Loading summary
Transcript158 lines
- [00:00]
Capital One Bank Advertiser
With no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking. With Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends, it's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com Bank Capital One NA member FDIC
- [00:31]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
history shows women keep showing up for everyone every day. But who's showing up for you? Grow Therapy helps you put your mental health first with therapy that's covered by insurance and built to support you whether it's your first time in therapy or your 50th. Grow makes it easier to find a therapist who fits you, not the other way around. You can search by what matters like insurance, specialty, identity or availability and get started in as little as two days. There are no subscriptions, no long term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. Whatever challenges you're facing, Grow Therapy is here to help. Grow accepts over 100 insurance plans, including Medicaid in some states. Sessions average about $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit growththerapy.com acast to get started. That's growththerapy.com acast growthherapy.com acast availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.
- [01:42]
Podcast Host / Narrator
We can't talk about wellness without talking about this one lady and her inspirational weller than you'll ever be lifestyle warning. She's edgy, one of her friends is a rapper, she's fought the law and the law won and she swears the fuck out of shit. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about the daughter of Blythe Danner and goddaughter of Steven Spielberg, Gwyneth Paltrow, who has risen from the opposite of obscurity to become the host of her very own dreaming television program, the GOOP Lab. So what happens in a workshop?
- [02:15]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Everyone gets off.
- [02:17]
Podcast Host / Narrator
What the fuck are you doing? Achieve ball. What we try to do at GOOP is to explore ide that may seem out there or too scary. Are you guys ready to go out in the field and make a ruckus?
- [02:32]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Just another day at the office.
- [02:36]
Podcast Host / Narrator
I had an exorcism.
- [02:38]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Oh wow.
- [02:40]
Podcast Host / Narrator
It's unregulated. Should I be scared? We're here one time, one life. How can we really milk the shit out of this. Before launching her website Goop in 2008, Paltrow was a wealthy actress and a mother married to a wealthy rock star. In the early days of goop, it was mostly a blog and not yet the Amazon of wellness it's become, and one of the early features on that blog was A Day in the Life sort of thing. Gwyneth described the genesis of this idea. Quote One of our readers emailed GOOP about finding a good balance between having a career and being a mom, which got me thinking about the other extremely busy working mothers I know and what their days might be like. I asked some friends how they do the Mother's special everything all at once. End quote Gwyneth published a diary about how she does it all and it's maybe one of the most unrelatable things I've ever read, starting with how her toddler wakes up after 8am I went up to rouse the little man from slumber and he quite happily got up and crawled into my arms. We got downstairs and I made him a quick breakfast of eggs and toast followed by a spoonful of lemon flavored flax oil that I try to remember to give him every morning. Then she takes the kids to school and when all was well, I dodged off as fast as possible but was still late to my 9am workout, did dance aerobics for 45 minutes, then all of the butt lifts and the like rushed upstairs to have a shower doing my post workout stretch while the conditioner was doing its magic on my hair to combine activities, save time. Okay, so her 9am gym appointment 9am that she was worried about being late for was in her house. Got it. Very helpful for busy working moms out there. Gwyneth closes out her day by putting the kids down to bed, but not before Quote the kids indulge in a super sugary cupcake before bed, but I I don't feel too bad because they had a brown rice stir fry for dinner with a baked sweet potato on the side. It's all about balance. This is the unattainable aspirational talk that launched a thousand influencers and a collection of wellness products sold on GOOP that run the gamut from silly a candle that says it smells like Gwyneth's vagina, hopefully only while it's burning and not right after you blow it out to more dubious Items like a $66 jade egg that claimed to balance hormones and regulate menstrual cycles. If you shove it up your hoo ha. Here's Gwyneth pitching the jade Egg on Jimmy Kimmel in 2016. The Jade Egg is an ancient Chinese practice where women insert the jade egg in their lady parts.
- [05:34]
Skyrizi Advertiser / Patient Testimonial
Right.
- [05:35]
Podcast Host / Narrator
And to help tone the pelvic floor. How does it help do that? I don't know. I need to start my J Day practice. You've never been on this website before, have you?
- [05:47]
Skyrizi Advertiser / Patient Testimonial
Do you sell a lot of these?
