The Hidden Dangers of Wellness Trends: Separating Fact from Fiction
The wellness industry is flooded with misinformation, often disguised as science-backed advice. From detox cleanses to extreme diets, many trends claim to optimize health, but in reality, they can be misleading—or even harmful. While some practices have legitimate benefits, others rely on exaggerated claims, preying on people’s desire for control over their bodies and well-being.
For those recovering from eating disorders, trauma, or chronic stress, navigating these trends can be particularly challenging. Practices that promise healing and transformation often reinforce restrictive behaviors, deepen anxieties, or set unattainable standards that leave individuals feeling worse rather than better. The pursuit of wellness, when driven by fear or misinformation, can become yet another form of self-punishment rather than self-care.
This article will explore some of the most common health myths, exposing their potential dangers and highlighting a more balanced, sustainable approach to wellness. True health is not about extremes—it is about supporting the body and mind in ways that foster healing, resilience, and long-term well-being.
1. The Body’s Natural Balance: Understanding pH Levels
One of the most enduring and misleading narratives in the wellness industry is the idea that we need to make our bodies more "alkaline" to be healthy. You’ll find claims that alkaline water can detox your system, prevent disease, improve energy levels, and even “reset” your metabolism. But while these ideas sound appealing on the surface, they’re not grounded in real human biology—and for some, especially those recovering from eating disorders or struggling with trauma-related health issues, these trends can lead to more harm than healing.
The human body already regulates its internal pH with remarkable precision. Your blood pH must stay between 7.35 and 7.45. If it veers outside that narrow range, your body will immediately begin compensating—through the lungs, kidneys, and buffer systems—to bring it back to balance. The idea that drinking alkaline water or eating "alkaline foods" can shift your overall pH is a misunderstanding of how physiology works. Food and drink may temporarily affect the pH of your urine or saliva, but they do not fundamentally alter your blood pH unless a serious underlying medical condition is present.
So what happens when we try to override our body’s natural pH with things like alkaline water or extreme "alkaline diets"?
One major consequence is disruption of digestion. Your stomach is meant to be very acidic, with a pH between 1.5 and 3.5. This acidic environment is essential for breaking down proteins, absorbing key minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron, and killing harmful bacteria that enter through food. When you consistently consume highly alkaline substances, especially in large amounts, you can begin to neutralize this stomach acid—making it harder for your digestive system to function properly.
This leads to a cascade of problems:
Poor protein digestion, which can affect muscle maintenance and satiety.
Mineral malabsorption, which over time can contribute to fatigue, bone loss, and even anxiety or depressive symptoms due to mineral deficiencies.
Sluggish metabolism, as nutrient deficiencies and poor digestion impair your body’s ability to convert food into usable energy.
Bloating, indigestion, and bacterial overgrowth, especially if stomach acid becomes too weak to prevent harmful microbes from thriving in the gut.
And when we talk about digestion, we’re also talking about mental health. The gut-brain axis is a key communication network between your digestive tract and your central nervous system. When gut health is compromised—whether from poor digestion, inflammation, or microbiome imbalances—it can worsen symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma-related stress, and emotional dysregulation.
This is especially important for individuals recovering from eating disorders or trauma, who may already experience heightened digestive sensitivity due to stress, dysregulation of the nervous system, or a history of restrictive eating. In these cases, chasing the illusion of an "alkaline body" can cause people to avoid nourishing foods or rely on supplements that work against their healing.
Ultimately, rather than focusing on alkalizing your body, a healthier and more effective approach is to support your body’s natural systems:
Prioritize whole foods that nourish your gut—like fiber, fermented foods, and adequate protein.
Stay well hydrated with plain, clean water.
Avoid extremes that disrupt digestion or feed into obsessive control around health.
The takeaway? Your body doesn’t need to be micromanaged—it needs to be trusted and supported. The real healing lies not in trying to manipulate internal chemistry, but in returning to balanced, sustainable choices that honor your biology and your journey.
2. The Detox Myth: Why Charcoal and Cleanses Can Be Dangerous
Detox culture has become one of the most persistent—and misleading—trends in the wellness world. From charcoal lemonades to green juice cleanses and detox teas, these products promise to “flush toxins,” jumpstart weight loss, and reset the body. But despite the compelling marketing, the reality is that your body is already well-equipped to detoxify itself—and many of these trendy approaches can do far more harm than good.
