Latest news with #KatieCouricMedia
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Colonics or Cleanses? The Biggest Wellness Myth People Fall For
Remember the days when 'wellness' merely conjured up images of green juice-drinking influencers? Now the idea of wellness is so much bigger than the occasional cleanse. The Global Wellness Institute posits that it will be a $9 trillion industry by 2028, making it an even bigger industry than 'Big Pharma.' That includes everything from spas and mineral springs to mental health, personal care, and beauty. Your gym membership is considered part of the wellness industry. Even your religious beliefs could ladder up into wellness. But is all this focus on well-being truly making us feel better — physically or mentally? In her latest book, How to Be Well, journalist Amy Larocca, who spent 20 years at New York magazine in various roles, including fashion director, analyzes the increasing fixation with 'health' and dismantles the lies we've been told piece by piece. We spoke to Larocca about the biggest wellness myths you might still be following, what's fueling the MAHA movement, and more. Katie Couric Media: What was it like writing this book before RFK Jr. became Health Secretary? Was MAHA on your mind during the process? Amy Larocca: I worked on this book during Covid, and it definitely changed a lot of my thinking about wellness. I remember the day Trump made his offhand comment about drinking bleach and thinking, 'Oh yeah. We're in really uncharted waters here,' and then as the data started coming in about who was getting sick and who was dying from the virus, thinking, 'This is exactly what's so dangerous about treating health as a luxury product, marketing it like a handbag or a pair of shoes.' I had already finished the book and sent it off to the press by the time RFK got his job and MAHA took root, but it seemed like we were facing the scariest possible version of what I'd been thinking and writing about, like the worst-case scenario. I repeatedly encountered situations while researching this book where people were completely aware that they were falling for practices that were dubious at best, but opting in anyway. You write that debunking a wellness myth often has the opposite effect in terms of how much people believe in it. It can just make it more popular. So how can we help people understand when they're falling for misinformation or disinformation? I repeatedly encountered situations while researching this book where people were completely aware that they were falling for practices that were dubious at best, but opting in anyway. One super clear example was with juice cleanses in the early 2000s. I interviewed the founders of the Blueprint juice cleanse, which was one of the early pioneers in that space, and they told me that they were always worried after an article would appear in a big, reputable publication disputing the safety and efficacy of juice cleansing. These articles would feature doctors from Ivy League medical schools just absolutely bashing juice cleansing, and Blueprint would brace for a slow week, but in fact, it just increased demand. You could say there's no such thing as bad press, but I think it's more than that. On one very simple level, I think there's a very disturbing drive to lose weight in our culture, because you see a similar phenomenon with colonics — no doctor will endorse them. Yet, they remain very popular in certain wellness circles. Another reason is that there seems to be a drive to have a secret, to know more than everyone else, that is endemic in wellness. Also, our traditional channels of information and who can be trusted are corrupted right now, and it can be difficult to know who to trust and who to believe. Do you see any connections to the information crisis in the news? Throughout history, there have been periods where mistrust of authorities is high. Do you think where we are right now is another iteration of that cycle, or something deeper? I think this is absolutely another iteration of that cycle, this time on steroids, because of the diverse methods of news distribution — people are getting their news from social media, and what qualifies someone as an authority is unclear. Looking great in a bikini and having a lot of followers doesn't necessarily mean you know the first thing about health or medicine, but people will do what you say. Do you think the Ozempic craze ties into your observation of beauty being rebranded as wellness? If so, do you see any issues with that? I worry that Ozempic — which I'm totally in favor of when it's needed — undoes some of the progress that was being made in body positivity and acceptance. I just worry that we were maybe making some microscopic steps in the direction of being OK with the idea that not all bodies need to fit a certain size, and that we're now getting back to the idea that thin, thin, thin is the only way to go. As you write in the book, people often turn to sham alternatives out of desperation and being dismissed by medical professionals. How do you think the medical community should tackle this problem? Do you think any strides are being made? I think we need to really listen to and research the medical concerns of communities who have been