I'm a Wellness Editor & Here Are 5 ‘Health’ Trends I’m Officially Done With

Wellness trends are a dime a dozen, and while I—as a wellness editor—support many of them (sleep tourism and cozy cardio come to mind as recent green flags), there are so many that cause me to roll my eyes (at best) and worry about the state of our collective health and safety (at worst. From Ozempic “dupes” that aren’t sustainable means for losing weight to the rampant misuse of therapy speak (from folks who aren’t mental health professionals) here are five health trends I’m ready to kick to the curb immediately.

Spend a few minutes on the wellness side of TikTok and you’re likely to see increased levels of cortisol, an essential hormone that affects almost every organ and tissue in your body, being blamed for a host of issues, most prominently cortisol face. Per TikTok “experts,” cortisol face happens when increased levels of the hormone lead to puffiness under the eyes and cheeks, as well as a fuller, more rounded face shape. Beauty and Cultures Editor Chelsea Candelario asked two doctors about the phenomenon, and one shared that, contrary to social media fear mongers, cortisol is actually good for the body. Candelario reports, “The hormone helps regulate stress, while also working to control blood pressure, blood sugar and inflammation…You shouldn’t be too concerned with Cortisol Face unless you believe you’re dealing more with signs of Moon Face or cushing syndrome—a rare condition where the body produces too much cortisol and makes it harder to regulate it.

Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs for weight loss have been everywhere in the recent past, and with them have come a crop of ill-advised “dupes,” like Oatzempic and Rice-Zempic, two concoctions you can mix up in your kitchen that supposedly produce similar weight loss results. I’ve asked medical professionals about each, and the consensus is: Don’t try these. From a medical standpoint, obesity expert Dr. Michael Snyder, MD, told me of Rice-Zempic, many products marketed as ‘Ozempic alternatives,’ including Rice-Zempic, often lack the scientific rigor and clinical evidence necessary to support their effectiveness for weight loss. “As a result, these alternatives may not provide a healthy or sustainable approach to weight management. It’s essential to focus on evidence-based strategies for weight loss that are backed by clinical research.”

I covered thera-posing—when folks who aren’t mental health professionals overuse (or misuse) therapy-speak to describe certain behaviors—as a dating trend earlier this year, but I’m going to go ahead and say that it’s an issue in non-dating scenarios as well. It speaks to the proliferation of armchair experts on social media who watch a couple of videos about mental health conditions and suddenly fancy themselves experts, despite having zero schooling or accreditations to back it up. This seems like a natural progression of the watering down of complex terms and phrases like “gaslighting” and “toxic person” that has plagued us for the past few years. My advice is this: If you’re in the market for legitimate mental health help, consult a professional—not a chic TikTok influencer who sounds knowledgeable but doesn’t have any actual expertise.

I know, I know, many people swear by 75 Hard; I just personally can’t get behind it. If you’re unfamiliar, The 75 Hard challenge is marketed as a mental toughness program meant to help you learn discipline and control in your own life. For 75 days, you follow a set of strict daily rules which include:

• No alcohol
• Follow a diet of your choosing (no “cheat” meals)
• Drink a gallon of water a day
• Take a progress photo every day
• Do two 45-minute workouts a day (one of which needs to be outdoors)
• Read 15 pages of a nonfiction book a day

If you break just one of the rules, you must start over from day one. Former Commerce Editor Olivia Dubyak tried it herself, and while she did hold onto a few positive habits from her experience, she admits, “While it did help me feel good at the end of each day, when my schedule fell out of pace, I would become anxious and overwhelmed that I wouldn’t finish my tasks.” And according to an expert she talked to, the emphasis on such rigid adherence can create an ‘all or nothing’ mentality that can lead to perfectionism, a sense of failure and decreased motivation. All of those points are enough for me to skip this buzzy challenge.

While I haven’t personally tried 75 Hard or Ozempic alternatives like Oatzempic, I have tested out mouth taping for sleep, and I’m confident saying that, unless you have severe—and professionally diagnosed—sleep apnea (and have been OK’d by your doctor to try it), there just isn’t enough evidence out there to support the claims that taping your mouth before bed every night can reduce snoring, improve bad breath and even fight fatigue. Add to the lack of scientific evidence of its general efficacy a fairly unpleasant user experience (I’ll spare you the details of peeling off the tape every morning), I’m ready for this trend to die down.