- [05:49]
Podcast Host / Narrator
We sell tons of them. There are women who are really good at practicing this and they say that it's good for balancing hormones and all kinds of amazing benefits. Yeah. And the best part of it is,
- [06:03]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
I don't know if you see, but
- [06:04]
Podcast Host / Narrator
up in the corner it says I item is non returnable. The jade egg wasn't and isn't the only thing worth your side eye on their website. Enough sketchy claims have been made on GOOP to inspire academic research into the company. One study comes from a team at the University of Florida.
- [06:22]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
My name is Amanda Castrinos. I am a health Communications scholar at the University of Florida.
- [06:28]
Podcast Host / Narrator
And you wrote a study?
- [06:30]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
I did. Along with a research team. We. We analyzed all of the articles that were published under the Health tab of the GOOP website. So she has a section called Wellness, and then under that there's like, health specifically. So we looked at all the articles that have been published from the founding of the site up to the time of our analysis, which was in the fall of 2017.
- [06:53]
Podcast Host / Narrator
How many articles was that?
- [06:54]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
265 articles total had been published. But as we reviewed them, we ended up taking out 65 of them, either due to they weren't relevant. There was a couple about relationships or things like book reviews. So we wanted to specifically look at the health advice that she was giving. So we ended up with 200.
- [07:13]
Podcast Host / Narrator
How did you come up with this idea?
- [07:16]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Ironically, from another podcast, it was Thawbones, which has a physician and her husband talk about different medical claims. And they did a bonus episode and they happened to talk about the jade egg that Gwyneth Paltrow had been selling and talking about how it's really bad for you and it can give you toxic shock syndrome, but she's still selling it and it's $60. And I thought that was ridiculous. So I wanted to look at all of the other things that she was saying. So we did the analysis, structured thematic analysis, where you kind of look at what are the messages that are coming forth in all of these articles, what are the patterns? But we also did another study where we compared the articles to this criteria from Health News Review that looks at all of the different claims and like, what's the quality of evidence? What are the types of experts that they have on there? Are they disease mongering? What are they using as their standards of evidence and those sorts of things.
- [08:12]
Podcast Host / Narrator
What is disease mongering?
- [08:14]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
So that would be when you are creating or exaggerating the prevalence of a disease. This is from an article on food intolerance.
- [08:24]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Okay.
- [08:25]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
The article is called Demystifying the Diet. She says a short list of symptoms that could point to food intolerance includes stomach pain, reflux, ear infections, frequent illness, red cheeks, eczema, joint pain, frequent diarrhea and constipation, asthma, temper tantrums, fuzzy thinking, fatigue, headaches, failure to thrive, excessive gas and sleep disturbances. And so anybody is going to have at least one of those. I mean, I definitely have a failure to thrive. So.
- [08:57]
Podcast Host / Narrator
And then let's just talk about your thesis and the big question that you had in this study.
- [09:03]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
You know, there's the theory of parasocial interaction. Parasocial relationships are defined as relationships between media users and media figures that resemble typical social relationships. Even though there's no social interaction happening, the user is viewing the celebrity as a friend. They're viewing it like they would view a regular social relationship. And in order to maintain or enhance that connection, they will adopt the celebrity's values, beliefs, or behaviors to try and make them feel closer to them. And there's a lot of studies that show that it does have an impact on health behavior, specifically with Magic Johnson, when he went public about his HIV diagnosis, it changed the way people saw hiv and it changed the way people perceived the risk of contracting HIV for heterosexuals. With Angelina Jolie, when she published her op ed in May of 2013 about getting a preventative mastectomy, there was a twofold increase in referrals for breast cancer testing from May to October of that year in comparison to that same period
- [10:05]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
in the previous year.
- [10:06]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
I think it's a bigger issue now more than ever because I looked at this, did another paper with this theory in the context of sports. And the way that we have access to these figures, lives because of social media is so different to when, you know, all of these original studies are being done and these ideas are being developed that I can't even imagine how much more potent it is now that you can have complete access to this person's life and feel like you really, really know them.
- [10:33]
Podcast Host / Narrator
And it's not like a mental disorder, it's just a regular human behavior.
- [10:38]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Yeah, definitely that was something they noticed at first. They were like, oh, this must only be in people who are lonely or people who have deficiencies in their actual social interactions. But that's not true at all.
- [10:48]
Podcast Host / Narrator
It's all of us.
- [10:49]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
It can happen to anybody. And it happens with fictional characters as well.
- [10:53]
Podcast Host / Narrator
That's surprising. Who are we talking about? Oh, my gosh. Really?
