"It's Not Trendy; It's Inherently Harmful." Doctors Are Calling Out The Dangerous "Wellness Trends" People Should Stop Following ASAP
We recently asked medical professionals of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which health trends people should stop following in 2025. Here are the eye-opening results:
Note: Some responses were pulled from this thread by u/AustinioForza and this one by BrassBass.
1."Stop putting activated charcoal in everything! It negates birth control pills and many other medications. Not many people know that. It's the same stuff they give you in the hospital to absorb toxins when you overdose. It's not trendy; it's inherently harmful."
2."I'm a family medicine doctor, and I see this more times than I can count: If you douche or clean your vagina with scented anything, you're getting an infection. I'm gonna hold y'all's hand when I say this...the vagina is a self-cleaning organ, and it is not supposed to smell like roses! Clean that thing with warm water and unscented soap!"
"All those scented products and douching can tip off the pH of the vagina and give you an infection. Now, if you're having vaginal odor, itching, pain, or discharge, go to your doctor to be tested for an infection before trying to treat yourself and giving yourself one."
—Anonymous, Texas
3."Let's just stop all of the toxic diet culture. The cleanses, juice fasts, unnecessarily restrictive diet, chemophobia, green powders — all of it needs to stop. You're making it harder than it has to be, wasting your money, then coming to dietitians to argue with their advice."
"Eat your plants with every meal, drink your water, and exercise regularly. From, a registered dietitian."
4."Essential oils smell good. That's all they're good for. They can't replace medicine, vaccines, or healthcare."
5."Parasite cleanses. Unless you have been somewhere in which parasites are common, you really don't need to be doing cleanses. (And if you need to, see a medical professional for medications designed to kill off parasites)."
"You also don't need to do any other kind of detox. That's what your liver and kidneys are for. Stop putting weird stuff into your body!"
6."[Co-sleeping.] As a doctor for 23 years, I have finally given up on giving solid advice such as, 'Don’t let your baby sleep in your bed.' No one ever listens (they have 'done their research' and know better), and I just waste five precious minutes of time that can be used for someone who will take my professional advice."
7."Mental illness isn't fun or trendy or anything like that. It's an illness, just like cancer or diabetes. Would you go around saying, 'Yeah, I have cancer, so it's okay'??? Obviously not. I get it, diagnosis is hard, but psychiatrists go to school to learn the nuances of these illnesses. You watched a TikTok."
8."Dentist here. There's the backlash against fluoride — inevitably from parents of crying kids with a mouth full of decay."
"I'm a dental student. Many patients who have come through the health clinic are very resistant to fluoride. The unfortunate aspect is the lack of education these patients have received their entire lives. Most have high CAMBRA results alongside moderate to severe gingivitis. I am not saying fluoride is the magic cure-all to their ailments, but it could, at the very least, help the vast majority of these patients."
9."Black Salve. Do not ever put that stuff on a spot of suspected cancer, etc. It will literally burn a hole in your skin."
10."Those collagen drinks that people falsely believe are supposed to reverse the aging process. It ruins my day when people buy them."
And finally...
11."Trainee doctor here — the idea anything that's natural or organic is therefore good for you. Drinking pints of organic juice with 'natural' sugars isn't healthier than drinking loads of fizzy drinks. Just because something is natural or organic does not mean it's not unhealthy."
Whew. Fellow medical professionals, what are some other wellness trends people should stop following? Tell us in the comments below, or, if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use this Google form.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
