Eight Ridiculous Health Fads We Wish We Could Forget

Good health is always in style, but just like with fashion trends, there are some styles that are classics while others are just silly fads. Below, you will find eight (8) ridiculous health fads that are so outrageous, unbelievable, or even downright dangerous, that we wish we could forget they even came along. Not only can these fads offer a humorous look at the things we do in the name of health, they also serve as a reminder to think carefully when taking part in a health trend that seems a little too out of the ordinary. The eight ridiculous health fads are as follows:

Oxygen Bars - Oxygen bars were first popular in Japan and Europe before making their way to Canada, then America, where they gained popularity in the late 1990s and into this century. Patrons could pay around 50 cents a minute to breathe oxygen through tubes placed in their noses, often scented with such fragrances as lavender, orange, or eucalyptus. Patrons reportedly felt energized and alert after their oxygen sessions. The oxygen bar fad didn’t just stop there, but eventually spread to places like coffee shops, doctor’s offices, and day spas. Celebrities were known to partake in these sessions, with Woody Harrelson even opening his own bar called O2. Doctors warned that those with breathing problems should avoid oxygen bars, and sometimes the agents which delivered the scents caused lung irritation as well. Eventually, people realized that they were merely paying to breathe air–and looked ridiculous doing so.
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Mesotheraphy - In the early 1950’s, a French physician began the practice of injecting a combination of homeopathic and conventional drugs just under the skin in an effort to dissolve fat. Over the years, many have continued to practice mesotherapy despite the fact that there can be serious side effects and very little benefit to this treatment. What is injected under the skin is not a constant formula and varies from practitioner to practitioner, so there is no way to know what is contained in each specific injection. Phoshatidylcholine, one common drug used in mesotherapy, can cause serious reactions and has been banned in many countries. Mesotherapy has been shown to cause skin lesions and irritations that have lead to skin infections and scarring.
Tapeworm Diet - Advocates of this diet claim that ingesting cow tapeworms allow you to eat all you want while still losing weight. The tapeworm creates an environment in the intestines that hinders digestion while also consuming some of the nutrients of the food. The idea is that once you reach the desired weight, you take an antibiotic, which kills the tapeworm. Besides the obvious drawback of consuming a worm, another problem with this fad is that some tapeworms, such as those from pigs, can be lethal. The FDA has banned the importing or selling of tapeworms in the US, so hopefully that will help put this ridiculous health fad to rest.
Master Cleanse - Way back in 1941, Dr. Stanley Burroughs began promoting his detoxification program that requires followers to eat or drink nothing but his concoction of lemon juice, maple syrup, water, and cayenne pepper for anywhere from 10 to 45 days. Not surprisingly, this diet leads to many problems, including headaches, fatigue, diarrhea, and constipation. Proponents of this diet claim that the weight comes off quickly and they feel the toxins leave their body over the course of treatment. Many health professionals point out that drinking lemonade and not eating is just another form of starvation. Sure the weight will come off, but as soon as you begin eating again, the weight is sure to return. They also point out that there is nothing in this tonic that will actually detoxify the body. This fad is still promoted by celebrities.
Q-Ray Ionized Bracelets - Made popular on infomercials, these bracelets were supposed to be ionized, and the makers of them claimed they would relieve pain, improve sports performance, reduce stress, and improve energy. Testing done by the Mayo Clinic in 2002 determined that the bracelets did not relieve pain as advertised. After a false advertising suit was filed, the owner, Que Te Park, and his companies were court-ordered to return $22.5 million in net profits as well as $64.5 million in refund money to the customers. However, a quick Google of this bracelet still provides several places online where you can purchase this health hoax.
Ear Candling - Candling is supposed to remove ear wax while also relieving pain, ringing in the ears, balance problems, headaches, and a number of other issues by placing a hollowed candle into the ear, then lighting it to create a suction that draws out the wax. Unfortunately, not only does this not create the necessary suction to remove the wax, it also frequently results in injuries as the melting wax can drip into the ear canal or outside the ear to cause serious burns. Some physicians have even had patients with ruptured ear drums as a result of ear candling. Experts agree that ear wax serves as a natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, so it’s best left just where it is.
Cabbage Soup Diet - This diet was very popular back in its day, but still seems to make its way around the dieting scene today. The premise is that you can eat as much cabbage soup as you want, but the rest of the diet includes a severe restriction of other foods. The cabbage soup recipe itself has almost no calories, so your total daily consumption while on this diet is less than 1000 calories. In addition to starving yourself in the name of weight loss, those on the diet report side effects of hunger, including headaches, fatigue, irritability, and lack of concentration as well as intestinal discomfort (including that infamous cabbage flatulence). Any weight lost during this diet is quickly re-gained when you begin eating again.
Pole Dancing - Touted for its great cardio benefits and a potential boost to your sex life, the fad of pole dancing is still going strong. These classes, also known as strippercise, may contain lap-dancing and Pilates-like floor exercises in addition to pole-dancing. Unlike working at a strip club, these classes let you keep your clothes on, although some participants wear only skimpy lingerie. Celebrities have added to the popularity of this fad. But honestly, balancing on eight-inch platform shoes while dancing erotically in a room full of others doing the same in the name of health–this is just a fad waiting to pass. Besides the suggestive moves that look just plain silly on some, physicians have warned against the dangers inherent in using the unusually-tall shoes sometimes required in these classes as a risk to ankles and feet.
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Alzheimer's Disease Receives Clinical Studies

