Last year, Casey Means, President Trump’s pick for Surgeon General, shared a prophecy by the Indigenous Kogi people of Colombia: She warned that humanity has only until 2026 to prove we want to right the wrongs we have foisted upon the Earth, or we will all die. She might use the prophecy metaphorically, but she thinks we should take it seriously since many of the frightening trends on Earth, assuming natural disasters and chronic illness, are a “communication from God” just like how “symptoms are a gift from our cells, warning us about their needs not getting met.” This was shared in her newsletter, sponsored by a probiotic supplement brand.

Whenever politicians ascend to a position of power, they are subject to religious scrutiny. Al Smith, the Catholic governor of New York, ran for president in the 1928 election, only to face allegations that he planned to extend the Holland Tunnel directly to the Vatican. President Barack Obama…

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Some readers requested links to recent print features noted in the last edition. They’re now online:

Women’s Health: "The Cost of Connection"
“Any shared social experience or human interaction is now marketable as ‘social wellness.’”

Skeptical Inquirer: Why You Should Be More Skeptical of Health News
A deep dive into various issues plaguing health journalism and how newly formed wellness sections contribute to a poorly informed reader.

🚨 Scheduling alert 🚨
I will publish these newsletters less frequently and take a hiatus as I prioritize some exciting projects. (I’ll still be writing features and consulting.) Paying subscribers should expect a pause or prorated refund this week!
— Rina Raphael

Biohackers Without Borders

Sun, sand, and experimental stem cell therapy? Sure, but not without risk.

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I shared my thoughts on digital gatherings in Women’s Health magazine’s "The Cost of Connection":

‘Technology is a factor,’ says Raphael, of how we got here. ‘But it’s also culture – the eroding of social norms and communal connections has been happening for decades. From food delivery to watching films – everything is becoming more convenient at the expense of socialisation.’

The Issues Plaguing Health Journalism Today

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“People used to post their fashion outfits. Now they post their wellness routine,” said Rina Raphael, author of the book “The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care” and the Well To Do Substack. “If you open up any women’s fashion magazine, they no longer ask people, ‘Who are you wearing?’ and things of that sort. Instead, they ask, ‘What’s your wellness routine?’”

Read: Trading Politics for Wellness

McGill’s Office for Science & Society’s Jonathan Jarry criticized media coverage of backward walking and included my theory on wellness as fashion:

Their authors are almost never scientists; they interview a few “experts” who believe in the very preliminary evidence trickling in through the academic literature; and the entire thing is treated as fashion, as the author of The Gospel of Wellness, Rina Raphael, once told me. Bone broths are out. It’s now time to embrace walking backward, until the next Big Thing in fitness rolls in.

Read: The Benefits of Backward Walking Are Not on Solid Ground

Wellness Clichés to Ditch in 2025

A chunk of my work centers around wellness marketing: how it’s wielded (and weaponized) to sell everything from supplements to CBD-infused toilet paper.

But a lot’s changed in the last few years. We've rooted out a lot of useless terminology thanks to experts increasingly debunking health myths and media outlets finally showing the slightest bit of skepticism.

We killed “detox” (although “reset” took its place). We put “clean” on life support. We injured “plant-based.” We put a dent in “self-care.” (Unfortunately, “integrative” is still alive and kicking.)

Here are several more buzzwords worth ditching—not just because they’re incorrect or vague but because they’re overplayed.

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I shared some thoughts with The Guardian on new extreme fitness trends—and how they exemplify what we refuse to admit: that the body positivity movement had limited success. (Eh, did you catch the red carpet?)

“It’s like how people are shocked that skinny is back in—they’re like: ‘but we have all these Dove commercials!’ But people are still people...”

The Guardian: Yet another extreme exercise fad for women

Also, if you’re in LA, come to Book Soup on January 14th! I’ll be talking with Adam Chandler, author of the new book 99% Perspiration.