- [10:58]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
I'm going to comment on your podcast.
- [11:01]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Yeah,
- [11:04]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
it started. One of the first studies about it was looking at how people related to characters in a television program in Israel and the way that they viewed these characters as their friends because they reminded them of their friends. And so that's when they first started noticing it. So it really does have an impact on health behavior, specifically. So that's why I kind of decided to look at it, because I wanted to see what she was saying. And if people who paid attention to her and listened to her and had a relationship with her in their mind, it might affect some of their health behavior.
- [11:34]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Amanda's team found that to be true. No, duh. When Gwyneth says she does something, we do it. But more interesting to me was another part of her study, a more nefarious finding.
- [11:47]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
So GOOP is a contextual commerce brand, meaning that the editorial sections and the sales section are merged, which kind of puts it in a journalistic gray area. Jessica Alba's honest company brand is contextual commerce, and Martha Stewart is contextual commerce. But I think the fact that this is happening in the health realm is bad. So this is in 173 of the 200 articles we looked at, 55% of them directly linked to an item for sale.
- [12:20]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Wow.
- [12:21]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
And I think it would be. If you did it today, I think it would be even higher because the period that we were looking at was before there was a GOOP store as well.
- [12:29]
Podcast Host / Narrator
GOOP has done a bit of a redesign recently and we'll talk about why in a bit. They were forced to. But there are many avenues you can take to find both information and products to buy. You could click on the Shop tab, of course, or you could click on the Health tab or Wellness or Detox and find articles tagged Read and Shop, essentially taking you back to the online store, whether you wanted to go there or not. Fasting is very trendy right now and it's been written about a lot on goop. If you're into fasting, just don't eat or whatever, or go on Gwinnett's website, read about the benefits of fasting in various articles. And before you close the tab, don't forget to buy a five day fasting mimicking kit they're selling to take the burden out of fasting for only $249, for less than a week's worth of not actually food for one person.
- [13:23]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
And the ones that didn't link to a specific article, you know, they might talk about a specific sauna that Gwyneth was going to in New York, or a specific type of reflexologist or Reiki healer or something that would come in and talk about their services in the article. So even if it's not linking directly to a good product, it's directing you to something.
- [13:43]
Podcast Host / Narrator
There's a product placement.
- [13:45]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Yeah.
- [13:46]
Podcast Host / Narrator
You know, I used to be a beauty blogger and we got into some health stuff on different blogs I worked at, at the Hairpin and Jezebel. And we were morally and ethically obligated to put advertorial content. Anything that did link to a product, we had to headline it as such. Like, it needed a very distinct disclaimer. We would get advertisers that would say, we really want you to like, look at our skin cream or whatever. And we'd say, great, we're broke this month. We can do it, we can do it. But it's gonna have this word on top of it that says advertisement written by Jane. This is an ad. Don't get it twisted. That doesn't happen on goop.
- [14:36]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Well, it's really strange because that is there in some of the articles. So she has a partnership with Tropicana at 1 and they do a bunch of recipes. She has another one.
- [14:46]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Oh yeah, Tropicana. The like picture of health of like sugar added concentrated year old orange juice. Okay, so she had a Tropicana.
- [14:56]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Yeah, and she had another one with bare minerals as well. But the ones that are connected to her site, I mean, she really doesn't talk about it. There's a series of articles when she first launched her brand of vitamins. So the pre pregnancy detox vitamins, the high school genes where it's supposed to snap your metabolism back to high school. When she first launched those, she got different article series where she talked about them and then it didn't really say it was an ad, but at the end I think it was kind of clear that like, this was designed to lead you to the vitamins.
