... and dangErOus
COLON CLEANSING
GOOP is an advocate of this messy procedure, which involves shooting liquid through a tube in the rectum up into the colon
But doctors warn colon cleansing isn’t necessary as the digestive system eliminates waste and bacteria quite adequately. Worse, the procedure carries risks including dehydration, infection, vomiting and — most seriously — bowel perforation.
IODINE TO STOP DISEASE
THIS novel advice was advanced on Goop by Anthony William, a ‘medical medium’ who claims to commune with a ‘high level’ ghost who gives him ‘extraordinarily accurate health information that’s often far ahead of its time’.
Paltrow believes what Williams says ‘ feels inherently right and true’.
According to his spirit advisor, iodine is not only an antiseptic but a crucial mineral in strengthening our immune systems and repelling viruses.
All hopelessly wrong, say scientists. The body needs iodine in small amounts to make the thyroid hormone, without which we will die.
But, in fact, we should be less concerned with too little iodine than too much of it. An excess of iodine can cause hypothyroidism (where your thyroid gland produces less thyroxine), auto-immune problems, or, in rare cases, cancer.
FANCY VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS
GOOP recently branched into vitamin pills, charging $90 for a month’s supply ($75 with a subscription) of ‘Why Am I So Effing Tired’ vitamins to ‘improve energy levels and diminish stress’, among others.
Goop says that the supplements are designed for people suffering from ‘adrenal fatigue’, a new illness involving physical and mental exhaustion — but one that most medical professionals insist doesn’t actually exist.
It is the pill business that alarms Goop’s critics most — because the U. S.’ s $37 billion supplements industry is unregulated.
Many supplements are contaminated, and Goop won’t say exactly where it gets it supplies from.
Successive studies have shown that many supplements are just flushed through our system with no noticeable benefits.
Worse, some research suggests that in some cases they can actually be harmful and even cause early death.
For example, it found smokers who regularly took vitamin A were more likely to get lung cancer than those who didn’t, while high doses of vitamins D and E can cause serious problems including high calcium levels in the blood.
BEE STINGS TO LOOK YOUNGER
PALTROW describes this as a ‘thousands of years old treatment called apitherapy’ which eases inflammation and scarring. The venom can be administered in other ways than crushing a bee onto the skin, but it’s still painful (and still involves bees dying).
Paltrow told Goop she tried it and an old injury ‘disappeared’.
Experts say there is simply no credible evidence for apitherapy and that it shouldn’t be tried without consulting a doctor first.
‘Many people are allergic to bee venom and there have also been reported side- effects, such as haemorrhagic strokes,’ according to Dr Clay Jackson, a pain management expert, adding that ‘some people mistakenly assume that because something is natural, it has no side-effects — and that is not the case.’