Almost 1 in 10 teenagers have used harmful weight-loss products
According to a new study, around 9 per cent of adolescents – especially girls – have used non-prescribed diet pills, laxatives, and diuretics in their lifetime. As remarked by one of the authors, this is a ‘pretty big public health concern’ for young people around the world. In 2023, social...
Current in Wellness
Is ‘bed rotting’ self-care or self-deprecation?
The latest wellness trend on TikTok caters to burnt-out Gen Zers, encouraging them to escape the demands of daily life by spending extended periods of time under the covers and emerging only when they feel properly rested. At first glance, there’s likely a lot of good that can come...
Microdosing psychedelics could help those with ADHD
A new study shows that consuming tiny amounts of LSD or magic mushrooms can improve mindfulness in people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Following decades of demonisation and criminalisation, psychedelic drugs are being proved to have profound implications for a field that’s seen few pharmacological advancements since the 60s. I’m...
Muscle dysmorphia is fuelling a silent male mental health crisis
As social media and the lucrative, unregulated supplements industry continues to promote unrealistic beauty standards, more boys and young men today are becoming obsessed with body image and bulking up to the point of risking their overall wellbeing. For as long as I’m able to remember, women have been the...
How music bolsters mental well-being and social connections
Music is often viewed as an enjoyable form of entertainment, but a growing body of scientific and sociological research is proving how music enhances the strength of our brain’s neural pathways and helps us foster deep social bonds. One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no...
Understanding the rise of wellness tourism
Wellness tourism is more than just a trend, embodying a comprehensive approach to well-being that is fuelled by growing science, transforming cultural ideologies, social media content, and higher incomes. In recent times, society has had a notably higher interest in optimizing personal health and well-being. This trend is closely linked...
Study reveals period products aren’t as absorbent as advertised
For the first time ever, researchers have tested the absorption of pads and tampons using actual human blood instead of water or saline solution. As it turns out, many of them are mislabelled according to their capacity for preventing leaks. It’s inherently clear that women find it much harder than men to have their bodies understood within the medical sphere. Continually dismissed by male and female physicians (I...
Is social media causing us to self-diagnose?
A recent poll conducted by the tech-driven healthcare company Tebra has found that 30 percent of Gen Z participants had diagnosed themselves with a mental health problem based on information they’d gathered on social media. Although silly Vine-like videos still pop up on Instagram Reels and TikTok feeds from time to time, the growing conversation about mental health and a wider interest in overall well-being has ushered a new genre...
What is a ‘girl dinner’ and why has it sparked controversy?
The phenomenon is based around celebrating the low-effort meals a woman might cobble together and enjoy alone, but with eating disorder content still rife on TikTok – where the latest food trend has taken off – many have raised concerns over its ties to diet culture.
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok as of late, then you’ll know that new food trends are as commonplace as GRWM’s, the
Opinion – Stop body shaming women in the public eye
Recent online commentary negatively targeting Bebe Rexha’s weight gain proves that discourse around female celebrity’s appearance is still rife on social media. Retiring this inherently toxic form of trolling is long overdue. You’d think we’d have grown tired of obsessing over women’s bodies by now, especially within industries that significantly influence how we perceive ourselves. I’m referring, of course, to the contradictory nature of modern celebrity culture. Many brands and influencers...