- [15:40]
Podcast Host / Narrator
The US Surgeon General says kids who spend more than three hours a day online are twice as likely to struggle with depression and anxiety. And nearly half of girls and about a third of boys say social media causes overwhelming stress. Researchers have even found that teens who spend more than five hours a day on their phones are at double the risk for suicidal thoughts. I want to avoid all that stuff with my kid. Good news. There's a better option. A company called Gab is tackling this with something they call tech in steps. Instead of handing a kid a full on adult smartphone right away, Gab offers safer phones and watches designed specifically for kids with no social media. Younger kids can start with GPS enabled watches so parents know where they are and as they grow they can move to phones with parent enabled apps. It's technology that grows with them while helping protect their mental health. The bottom line? Your child doesn't need a device built for adults. I absolutely love our Gab phone for my 12 year old. I can see where she is. She can call me. Others can call her if I approve. Anytime she gets a text message that has a bad word in it, I see it. I don't have to monitor everything she says. But when she's texting with someone and they say shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up. Jerk. I see that Gab keeps kids connected without social media. I can't recommend Gab enough. If you're looking for a phone that makes parenting easier and gives you a little more peace of mind, check them out. Visit gab.comdream and use code dream for an exclusive offer. That's Gab G A B B these days I'm all about quality over quantity, especially in my closet. If it's not well made and versatile, it's just not worth it to me. That's honestly why I love Quince. Fabrics feel elevated, the cuts are thoughtful and the pricing actually makes sense. Quince makes high quality wardrobe staples using premium fabrics like 100% European linen, 100% silk and organic cotton poplin. Lightweight cotton cashmere sweaters. Perfect for the changing seasons and can't miss seasonal colors and prints for spring. Versatile, well made pieces that make getting dressed simple. Quince works directly with safe ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen. You're not paying for brand markup or fancy retail stores, just quality clothing. Quince uses 100% European linen. Their cotton poplin is crisp and holds its shape. The gauze is soft without being flimsy. Everything Quince makes is built to hold up season after season. The stitching, the fit, the fabrics. These are pieces you'll reach for over and over. Quince clothing is consistently rated four and a half to five stars by thousands of customers. Real people wearing these pieces every day and actually loving them. The Quince cashmere cardigan that I have. It's so adorable. Black with white buttons. Although it comes in all different kinds of colors, it's perfect either for layering I wear over my Quint's bodysuit or on its own. Stop waiting to build a wardrobe you actually want. You don't need a closet full of options. You need pieces that work right now. Go to quince.comthedream for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's a full year to wear and love it. And you will now available in Canada too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to q u I-N-E.com thedream for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com thedream
- [18:33]
Capital One Bank Advertiser
with no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking with Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends it's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. What's in your wallet? Term supply see capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC
- [19:04]
Matt from P1 with Matt and Tommy (Car eBay Advertiser)
hi, this is Matt from P1 with Matt and Tommy, and this episode is sponsored by ebay. The cars you'll find on ebay are just different. They come with a story that you can't wait to share, like this 1973 Dodge Charger on ebay that been tucked away in an Arizona Barn for over 40 years. Only 55,000 miles and somehow in great running order, even has a rare sunroof. Suddenly, a car that was hidden for decades is being delivered in just a few clicks with ebay's secure purchase. All the paperwork handled. There are thousands of cars on ebay, from unique finds like the Pontiac Grand Prix SJ to daily drivers. And now with a new way to buy them ebay, things people love.
- [19:57]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
In addition to disease mongering, in addition to trying to cast as wide a net as possible of symptoms in the hopes that they'll land on one that you resonate with and you'll think, oh my gosh, I have, you know, Epstein barr or I have adrenal fatigue, which are two diseases they did major issues on, they also tried to make you doubt conventional medicine. So this was an article about the rise of chronic Lyme and what to do about it. And Goop says, I don't blame doctors, that they don't have the time to spend enough time with patients and treat them properly. But this is the face of medicine today. It's a checklist system that creates a game of ping pong. Tell me your symptoms and I'll throw back some medicine. And it's getting worse and worse.
- [20:40]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Does this remind you of anything? Remember a few episodes ago when we were talking about hospital births versus home births? The home birth proponents argued that doctors are on a clock and they'll put you on that clock and force you by the nature of their business, because it is a business to make decisions that aren't good for your health but are good for their bottom line. And the doctor we talked to essentially said, what in the world? That's not what doctors are for. Goop is muddling around in that same argument and stands to make maybe a lot more money than your doctor would by selling you something that your doctor wouldn't. So who's lying and who's got the agenda?
- [21:17]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
So then they push a lot of alternative treatments. All of these are kind of Internet connected with each other. So there's an interview that Gwyneth gave that was published on the health site that said there might not be board certified physicians doing double blind studies that can lay out the results in the same way. The empirical evidence is anecdot, anecdotal for the stuff that they're talking about. But you'll have people who are really resistant to the idea. Like it's better to be on five prescription drugs than to maybe cut gluten out of your diet. So kind of trying to say that, you know, we're pushing these things that other people aren't thinking of. We're thinking of it outside of the box. And that's why you should buy our $60 jade egg.