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More like, what the hell happened to Disneyland and once esteemed hotel brands? A rant about corporate blandness, screen fatigue, and the death of enchantment. (Well To Do)

An examination of the downfall of David Sinclair—father of the longevity movement and co-founder of Tally Health—and what it shows about this buzzy sector. (Well To Do)

Psychologist and Mind the Science author Jonathan Stea explains why popular voices like Dr. Mark Hyman misrepresent mental health, often in harmful ways. He highlights one specific idea taking off on TikTok, YouTub…

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There’s a new underground “drug deal experience” in L.A.

You DM this guy on Instagram. He gives you directions to meet up in a parking lot somewhere. You hand over the money. And then he gives you the goods:

Fresh pizza made without seed oil.

I expect nothing less from L.A., ground zero for wellness.

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I have a new feature out, but first, some background:

Last year, I wrote a story for New York magazine’s The Cut about how egg donation is often still stigmatized: women speak of shame, isolation, and pangs of inadequacy compounded by a clueless public still unfamiliar with the practice. It was titled The Last Fertility Taboo.

But one section got cut, partially due to space constraints: How are egg donors recruited and treated? What are the short and long-term medical risks? And why is the U.S. a leading global supplier of donor eggs?

I thought it an important part of the story, especially since some intended parents expressed guilt over whatever was happening on the other end of the egg agency. Many women said they sought reputable clinics where they believed—or hoped—their donors were well informed of the risks and their health prioritized. But as one mom told me, “There are places where they are like donor egg factory farms.”

While pitching this to other outlets, I learned that not everyone wants to know what’s happening to American egg donors. It sometimes seems as if the emotionally charged sector of family-building is often shielded from criticism. With significant empathy for those facing infertility, there’s less consideration for whether the industry is hurting people on the road to making them.

In my latest feature—for The Free Press—I profile an industry medical experts and donors increasingly call unregulated, unethical, and booming, partly due to venture capital’s meddling. The medical community is increasingly raising concerns about aggressive egg extraction protocols, medical neglect, and long-term health complications. Meanwhile, there’s concern regarding unfair contracts, legal ownership issues, and anonymity complications.

As one donor told me, “It's a wild, wild west.”

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, author of the new book Mind the Science (which I wrote about here), included my work for a thought-provoking analysis of the latest issues plaguing the wellness industry. From his piece in The Walrus:

In her book The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, and the False Promise of Self-Care, journalist Rina Raphael laments how there’s no agreed-upon definition of wellness, noting that it’s one reason the industry has grown so big. “Wellness has devolved into an ambiguous marketing term that can just as easily mean activated charcoal toothpaste as it does mindfulness.” It has seemingly ballooned to include anything and everything. Ask one guru what they mean by wellness and receive a different answer from the next. The term has drifted from Dunn’s definition and morphed into dollar signs…

Read: The Multi-Trillion-Dollar Wellness Industry Is Making Us Sick 

And For My Next Act—Menopause!

Did you know that Judy Greer has a supplement brand for women aged 40 and up? 

You might remember the actress for a string of movies in which she played the plucky best friend. Now, as a founding partner of Wile, she sells pills that supposedly reduce the severity, frequency, and duration of hot flashes, and “support” mood, focus, and sleep for those dealing with menopause and hormonal issues. 

There’s also a “burnout relief” tincture and a product called “Un-Anger” which—I shit you not—promises fast-acting relief for irritability and stress. And what would a wellness line be without a slimming product? Wile’s Stave the Crave claims to reduce sugar cravings and stress-eating. (Ozempic-lite!)

Surprise, surprise, these products were formulated by a “naturopathic physician.” And they are now available in CVS and Whole Foods stores.

When I asked Wile’s co-founder to substantiate product claims, well, the answer was rather underwhelming. It’s all in my latest feature for Graydon Carter’s Air Mail. This time around, I analyze why more and more actresses are establishing themselves as “menopreneurs”—and the thinking behind their business and marketing strategies. Wellness has become a second career, a reinvention of sorts, especially for actresses 45+. 

