Latest news with #wellnesstrend
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
REVEALED: TikTok has crowned Vita Coco as the internet's favorite natural electrolyte drink - no chemicals, just coconut
Life might drive you (coco) nuts — but these viral coconut water ' Nature's Sports Drinks' won't! TikTok is at it again with yet another wellness trend, and this time is involves one of our favorite beverage brands — Vita Coco. Vita Coco Coconut Water The Original (12pk) The Vita Coco philosophy is life is better with a little coconut — and we couldn't agree more. The brand's original coconut water continues to be a bestseller and now it is TikTok viral again. The natural, healthy source of electrolytes and vitamins is the water alternative millions love. If you haven't tried Vita Coco yet, believe us, you are seriously on coconut shy of crazy. $27.49 Shop Vita Coco is known for its hydrating, refreshing, and undeniably delicious coconut water drinks. From the brand's classic The Original flavor to its inclusive Original Barista coconut milk, they have users hooked with their straightforward formulas and mouth-watering results. TikTokers have created a whole new way to indulge with something they have coined 'Nature's Sports Drinks.' The term refers to homemade electrolyte drinks that swap artificial additives for simple, natural ingredients (such as Vita Coco!). Vita Coco's Original water has been a key ingredient across the app in creators recipes for its delicious flavor and jam-packed benefits including vitamins, electrolytes, and nearly NO sugar. Sippers keep turning to the thirst quenching beverages as a healthy alternative to typical sports drinks, such as Gatorade. One shoppers said: 'Great alternative to chemically processed Gatorades or sports drinks for my construction workers. In 90 degree Florida heat, water just doesn't cut it but coconut water gives just the right boost!' Vita Coco remains the central base ingredient in the latest TikTok trend due to its proven hydration power. TikTok user @superfoodsguy shared his version of the citrusy, salty drink delights, with Vita Coco Original flavor front and center! By combining Vita Coco, fresh citrus, salt, honey, and Blue spirulina (a naturally sourced blue-green algae powder) — he was able to concoct the perfect refreshing midday drink without added sugars, GMOs, or other harmful ingredients. If you have been looking for a water alternative or simply a beverage for the summer that will do more for you — Vita Coco is it! The brand has a ton of unique flavors that speak to every taste from mouth watering pineapple to a rich Strawberries & Creme. The best part is if you subscribe for monthly deliveries, you can easily stock up on all your favorite coconut waters for less! By subscribing you save 10 percent and ensure you are never without your hydration station ever again. Vita Coco sippers can never get enough, with one saying: 'I needed something more refreshing and enjoyable. I just started my coconut journey and it's the best thing done possible. Give it a try!' Shop all of Vita Coco's must-have drinks and hop on the ' Nature's Sports Drinks ' trend ASAP to share your own unique recipes. Happy sipping!
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Why is everyone talking about lymphatic drainage and is it really good for weight loss?
My morning routine used to consist of a shower, collagen coffee, electrolytes and a fairly simple skincare routine. But that was before I had discovered lymphatic drainage – and before wellness TikTok had exploded with content dedicated to the humble lymph. These days, I'm one of the many people pumping my lymph nodes, brandishing a gua sha tool and starting my day with a mixture of self-massage, dry brushing and skin scraping with a piece of crystal to cure all manner of ills. And that's not even the whole story. In my quest to adequately drain excess fluid, decrease inflammation, recover faster from exercise and stress and more broadly prompt my lymphatic system to work as effectively as possible, I've employed a regular schedule of contrast therapy – cryo and infrared – alongside lymphatic drainage massages and compression treatments at my favourite London longevity clinics. The biohacking revolution has truly made me believe that to be adequately drained is to be a better version of myself. I do feel better and I think I look better too – but is lymphatic drainage really that good for us? Is it even necessary, or is it just another overhyped wellness trend? I turned to the experts for answers about various styles of lymphatic drainage and to find out whether I – and countless celebrities who sing the praises of lymphatic massage – am doing the right thing for my health with these treatments and routines. What is the lymphatic system? Your lymph system includes organs, vessels, and tissues that move or drain a water-like fluid called lymph from other parts of your body into your bloodstream via a network of vessels and nodes. If something disrupts this process, lymph can collect in your arms, legs, ankles or other parts of your body, making them swell. Typically, this is because of lymphedema, which is a chronic condition that causes swelling due to lymph fluid being trapped in tissues rather than moving back into the bloodstream. Approximately 200,000 people in the UK are affected by lymphedema – but that doesn't necessarily mean you're one of them. Primary lymphoedema is rare, while secondary lymphoedema is much more common, often affecting people with cancers that involve the lymph system or who've had treatment to the lymph nodes. For people like this, manual lymph drainage can make a dramatic difference to swelling and painful areas where fluid has built up. If you don't have any medical issues with lymph drainage, a treatment won't be essential to your wellbeing, however, you can still benefit from having the lymph system stimulated and flushed. Compression, whether from a massage gun, a pair of leggings or a specialist treatment, can soothe aching muscles, reduce swelling and prevent inflammation in a healthy body. 