previously ignored and underserved — like women and minorities. I think doctors need to really listen to patients and be given the resources to do that. But I worry that this administration's policies are undoing progress that has been made recently. What do you think is the biggest wellness myth people buy into right now? Supplements! Please stop buying supplements! If you are diagnosed with a deficiency, by all means, treat it with a supplement, but otherwise, please stop. Also, please stop following diets that eliminate entire food groups. Speaking of myths, you went to the Goop wellness summit, which is famous for being overpriced, woo-woo, and over-hyped. What was the wildest thing you saw there? Funnily enough, what struck me at first was how un-wild a lot of it was. Like how much 'eat your salmon and blueberries and spinach' there was, how much boring wellness 101 was going on. Like, I paid $1000 to be told that olive oil is good for you? And then there was just so much blatant B.S. — like an aura reader telling me I was purple, that kind of thing. That was silly, but kind of banal. And then some of it was outright enraging, like Caroline Myss, the 'intuitive' who attributed disease to mental states, saying that people with thyroid conditions really needed to look at their anger rather than taking Synthroid. My daughter was born with a tumor that required the removal of her thyroid, and listening to this woman, I was so angry I practically levitated. The post Colonics or Cleanses? The Biggest Wellness Myth People Fall For appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Katie and Dr. Mary Claire Haver Confront Menopause Misinformation
If you've felt overwhelmed by all the menopause information (and misinformation) out there, you'll want to check out Katie's conversation with Dr. Mary Claire Haver. Back in June, she sat down with the renowned OB-GYN and bestselling author of The New Menopause, whose discourse around 'the change' has revolutionized how we talk about aging and self-care. In this eye-opening conversation, the two discuss the misogyny embedded deep within the medical establishment and dispel some common misconceptions about menopause and HRT. They also answer questions from the crowd about fertility, perimenopause, bone density, and how women can live longer, healthier lives. Watch the full discussion above. The post Katie and Dr. Mary Claire Haver Confront Menopause Misinformation appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Does Magnesium Help With Sleep? It's Complicated
Now that I've been at Katie Couric Media for a few months, I figured it's time to divulge a little secret (except it's not actually a secret, but one of my main personality traits): I have insomnia. It started in college when I would be lying in bed, practically squeezing my eyes shut in an attempt to will myself to just drift off into dreamland. (Though I do have some childhood memories of walking into my parents' bedroom and whining to my mom that I couldn't fall asleep.) And never for lack of feeling physically tired, either. Even though insomnia can feel incredibly lonely (I have sent quite a few unanswered 'u up?' texts to my friends between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m.), sleep disorders are not all that rare. Cleveland Clinic says sleep disorders, of which insomnia is a type, affect 70 million Americans each year. And given that I've been staring wide awake at my ceiling semi-regularly for over a decade, I've pretty much tried every insomnia cure there is, from natural habit changes to over-the-counter medications to the prescription stuff. I recently started seeing a psychiatrist who specializes in sleep disorders, and he asked if I was taking magnesium. At the suggestion of yet another natural remedy, I rolled my eyes, because I've tried it all — melatonin, chamomile, you name it — but figured it was worth a shot. I picked up a combined magnesium and melatonin supplement at the drugstore and noticed that after about a week of taking it, I was sleeping better overall, though I did still have restless nights here and there. But — and it's a pretty big 'but' — I've also been less stressed, which is a huge cause of my insomnia, so the jury's still very much out. And that's kind of the thing with magnesium for sleep: It's hard to draw firm conclusions. According to Cleveland Clinic, approximately 33 to 50 percent of American adults feel insomnia symptoms at some point. A 2007 paper published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that 30 percent of adults (who were surveyed in various countries) reported experiencing one or more insomnia symptoms, which include difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, waking up too early, and in some cases, non-restorative or poor quality of sleep. Like with many sleep supplements, there is limited evidence that magnesium helps with sleep. A review published in April 2021 found that there wasn't enough evidence 'for physicians to make well-informed recommendations on usage of oral magnesium for older adults with insomnia,' but also acknowledged that since the supplement is inexpensive and easy to find, it's not necessarily a bad thing to try, either. Magnesium is a mineral that naturally occurs in the body