Celebrity health trends debunked by a doctor

With their glamorous lives and packed schedules, celebrities seems to always be in search of the latest health and wellness trends that will keep them looking and feeling their best. Many A-listers swear by buzzy remedies such as waist training or sipping on bone broth and we have to admit that we're intrigued... even if we don't know what they're all about. Although we're certainly interested in the latest Hollywood beauty secrets, we wanted to make sure all the hype surrounding them is medically sound. So we called on physician Dr. Vivien Brown to weigh in on some of these celeb stand-bys.

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Vitamin drip therapy

Celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, Cindy Crawford and Simon Cowell all turn to this treatment before walking a red carpet or as a regular treatment from their naturopath. Vitamin drip therapy, also known as IV therapy, consists of injecting a high dose of vitamins that the body usually gets naturally from foods and injecting them through an IV directly into your bloodstream over a short period of time. Some people think that in regards to vitamins, if some is good, then more must be better, but that is just not true with your body.

Although vitamins are good for you, taking excessive amounts of them means the detoxifying organs – your kidneys and liver – need to work harder to get rid of the extra to maintain balance within the body. Dr. Brown recommends being extremely cautious about taking anything with an IV because you might be putting your renal system, your kidney functions, and your hepatic (liver) functions under duress.

Some celebrities swear by a certain vitamin mix, but Dr. Brown believes you wouldn't necessarily feel the direct benefit of a particluar vitamin. Occasionally with B12, you can feel the effect sooner than others, but for the most part, vitamins are cofactors to help benefit the body. For example, you don't actually feel better after taking Vitamin D, it simply helps your body retain bone structure in the future. In short, Dr. Brown wouldn't recommend getting your vitamins intravenously unless unless you have a condition that warrants this treatment.

Waist trainers

Kylie Jenner and Jessica Alba have helped make waist trainers famous lately, and Dr. Brown thinks they probably do make a difference in waist size. Women in the 1700s wore corsets, tying them as tightly as possible, but this also affected their breathing and their growth. Even though wearing a waist trainer may make a difference if you do it consistently, Dr. Brown doesn't think it's actually something you should be doing. Using a waist trainer presses on your stomach, which in turn alters your diaphragm and prevents you from being able to take a deep breath. If you don't get air into the lower part of your lungs you're more at risk for pneumonia, so in her medical opinion, this trend is not worth your time.

Cupping

Cupping is an ancient remedy that is supposed to stimulate the flow of energy and heal areas of the body. Michael Phelps, Justin Bieber and even our own prime minister, Justin Trudeau, have all undergone this traditional Chinese medicine therapy. It involves heating the inside of a cup and putting it on your skin, which then pulls up your skin possibly leaving broken blood vessels, broken skin and red marks. While this practice has been widely popular in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, Dr. Brown hasn't seen much medical evidence pointing to specific health benefits.

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is an all-natural product that has had a large following for a while now because of its numerous supposed benefits. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Katy Perry claim that sipping apple cider vinegar helps suppress appetite and improve digestion. Unfortunately, Dr. Brown has never come across any medically supported evidence suggesting the vinegar helps with either of these. She believes it's perfectly fine in smaller amounts, such as in salad dressings and other dishes, but in higher amounts, its acidity could cause permanent damage to the enamel on your teeth. So make sure you dilute your drink with plenty of water, or just steer clear of sipping on it altogether.

Bone broth

Stars like Salma Hayek and Shailene Woodley swear by drinking bone broth. The info on its benefits is still inconclusive. Although some feel that bone broth will help you feel better and strengthen you when you're sick, others remain uncertain – and so does Dr. Brown. She says there are many factors to consider and depending on what you put in the broth, there could be some benefit. Chicken soup has been shown to help reduce inflammation when you have a sore throat, but as far as bone broth is concerned, she believes we still need more scientific evidence to back up its health claims. Many claim that they drink it for its nutrients and collagen, but Dr.Brown is not convinced that you will be able to absorb those through your abdominal tract. However, even if it doesn't do what it purports, it's a delicious drink that won't potentially damage your kidneys, liver, or teeth like some of the other celebrity health trends she has already tackled.

Going dairy-free

Miley Cyrus and Gwyneth Paltrow have both ditched dairy and it's becoming increasingly popular among non-celebs too. Dr. Brown explained that maintaining a dairy free diet is really important for people who are sensitive to lactose and as we get older, we lose our ability to digest lactose. This type of diet isn't necessarily bad for your health as long as you make sure you're still getting enough calcium. Alternative products such as almond and pea milk are widely available to help you get your recommended calcium intake. Pea milk, as weird as it sounds, is a newer product on the market and it's getting lots of buzz because it's high in protein and actually higher in calcium than cow's milk. So if you do choose to ditch the dairy, be sure to focus on where else you're going to get your calcium so that your bone health doesn't suffer.