money to avoid chewing a chicken breast.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/onda_life<\/a><\/p>\n

6. “I’m concerned by how casually people treat GLP-1s<\/a> as a set-it-and-forget-it way to eat less. Before my gastric bypass, I had six months of nutrition counseling, had to take special multivitamins, and had my micronutrient levels monitored. Rapid and significant weight loss can put people at risk for serious micronutrient deficiencies, but people talk about GLP-1s like there’s no monitoring needed at all.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/RNYGrad2024<\/a><\/p>\n

7. “Anything promoted by unqualified people on social media, like raw milk<\/a>, skinny teas, MLM products, and ‘miracle cures,’ is one of the most concerning trends. They’re either ineffective, a waste of your money, or actually harmful.”\"Bottles<\/p>\n

PATRICK T. FALLON \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

“Raw milk. You’d think pasteurization would be standard after the 1860s, but here we are.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/MrsTurtlebones<\/a><\/p>\n

8. “The supplement industry<\/a> lies every day. Many supplements have not been FDA tested and approved, and people are wasting money on pills and creams. Ask a doctor before buying random wellness products.”<\/p>\n

\u2014icychinchilla458<\/p>\n

Related: “After 4 Miscarriages In A Year, 2 Words From A Doctor Changed My Life”<\/a><\/p>\n

9. “Alkaline water<\/a>. Your body changes it the minute you swallow it \u2014 the water is not changing your body. That’s especially true with those expensive MLM water systems.”\"Shelves<\/p>\n

UCG \/ UCG\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n

“Alkaline water and cleanses can’t purge you from toxins. That’s why we’ve got kidneys and livers. If it goes beyond that, it’s poisoning, and that calls for much bigger help than ‘special water’ and laxatives.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/[deleted]<\/a><\/p>\n

10. “Tanning beds and sitting in the sun<\/a> for hours with no sunscreen need to stop making a comeback. As our parents age, we’re going to see more evidence of what that does, and I wouldn’t be shocked if tanning beds are completely banned one day. The scary part is that wellness grifters have people convinced that their food, vaccines, doctors, sunscreen, and everything else are trying to kill them.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/PocketGoblix<\/a><\/p>\n

11. “Looksmaxxing and extreme male health-influencer advice are getting horrifying. People are talking about smashing their faces with hammers<\/a> and taking horrible health practices from influencers who allegedly recommend things like meth for weight loss<\/a>.”\"X-ray<\/p>\n

Michael Houtz; Getty Images<\/p>\n

12. “You could fill an entire thread with Gwyneth Paltrow’s ideas<\/a>. She recommended yoni eggs that were supposed to improve muscle tone and balance hormones, and also advocated for mugwort steam treatments for the uterus. Goop ended up settling a $145,000 lawsuit<\/a> over unsubstantiated marketing claims.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/perpetualmotionmachi<\/a><\/p>\n

13. “There’s no evidence that cupping<\/a> has lasting or long-term benefits. There is slight evidence that it might provide temporary relief for muscle tightness, some sports injuries, or certain kinds of chronic pain, but most of that likely comes down to placebo effects and localized stimulation. Physical therapy would be a better option, but it’s much harder to access for people without insurance. There are also risks if the cupping is done incorrectly, which can add to pain and discomfort.”\"Glass<\/p>\n

SushiSu \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Related: “Doctors Are Warning Us To Pay Attention To These 5 Signs Of Bowel Cancer”<\/a><\/p>\n

“Cupping is not intended to be a long-term solution. At best, it may provide temporary symptom relief. Lasting improvement requires identifying and addressing the underlying cause of the pain, whether that involves rehabilitation, lifestyle changes, medical treatment, or another appropriate intervention.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/leelapeela<\/a><\/p>\n

14. “If you’re building muscle, protein can be beneficial. But if you aren’t, protein obsession<\/a> past a certain amount is a waste.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/WhereAreMySongs<\/a><\/p>\n

“The amounts dudes think everyone needs are wild. Even a higher amount needed due to age or activity still wouldn’t add up to the amounts people are discussing now.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/G235s<\/a><\/p>\n

15. “Cleanses and weight-loss quick fixes<\/a>. You have kidneys and a liver for a reason. We don\u2019t need all these ‘anti-bloat,’ ‘detox,’ and ‘weight-loss’ teas. We don’t need MLM products that promise to put you into ketosis or burn fat. None of it works. They’re either making your pee expensive or making you shit yourself.”\"Six<\/p>\n