- [21:51]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Because they're innovators and they're not part of the pharmaceutical industrial complex.
- [21:56]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Right.
- [21:57]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
They just make $90 custom vitamins that are supposed to make you fit into your jeans from high school.
- [22:03]
Podcast Host / Narrator
My jeans from high school, by the way, were Z Cavaricis. They were very cute at the time. You couldn't pay me enough to put them back on. So. Okay, were there any other examples of.
- [22:16]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Yes, there was a lot of focus on eating clean, being clean. There were a lot of recipes and things that they were selling that had to do with detoxing. They were selling these pre pregnancy detoxes. So they said stuff. This is an article about the importance of a pre pregnancy detox. They said the toxic load that we built up prior to pregnancy can have an impact on our children. We also know from quote, washout studies which look at what happens when someone switches from conventional to organic food, that just in the span of a few days, we can eliminate significant amounts of toxins from our bodies, particularly herbicides and pesticides we consume with our food, and thus lower systemic toxic levels. So it's saying that without this detox, not only are you have all these herbicides and pesticides and toxins, but it's also going to harm your baby, which I think is just another level of manipulation and that goes into. I think one of the biggest things about GOOP is that it portrays Gwyneth Paltrow as this ideal sophisticated woman who's focused on her health, who's all about helping other women. But at the same time, they're posting all these articles about anti aging and different ways to help you with weight loss. And it just kind of. It's such a contradictory message to me
- [23:27]
Podcast Host / Narrator
that women should be taking care of themselves as long as that also involves looking like Gwyneth Paltrow.
- [23:33]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Yeah. We are the only ones that are listening to you because women are not listened to in the medical system. But we're here for you. And by the way, you're fat. Yeah, exactly. There's nothing more disheartening than the sight of love handles spilling over your pants or a pooched belly. That's from a group article. How can you have both of those things on your website? Or shaming women for getting C sections and not being able to breastfeed at the same time as you're trying to say that you're the only outlet that's there for them. You're the only people who care about them or listening to them.
- [24:06]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Yeah, now we're going to listen to you. Your doctors aren't listening. Also remember, nothing tastes as good as being skinny. Feels. Except for this protein powder. I'm about to tell you.
- [24:25]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Can I tell you one more weight loss quote that I just can't handle?
- [24:29]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Love it.
- [24:30]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
So Gwyneth Haltra is talking about herself here. You know, sometimes she'd sign the article GP so you know, it's her versus the Goop team. But she says in January of 2007, I decided I'd had enough of my saddlebags and post pregnancy Shar Pei like stomach.
- [24:44]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Gwyneth Paltrow.
- [24:47]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Yes.
- [24:48]
Podcast Host / Narrator
The one who can't get a dress tailored for an awards show small enough to actually fit her frame ever. I am not trying to shame her either. I mean, like, whatever she looks like, however she looks. And we all look however we look. Thank you for doing this work. Actually, it's really important, so thank you. That parasocial interaction theory that Amanda is studying is what's driving the success of all wellness influencers like Kourtney Kardashian.
- [25:22]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
I know for my body, like, I need four to five days a week like, of working out.
- [25:27]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
So right.
- [25:28]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
The second we're doing gluten free, dairy free, which is so hard with me
- [25:33]
Podcast Host / Narrator
and my kids and Yolanda Hadid of the Real Housewives. You are what you eat. It's just a fact. I also think that as a mom, we lead by example. So I continue to do all my organic, healthy stuff and Tom Brady of football.
- [25:47]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Okay, let's start with breakfast.
- [25:48]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Let's start with breakfast.
- [25:49]
Capital One Bank Advertiser
I eat a smoothie most of the time. Like a really calorie dense, nutrient dense smoothie. Some electrolyte, some protein powder and almond milk.
- [25:57]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Right.
- [25:58]
Podcast Host / Narrator
I love almond milk.
- [25:58]
Capital One Bank Advertiser
Hemp milk, a little rice milk from time to time.
- [26:02]
Podcast Host / Narrator
And the gajillions of other wellness influencers flooding your social media feeds these days move your body for 30 minutes every single day. When you move your body, you literally change the chemical makeup inside your mind. You change your anxiety. But you have to choose to do that. Who's ready for yoga?
