In 2019, Josh Brolin, celebrated actor and star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ended up with a sunburnt anus.
This unlikely but true sentence was made possible by the bizarre wellness fad of ‘perineum sunning’ (exposing the patch of skin between the anus and genitals to direct sunlight). It’s just one of the countless wellness fads, fashionable diets, and questionable products and procedures that claim to improve your health and appearance that are everywhere in our modern world. Others include ‘vampire facials’ (injecting your own purified blood into your face), coffee enemas (self explanatory) and the treasure trove of dubiousness that is Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop company.
Such fads and practices often make grand claims about the health benefits they offer, but seldom offer any robust evidence for them.
And yet, despite all this, they persist. If anything, they’re more popular than ever. It’s a bleakly regular occurrence, for an A-list actor, high profile celebrity, and now even Instagram influencer, to claim that they’ve discovered some new way to improve health, wellness, or restore lost youth. And, despite it typically being extremely unscientific, ridiculous, embarrassing, even actively harmful, and the person advocating having no medical training or expertise whatsoever, countless people embrace it, as if it were the elixir of life and the fountain of eternal youth combined.
Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av BBC Focus - Science & Technology.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av BBC Focus - Science & Technology.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CHANGE THE (BODY) CLOCKS
Why the end of British Summer Time can be a wake-up call for our circadian health
ARE OCTOPUSES SENTIENT?
If you've watched the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher or been lucky enough to encounter an octopus in the wild, you'll know there's something special about them.
THE MEXICAN MOLE LIZARD
Imagine what would happen if an earthworm, a lizard, a snake and a mole went on a night out, had too much too much tequila and let their guard down.
Do we finally know how the Egyptian Pyramids were built?
A number of breakthrough studies are beginning to paint a picture of how these wonders of the world were built, but much of the story still remains a mystery...
ECLIPSES ON DEMAND
Inside an unassuming building, behind a damp car park in Antwerp, Belgium, scientists are teaching two spacecraft to be dance partners for a performance that will take place in front of the Sun.
How light's 'secret code' reveals the story of the cosmos
The starlight we can see tells us alot about the Universe, but it's the parts we can't see that contain the biggest revelations
An artificial heart inspired by plumbing
Mechanical circulation could revolutionise transplant design and reduce waiting lists
Major Stonehenge discovery deepens mystery around ancient monument
New findings suggest a key six-tonne stone came from over 450 miles north of the circle
THE UNEXPECTED RETURN OF PNEUMATIC TUBES
Once a pioneering technology that revolutionised deliveries, pneumatic tubes had all but disappeared. Now they're back and enjoying a resurgence
LIVING FOSSILS
FOR SOME CREATURES ALIVE TODAY TIME HAS ALMOST STOOD STILL. MEET THE 'LIVING FOSSILS' THAT GIVE US A GLIMPSE INTO LIFE IN THE DISTANT PAST