Wellness has quickly but decisively become the industry du jour, with actors jumping on the green-juice-fueled bandwagon. However, menopause is potentially the most surprising sector to join forces with Hollywood. Not too long ago, an actor wouldn’t admit, let alone discuss, this phase of life (owing in part to Hollywood’s entrenched ageism). Today, as health permeates all aspects of life and culture, menopause, too, is going mainstream.

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I spoke at CSICon, the premiere U.S. conference for science and skepticism, where I presented alongside folks such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox (!!!), , and more. I spoke about the state of health journalism and why you should be a bit (or maybe a lot) more skeptical when reading headlines.

Neil deGrasse Tyson gave a fantastic talk spanning the cosmos, E.T., vegetarianism, social justice, and nutrition myths. He also shared some chosen never-sent tweets. Here’s his helpful dessert tip:

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I’ll also be speaking at CSICon in Vegas! Join me, along with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, , Timothy Caulfield,  and more. INFO

A Growing—and Problematic—Wellness Sentiment

People often ask my opinion on some health “guru” or expert—Peter Attia, Huberman, David Sinclair … and, without fail, Dr. Mark Hyman.

Hyman is a famous physician, bestselling author, and “functional medicine” advocate who recently testified before Congress on national health issues within the U.S. food system. Like others who testified, Hyman is a big believer in “food is medicine,” a nice slogan but far from literal advice, particularly concerning one medical area. 

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News:

• I shared my thoughts about some of the ridiculous "longevity" clinics with Bloomberg Businessweek: "So much of this just an exercise in psychology, making people feel better about what they’re doing.”

These Membership Clubs for the Rich Say They Can Actually Slow Aging

Appearances:

• I’ll be speaking at QEDcon, the UKʼs largest skepticism and pop-science conference, Oct 19-20! I’ll be doing a talk on the wellness industry, as well as a panel on investigative journalism. INFO

• I’ll also be speaking at CSICon in Vegas! Join me, along with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Timothy Caulfield, and more. INFO

What Happened to the American Vacation?

This summer, I found myself thinking about Disneyland. It's been almost ten years since my last visit, and I have always cherished the memories I made at the park. I remember going when Captain EO was Tomorrowland's most futuristic attraction, and audiences hardly blinked at the “wench auction” at Pirates of the Caribbean. It was always a fun way to burn a few hundred dollars and down several churros.

But everyone in my circle quickly warned me. It’s not what it used to be, they warned. Highway robbery, scoffed a family member. It’s more stressful than it is fun now, bemoaned a friend.

I soon learned that the park had implemented an app to use before and during one’s visit. Need to figure out where to go? Use the app. Want to order food? Use the app. Want to use a “fast pass” (or whatever it's called now)? The app, the app, the app.

Of course, such a system does provide some benefits, like reducing wait times for food and informing visitors about closed attractions. However, let's consider the feature for finding characters. While it makes it easier to locate the elusive Daisy Duck, it might kill the spontaneity of her unexpectedly appearing in New Orleans Square, no?

Folks have told me the app-ification of Disney overcomplicates what should be a fun, simple exploration of the parks. They certainly all parrot the same complaint: we hate being on screens, and here we are, on our day off, on a screen.

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• Dazed interviewed me about why some women have reservations about hormonal birth control, per my post last month:

  DAZED: Why Are Young People Ditching the Pill?

  

• I’m off for the next several weeks! Summer vacay, yo. I’ll be pausing subs!

—Rina Raphael, author of The Gospel of Wellness

The Healthification of Hair

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Updates:

• I spoke with Religion News Service about The Well Church, a “church where wellness meets spirituality in community.” This ties back to the New York Times piece I wrote several years back about organized religion getting in on wellness to woo back worshippers (Ramadan bootcamps, Catholic meditation apps, Jewish prayer hikes, etc.)

Religion News: A church where wellness meets spirituality

RELATED: NYT: Where Group Prayer Meets Group Fitness

—Rina Raphael

‘Social Wellness’

One of the top questions I’m asked these days: How do we make our brand a social wellness brand?