- [26:26]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Oh, my God.
- [26:27]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Gifting Sweet is brought to you by William Sonoma. Everyone gets a book and I'll be doing signings. And you can grab some rosehip oil from nowfen strawberry gem colors the stems of your kale magic spoon. If you guys have a heartburn issue, this is a way better option than Tums probiotics, all of the honest beauty. I just can't wait for my friends to get here.
- [27:04]
Capital One Bank Advertiser
With no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking with Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your bank banking needs. Yep, even on weekends, it's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC.
- [27:34]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
This is an ad by BetterHelp.
- [27:36]
Capital One Bank Advertiser
Did I talk too much? Can't I just let it go?
- [27:45]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
Take a breath. You're not alone. Let's talk about what's going on. Counseling helps you sort through the noise with qualified professionals. And online therapy makes it convenient. See if it's for you. Visit betterhelp.com randompodcast for 10% off your first month of online therapy and let life feel better.
- [28:08]
Skyrizi Advertiser / Patient Testimonial
My perfect day has sand, saltwater and friends, but my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis can take me out of the moment. Now I'm all in with clearer skin thanks to Skyrizi Risankizumab RZA, a prescription only 150 milligram injection for adults who are candidates for systemic or phototherapy. With Skyrizi. Most people saw 90% clearer skin and many were even 100% plaque free at four months. Skyrizi is just four doses a year. After two starter doses.
- [28:35]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
Don't use if allergic to Skyrizi. Serious allergic reactions, increased infections or lower ability to fight them may occur before treatment. Get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines.
- [28:47]
Skyrizi Advertiser / Patient Testimonial
Thanks to Skyrizi. There's nothing on my skin and that means everything is everything. Ask your doctor about Skyrizi, the number one dermatologist prescribed biologic in psoriasis. Visit skyrizi.com or call 1-866-Skyrizi to learn more.
- [29:06]
Podcast Host / Narrator
You know what's wild? Most people are still overpaying for car insurance just because it's a pain to switch. That's why there's Jerry. Jerry's the only app that compares rates from over 50 insurance in minutes and helps you switch fast. With no spam calls or hidden fees. Drivers who save with Jerry could save over $1,300 a year. Before you renew your car insurance policy. Do yourself a favor, download the Jerry app or head to Jerry AI Acast. So back to that jade egg. You might have heard about it in the news because Goop was sued for violating FTC regulations around deceptive advertising. Unless you have really, really good scientific evidence, you can't say a piece of rock can treat, prevent or cure anything. So Goop was sued because of this woman.
- [30:00]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
My name is Bonnie Patton and I'm the Executive Director of Truth in Advertising, or tina.org for short.
- [30:06]
Podcast Host / Narrator
And can you tell me a little bit about your work, about what you guys do? Yes.
- [30:10]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
So we're a small nonprofit based out of Madison, Connecticut, and we work to outstop and prevent deceptive advertising. And we do that in a variety of ways by educating consumers about it and also by bringing legal actions to the attention of state and federal regulators to stop the deceptive marketing practices of companies.
- [30:35]
Podcast Host / Narrator
And if you had a pie chart of like what sorts of businesses or industries you end up looking at due to the number of consumer complaints you get what would that pie chart look like?
- [30:46]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
The largest segment of the pie chart would probably be the wellness industry. And within that you might see multi level marketing in there also. But yeah, wellness is a huge area for us.
- [31:01]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Can we talk about the GOOP case? I think that's the one that most
- [31:04]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
people have heard of for your vajayjj.
- [31:07]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Right. And then what it did for your vajayjay was like all kinds of stuff, I think.
- [31:11]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Right.
- [31:11]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
I mean, we laugh about it, but you know, it really was preying on people with really gut wrenching issues and problems. You know, saying that it could fix uterine prolapse. Oh my God, help with infertility, things that just so much taking advantage of women.
- [31:37]
Podcast Host / Narrator
I mean, that's what I thought of the first time I heard that this thing was out there. Is like, I got. I hope no one who's got a real terminal illness is doing this instead.
- [31:45]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Right.
- [31:46]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
But the problem with goop, although, you know, people like to talk about the jade egg, is we found 50 different products that GOOP was marketing that were making illegal disease treatment claims.
- [31:59]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Right.
- [32:00]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
So it wasn't just the egg. It was oils and crystals and clothing and beauty products.
- [32:08]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
The best is stickers.
