Fashionably Unwell – The Dark Side of America's "Wellness" Industry

Join Dr. Danielle Belardo and her expert of the week, journalist, author, and former wellness addict, Rina Raphael. After personally falling victim to commodified wellness, Rina has dedicated her career to unveiling the truth behind this "un-well" industry. On this episode, Danielle and Rina delve into the variables that have steered society into adopting "quick fixes" through fashionable wellness trends and why we shouldn’t feel bad about falling for them. Tune in for unique insight, perspective, and realness surrounding wellness that might have you thinking twice about your next self-care investment.  

Danielle and Rina discuss:   

• The dangerous lack of scientific evidence pertaining to commodified wellness  
• Marketing, well-funded messaging and its powerful nature  
• Why people lean towards alternative ways of healing and our flawed medical system  
• The importance of assurance when it comes to our health and how health "gurus" falsely sell assurance  
• How women, rather than men, are frequently targeted in the wellness space through scare tactics 
• Wellness mania and why it’s considered hyper-American  
• The ways in which we treat wellness as if it were fashion, and why this is so problematic 

Rina Raphael is a health, wellness, technology, and women’s issues journalist. She’s made a name for herself in the media world, having served as a wellness industry reporter for Fast Company magazine before contributing to publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Men's Health, among others. Her new book, The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self Care, provides an inside look at the boom of the wellness industry, its seductive marketing, and why we’re all falling victim to it. Her wellness industry newsletter Well To Do covers trends and news and offers market analysis.

Thank you so much for taking the time to contribute to a generation that values fact over fiction! Be sure to rate, review, and follow on your favorite podcast app and let us know which not-so-wellness trend you’d like to hear debunked. Follow your host on Instagram @daniellebelardomd and the podcast @wellnessfactvsfiction. All studies discussed can be found @wellnessfvfjournalclub. Follow Rina at @rrrins and find her new book The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self Care  

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