I get it. So many brands now clamor for “community,” “connection,” and “social health.” 

Noom’s new app, Noom Vibe, for example, wants to “foster social connectedness” through audio “community circles.” Cannabis brands claim they promo…

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—Rina Raphael

Are Longevity Clinics Not Long for this World?

The class-action lawsuit against “healthier” soda Poppi is getting a lot of attention. A California woman alleges the brand falsely advertised its “gut health” benefits, which is no surprise to many of you who read this newsletter. In July 2023, I called out a few beverage brands engaging in science-washing:

Prebiotic soda brand Poppi bills itself as “gut healthy” and an “immunity sidekick.” “Functional” beverage line Kin Euphorics is infused with adaptogens to “strengthen” your adrenal system and “balance” your body’s reaction to stress. Even water got a makeover: Evian’s new seltzer is “enhanced” with ingredients that “contribute to cognitive function.” 

What stood out to me is the plaintiff’s repeated frustration with the term “gut health.” The complaint notes Poppi’s “alluring representations” surrounding this overused term before investigating what it meant. It turns out not much. A Poppi can contains a measly two grams of prebiotic fiber. 

The lawsuit puts “gut healthy” in quotation marks, hinting at what’s become a widespread issue within the wellness industry: increasingly ambiguous, near meaningless terms. Gut health, brain health, hormonal health, mental health, you name it—there are too many catch-all terms claiming something without concretely promising anything. 

“It's clever because that way you don't have to be specific,” registered dietitian Leah McGrath of the Build Up Dietitians Newsletter (a fave of mine), tells me. “You don't need any evidence or metrics if you're using a vague term… It can mean anything.”

In terms of gut health, do you mean the marketed product aids digestion? Reduces constipation or diarrhea? Decreases risk of certain types of cancers? Manages inflammation? Even a subcategory like inflammation needs more detailed information. As McGrath says, are we talking about acute inflammation or chronic inflammation? 

(It should be noted that Poppi has already pivoted its branding.)

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• I shared my thoughts about Peloton's recent woes—and how the brand’s hype overshadowed its actual market opportunity—with Business Insider:
  Peloton’s Demise Is Another in a Long Line of Fitness Fads

  

 Related: Why Did Lululemon Dump the Mirror?

• I’m excited to speak at QED, the UK’s largest skepticism and pop science conference! Join me in Manchester! INFO

  

• I’ll also be speaking at CSICon in Vegas this fall! Join me, along with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Timothy Caulfied, and more. INFO

—Rina Raphael

Bad Beauty Science

“I never thought I’d put SPF on bread,” exclaims a chipper Eva Longoria. “But I did.”

In a video released a few weeks ago—but getting attention this week—the actress partnered with L’Oréal Paris to share the importance of sun protection. Longoria—alongside a lab coat-clad expert—slathers SPF on a piece of bread, then pops it into a toaster. When the wet bread doesn’t toast, seemingly unfazed by the heat, Longoria posits it's because of glorious SPF.

But anyone familiar with breakfast chemistry knows this: soggy bread won’t toast. It’s the moisture. Any liquid would prevent toasting. 

“This is the dumbest ad I’ve ever seen,” remarked Food Science Babe in a stitched video. “By this logic, you could put water on that piece of bread and it also wouldn’t toast. But water is not a good SPF.”

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Updates: 

• I participated in a roundtable on pseudoscience in health and wellness. You can watch me along with Nick Tiller, Jon Guy, Edzard Ernst, and more. Watch.

• Kristin Cavallari went viral when she confessed she doesn’t use sunscreen—and then proceeded to share bad sun care advice. She is, unfortunately, the latest victim of the anti-SPF movement (which I detailed last year).
  
  Read: The Sun Care Market is Growing (But So is an Anti-SPF Movement)

Drama in the Longevity Scene

We have a new word for wellness and it’s 🥁🥁🥁 …. 

Longevity!