and is needed for the body to function. Sleep aside, it's important to get enough magnesium in your diet, whether through eating magnesium-rich foods such as whole grains and dark leafy green vegetables or by taking a supplement. According to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, women above age 31 should consume 320 milligrams of magnesium per day. You may have seen magnesium supplements in the vitamin aisle at the drugstore. They can be used in a variety of ways, including for sleep, although the science of sleep, in particular, is mixed. Low magnesium levels have been associated with stress and depression (which we all know can interfere with rest). Magnesium is also a natural muscle relaxer, so it may help your mind and body relax before bed. A February 2022 review found that in observational studies, there was an association between magnesium levels and sleep quality, but an uncertain relationship in randomized clinical trials. In other words, more research needs to be done to definitively conclude if there's any link between taking magnesium and sleeping better, but there are people who do report positive effects. That said, there are many different types of magnesium supplements, so when searching for a supplement to specifically deal with sleep, it's important to choose the right kind. Magnesium oxide, for instance, is commonly used as a stool softener or laxative, so it's not the one you want to take before bed. (Research has shown that your body doesn't absorb much of it, anyway.) And magnesium chloride, especially when taken in a pill form, is often used as a dietary supplement. Magnesium citrate, though, is more readily bioavailable (meaning your body can absorb it), and is used in certain sleep supplements. Magnesium glycinate is also common. Magnesium isn't just potentially useful for sleeping issues, it can also be beneficial during menopause. Because estrogen levels drop during menopause, this can cause bone loss. Since 50 to 60 percent of the magnesium in your body is stored in your bones, taking a magnesium supplement can help decrease bone loss. In addition, rates of insomnia or difficulty sleeping are high in women going through menopause — about 60 percent. Menopausal insomnia is believed to be caused by hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, depression (it's not shocking that these symptoms would make it harder to fall or stay asleep), and decreases in melatonin and progesterone. Just as there are many different forms of magnesium, there's also more than one way of ingesting it. In addition to taking it orally, you can also get magnesium transdermally, or through the skin, through lotions, sprays, salt baths, and the like. This method has grown in popularity, with articles claiming that magnesium is better applied through the skin than orally. But is there any truth to it? While the skin is the largest organ in the body, it turns out that its ability to absorb outside substances is limited, according to a 2017 study that sought to conclude if transdermal absorption was the superior method for magnesium. It does make sense, considering that the skin's whole purpose is to act as a barrier from outside contaminants — it might not do us very well if our bodies absorbed every substance that touched our skin. In fact, one of the studies that provided the basis for the claims about transdermal absorption of magnesium only had nine participants — way too few to come to any statistically significant conclusion. Another study out of the United Kingdom had a similar issue: it only had 19 subjects. That said, it doesn't mean that it's not possible to absorb magnesium through the skin, just that there hasn't been enough research done on it yet. However, there is an important distinction between transdermal and topical application. Topical magnesium products are applied to the skin, but unlike other supplements, they are not meant to enter the bloodstream. Instead, they're intended to offer localized benefits, such as pain relief (like this body butter) and magnesium cooling sprays for menopause. At the end of the day (literally), while it may not be scientifically proven to solve your sleep problems, it probably can't really hurt, either — typically, you'd have to ingest 5,000 mg to experience symptoms of magnesium toxicity. (That said, people with impaired kidney function, taking certain medications, and infants and children shouldn't give this a go without talking to their doctor first.) And while it also probably won't knock you out when you're in the throes of insomnia, taking it regularly could help promote better sleep over time. Foria mellö just launched a premium Magnesium Superblend to help relax your mind and body, now available at Foria. It comes in three flavors (Lavenderberry, pomegranate, and unflavored), all designed to support the nervous system without any added sugar. Take a sip, then hit the hay. $44 at Foria Moon Juice Instead of a nighttime tea, why not try a fruity beverage instead? This berry-flavored powder is packed with three different forms of magnesium (for optimal absorption), and it also contains L-theanine to help calm your mind and get you ready for a full night's sleep. $44 at Moon Juice Ritual Want to get a dose of magnesium with