Let’s start with activated charcoal, often touted as a daily detox miracle. It’s true that activated charcoal has legitimate medical uses. In hospital settings, it’s used to treat certain types of poisoning and drug overdose. The reason it works in those situations is because charcoal is highly porous—it binds to toxins and prevents them from being absorbed by the stomach. But that’s also exactly why it’s not safe for daily or casual use. Activated charcoal doesn’t discriminate. It can also bind to medications, vitamins, and essential nutrients, rendering them useless.
This includes medications like:
Mental Health Medications
Antidepressants (e.g., SSRIs like sertraline, fluoxetine, or SNRIs like venlafaxine)
Antipsychotics (e.g., quetiapine, olanzapine)
Anxiolytics (e.g., benzodiazepines like lorazepam, diazepam)
Mood stabilizers (e.g., lithium – this is especially critical as lithium levels must be carefully regulated)
Hormonal Medications
Birth control pills – can reduce their effectiveness, increasing the risk of pregnancy
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Thyroid medications (e.g., levothyroxine) – even a small reduction in absorption can destabilize thyroid levels
Cardiovascular & Blood Pressure Meds
Beta blockers (e.g., metoprolol, propranolol)
Calcium channel blockers (e.g., amlodipine)
Diuretics
Blood thinners (e.g., warfarin) – interference here can increase the risk of clotting or bleeding
Pain & Inflammation Meds
NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen)
Opioid painkillers (e.g., morphine, oxycodone)
Anti-inflammatory steroids (e.g., prednisone)
Other Common Medications
Antibiotics (e.g., doxycycline, amoxicillin) – can make infections harder to treat
Antivirals (e.g., HIV meds, antivirals for herpes)
Anti-nausea meds (e.g., ondansetron)
Antiepileptic drugs (e.g., valproate, lamotrigine)
Diabetes medications (e.g., metformin, insulin – though insulin isn’t absorbed through the gut, oral alternatives are affected)
Statins (for cholesterol)
Vitamins & Supplements
Activated charcoal can also bind with:
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
Water-soluble vitamins (B-complex, C)
Iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc – key for energy, immune health, and hormone balance
Adaptogens or herbal supplements (e.g., ashwagandha, ginseng) – reducing their effectiveness
This is especially dangerous for those who rely on these to maintain mental health or reproductive safety. What many people don’t realize is that even a health drink or trendy charcoal-infused snack taken within hours of a prescription can block its absorption, increasing the risk of unwanted pregnancy or a resurgence of mental health symptoms.
Charcoal also does nothing to detox your body on a daily basis—because there are no toxins building up that need to be flushed in this way. Your liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, skin, and even lungs are constantly working to neutralize and eliminate waste. Supporting those systems means staying hydrated, eating a balanced diet, sleeping well, and reducing chronic stress—not relying on a black smoothie.
Now to address juice cleanses and detox teas, they are often marketed as quick fixes for everything from bloating to fatigue to “resetting” the body. For those navigating trauma, eating disorders, or anxiety around food, these wellness trends can seem like a pathway to control or healing. But beneath the glossy branding and influencer endorsements lies a reality that can be damaging—physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
Juice cleanses typically involve replacing all meals with fruit and vegetable juices for several days. The promise is that this “liquid nutrition” will flush out toxins, rest your digestive system, and kickstart a healthier lifestyle. In reality, the body already has its own highly sophisticated detox system: the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, and lymphatic system. These organs are always working to eliminate waste and maintain balance—with or without a cleanse.
When you eliminate solid foods and dramatically reduce caloric intake, your body doesn’t suddenly become cleaner or healthier. Instead, it goes into survival mode. You may feel light-headed, tired, anxious, or even euphoric from the release of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline—but this is a stress response, not a sign of healing.
Longer juice cleanses can:
Slow down your metabolism by signaling starvation
Cause muscle loss due to lack of protein
Spike blood sugar levels (juices are high in natural sugars but lack fiber)
Disrupt digestive health due to the absence of fiber and healthy fats
Weaken mental clarity and emotional regulation due to blood sugar crashes
For those with a history of food restriction, cleanses can trigger a relapse into disordered eating, reinforcing the harmful belief that eating less = being better or more in control.