Did you know------The University of California - Irvine scientists are conducting clinical trials to determine Niacin's effect in humans afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. They're reporting Nicotinamide, a form of Niacin also known as vitamin B3, taken in high doses prevented memory loss in mice with Alzheimer's disease. It also lowered levels of a protein (called phosphorylated tau) that leads to the development of brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease. The vitamin has the ability to strengthen scaffolding along which information travels in brain cells, helping to keep neurons alive and further preventing symptoms in mice genetically wired to develop Alzheimer's. The study appearing in the Journal of Neuroscience, reports Nicotinamide has a very robust effect on neurons, helping prevent loss of cognition in mice with Alzheimer's disease. Nicotinamide is a water-soluble vitamin and is generally is safe but can be toxic in very high doses. Other clinical trials have shown it benefits people with diabetes complications and has anti-inflammatory properties that may help people with skin conditions. This vitamin belongs to a class of compounds called HDAC inhibitors, which have been shown to protect the central nervous system in Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In the nicotinamide study, the scientists tested short-term and long-term memory over time. The vitamin slightly enhanced cognitive abilities, suggesting that not only is it good for Alzheimer's disease, but if normal people take it, some aspects of their memory might improve. Scientists found that the nicotinamide-treated mice in the study had dramatically lower levels of the specific protein that leads to the Alzheimer's" tangle" lesion. The intake of Nicotinamide led to an increase in proteins that strengthen microtubules, the scaffolding within brain cells along which information travels. When this scaffolding breaks down, the brain cells can die. Neuronal death leads to dementia experienced by Alzheimer's patients.
Courtesy: University of California - Irvine (2008, November 4). Vitamin B3 Reduces Alzheimer's Symptoms, Lesions: Clinical Trial On Nicotinamide Effect In Alzheimer's Patients. University of California - Irvine (2008, November 4). Vitamin B3 Reduces Alzheimer's Symptoms, Lesions: Clinical Trial On Nicotinamide Effect In Alzheimer's Patients

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Caffeine Can Reduce Pain During Exercise

A lot of people are drinking coffee, taking caffeine before a workout and they don't realize the actual benefit, they're experiencing less pain during the workout.

It's becoming increasingly common for athletes, before competing, to consume a variety of substances that include caffeine, motivated by the belief that it will help metabolize fat more efficiently.

Recearchers at the University Of Iceland have been investigating the relationship between caffeine and physical activity. The research work initially was focused on exploring possible links between caffeine intake, spinal reflexes and physical activity.

Earlier research determined caffeine works on the adenosine neuromodulatory system in the brain and spinal cord, and this system is heavily involved in nociception and pain processing. The theory developed that caffeine blocks adenosine from working, he speculated that it could reduce pain.

A number of studies support that conclusion, including investigations considering such variables as exercise intensity, dose of caffeine, anxiety sensitivity and gender.

The latest published study on the effects of caffeine on pain during exercise appears in the April edition of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. The study examines the effects of caffeine on muscle pain during high-intensity exercise as a function of habitual caffeine use. Interestingly, caffeine consumed by individuals who rarely used it before and habitual users have the same amount of reduction in pain during exercise after consumption.

The study's 25 participants were fit, college-aged males divided into two distinct groups: subjects whose everyday caffeine consumption was extremely low to non-existent, and those with an average caffeine intake of about 400 milligrams a day, the equivalent of three to four cups of coffee.

After completing an initial exercise test in the lab on an ergometer, or stationary cycle, for determination of maximal oxygen consumption or aerobic power, subjects returned for two monitored high-intensity, 30-minute exercise sessions.

An hour prior to each session, cyclists who had been instructed not to consume caffeine during the prior 24-hour period were given a tablet. On one occasion, it contained a dose of caffeine measuring 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (equivalent to two to three cups of coffee); the other time, they received a placebo only.

During both exercise periods, subjects' perceptions of quadriceps muscle pain was recorded at regular intervals, along with data on oxygen consumption, heart rate and work rate.

If a person regularly consumes caffeine, they need more to have a bigger, mental-energy effect. But the tolerance effect is not ubiquitous across all stimuli. Even brain metabolism doesn't show this tolerance-type effect. That is, with individuals who are habitual users versus non-habitual users, if you give them caffeine and do brain imaging, the activation is identical.
In the future, further research might be able to determine caffeine's effect on sport performance. Although the current research has already shown that caffeine reduces pain reliably, consistently during cycling, across different intensities, across different people, different characteristics... The next logical question arises about whether the reduction in pain also translates into an improvement in sport performance. For now, the current research could prove encouraging for a range of people, including the average person who wants to become more physically active to realize the health benefits.

It's valuable as a practical application. If you go to the gym and you exercise and it hurts, you may be more likely to stop doing that because pain is an aversive stimulus that tells you to withdraw. Giving people caffeine and to reduce the amount of pain they're experiencing, would help them stick with the exercise. Maybe then they'll push a little harder as well and also better adapt to the exercise.

Center for Sport and Health Sciences, Iceland University of Education.

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