South China Morning Post \/ South China Morning Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n

16. “Anyone who tries to convince me that eating fruit<\/a> is unhealthy can get straight out of here with that nonsense. It’s fruit, and I’m not going to feel guilty for eating it.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/Relevant_Function537<\/a><\/p>\n

“People act like fruit has ‘so much sugar,’ but it has fructose. Most foods have some form of sugar, whether it’s glucose, sucrose, fructose, or lactose. Unless you have an intolerance or allergy, you don’t need to cut it out entirely. Plus, the sweetness of many fruits can help curb sugar cravings in a healthier way than a donut.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/notsoreallybad<\/a><\/p>\n

17. “Extreme workouts<\/a> need to calm down. Tire slams, tire flipping, sledgehammer slamming, and all those workouts that act like everyone has to prove they’re some kind of warrior are ridiculous. My spouse is a veteran, and people love to say, ‘That’s how soldiers work out.’ No, they use weights and run.”\"Two<\/p>\n

Jose Luis Raota \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

18. “Keto has been hijacked<\/a> and turned into fad crap. I was on a dietitian-guided keto diet to control epilepsy for a few years, and real keto is not just ‘no carbs.’ I had to track everything and constantly monitor my levels. If you’re ‘doing keto’ but not tracking carbs, fats, and your actual levels, you’re not doing medical keto \u2014 you’re just on a low-carb diet.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/FlowerMaxPower<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: “Men Are Sharing The Slowest Ways To Ruin Your Life”<\/a><\/p>\n

19. “Carnivore diets<\/a>. I’ve heard from people who’ve done it that the first few weeks can mean persistent diarrhea. Also, why would you not include fruits and vegetables in your diet? It just feels like another pointless Joe Rogan<\/a>\/gym bro ‘biohacker’ fad. Just eat a normal, balanced diet.”\"Various<\/p>\n

Fascinadora \/ Getty Images \/ iStockphoto<\/p>\n

20. “Diet pills<\/a>. I’ve had to explain to people that a lot of those ‘skinny pills’ just make you poop so much that you lose weight you were already going to lose in the bathroom. Then you get dehydrated, feel awful, and gain it back anyway \u2014 assuming the pills even do anything in the first place.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/ohboyitskilljoy<\/a><\/p>\n

21. Lastly, “Anti-vax misinformation<\/a> is probably the most dangerous ‘wellness’ misinformation in the world.”\"People<\/p>\n

Mike Kemp \/ In Pictures via Getty Images<\/p>\n

“Vaccination denialism. After decades of vaccines preventing so many diseases \u2014 almost to the point of extinction \u2014 people suddenly started believing they were a hoax created by pharmaceutical companies to make money, that they caused autism, and that life-threatening illnesses were safer than the vaccines.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/Keobooks<\/a><\/p>\n

“One of my coworkers was getting lectured by friends and family about not vaccinating her future children. Her dad even told her to buy livestock lvermectin from the store and feed a bit of it to her hypothetical children every day instead. So many people have been scared into believing their food, vaccines, doctors, sunscreen, and everything else are trying to kill them.”<\/p>\n

\u2014u\/TheChocolateWarOf74<\/a><\/p>\n

So if you’re a doctor, nurse, nutritionist, or just someone who’s seen a dangerous wellness trend take over the internet, share it in the comments or fill out the anonymous form below \u2014 your response could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community<\/a> post!<\/p>\n

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and\/or clarity.<\/p>\n

Your daily brain workout: You Were Definitely A Gifted Kid If You Can Solve Today’s Word Chains<\/a><\/p>\n

Also in Health: “Lacking This 1 Mineral Might Be Why You’re Dealing With Brain Fog And Fatigue”<\/a><\/p>\n

Also in Health: “Women Are Bonding Over This Wild Thing We Might Have To Experience, And It’s Hysterical”<\/a><\/p>\n

Read it on BuzzFeed.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Somewhere along the way, “wellness” went from drinking water and getting enough sleep to taking medical advice from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":660995,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[11785,40217,1666,102,2960,221652,66709,221651,56,54,55,4405],"class_list":["post-660994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-alkaline-water","tag-drinking-water","tag-getty-images","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-matthew-horwood","tag-medical-advice","tag-mlm-products","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-weight-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660994\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}