Congrats to the newest shape-shifting marketing term! You’ll do just fine in our ambiguous, ever-growing industry!

Not too long ago, every brand pursued terms like “natural” and “clean” (before migrating to buzzwords like “holistic” and “mental health”). But today “longevity” (or “rejuvenation”) is all the rage, promising folks vague health claims—usually something revolving around “maximizing healthspan”—to sell nutrition plans, personal care products, and even travel. 

Six Senses Resorts now promotes “longevity programs” to look and feel young again, but also to “optimize your core biological systems” (a phrase so fuzzy it’s completely meaningless.) Blue Zones, meanwhile, is cashing in on its moment in the media sun. What once connoted regions where people live longer has seemingly become a marketing cash cow: Blue Zones, LLC partners with brands to sell meal planners, beverages, experiences, canned food, and even hot sauce. 

Beauty is another industry getting in on this trend: yes, longevity skincare is a thing now. Earlier this year, L’oreal’s venture capital fund BOLD invested in Timeline, a Swiss longevity biotech company. Then there’s Caudalie, which partners with a longevity guru who has long been on my eye-roll list: David Sinclair. Caudalie announced that Sinclair patented a new molecule that tackles skin aging, no doubt relying on the appeal to authority fallacy.

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Skeptical Inquirer magazine reviewed my book, The Gospel of Wellness, and work! An excerpt:

[The Gospel of Wellness] offers healthy skepticism, investigative reporting, fascinating insights, and the empathy of an author… Rina Raphael is an accomplished journalist whose initial reporting on the wellness industry focused on lifestyle and business coverage but later expanded to science reporting emphasizing the importance of evidence to back up claims. She separates the wheat from the chaff and explains the challenge of sorting out causation versus correlation regarding medical advice. She shares insights from trustworthy experts.” READ

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Is ‘Spiritual’ the New Wellness?

My new local Albertsons (I just moved!) features an aisle category that piqued my interest: “New Age Drinks.” 

Wellness, it would seem, has a fierce competitor. It’s no longer enough to be clean, “natural, or “better for you”; now a drink must also be meditative or elevate you to new spiritual heights.

Unfortunately, not one drink advertised spiritual or metaphysical benefits. I assume Albertsons merely conflated wellness with spirituality (and, perhaps, hoped to intrigue the average Los Feliz shopper). However, Snaxshot has a good summary of products that are promising spiritual benefits in a can. Sparkling water offering “energetic protection.” Chocolate bars with “healing sound frequency.” Booze that “sages from the inside.”

Bella Hadid’s “functional” beverage line Kin Euphorics, for example, is infused with adaptogens to “strengthen” your adrenal system, “boost” your immunity, and provide “long-term brain benefits.” (Science-washing 🚨) But! It also contains ingredients to “conjure clarity and vision” and “ignite heart fire.” 

I don’t even know what that means.

I’ve also come across brands like Despierta, an herbal tea blend infused with “crystal essences.” Each crystal is charged under the sun and moon with set intentions, and all blends are crafted in “small-batch tea cauldrons” (which might be a fancy way to say teapot). The dreamy-hued brand markets its ability to “awaken your inner power” as well as “your dream reality—in mind, body & spirit.”

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• I spoke with Dazed magazine about Bella Hadid’s bizarre morning supplement routine ($736!) and why we’re quick to believe magic pills’ bold claims. READ

  

• Last spring I pitched several outlets a nuanced piece on Andrew Huberman’s sometimes shoddy science and speaking outside his expertise. No one was interested in criticizing podcast’s golden boy, but thankfully has a roundup of his top offenses (which includes some of my former criticisms). READ

• I joined Religion News’ Saved By the City podcast to discuss the intersection of religious beliefs and wellness culture. LISTEN

—Rina Raphael, author of The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care

Pushback on The Pill (and What Reports Often Miss)

The Washington Post recently reported on the misinformation campaign compelling women to ditch hormonal birth control for more “natural” options. (I originally had a whole chapter in my book on the pushback to the pill—cut for space—so I’ve done a bit of research on the topic, talking with women, experts, and influencers.)