“Detox teas” are usually made from a mix of herbs, laxatives (like senna), diuretics, and sometimes caffeine. These products are marketed as tools to reduce bloating, flatten the stomach, or remove toxins—but their effects are often just dehydration, increased bowel movements, and water loss. This can be confused with “weight loss,” when it’s really a temporary shift that can leave you depleted.
The use of laxative teas can cause:
Electrolyte imbalances, especially in people already undernourished
Dehydration
Dependence on laxatives for bowel movements
Disrupted gut motility over time
Increased cortisol and stress on the body, especially if used chronically
In people healing from trauma or eating disorders, detox teas can become a socially acceptable form of purging—masked by health language. This makes them particularly dangerous in recovery spaces.
These practices reinforce the toxic wellness myth that your body is inherently dirty, broken, or in need of punishment in order to be worthy of healing. They also feed into cycles of shame, deprivation, and false hope—where the body is seen as something to fix, rather than something to nourish and care for.
In truth, healing comes from consistency, nourishment, rest, and gentle regulation of your nervous system—not extremes.
3. Fasting & Restrictive Dieting: Healing or Harmful?
In recent years, fasting—particularly intermittent fasting—has been promoted as a powerful method for healing the body, improving metabolic health, and even extending lifespan. Social media and wellness circles often frame it as a “reset” for the body, giving your digestive system a break and encouraging cellular repair through a process called autophagy. But while fasting may have some scientifically supported benefits, its popularity often ignores the complex mental and physiological consequences it can have—especially for those navigating trauma recovery, mental health struggles, or a history of disordered eating.
Let’s first clarify what we mean by fasting. There are several approaches, but the most popular include:
Intermittent Fasting (IF): A timed approach to eating, such as the 16:8 method (fasting for 16 hours and eating during an 8-hour window), or alternate-day fasting.
Prolonged Fasting: Extended periods without food—typically 24 hours or more, sometimes spanning multiple days.
Time-Restricted Eating (TRE): Similar to intermittent fasting but more focused on aligning meals with circadian rhythms, such as eating during daylight hours only.
While research does suggest that these practices may offer metabolic benefits in some individuals—such as improved insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, and promotion of autophagy—those findings are often drawn from short-term studies, controlled conditions, or populations that are not dealing with chronic stress or psychological trauma. What is often left out of these discussions is the impact of fasting on the nervous system, emotional regulation, and the long-term sustainability of these practices for people with complex mental or physical health histories.
For people who have experienced trauma—particularly those with CPTSD, anxiety disorders, or a history of eating disorders—fasting can trigger significant dysregulation. When the body is already in a chronic state of survival (fight, flight, or freeze), withholding food can send it deeper into stress. Skipping meals may spike cortisol levels, increase irritability, and create an emotional rollercoaster that mirrors the highs and crashes of blood sugar instability. This can worsen anxiety, sleep problems, intrusive thoughts, or mood swings.
In some cases, intermittent fasting may feel like a "healthy" way to control food—but for many trauma survivors, it’s a subtle doorway back into restrictive behaviors, obsession with food timing, or punishment-based thinking around meals. Even if someone doesn’t consciously recognize it, the nervous system registers food restriction as a threat.
Additionally, prolonged fasting or heavily restricted diets can lead to slowed metabolism, nutrient deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances—particularly in women. Over time, this may impair reproductive health, thyroid function, and immune regulation. In short, fasting may do the exact opposite of what many people hope: rather than restoring the body, it further taxes an already overwhelmed system.
None of this is to say that fasting is always harmful. In some therapeutic or medical contexts—under guidance—it may be appropriate. Some individuals genuinely feel better with time-restricted eating when their relationship with food is stable and their nervous system is calm. But it’s critical to ask: Why am I doing this? Is it coming from a place of care and attunement, or from fear, control, or the hope that discipline will bring healing?
True nourishment—especially in trauma recovery—is not just about food, but about how we relate to our body’s needs. Often, the healing path isn’t in skipping meals, but in learning to respond to hunger cues with compassion, supporting blood sugar balance, and creating rituals of safety and presence around food.
4. Cold Plunges: The Benefits and Risks for Mental Health
Cold plunges, or cold therapy, are increasingly popular in the wellness world, often praised for their potential to enhance resilience, reduce inflammation, and improve mood. The shock of cold water can trigger a series of physiological responses that activate the sympathetic nervous system, including an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and a release of cortisol—the body's primary stress hormone. For some, this experience is invigorating, leading to an immediate sense of heightened energy and alertness. It is also thought to activate the vagus nerve, which can help regulate the parasympathetic nervous system and promote relaxation in the long term, potentially improving the body’s ability to manage stress.