'Lymphatic drainage is incredibly beneficial for anyone, not just those recovering from illness or surgery. While it can support people with specific issues like bloating, fluid retention, sluggish digestion, hormonal imbalance, post-viral fatigue and detoxing, it's also powerful for people simply living high-stress lives,' says Zal Bayramoglu, founder of Body Sculpting Clinic by Zal. 'Stress alone can slow the lymphatic system, creating a sense of heaviness and tension in the body. This treatment helps restore flow, calm the nervous system and reconnect you with how your body feels. Many of my clients begin to notice things they'd previously ignored when puffy, inflamed, holding tension or disconnected. You don't need a diagnosis to benefit, just a body in need of a moment to reset and release.' It's true, anyone would feel great after a massage, but specialist lymphatic treatments can also provide visible changes to the body. One need only observe the difference between a before and after photo to see how a treatment of this kind can create a smoothing, slimming effect and change the shape of the face and body. 'The lymphatic system plays a huge role in how we feel day to day. It clears waste, supports immunity, and helps regulate fluid balance and inflammation. But unlike the circulatory system, it doesn't have a pump. It relies on movement, breath and stimulation,' explains Lauren Scott Dovey, a wellbeing expert and the founder of Heat Healer. I don't have any problems with my lymphs, but I do find that when I'm stressed or run down, I look strangely swollen. I also travel on aeroplanes fairly often, which does weird things to throw off my health baselines. Then there's the fact that for me, any exercise-induced inflammation always seems to heal better after a lymphatic treatment. At a very basic level, lymphatic treatments feel good and at a more advanced level, I look and feel healthier after having them. What is lymphatic drainage? Lymphatic drainage was developed in Paris in the 1930s by Dr Emil Vodder and his wife, Estrid. However, techniques are also attributed to traditional Chinese medicine and Thai massage. The treatments are generally called 'massage', but they comprise a range of techniques. A specific lymphatic treatment might involve long sweeping strokes from a practitioner's hands, but it might also involve hand-held pressure tools, a high-powered jet in a small pool or machines like compression boots that inflate and deflate to get the fluid moving. I often feel strangely soothed sliding into a machine that looks like an iron lung at Mayfair's Vidavii longevity clinic, allowing the device to squeeze my midsection and gently release, getting tighter with each compression. The Nasa-approved machine is a little like a stint under a weighted blanket – it's calming while being a touch uncomfortable. The idea is that squeezing the body in this way optimises cardiovascular, venous and lymphatic flow, allowing oxygen and nutrients to efficiently reach injured areas, aiding healing. Some people also opt for settings intended to help shed water weight and create a slimming effect in the midsection. Dr Sadaf Jaffari, a medical professional based in Chelsea, offers a slightly different treatment that's used for its slimming effects, but also for treating pain conditions like fibromyalgia and arthritis. I visit her clinic for something a little different, donning a futuristic white body stocking before lying down on the table. 'It's a more controlled, effective and faster way to treat with lymphatic drainage. It's also the only method that's safe for pregnant people in the third trimester,' she explains. 'It's called Icoone Laser Med and we use two motorised handpieces that vacuum and roller the skin at the same time. It's as relaxing and delicate as a manual massage but with the effectiveness of the added tech. And we can incorporate laser and LED using the Robo solo handpiece to treat the connective tissue, stimulating collagen and helping to repair any damaged tissues.' Between influencers on TikTok rubbing their skin raw with hand-held massage devices and a gentle once-over with the Icoone handpieces, I know which one I'd choose. But, says Scott Dovey, it's a myth that lymphatic drainage needs to be deep, intense, or painful to be effective. 'In reality, the lymph vessels are just beneath the skin, and gentle, consistent movement works better than anything aggressive. As for frequency, the more regularly you support your lymph system, the better. That doesn't have to mean a 90-minute massage every week or two. It could mean walking, gua sha, dry brushing, or simply wearing something supportive. And if you're feeling puffy, sluggish or inflamed, it's a sign your lymph might need a little extra support.' There are several ways to manipulate the lymph nodes and one style of lymphatic treatment isn't necessarily better than another. Some people find a particular type of treatment works best for them and for their specific goals. Is lymphatic drainage good for weight loss? If the goal is looking snatched, lymphatic drainage can certainly help. However, it's not a weight loss solution and any influencer or celebrity selling it as such is probably misleading you. 