Just like you shouldn’t Google your medical symptoms, you shouldn’t be turning to celebrities for health advice. While they light up TV and silver screens, they aren’t health experts. Fortunately, you can debunk health myths with a search online.
Celebrities may captivate audiences with their charm and talent, but their expertise rarely extends to the world of health and medicine. It’s essential to get your health information from credible sources and consult with doctors.
Gwyneth Paltrow loves vagacials
Gwyneth Paltrow has built an entire GOOP website/book empire on giving pretentious, out-of-touch-rich-lady advice to the unwashed masses and always somehow manages to sound completely clueless yet cultured at the same time. One of her most memorable moments was when she extolled the virtues of steam cleaning your vagina. Not only does she claim that it “cleanses the uterus,” but she also says it’s rooted in ancient Korean medicine has “healing properties.” Gynecologists however disagree, saying that the vagina is a self-cleaning organ and that steaming it could actually have adverse effects.
Shailene Woodley thinks you should eat clay
This earthy it-girl has never been shy about her natural approach to health and beauty and is known to be a fan of techniques like oil-pulling and using organic products. However, perhaps her most bizarre practice is one she admitted to having picked up from a taxi driver, who is perhaps the next worst person after a celebrity to get your medical tips from. Woodley said, “I’ve discovered that [eating] clay is great for you … It is one of the best things you can put in your body.”
Tom Cruise thinks your depression is made up
Remember back in 2005 when Tom Cruise, who owns neither a medical degree nor a uterus, went on live TV and criticized Brooke Shields for treating her post-partum depression with prescription drugs? According to Tom Cruise’s religion, the Church of Scientology, mental health issues don’t exist and therefore don’t need to be treated with mind-altering drugs. According to Cruise’s “religion,” the best cure for the blues is a regimen of vitamins, exercise, and auditing, which of course we now know requires a sizeable investment of your money, time, and free will.
Jenny McCarthy says vaccines cause autism
Jenny McCarthy sadly isn’t alone in her misguided belief that vaccines are linked to autism. Citing a false study that has been debunked many times over by the medical community, McCarthy has written numerous books and promoted the idea that her son developed autism because of the measles-mumps-Rubella vaccine. Due to the spread of this misinformation, outbreaks of long eradicated diseases have been rampant in the last few years among unvaccinated children. McCarthy has since backed down somewhat on her “vaccines cause autism” stance but still advocates for further study of vaccinations.
Jessica Simpson “detoxed” with cow urine
Aughties-era teen singer, occasional actress, and reality TV star Jessica Simpson made headlines when she admitted to partaking in an unusual beauty ritual while filming her VH1 show Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty in India. Simpson drank cow urine in Mumbai which locals believe “detoxes you and it’s good for your skin.” It certainly is detoxifying, considering Simpson admitted she immediately hurled it all backup.
Mark Cuban gets four blood tests a year
Billionaire investor and Shark Tank judge Mark Cuban is worth a lot of money, so it’s not surprising that he takes his health very seriously. But when he revealed to the Twitterverse last year that he has his blood tested four times a year, it had some experts scratching their heads. Cuban claimed that by having your blood tested often, health problems can be caught early, but medical professionals say that not only is excessive testing unnecessary, it could result in overtreatment of minor issues and could actually be detrimental to your health in the long run.
Demi Moore uses leeches
Demi Moore has a beauty secret that might make you squirm. The 54 year old actress once admitted to using medieval leech therapy, in which leeches are applied to the skin and allowed to suck your blood. She was quoted as saying, “These aren’t just swamp leeches, these are highly trained medical leeches … we’re talking high level blood suckers.” The actress claims that the practice “detoxifies your blood” and “optimizes your health.” Whatever floats your boat, Demi.