The WashPo piece had many good points, but one thing I found odd was the framing: the writers repeatedly refer to “right-wing” influence (six times!). While attributing misinformation to conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro & Friends might make for a juicier story, it’s simply not an accurate depiction of the landscape. Both sides of the political aisle question birth control. Just go to Malibu! You’ll find hordes of Whole Foods shoppers obsessing over “natural” alternatives and decrying inserting “chemicals” into their bodies. (Sometimes these sentiments are coupled with spiritual concerns about how medicine zaps divine feminine power and “damages your intuition.”)

WashPo pinpoints conservative publication Evvie (described as the “conservative Gen Z’s version of Cosmo”) for headlines such as, Why Are So Many Feminists Silent About the Very Real Dangers of Birth Control?

But take a look at actual Cosmo headlines: 

• Why Does All Birth Control Sort Of Suck?

• Are Young Women Totally Over the Pill?

• Birth Control Could Be Messing With Your Quality of Life (It’s Not All in Your Head.)

Or, let’s wander over to other similar publications. One Refinery29 article titled "Why is Hormonal Contraception Still Failing Us?" references several studies, including one very small study involving 50 female recruits, suggesting the pill alters the structure of women's brains. The author feels medical experts "seek to downplay the findings"—one of many articles positioning it as a battle pitting women against doctors. 

Heck, let’s check out WashPo! “‘It's not in your head’: Birth control may cause depression, striking new study says” reads a 2016 headline. (It was based on a study's debatable conclusions, which I dig into later in this newsletter). 

The Daily Wire is singled out for promoting the idea that birth control can change who women are attracted to. But that’s a story that also ran in TIME, Vice, Buzzfeed,  Cosmo, NBC News, and CNN. The podcast With Whit, hosted by former reality-TV star Whitney Port, did a whole episode suggesting hormonal contraceptives tweak women's moods, stress, attraction, and personality; essentially, changing who women are fundamentally.

Sorry, but this isn’t a solely “conservative push.” Nor is it restricted to social media. Or new.

To some, attacking the Pill is sacrilegious, but hormonal contraceptives carry a colorful, controversial history that by no means bars them from scrutiny. (That certainly doesn’t legitimize all the fear-mongering nonsense circulating on social media!) Much of the current media analysis misses some key points about why women are shunning it, as well as nuanced takes on where we stand and what needs to be done to reinstall confidence. 

Some further insight and a trip down the Pill’s colorful (and forgotten) history:

The Pill on Trial

In 1969, medical journalist Barbara Seaman published The Doctor's Case Against the Pill, which argued that oral contraceptives' high doses of estrogen posed significant risks to women's health. Readers were outraged that their doctors never shared rumored potential side effects, including blood clots, increased cancer risk, and depression. To counter those effects, doctors had prescribed a medley of drugs, including tranquilizers for mood disorders, diuretics for water retention, and blood thinners for those at risk of clotting. The media joked that oral contraceptives needed a new slogan: "If she's on the pill, she may need the tablet."

The ensuing public uproar inspired Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI) to chair the 1970 Senate Pill hearings, wherein male experts and witnesses assembled to debate the risks. Infuriated that women weren't invited to offer their testimony, the activist collective D.C. Women's Liberation group erupted into a ruckus at the hearing, demanding that women represent themselves. Members shouted and hurled statements such as "We are not going to sit quietly!" and "Why are you using women as guinea pigs?" The group's leader Alice Wolfson, in her own statement, declared, "We will no longer tolerate intimidation by white-coated gods antiseptically directing our lives." Despite serving as the hearing's lead advocate, Nelson later said in an interview, "There is a question about how much technical information should be given a patient and how competent women are to receive it."

The antics garnered national attention and spurred collective action. It’s estimated that eighty-seven percent of women between the ages of 25 and 45 were estimated to have followed the hearings, and of those, eighteen percent quit the pill shortly thereafter. 

The controversy also led to industry change.

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