the rest of your daily vitamins and minerals? Ritual's daily multivitamin contains 60 mg of magnesium along with other necessary players (think vitamins D, E, B12, and more) in one convenient capsule. $37 at Amazon $44 at Ritual Recess While these drink mixes aren't specifically made to be taken before bed, they can help you chill out after a long day. Not only do they contain zen-inducing magnesium and L-theanine, but they are packed with electrolytes to help keep your body hydrated. $15 at Recess Amazon Let's admit it: Sometimes taking a pill is the easiest way to get your dose of vitamins and minerals in. These capsules absorb fast and are easy to take with a meal and some water. Some reviewers say this specific formula from Nature Made tends to cause fewer GI issues, while others note that it's a pretty large pill (so you might want to try something different if you have trouble swallowing pills). $11 at Amazon The Nue Co. Again, you won't get your daily recommended intake of magnesium transdermally, but that doesn't mean it's useless. If you find yourself suffering from a sore neck, stiff shoulders, or achy back, spritzing a bit of this magnesium spray and rubbing it in could help ease your pain (thus making it easier to drift off pain-free). $38 at The Nue Co. The post Does Magnesium Help With Sleep? It's Complicated appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Myths and Misconceptions Around Menstruation and Menopause
f you ask ChatGPT for some of the biggest myths about periods, you'll get suggestions like, 'You shouldn't use tampons if you're a virgin,' 'You can't exercise when you have your period,' and 'PMS is just in your head.' And given the way women have been culturally conditioned to think of periods as shameful for centuries, it's no wonder misinformation like this is still floating around today. 'A nurse I work with told me her daughter was called to the office in her elementary school for 'saying a bad word,' and the word was vagina,' recalls Karen Tang, MD, a board-certified gynecologist and gynecologic surgeon. In a conversation with Dr. Tang at Katie's Feeling Good at Any Age event sponsored by P&G, Katie spoke about another taboo subject that many women are hesitant to discuss: incontinence. 'It's one of those things people feel very nervous about discussing,' Katie offered, 'But knowledge is power, and we have to stop being embarrassed.' According to Dr. Tang, half of all women will experience bladder incontinence at some point in their lifetime. 'Every time I go to a children's trampoline birthday party, the moms and I look at each other and just say, 'Nope,'' she shares. 'For me,' says Katie, 'It's peeing when sneezing.' Anything that weakens the muscles in the pelvic floor, which can include everything from pregnancy to a chronic cough, can lead to incontinence, says Dr. Tang. 'It can happen to women of all ages, and the biggest myth I want to debunk is that there's nothing you can do about it,' she says. There are plenty of nonsurgical options to help strengthen the pelvic floor, including physical therapy, Dr. Tang explains: 'A lot of women don't know how to do Kegel exercises, and pelvic floor therapy is like having a physical trainer there to explain exactly how to do these exercises correctly.' In addition to encouraging women to speak up about their concerns without shame, Dr. Tang notes the importance of keeping women's health issues top-of-mind for researchers. 'The funding for fibroids, which impacts around 80 percent of black women and 70 percent of white women, is a fraction of what it is for other diseases,' she says. 'The subtext is that fibroids are just an annoyance, but they can cause hemorrhaging and infertility.' Women's pain should always be taken seriously, and the best way to make that happen is by sharing our experiences — even the embarrassing ones — with each other. The post The Myths and Misconceptions Around Menstruation and Menopause appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dr. Pimple Popper Answers Our Burning Skincare Questions
Dr. Sandra Lee — better known as Dr. Pimple Popper — has built a devoted global following by doing something few dermatologists ever imagined: turning extractions into a viral phenomenon. But beneath the surface-level fascination with popping videos lies a deeper mission of helping people better understand their skin, their conditions, and the treatment options available to them. 'A lot of the things we see as dermatologists affect people both physically and emotionally because it can be embarrassing,' Dr. Lee tells Katie Couric Media. 