'Lymphatic drainage massage doesn't cause weight loss – I'm always transparent about that with my clients. What it does do is reduce puffiness, water retention and lymph stagnation that's often mistaken for fat. It's not fat, it's fluid, and when the body's blocked or inflamed, it can completely change how you look and feel,' explains Bayramoglu. 'When we move the lymph, that fluid is pushed back into the system where it eventually gets filtered and flushed out through the kidneys. It's gentle, but powerful. You'll often leave feeling lighter, more energised, and clearer not just in your body, but your mind too,' she adds. One of the side effects of this kind of treatment is needing to use the toilet more. The fluid's been flushed, and that means it needs to exit the body, so you'll find yourself needing to pee a lot more often if it's been done correctly. This is also why a practitioner will tell you to hydrate after a treatment. Any water you lose rapidly is likely to dehydrate you, so drinking plenty of water and maybe adding some electrolytes is a good idea. The growing popularity of lymphatic treatments makes sense. Treatments like this encourage us to consider the root cause of inflammation, fatigue and long-term changes to our health and they also encourage us to slow down and take an hour for ourselves. 'What I've seen in my clinic is a growing number of people who are overwhelmed, burnt out or simply disconnected from their body due to busy lifestyles,' says Bayramoglu. 'They might come in for the physical results at first, but over time, they begin to notice how much lighter they feel emotionally, how much more in tune they are with their body, and how they start to truly listen to it.' 'Yes, it's known for sculpting and de-puffing and my clients absolutely see those results, but it goes far deeper than that. Lymphatic massage is powerful, not just for your waistline, but for your wellbeing. And that's why more and more people are turning to it not as a quick fix, but as a consistent part of a lifestyle that honours the body and mind.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Is mouth taping dangerous? An expert says the trend 'is not an appropriate therapy' for people with sleep apnea
Mouth taping has become a viral wellness trend among influencers and celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Graham and Emma Roberts. However, Canadian researchers are warning that putting tape or an adhesive patch over your mouth while sleeping could be "extremely unsafe" if you have breathing issues. A study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One indicated mouth taping could be harmful when trying to treat problems like mouth breathing and sleep disordered breathing. It could also be dangerous for someone with sleep apnea, a disorder where a person's breathing stops repeatedly while they're sleeping. Dr. Brian Rotenberg, a senior author on the study, told Yahoo Canada there are two main reasons why people should likely avoid this home remedy. "If the patient is having nasal obstruction, there's usually a reason for that," the otolaryngologist at London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph's Health Care London and Western University in Ontario explained. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. "It is better to have that reason investigated by a qualified health-care practitioner — for example a primary-care physician, an ENT (ear, nose and throat) person like myself or a nurse practitioner — to actually make a diagnosis than doing a Band-Aid and treating it without knowing the cause," he added. The sleep surgeon further explained there are numerous people who are unaware they have sleep apnea. About nine per cent of men and three to four per cent of women have the disorder and remain unaware, he indicated. "We're talking millions of Canadians and way more Americans and way more globally." Mouth taping is a home remedy method that involves a person placing a tape or adhesive patch over their mouth when going to sleep. This is meant to reduce their mouth breathing at night, pushing them to use their nose to breath. In turn, nose breathing should warm and humidify the air entering the body, reducing snoring and improving sleep quality. In November 2022, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow shared on Instagram she was using a product called MyoTape, touting it was "probably the single best wellness tool" she'd recently found: "Breathing through your nose at night apparently creates alkalinity in the body and promotes the best quality sleep." The following May, supermodel Ashley Graham posted similar reviews to the practice, saying she had "never slept better." Actress Emma Roberts also recently called it "life changing" and that she wakes up feeling "more refreshed." Influencers online have lately been echoing similar sentiments, claiming that sleeping this way has improved their asthma symptoms, increased their oral hygiene and even sharpened their jawline. But according to Rotenberg's research in collaboration with Halifax-based paediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Elise Graham and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry resident Jess Rhee, there wasn't any strong evidence of mouth taping health benefits. The team looked at 86 existing studies on the topic, and gave an in-depth review of 10 worth looking over. Out of those studies, eight showed no benefits and two suggested minimal benefits. Rotenberg used an analogy of a patient who is seeing