AIBU to think "Wellness gurus" are mostly spouting bollocks?

[WellnessWally]

I was referred to Nuffield Health for their joint pain programme and had my "Health MOT" with the lady I had assumed was a physio (she runs the twice-weekly exercise class). Retrospectively, I think she was more a salesperson, as I had to hear all about their ongoing fees, children's membership etc. but that's perhaps another issue.

During the health MOT, I'd had to disclose other medical conditions - for me, mainly migraines. She asked me how much liquid I drank a day, and I said about 5 cups of tea. She acted as though I said I regularly shot heroin into my eyeballs. She told me that tea was no good and caffeine was dehydrating, and I wasn't getting ANY water at all. I know a little bit about this, so I said that actually yes, if you have pure caffeine it's dehydrating, but the amount of water in tea more than makes up for that. (Many studies have shown this.) She was insistent that I needed water or would become very ill. I said that I'd managed to survive so far - and it had probably been about two weeks since I had an actual glass of water.

Then she really pissed me off by telling me that's why I get migraines. I said to her that they were hormonal, I can pin the day of the month I'm going to get them and they are (hard-won) well-managed with medication. My daughter and my dad also get them, so there's a strong genetic link and it has nothing to do with caffeine. She disagreed.

I'm just so sick of people with no GCSEs in science spouting quasi-medical bollocks in what was basically a medical setting (I was referred by my GP). I'm not looking forward to seeing this woman twice a week for the next twelve weeks - though open to her being a better exercise leader - perhaps that's her strength.

But Wellness people - please, please stop spouting bollocks about clean eating and protein and caffeine and ultra-processed foods, unless you have the science to back it up (and I don't mean "watched a video on TikTok").

Rant over.

OK this is your position
we all choose and live by own codes of ethics in how to treat others

Oh for Gods sake, she knows her own body!

Required subject for study not necessarily a required GCSE.

My issue is more with the way supplements and other things are targeted at women, particularly as wonder cures for aging and menopause. It is a whole industry that has become increasing prevalent especially on social media. Previously it was miracle anti aging cream but now we have a multitude of different supplements and infra red masks and all kinds of stuff that we need to do to keep us from falling apart. Again lots of this has little scientific evidence to back it up, just celebrity endorsements and preying on women’s fears.

OMG you've put your finger on something else that annoyed me. I have absolutely no evidence of this, but I definitely got the feeling that if my husband had told her that he had manly migraines, OR knew the science of caffeine/black tea being acceptable hydration, she wouldn't have dug her heels in and corrected him.

Women's bodies are fair game for "YOU'RE DOING BEING HUMAN WRONG".

You’d find me very unethical @TaraLotus I go to a class every week that is taught by a woman I loathe. Because the time suits my schedule. The horror!

I would suggest give your feedback to the department that referred you for the program. Do the program, the bits of it that are relevant may be fine, but the NHS is paying to send you and loads of other people on it, and you're being upsold memberships and given questionnable advice. They'll be paying for loads of other people to do the same thing, and if it's done shoddily, or even done alright but with dubious elements, it's the person who has decided to commission it that should get the feedback, because you can bet they very rarely do.

I’m not going to continue engaging after this because it is derailing, but I do think you keep framing your position as moral, which you’ve repeated several times.

That doesn’t really come across in your posts, though. Instead they read as quite aggressive, critical and judgemental of the OP for having a negative interaction with someone who stepped outside their area of expertise and offered unsolicited and clearly unwanted advice.

In my experience, people who behave in those ways, aggressively critical and judgemental often do see themselves as being in the moral right, even when others may not view it the same way.

Indeed women are easy targets for guilt tripping and not being perfect enough and then marketing gets involved to sell solutions. If we are suffering in any way it must mean that it’s our fault for not doing something right or taking xyz, in your case it’s your fault for not drinking enough water.

I agree but also take responsibility for avoiding that shite and most importantly, learn which is shite and which is scientifically accurate. This is really important, because otherwise the next step will be the right wing calling scientific evidence wellness shite, because it suits big business interests.

I mean the right wing in America is literally calling science shite at the minute, with anti-vax nonsense going on.

But the number of people who think it "feels" healthier to drink water / avoid carbs / naysay cheese and then spout it as truth with no facts behind it is frankly worrying. I wonder if schools should introduce "fact from fiction - how to tell" in science, like they do with fake news in computer science at school

OK so you're a hypocrite too - your choice

How on earth does that make me a hypocrite? I don’t pretend to like her. I don’t interact personally with her at all. She’s a perfectly ok spin instructor and the time I need to do the class to get to work, she teaches. I don’t need to like her. I just need to sit on my bike and pedal and say thank you at the end. Your interactions on this thread have been very odd from the get go!

Do you by any chance run an exercise class and imagine that everyone likes you @TaraLotus ? Even if you're doing a fabulous job, there are still going to be some people who just... don't like you. It's not necessarily a reflection on you, but more the fact the world is made up with lots of people with lots of opinions.

It's not two-faced or unethical to engage with the services of someone you don't like - unless you're lying to them and telling them how amazing they are.

I just wouldn't have a treatment or class or other service from someone I didn't like or respect.
Wouldn't let them into my day! My life! My choice!
Signing out now
Love and light! 💫⭐️

How would that work if you took a dislike to your dentist and there were no other NHS dentists? Or you thought your hairdresser's views on Reform were unpalatable but she was a really good hairdresser? Do you make people fill out a personality quiz before you let them collect your bins?

😂

Just updating this post to say that I reviewed my paperwork that I had to complete (including a Direct Debit form - in case I want to extend my gym membership in 6 months' time) and the horrid woman had also ticked to opt me into all marketing on fields I had deliberately left blank (I have a carbon copy. I saw her ticking stuff during the meeting but assumed it was an admin thing - e.g. blood pressure checked type thing). So that's a joy, and underlines my suspicion that she's primarily a sales person.