'It's not just about what's on the surface — it can impact self-esteem.' In our conversation, Dr. Lee opens up about one of the most overlooked skin conditions: hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic disease that causes painful bumps to form under the skin, often in places where skin rubs together, like the armpits or inner thighs. She also talks about how social media is changing the way we think about dermatology, why acne tends to linger for so many women, the skincare myths she wishes would disappear, and what's next in her mission to educate, empower, and yes, pop. Dr. Sandra Lee: HS is a very misunderstood condition. Oftentimes, you get boils and abscesses and scars with tunneling, but they occur in what we call intertriginous areas, or areas where you have creases, like the armpits, under the breasts, the tush, inner thighs, and under the stomach. These areas are pretty easy to hide in general, so people oftentimes will have it, and they'll feel embarrassed, so they don't even reach out for help. They don't even know that other family members may actually have the same condition. But there's been a real increase in knowledge and understanding about this condition, especially over the last 10 years or so. Even during my training, more than 20 years ago, what we were taught about why people got it, the etiology or pathogenesis, was very different from what we believe and know now. One of the benefits of social media is that people can anonymously reach out and talk about their own conditions — what they're experiencing — and realize that others are going through the same thing. That kind of connection can be powerful, especially when someone might otherwise feel embarrassed or alone. That's what social media has done with a lot of other skin conditions — people wear those star-shaped pimple patches on their faces for acne, like, 'Yeah, I know I have a pimple here, and I'm not embarrassed about it.' It helps normalize things. People now have a better understanding of what they might need — or should have done — for whatever condition they have, whether it's a wart, a growth like skin cancer, a cyst, or a lipoma. They have a sense of what can be done and what to expect. I've even had dermatologists tell me that I — and social media — have, in some ways, made their jobs easier, because patients now know what a biopsy looks like or how it's done, and they feel less anxious as a result. I didn't realize so many people were really fascinated by pimple popping and that they enjoyed it specifically. We all know what skin looks like, so most of us are very attuned to it or interested in ways to improve it. So it became a wonderful way to both educate and entertain people — and that's really how it grew. You're sort of releasing something that's not supposed to be there. Like you're putting everything back in place. There's a little bit of an obsession or a compulsion to make everything right. It gives you this weird exhilaration. It's like watching a scary movie or riding a roller coaster. It also goes back to like our primates, where we pick out our skin, we're just compelled to do that. It's fascinating what our bodies do and what they create. All acne, in general, tends to be hormonal. But it tends to stay with women for longer because, in general, because of the surges of hormones that we get throughout our lives. We'll get them when we're ovulating or when we have a period, which tends to be when we tend to break out more. With pregnancy, I'll often get either one or the other. Sometimes you'll see people's acne get better, and sometimes you'll see it get worse. I know, it sucks. Getting a tan before you go out on vacation is better for your skin. No, because I'll tell you, anytime you get any color on your skin, whether it be red or whether you turn a darker color, that's actually your skin scrambling to protect itself. If you have pigment in your skin, it's going to turn darker because it's scrambling to sort of create this umbrella to protect your skin from the sun. So you've already done damage if you have a tan. The most ideal situation is if you go out on vacation and you maybe have been out in the sun, you've been enjoying yourself, but you come back the same color you were when you left. Just get a spray-on tan, that's better for you. A lot of people tell others with acne that they just need to clean themselves a little bit more or scrub their skin better, but that actually does more damage than good. The trick is just to find treatment options that can help you. For instance, Accutane is the best in terms of acne treatments. HS patients have certainly changed the way I view my work and improved the way I treat my patients. It's important to find somebody who is really well-versed in this condition. The reason that I know so much about HS is that it's similar to boils and abscesses, which look like pimples. But with HS,hs what's different is you get theseis tunnels — they're called fistulas — where you'll get an area that has sort of a purulence or a discharge from it, but you'll push it and then it'll come out another area, kind of like gophers that dig holes under the grass. It's very embarrassing. Can you imagine if you were oozing out of like little tunnels under the skin, but then you got a shirt on and you're getting it wet. It's very distressing. We're in the middle of my lifetime show, Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out. That is just my day-to-day — seeing my wonderful patients, who I just love and adore. I also feel a certain responsibility to really get the message out about HS. One of the biggest things you can do to help these HS patients is to make sure that they know that they're not alone and that there are people on their side. This interview was edited for length and clarity. The post Dr. Pimple Popper Answers Our Burning Skincare Questions appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