- [32:10]
Podcast Host / Narrator
What?
- [32:11]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Yes, they had stickers that they promoted as having certain health benefits.
- [32:19]
Podcast Host / Narrator
So you guys brought the case to a California court.
- [32:24]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
We didn't bring it to a California court where we brought it was to a group of district attorneys from different counties within California and they took action against GOOP and required them to pay $145,000 in civil penalties. And more importantly, from our perspective, was that they have to refrain from making any claims about the efficacy or effects of any of its products unless they have competent and reliable scientific evidence to substantiate those claims.
- [33:02]
Podcast Host / Narrator
We're looking into a product that was sold on goop, a company called Moon Juice.
- [33:08]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Ah, yes.
- [33:09]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Are you familiar?
- [33:11]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
I'm familiar because I read an article that takes a look at Alex Jones Infowars, Goop and I think Moon Juice and the similarities between all their products.
- [33:24]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Amazing. What are those similarities?
- [33:30]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
No, basically Infowars and Goop and Moon Juice are all selling the same products. It's just to different audiences.
- [33:39]
Podcast Host / Narrator
So selling adaptogenic tocotrienols? Well, of course, I know this sounds crazy, but it's true. Alex Jones, the most seemingly roid raging of the alt right conspiracy theorists, he who claimed that Sandy Hook was a hoax, also sells nutritional supplements containing some of the same ingredients as Moon Juice and GOOP products. Dried mushrooms and goji berry and turmeric though to a different customer base. His product was not called Beauty Dust,
- [34:08]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
but Caveman True Paleo Formula.
- [34:12]
Podcast Host / Narrator
That caveman stuff was taken off the market when it was found to contain high levels of lead. Alex Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow and Amanda Chantal Bacon are far from alone. Just look at any Kardashian's Instagram. There is a lot of that going on with Instagram influencers, Instagram models and Tummy T. And what is the other thing they do with the binding?
- [34:36]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Oh, yeah, yes. The waist trainer.
- [34:38]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Waist training. Right. And Tummy T. Do you guys. Have you looked into those?
- [34:42]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Oh, yes, yeah.
- [34:43]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Yes.
- [34:44]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
You know, flat Tummy T is really out there on Instagram. And one thing we found is that they're using very young social media influencers, young women under the age of 21, under the age of 18, athletes, dancers, to promote, you know, basically, Liquid Ex Lax. And not only are they having these young influencers do it, but in many instances, they're deceptive ads because they don't tell the audience that. The reason I'm promoting this laxative tea is because I have a material connection to the company.
- [35:28]
Podcast Host / Narrator
So it's Liquid Ex Lax?
- [35:29]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Yes.
- [35:31]
Podcast Host / Narrator
I wondered what it was. I mean, I never tried it.
- [35:33]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
It has the same ingredients as Ex Lax.
- [35:35]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Yikes. But they don't say that, of course. No. Oh, yeah. So what's the most outrageous claim you've ever seen in this world of wellness?
- [35:47]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Oh, my goodness. There are many products out there, and especially supplements that are miracle pills, and those are the ones that are the craziest, that not only can it cure HIV and cancer and diabetes and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, but it will also get rid of your wrinkles. There are just many supplements out there in which people are pitching them as literally being able to change your body at the cellular level.
- [36:22]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
Right.
- [36:23]
Podcast Host / Narrator
We're hearing lately that the shift for a lot of these companies is into beauty from the inside out. And then they tack on some other claims about oxidative stress, which hints at being able to cure cancer, but that the primary claim is that you'll look
- [36:39]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
better, which is very important to a
- [36:41]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
lot of people out there.
- [36:43]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Right, right.
- [36:44]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
The other thing that we see a lot of that's very disheartening is, you know, if. If there wasn't enough pain and suffering in this world is makeup diseases. Right. Like adrenal fatigue doesn't exist. Right. But, you know, you now need to buy six different supplements to cure your adrenal fatigue, which doesn'tisn't Even a thing.
- [37:07]
Podcast Host / Narrator
What about detoxing?
- [37:10]
Amanda Castrinos (Health Communications Scholar)
Right?
- [37:10]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
I mean, we actually have organs in our bodies that do great jobs at detoxing. And I think when you look at the studies out there and you listen to the healthcare professionals, most of these detox products do much more harm than good. Yeah, Canada barred the sale of vaginal detox products.
