Health
The truth about 6 wacky celebrity health trends
When it comes to health and wellness, trends can get strange.
Many wacky wellness trends gain popularity when celebrities endorse them.
When it comes to health trends, you should always be mindful of your own body.
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Even if a certain method works wonders for someone else, it may not provide the same results for you.
One strange health trend is applying toothpaste to pimples. This is one that doesn’t hold much truth. (iStock)
Below are five untraditional health trends that are still popular today.
- Oil pulling
- Cupping
- Using toothpaste for curing acne
- Eating placenta
- Taking the cold plunge
1. Oil pulling
Oil pulling is the practice of swishing oil — such as sesame oil or coconut oil — around the mouth, similar to how you would with mouthwash, for several minutes.
Many have given this method a try to kill harmful bacteria in the mouth and reduce bad breath, according to Medical News Today. The outlet notes that teeth whitening, a common reason many try oil pulling, is not a benefit that research can support.
One of the biggest things to overcome with oil pulling is the texture of the oil and the length of time you need to swish it around your mouth.
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It’s recommended by many sources to do this for 15-20 minutes every day.
2. Cupping
Cupping therapy is when cups are placed on the skin to create a suction, with potential benefits of improving blood flow, boosting immune function, removing toxins and reducing pain, according to Healthline.
Although cupping looks painful, with skin reddening underneath each cup, many think of it as a form of massage.
Michael Phelps took advantage of cupping during the Olympic Games. (Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images)
Celebrities including Lady Gaga, Lena Dunham and Michael Phelps have jumped on the cupping bandwagon.
Be mindful of when you get cupping done.
Try to avoid doing it before a big event because it will leave marks.
3. Using toothpaste for curing acne
Some celebrities, including Kendall Jenner and Jennifer Love Hewitt, have tried an old teenage trick of using toothpaste to clear up a pimple.
It may cause more harm than good. Putting toothpaste on a pimple is essentially going to dry it up.
It could end up leaving the skin red and irritated, making the pimple worse than before you applied the toothpaste, according to Verywell Health.
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So, it’s probably best to leave the toothpaste on the toothbrush and off your pesky pimples.
4. Eating placenta
After childbirth, some moms consume the placenta for health benefits, such as preventing postpartum depression and reducing bleeding, according to the Mayo Clinic.
That said, a number of sources, including WebMD, note that the many positive claims that come with eating a placenta haven’t been fully tested, so there is no proof about the claims.
5. Taking the cold plunge
If you have any form of social media, you have most likely seen someone dunk themselves into a frigid tub of water in the middle of winter.
Many who do the cold plunge take it seriously and submerge themselves in frigid water, no matter how chilly the air is around them.
Forget cold showers. Many have taken it to the next level with a cold plunge. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)
Cold plunging can be done in the wilderness or at home with an outdoor tub.
Starting out with an at-home tub isn’t a bad idea, as it’s a more controlled environment.
If you are going to give this trend a go, you don’t have to be in the water for too long. You actually shouldn’t be, with frostbite and hypothermia as potential risks.
The Mayo Clinic Health System notes that most people start out with just 30 seconds in the water and work their way up to five to 10 minutes at a time.
There haven’t been many studies done of cold plunging, but increased mood, sport recovery and decreased feelings of stress have been commonly noted as potential benefits.
It’s best to check with your doctor or health care provider before you undertake this.
Stephanie Bucklin contributed reporting.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
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Yoga is known to boost relaxation, strength and flexibility – and now a new study has found the practice could improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances after cancer treatment.
The findings were presented last week at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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The study was conducted across multiple U.S. community cancer care sites, including 410 adult cancer survivors averaging 54 years of age. Around 75% were breast cancer survivors, and none of them had practiced yoga regularly within the prior three months.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances in cancer survivors. (iStock)
The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Half of them received only standard survivorship care without the yoga, while the other half received standard care and were also enrolled in the Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) program.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training.
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Based on questionnaires completed by the patients, the survivors in the yoga group experienced “moderate-to-large” reductions in overall mood disturbance, “small-to-medium” reductions in anxiety and “medium-to-large” reductions in fatigue, the study found.
The improvements in mood and fatigue appeared to be linked to yoga’s beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to the researchers.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training. (iStock)
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug,” lead investigator Yuri Choi, PhD, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York, told Fox News Digital.
The study did not reveal any major safety concerns or serious adverse events related to the yoga practice.
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug.”
The study did have some limitations, chiefly that the findings are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed for a medical publication.
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“The sample in our clinical trial was relatively homogeneous, with most participants being women (96%), breast cancer patients (75%), Caucasian (93%), and having some college or higher education (82%),” noted Choi.
“We are adapting our intervention to reach all cancer patients and survivors, including the creation of a mobile app to reach people in rural communities.”
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The research also excluded patients with metastatic cancer (whose disease had spread to other parts of the body).
The total study was only four weeks, so more research is needed to determine long-term benefits.
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted. (iStock)
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted.
Some yoga studios may use different names for Gentle Hatha and Restorative yoga, such as Foundations Yoga or Healing Yoga, Choi noted.
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“Survivors should also look for certified yoga instructors who have experience working with cancer patients/survivors or individuals with other challenging health conditions,” the researcher advised. “They should not be afraid to ask their oncology team for referrals to qualified instructors in their community.”
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Choi also noted that the research did not reveal whether other types of yoga, such as heated-room or rigorous-flow yoga, are safe or beneficial for cancer survivors.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
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