In individuals who are not under chronic stress or trauma, cold plunges can indeed help build resilience, gradually training the body to respond better to stress. As the vagus nerve becomes more activated, it can help enhance overall emotional regulation, improving the body's capacity to manage stress without becoming overwhelmed. For some, this is a natural and beneficial adaptation, leading to increased physical and emotional endurance.
However, for trauma survivors and individuals in a state of chronic stress—whether through PTSD, anxiety disorders, or prolonged periods of heightened tension—the effect of cold plunges can be quite different. When the body is already in a state of fight, flight, freeze, fawn, or collapse, it is often stuck in a dysregulated stress response. Cold exposure in this state can be especially overwhelming, further heightening sympathetic nervous system activation. The shock of cold water might inadvertently trigger feelings of panic, dissociation, or emotional flooding, exacerbating the very symptoms that individuals with trauma are already struggling to manage.
Cold therapy can induce a stress response in a dysregulated system, disrupting an individual’s ability to recover or feel safe. Rather than promoting resilience, it might push the system beyond its capacity to adapt, causing a temporary increase in cortisol, which, over time, can exacerbate stress and contribute to feelings of emotional instability. For people in trauma recovery, or those who already experience anxiety and hypervigilance, cold plunges could be harmful, potentially leading to emotional reactivity or heightened symptoms.
Moreover, the invigorating effect often felt after cold exposure, which can elevate dopamine levels, has led some to believe cold plunges might have therapeutic value for individuals with conditions like ADHD. While the immediate rush of dopamine can create a short-term feeling of alertness and well-being, this effect is often fleeting. The initial boost may help some individuals feel more energetic or focused for a short period, but it doesn't address the underlying issue or lead to sustainable improvement. This feeling of invigoration, while pleasant, can be seen more as a temporary “high”, rather than a meaningful, lasting therapeutic effect. For individuals struggling with ADHD, relying on such transient effects can create a pseudo-healing effect—one that might feel effective momentarily but does little for long-term emotional or mental health.
Cold plunges are often marketed as a quick fix, a way to increase energy or "reset" the system, but their impact is short-lived. For those with mental health concerns or trauma histories, it’s essential to ask whether this rush of dopamine and heightened alertness is truly contributing to deep, lasting healing or if it is simply providing a temporary distraction from deeper emotional or psychological work that is needed.
To add to this, many gyms and wellness centers have embraced cold therapy, such as cold plunges or ice baths, as part of their recovery offerings. While cold therapy can help reduce inflammation and alleviate soreness, using it immediately after a workout can actually hinder muscle growth and overall development.
During a workout, especially strength training, muscle fibers experience small tears, and it’s the repair of these fibersthat leads to muscle growth. Cold therapy, by reducing circulation and constricting blood vessels, can limit the natural inflammatory response needed for muscle repair. This inflammatory response, while often seen as painful or undesirable, is crucial for stimulating muscle growth and strength.
Cold therapy immediately after a workout can dampen this natural process, which may result in less muscle gain over time. If the goal is to build muscle mass and strength, it's important to understand that reducing inflammation too sooncan interfere with the body's ability to repair and adapt the muscles effectively.
So who should use cold therapy? While cold therapy can be beneficial, it’s not for everyone. Individuals who aren’t training for muscle growth or strength might find it more useful, as it can help manage chronic pain, reduce inflammation from other sources, and aid in overall recovery. Endurance athletes or those involved in high-intensity sports might also benefit from cold therapy as it helps reduce muscle soreness and prevent overuse injuries.
People with chronic pain conditions or those who deal with acute injuries may also find cold therapy useful in reducing inflammation and providing pain relief. Additionally, individuals who aren't focused on building muscle mass—such as those maintaining general fitness or participating in non-strenuous activities—could incorporate cold therapy without worrying about interfering with muscle growth.
For gyms offering cold therapy, it’s crucial to educate clients about when to use it for optimal results. Immediate post-workout cold plunges may interfere with muscle growth, so it’s better to reserve cold therapy for rest days or the evening after a workout. Understanding the timing and purpose of cold exposure can help individuals use this tool effectively without sacrificing their muscle-building goals. People not focused on muscle building or those with chronic pain conditions may also benefit from cold therapy in a way that complements their recovery process.