Gwyneth Paltrow sells vaginal rocks
Gwyneth Paltrow seems to be very concerned about vaginal health and has plenty of tips on how to keep your “yoni,” as she cringingly calls it, in tip-top shape. She recommends strengthening your ladybits with stone eggs, which she sells on her GOOP website for just $66 bucks a pop. Gynecologists however disagree with Paltrow’s advice and even warn that inserting anything into your “yoni” can lead to toxic shock syndrome.
Just don’t do anything the Kardashians say
The only celebrities who dole out worse advice than Gwynnie would have to be the Kardashian clan who’ve been known to promote everything from dangerous weight loss teas to butt plumping creams. As of late, the formerly only relatable Kardashian sister Khloe has been pushing the waist trainer, which is essentially a corset, claiming it helped her slim down her waistline. Experts warn that corsets do not help you lose weight, but can actually harm your internal organs by causing compressed lungs and fractured ribs.
Dr. Oz and his Magical Beans
Unlike the other celebs on this list, Dr. Oz does actually have a medical degree; however that doesn’t mean you should follow his advice. On his long running talk show, Dr. Oz pushed green coffee bean extract as a “magic bullet” for weight loss that could help his viewers shed pounds without the help of diet or exercise. Not only was his advice debunked, but Dr. Oz was also forced to testify before Congress and publically admit that it was all just a bogus marketing scheme and not a viable option for weight loss.
Tom Brady thinks nightshades are poison
Tom Brady broke records this year by winning the fifth Super Bowl ring of his career and everyone wants to know how the 39-year-old quarterback stays so fit. Brady credits his uber-healthy diet as the secret to his success. Brady and his supermodel wife Gisele Bündchen avoid the obvious dietary pitfalls like sugar, alcohol, and white flour, but they are also careful to avoid nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers, which they believe cause inflammation. Dieticians disagree, saying that nightshades are actually anti-inflammatory and contain many nutrients that are good for the body.
Evangeline Lilly’s says organic diet cured her depression
As far as we know, Evangeline Lilly isn’t a Scientologist but she sure talks like one. The former Lost actress opened up about her battle with clinical depression, claiming that a steady diet of organic food helped her overcome the illness. Lilley has gone on record to claim, “Going from eating whatever to eating primarily organic food, I was astounded what a difference that made. After about a year or two years, I started to feel something physically lift out of my brain, and I believe it was all the chemicals I was probably ingesting [before].” Medical experts still maintain that serious depression is best treated with medication under the supervision of a doctor.
Gwyneth Paltrow says tight bras can cause cancer
We could probably populate this list with bad advice from Gwyneth Paltrow alone. At least this time it’s got nothing to do with her yoni. Paltrow came under fire in 2015 when she was accused of perpetuating the myth that tight bras have been linked to breast cancer. GOOP published a blog post by Dr. Habib Sadeghi that claimed that tight bras can “restrict the lymph nodes around the breast,” thus increasing the risk of cancer. The American Cancer Society pointed out that there is no medical evidence to support this claim and other experts dismissed it as nothing more than “fear-mongering.”
Carrie Fisher advocated for electroshock therapy
We were big fans of dearly departed actress and writer Carrie Fisher, but we weren’t always fans of her mental health advice. Fisher was undoubtedly a trail-blazing mental health advocate who often spoke candidly of her battle with bipolar disorder and depression. However, she also touted the benefits of electroconvulsive therapy, a practice that has been in the FDA’s high-risk Class III category of medical care since 1976. Fisher called it her “miracle cure” although she admitted that it also caused her significant memory loss over the years.
Simon Cowell raves about bottled oxygen
He might have a sour look on his face most of the time, but you’ve got to admit that Simon Cowell looks younger than ever and fills out those tight little t-shirts pretty well for a guy who’s pushing 60. Along with a routine of Botox and smoothies, Cowell has admitted to breathing bottled oxygen and claims that sipping gourmet air keeps him looking young and free of stress. Scientists say that there is no evidence to support his claims, and we say that whoever came up with the idea of bottling air and selling it to rich people is an absolute genius.