celeb-health-trends-shouldnt-try
photography by istock

4 Celeb-Endorsed Health Trends You Probably Shouldn’t Try

Gone are the days of pulling all-nighters (and bragging about it) and in are the days of getting a solid 8-hours sleep. It’s 2019, and we’re obsessed with the idea of eating clean, clearing our minds and exercising our way to good health. It’s a positive change but anything can be taken to the extreme, and we all know celebs take their health trends to the extreme. Here, 4 celebrity-endorsed health trends you probably shouldn’t try.

Celery Juice

Even if you aren’t one to keep up with health trends, someone in your life has probably tried to sell you on the magic of celery juice. However, does the bitter green liquid really help with psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome, acne, and basically every other medical issue? Kim Kardashian, Hannah Bronfman and Jenna Dewan may try to convince you, but according to nutritionists there’s currently no science that backs up these claims. Don’t get us wrong: the crunchy fibre- and vitamin-rich veggie is great for you. The problem lies within juicing. Feeding produce through a juicer strips it of its fibre, which is what leaves you feeling full and satisfied. (Fibre also contributes to good gut health.) What you are, however, left with is a ton of sugar. So it’s probably best to pass up on drinking celery juice, and instead toss it into a healthy meal.

Colonic Hydrotherapy

Full disclosure: I had no idea a colonic was anything other than a medical treatment… until I went down the rabbit hole of celebs who receive enemas in spa-like luxury. You read that right. A long list of A-listers opt for frequent (sometimes several times a week) flushes of their bowels by means of a tube, copious amounts of water and their colon. Gwyneth Paltrow went as far as to suggest Goop readers try it themselves at home with a coffee enema. Not only is getting a colonic expensive, but it’s extremely dangerous. Improperly-cleaned equipment may result in contracting infections like Hepatitis B and C. There’s also the risk of perforating your bowel or colon during the procedure. And even if you do come out unscathed, the process interferes with the natural bacteria that lines your gut (which is meant to be there!) so please, consider doing your business the natural way.

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is everywhere these days. It’s used in face masks, teeth whitening products and even in drinks (both virgin and alcoholic). But should you be trying this trend out? When it comes to external body parts, have at it! But ingesting activated charcoal is a whole other story. It isn’t inherently bad for you. In fact, it’s used in hospitals on patients who have ingested poison or have overdosed on medication. In these cases the activated charcoal binds onto toxins, preventing them from being absorbed into the bloodstream. The charcoal is then passed naturally. If, however, there are no serious toxins in your body, the charcoal may bind to certain medications you may be taking, preventing them from being fully absorbed. And, in the case that you’re toxin- AND medication- free, activated charcoal is said to slow down your bowels which can result in constipation.

Vitamin IV Drips

Rihanna, Chrissy Teigen and Kendall Jenner have all undergone vitamin IV drips, however, the latter made news last year when she was hospitalized after a “bad reaction” to the procedure. Vitamin IV drips have been around for decades. The trend, in which vitamins are administered intravenously, was popularized by Dr. John Myers in the 1960s, and is said to help boost the immune system and replenish lost electrolytes and vitamins. In an interview with Vogue, New York-based anesthesiologist, Dr. Jonathann Kuo explains that medical history should always be taken into account before the undergoing procedure. “There are some vitamins and substances that react with each other,” he says, adding that most infusions are actually not necessary.