- [37:33]
Podcast Host / Narrator
What are those?
- [37:35]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Oh, yes, you can just go online and buy them if you'd like. You can go to Goddess Detox and get your herbal vaginal detox ingredients.
- [37:48]
Podcast Host / Narrator
I did go on goddessdetox.org, not.com which was the first thing about this site that got my hackles up. And they sell a product called Goddess Vaginal Detox Pearls, which are suppositories that proclaim to be an herbal alternative to a chemical solution to a problem they don't define that will purge your vagina of dead skin cells, mucus, yeast and old blood clots. That sounds scary.
- [38:14]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Not only is it scary, but it's really taking advantage of a susceptible population. You know, one of the things they say is that it can detox you from an ex lover, which is just.
- [38:29]
Podcast Host / Narrator
No. Well, it's difficult to battle a faith based system. I feel like in the wellness world, when people have faith in something making a reasonable argument against it just doesn't work so much because they're like, well, I'm not looking at it that way.
- [38:47]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Right. And we should never discount the placebo effect. Right. It works. It works well for some people and that's absolutely fine. But at the same time, there are studies out there that say that people that go the natural route for cancer treatments, you know, are much more likely to die. So I think there is a line. I'm not sure exactly where one wants to draw it, but I think that when it comes to these illegal disease treatment claims, it needs to be stopped.
- [39:23]
Podcast Host / Narrator
We made the comparison a bit between Gwyneth Paltrow's company, Amanda Chantal Bacon's company and Alex Jones. Is there any thing that you have found that a lot of these folks who make these claims have in common, personality trait wise? Like, I've never been inspired myself to start a vitamin company that claims to do all kinds of things it can't do. What kind of person wants to do that?
- [39:49]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
Someone who wants to make a lot of money.
- [39:51]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Yeah, yeah.
- [39:52]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
I mean, wellness sells for better or worse. It's cheap to make as a general matter. And consumers are willing to spend a
- [40:02]
Podcast Host / Narrator
lot of money because we don't want to die.
- [40:05]
Bonnie Patton (Truth in Advertising Executive Director)
They don't want to die or they want to look beautiful. They don't want wrinkles, they don't want Alzheimer's, they don't want gray hair. They want to be thin, you know?
- [40:14]
Podcast Host / Narrator
Yeah, and we'll pay anything for that. So yes, it's messed up that these products exist or don't work or work by some harmful mechanism. But the scariest part is that they're being shoved in our faces all day long, on our phones, in magazines, during interviews with some of the most famous, most influential and highly respected people on the planet. And they're telling us that they're good for our health. That's it for this week. The dream is a production of Little Little Everywhere. If you want to get this show with no ads, go to thedream.supercast.com and our email is hellotittle everywhere.com.
- [41:05]
Capital One Bank Advertiser
With no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking with Capital One. If he were here here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends it's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC
- [41:38]
Skyrizi Advertiser / Patient Testimonial
my perfect day has sand, salt water and friends, but my moderate to severe bed plaque psoriasis can take me out of the moment. Now I'm all in with clearer skin thanks to skyrizi risen Kizumab RZA a prescription only 150mg injection for adults who are candidates for systemic or phototherapy with Skyrizi, Most people saw 90% clearer skin and many were even 100% plaque free at four months. Skyrizi is just four doses a year after two starter doses.
- [42:05]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
Don't use if allergic to Skyrizi. Seriously allergic reactions, increased infections or lower ability to fight them may occur before treatment. Get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines.
- [42:17]
Skyrizi Advertiser / Patient Testimonial
Thanks to Skyrizi there's nothing on my skin and that means everything. Ask your doctor about Skyrizi, the number one dermatologist prescribed biologic in psoriasis. Visit skyrizi.com or call 1-866-K-SKYRIZI to learn more.
- [42:36]
Grow Therapy / BetterHelp Advertiser
Pro athletes don't spend their time meal prepping. They eat smart, train hard and recover fast. Factor makes it easy with dietitian designed chef prepared meals built to fuel your performance. Choose from high protein, calorie, smart GLP1 support and vegetarian options designed by nutrition experts to support strength and recovery. Train Like a Pro, Eat like a Pro. Right now go to FactorMeals.com healthy50off and use code healthy50off for 50% off and free breakfast for a year. That's FactorMeals.com healthy50 off code healthy50OFF.