Our daily lives are bombarded by countless trends and fads that seem to pop out of nowhere. New fashions, sayings, or practices come and go month by month, and due to social media and the internet, popular trends spread like wild fire. If you keep up with health trends, you know that home remedies, new fitness programs, and other health trends can spread quickly—even if they haven’t been medically proven or tested. For this reason, there are a lot of trends out there that people assume are healthy for them, but they haven’t been proven as such. Read ahead to learn about a few trends that most people think are the epitome of health, but that might actually have some dangerous consequences.
CrossFit
In our fast-paced society, anything that saves time is a desirable commodity, and this also holds true for fitness programs. However, if achieving optimum results in a 10-minute workout sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Since technique takes a back seat to intensity, the potential for injury is high. This risk is exacerbated by the group nature of the regimen. Participants, in an effort to keep up with classmates, may exert themselves more than is prudent. During one study, one-sixth of the participants withdrew because of injury or overexertion. CrossFit is also believed to result in a serious disorder known as rhabdomyolysis, which occurs when muscle cells break down.
Gluten-Free Diets
For those with wheat allergies or celiac disease, avoiding gluten gives them their lives back. Given the diet’s success, it’s understandable that many believe they can also reap its benefits. For non-celiacs, however, such a diet is not only unnecessary, it can be detrimental. A real condition may go undiscovered, and, if gluten has already been eliminated, tests for the above-mentioned disorders are ineffective. In addition, a medically unnecessary diet can result in a weakened immune system and other problems. There’s another practical downside to following a gluten-free regimen: products made from spelt tend to be pricier than those formulated with other grains.
Herbal Remedies
If herbs are really plants, these supplements must be safe. Unfortunately, that’s not so with many herbal remedies. Not every supplement may be potentially lethal like the stimulant ephedra, but most have not been proven to be safe or even to work. Even though herbs might appear more attractive and “natural” than pharmaceuticals, such products are not required to undergo the strenuous safety and effectiveness testing that drugs must pass before being put on the market.
Crown Lengthening
For individuals with gum disease, or those whose dental problems would be alleviated by uncovering more tooth surface area, crown lengthening can be immensely beneficial. However, this procedure is more frequently being used to enhance physical appearance. It is wise to remember that this is a serious surgery, and, as such, carries the risk of infection and other complications. In addition, dentists in Delburne at the Parkland Mall Dental Centre suggest that since tissue and bone are removed, a treated tooth may appear longer than its neighbors, and it may become loose. A tooth lost in this way might be harder to replace with an implant.
Marathons for Beginners
These long-distance runs certainly are popular. Hundreds of participants train for months for a single event. Given their attractiveness, and the media attention they receive, it’s easy to see why people who want to shed a few pounds or get in shape think a marathon will help them achieve their goal. However, experts know that, rather than the run being the first step, it should be the culmination of a weight loss and strength training program. For the unfit and the overweight, a marathon can be a recipe for disaster, with injuries and overexertion-related disorders the likely result.
Nutrition in a Pill
In the early decades of the 20th century, nutritional deficiencies began to be recognized as the reason behind many disorders. This ground-breaking discovery led to the theory that supplements can make up for lack of nutrients in the diet. Vitamins are a boon for people with established deficiencies, but they are no replacement for real food. Mega-vitamins are not only a waste of money, an excess of nutritional supplements can prove toxic, with symptoms ranging from brittle nails to kidney dysfunction.
Even the most promising health trend needs to be carefully scrutinized to determine if it is right for you. Granted, all of the trends listed above have some health benefit, however, you also need to be aware of the pitfalls. If you enjoy following health trends that you see on blogs, Pinterest, or social media, be sure that you do your own research before you jump on the bandwagon.