Evidence Based Health Promotion: Correcting health misinformation
Where do you get your health information? Who do you trust to provide you health advice? Some people look to the internet, some look to social media and others look to the stars and want to live a life that they are portraying as the “healthiest”. Today we are going to myth bust Goop, and look at the health advice provided under Gwyneth Paltrow’s business line and use this as an example of how important it is that you find evidence based sources to help you with your health care decisions.
Goop has been famous for suggesting that you should get stung by bees to help address old injuries, or to steam your vagina to increase your hormones, or even to have colon cleanses to hydrate you. To the uninformed viewer, seeing the power of the stars and how beautiful, happy and healthy they appear, it is palatable to want to follow these pieces of advice especially when backed with names and credentials. But not all credentials are accurate on these health articles. Timothy Caulfield has been studying pseudoscience and addressing the myths through his books and blogs. All to often our celebrities take on a topic and make a stand, that is often not evidence based but because of their popularity, the public is drawn to believe their version of events.
Celebrity Cruise line has now subscribed to the Goop lifestyle and is offering lifestyle cruises now with some of the therapies promoted by this group on their ships. When you think of the reach that this type of influence has, one would think that they would only back fully evidence based therapies, would they not?
Goop webpage has links to many articles, one example is an article written about baby teeth and how the metal content in teeth is an indicator or predictor of Autism Spectrum disorder. They are saying there is a correlation between meal presence and the disorder. The article link is here, https://goop.com/wellness/health/what-can-baby-teeth-tell-us-about-autism-and-heavy-metals/
If you take this topic to a scholarly reviewed article in the library, Abdullah, M., et al ( 2012) studied this very topic, and found no medical evidence to support this correlation. It is interesting to note that a average google search on the topic links back to the medical team employed by Goop and is sharing the same message around the linkages that exist.
The message I wanted to ensure you all left with today, is to create a curious mind! Don’t be swayed by stardom, or fads. When you need health advice, go to credible peer reviewed, scholarly reviewed advice that is based upon research. If you have difficulty sorting the tremendous amount of material on the web, reach out to a friend in the health care system, or try searching under Google Scholar. At least by using this pathway, you have more potential to get information that is based on research.
Is Goop a great site and a growing company, yes it most definitely is! Is it the best place for you to get all your health advice, probably not. Treat your health advice as you do your financial investments, seek trusted sources, and verify the credibility before you invest in it!
Abdullah, M., Ly, A., Goldberg, W., Clarke-Stewart, K., Dudgeon, J., Mull, C., Chan, T., Kent, E., Mason, A., & Ericson, J. (2012). Heavy Metal in Children’s Tooth Enamel: Related to Autism and Disruptive Behaviors? Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 929–936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1318-6
Caulfield, T., Marcon, A., Murdoch, B., Brown, J., Perrault, S., Jarry, J., Snyder, J., Anthony, S., Brooks, S., Master, Z., Rachul, C., Ogbogu, U., Greenberg, J., Zarzeczny, A. & Hyde-Lay, R. (2019). Health Misinformation and the Power of Narrative Messaging in the Public Sphere. Canadian Journal of Bioethics / Revue canadienne de bioéthique, 2(2), 52–60. https://doi.org/10.7202/1060911ar
Glauser, W., (2019)., ‘Celebrities have a huge impact on pseudoscience’, New Scientist, Volume 241, Issue 3220, Pages 42-43, ISSN 0262-4079, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(19)30426-9.
Sannford,S., ( 2020) 22 Worst Pieces of Health Care Advice from Goop. https://health.alot.com/wellness/22-worst-pieces-of-health-advice-from-goop--15531 Retrieved June 15 2022.
What's goop?: The Story Behind the Brand | goop https://health.alot.com/wellness/22-worst-pieces-of-health-advice-from-goop--15531 Retrieved June 14 2022
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