As an elder millennial, I myself have resorted to TikTok and Instagram reels for life hacks, how-to’s, and tips and tricks. While I have found plenty of reliable videos on home improvement, organization, new recipes, and learning new general skills, the thing I take with a grain of salt is health related advice.
I can always tell when something in the health field is trending because my patients will come asking about it – I don’t even need to open the app. If this has ever been you, don’t worry, I’m glad you asked questions! While these videos can be quite informative, you have to remember, many of them are in paid partnerships. Also, nothing is universal when it comes to your health!
Just because someone says that something is “good” doesn’t guarantee that it is good for you, your current condition, or health related goals. I see this with my autoimmune and fertility patients quite frequently. Often if you are in pain or having trouble with something like conceiving, your first instinct is to research what can help you reach your end goal as quickly as possible. Something as innocently seeming as adding in supplements on your own can sometimes do more harm than good.
An example of something that can be more harmful than good: Chasteberry (aka Vitex) has been shown to regulate painful periods and painful breasts during menstruation. However, if you have these symptoms and a long menstrual cycle (34+ days consistently in between the start of one period to the next,) chasteberry may actually lengthen your cycle further due to its action on raising progesterone during the luteal phase. Chasteberry can also make changes to estrogen levels in the body and would not be good to supplement if you have any history of diseases that are easily impacted by hormonal changes (like some forms of ovarian or breast cancer).
So, if you have seen something trending that you are interested in, feel free to reach out to your provider before spending money on something that may not benefit you. If we don’t know the answer, we will refer you to someone who does.
-Dr. Hannah Winner DACM AP