their vision worsen. In some cases, that might simply be a case of needing new glasses. "But what if you have glaucoma? What if you have cataracts? What if you have retinal disease? All those things can present as decreases in vision that are otherwise non-specified," Rotenberg noted. "But you would never not go to your eye doctor. You wouldn't just order glasses off the internet and say, 'Let's give them a go.' You would actually do something about it and investigate it." He said the same analogy works with the nose, which is a part of the body that can have "lots of issues" that cause breathing problems. Those might include a deviated septum, nasal polyps or even a tumour. "Those things are not going to get fixed with mouth taping," he shared. When it comes to having sleep apnea, he said mouth taping can become "extremely unsafe" and can potentially make the disorder even worse: "When you have sleep apnea, the throat's collapsing in. So your throat's collapsing, now your nose is blocked and you're treating your nose blockage by covering your mouth. At that point, what's left to breathe through?" A few years ago, Rotenberg said he initially thought mouth taping was just another viral trend that wasn't worth spending time worrying about. But over time, he and his collaborators noted how it became a real thing that people were continuously doing. That pushed him to begin research on the topic about a year and a half ago. If a patient was asking about potentially using mouth taping as a remedy, Rotenberg said he'd do an assessment and then conduct an examination to see what might be happening: "More often than not, I would likely see something happening to cause the obstruction, in which case I would not offer mouth taping but I would offer them other therapies that are evidence based and science based." Still, he noted there may be the odd occasion where a patient won't have any reason why they're not breathing through their nose. "Something like that, I think [mouth taping] would be OK." However, he urged people to use more critical thinking when it comes to following viral trends they come across on social media. "Just to be clear, I don't want to portray mouth taping as the root of all evil on planet Earth — it's not like that. There for sure some people out there who would probably benefit from this," he shared. "My thesis is to have people apply a little more thought before they just initiate something because of an influencer suggesting this is a good idea. Actually look into it and think, 'What's the problem here in the first place?'"
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Aldi jumps on the latest wellness trend with new arrival which lets people try it out themselves for just £29.99
IT'S one of the biggest wellness trends of the past year. And now those who want to try out an ice bath themselves can do so, thanks to one of Aldi's latest arrivals. 2 2 It's also a good way of cooling down when the weather warms up, and is ready in just 20 minutes thanks to the fact it's inflatable. The inflatable ice bath is due to hit the middle aisle on May 25, and will cost just £29.99. It's made from "Tritech puncture-resistant material", which means it's reliable against weight, strain and movement. It also comes complete with a cover and rope fastener, and can be put up anywhere from the garden to the garage. It can even be put up at a bus stop, as Aldi demonstrated with a clever advertising campaign. But if you want to grab one of the SpecialBuys you'll have to be quick. As Google trends data shows it's likely to be a popular purchase, considering that searches for "ice bath recovery" and "ice baths near me" have risen by a combined 480% over the past year. "The sunny conditions that we have been experiencing in the UK show no signs of letting up, making it the perfect opportunity to take a dip in one of our at home ice baths," Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said. "Whether you're looking to join the trend and recover from your latest workout or just cool off on your commute, Aldi has you covered!" Ice baths have long been used to help reduce inflammation and provide pain relief. It's also thought that regular use of an ice bath can help improve sleep, as well as mental health. "I think the main mental health benefits of cold water immersion are psychological," Will Cronenwett, Chief of Psychiatry at Northwestern University School of Medicine, told Psychology Today magazine. "It can be scary, so when you are doing it, you are overcoming your fear. "This feels good, like mastering any difficult feat." According to Mark Harper, author of Chill: The Cold Water Swim Cure, ice baths are the most effective to help with both anxiety and depression between the temperatures of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius.
Times
19-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Times
Why is there so much raw meat in my feed?
Forget porridge. The influencer Ashley English posted a video in September 2024 of her breakfast: a raw T-bone steak with raw bison bone marrow and raw bison liver. She is not alone in her unusual diet. Eating raw meat has become the latest bizarre wellness trend on social media. In recent weeks, my TikTok and Instagram feeds have been flooded with stomach-turning videos of young men and women filming themselves casually eating raw liver and raw ground beef mince. This is not like when you order steak tartare at a fancy restaurant — they pick up a whole raw steak with their hands and eat it like it's an apple. On TikTok, there are over 15,000 videos tagged #rawmeat. In one video on the platform,
