Snake Oil For The Soul: Exposing Mental Health "Wellness" Grift

Unbiased Science

@unbiasedscipod

Education, Science, Health & Fitness

4.4 • 644 Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2024

⏱️ 47 minutes

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Summary

On this episode of the pod, Jess discusses the topic of misinformation in the wellness industry (specifically related to mental health) with special guest, Dr. Jonathan Stea. They delve into the history of wellness, the commercialization of the wellness industry, and the impact of alternative medicine. They also explore the concept of wellness and how it is often pitted against conventional medicine as the answer to the “root cause” of health issues. They discuss the pseudoscientific nature of alternative medicine and the predatory practices within the multi-trillion dollar industry. The two explore the psychological, cultural, and economic factors contributing to the industry's growth and the challenges in countering its damaging effects. They give some specific examples of mental mental wellness grift that might shock you. You won’t want to miss this! All our sources from this episode are available at: https://www.unbiasedscipod.com/episodes/snake-oil-for-the-soul (00:20) Introduction and Personal Update (02:20) Introducing Dr. Jonathan Stea (08:23) The Evolution of Wellness and Alternative Medicine (11:20) Cannabis Use and Mental Health (14:45) Commercialization of Wellness and Pseudoscientific Therapies (22:05) Impact of Wellness and Alternative Medicine on Mental Health (22:38) Unmasking the Wellness Industry: Pseudoscience and Predatory Practices (30:02) Victimization by the Wellness Industry: Harmful Effects and Challenges (38:26) The Cultural and Economic Forces Behind the Wellness Industry (44:24) Final Thoughts: Countering the Damaging Effects of the Wellness Industry Interested in advertising with us? Please reach out to advertising@airwavemedia.com, with “Unbiased Science” in the subject line. PLEASE NOTE: The discussion and information provided in this podcast are for general educational, scientific, and informational purposes only and are not intended as, and should not be treated as, medical or other professional advice for any particular individual or individuals. Every person and medical issue is different, and diagnosis and treatment requires consideration of specific facts often unique to the individual. As such, the information contained in this podcast should not be used as a substitute for consultation with and/or treatment by a doctor or other medical professional. If you are experiencing any medical issue or have any medical concern, you should consult with a doctor or other medical professional. Further, due to the inherent limitations of a podcast such as this as well as ongoing scientific developments, we do not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information or analysis provided in this podcast, although, of course we always endeavor to provide comprehensive information and analysis. In no event may Unbiased Science or any of the participants in this podcast be held liable to the listener or anyone else for any decision allegedly made or action allegedly taken or not taken allegedly in reliance on the discussion or information in this podcast or for any damages allegedly resulting from such reliance. The information provided herein do not represent the views of our employers.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
0:20.0	Welcome to Unbiased Science, where we bring scientific method to the madness.
0:25.5	I'm your host and public health scientist, Dr. Jess Steyer.
0:29.2	And today, we're going to talk about a topic that I have spoken about before, wellness.
0:34.7	You know, I have a lot to say about this topic, specifically misinformation,
0:39.5	some of the claims that the wellness industry makes. And I have an expert who we're going to
0:45.2	kick things off talking about wellness in the context of mental health claims, but also go
0:52.4	beyond that. And I can't wait to introduce my very special guest in just one moment.
0:57.3	Before I do, I wanted to give a personal update.
1:00.4	I shared a couple of weeks ago that I was running for a seat on my local board of health,
1:05.9	and I received some really sweet messages about that.
1:09.2	Unfortunately, I did not win the seat, but I was not expecting to win the seat.
1:14.0	I'm a newcomer, and I was running against an incumbent who's been around for many decades.
1:19.8	But anyway, you all are very sweet, and trust me, this is not going to stop me from getting
1:24.7	involved and running again in the future.
1:26.9	But thank you again for
1:28.1	your support. Also want to share that this may or may not be the last episode of this season,
1:35.5	sort of TBD. I'm trying to convince my, my husband, Ethan, who's an ER doc, to come on. We're just
1:42.1	trying to figure out the timing of it and if it makes sense to do that
1:45.3	for this season or to kick off next season with him. So TBD, I guess we'll see. But regardless,
1:53.6	I just wanted to share that I have some really, really cool things in the works, going to sort
1:59.8	of refresh the brand a little bit.
	...

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