5. The Psychological Impact of Health Misinformation
Diet culture and the ever-evolving wellness fads have a profound psychological impact on many individuals, often creating cycles of anxiety, guilt, and an unhealthy obsession with food. These trends promise quick fixes and ideals of an unattainable "perfect body" or "perfect health." However, the reality is far from these idealized versions. When individuals chase after these promises, they often experience heightened stress and shame when they inevitably fall short of these unattainable standards. This constant pressure can warp one’s relationship with food, leading to cycles of restriction and bingeing, guilt after eating, and a fixation on "clean" or "approved" foods.
For individuals recovering from trauma, this psychological strain can be even more pronounced. Trauma often leaves individuals with a deep sense of needing control in their lives as a way to feel safe. Wellness fads and extreme diets offer that semblance of control, making promises about how to "fix" the body or cleanse it. However, these false health claims only reinforce a sense of helplessness when the promised results don't materialize or, worse, lead to physical and mental harm. For someone recovering from trauma, trying to control their food intake or body shape can be a way of dealing with feelings of chaos or lack of safety, but it doesn’t address the root causes of their struggles. Instead, it perpetuates feelings of inadequacy and disconnection.
False health claims, especially those that focus on restriction, can deepen the emotional scars of trauma, particularly in those who already struggle with body image or have a history of disordered eating. These trends often mask the reality that true healing isn't about seeking external validation or perfection. Instead, it’s about cultivating self-trust—learning to tune into one’s body, its true needs, and responding with compassion.
Self-trust, built over time through mindful practices, is far more effective than any wellness trend in fostering true health and healing. When we abandon extreme measures and instead focus on balanced, sustainable habits that support both our mental and physical well-being, we create a healthier relationship with food and our bodies. It’s essential to remember that true healing isn’t a product of rigid diets or detox plans, but of honoring your body’s natural rhythms and finding a balanced approach that nurtures both mind and body in harmony.
When we trust ourselves, we can make choices that support our emotional stability without the stress and guilt that come from chasing after ever-changing trends. Developing balanced habits is key—not just for our physical health but for our mental well-being, which is the cornerstone of lasting, positive change.
Wellness Culture as a Mask for Disordered Behaviors: A Gentle Warning
While practices like counting macros, “clean eating,” or following certain diets can be helpful for some, they may become triggering for those with a history of eating disorders. It’s important to approach these trends with mindfulness—if you find yourself becoming obsessive or anxious about food, it may be a sign that these practices aren’t serving you. Wellness culture often promotes ideals of perfection that can contribute to guilt, restriction, and disordered thinking. Always prioritize balance, flexibility, and emotional well-being over external expectations.
Final Thoughts: Building a Truly Nourishing Approach to Health
In a world where health trends and wellness fads are constantly being marketed as the next big thing, it’s important to remember that health isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. The pressure to conform to strict health rules or to adhere to the latest diet or fitness trend can easily overshadow what truly matters: compassion for ourselves and listening to our bodies’ unique needs. Health isn’t about perfection or rigid control—it’s about balance, self-care, and sustainable habits that nourish the body, mind, and spirit.
At the core of this nourishing approach lies self-compassion. Rather than viewing health as a set of rules to be followed at all costs, we can approach it with kindness, understanding, and flexibility. This means acknowledging that our bodies change, our needs evolve, and that it's okay to have moments where we don’t meet the idealized expectations we may see around us. True health comes from embracing imperfection and trusting that our bodies know what they need when we take the time to tune in.
Filtering out the noise of misinformation in today’s wellness culture can be daunting, but it’s a crucial part of building a healthier relationship with both food and our bodies. Take the time to question the trends, understand the true science behind claims, and, most importantly, listen to your own body. Your body holds a wealth of knowledge, and when we give ourselves permission to stop looking for external answers, we can hear its subtle cues and understand what truly supports us.
It’s vital to remember that health isn’t just about physical practices—it’s about emotional and mental well-being too. The habits we form should serve our entire being, not just our physical appearance. True health is about finding peace within ourselves, fostering emotional stability, and supporting our mental wellness, just as much as it’s about nourishing our bodies. By prioritizing holistic health—embracing both mind and body—we can step away from the pressures of wellness culture and create an authentic, sustainable path toward healing and overall well-being.