Wellness myths...the doctors calling out wellness nonsense

If your social media feed is anything like ours, it’s full of confident claims about hormones, supplements, metabolism hacks, and 'must-have' wellness routines. But thankfully, a growing group of doctors are cutting through the noise.

Clinicians like Dr Michelle Gordon, Dr White (@drwhitetalks), and Dr Joshua Wolrich, alongside evidence-based coaches like Emma Storey Gordon, are using Instagram to do something refreshingly simple: explain the science. And, perhaps more importantly, call out the nonsense.

 

The myth: Magnesium, greens powders, collagen, electrolytes… apparently we’re all deficient and in urgent need of a monthly subscription.

What the experts say: Dr White famously said: “No one ever died from a magnesium deficiency.” While deficiencies can exist, they’re relatively uncommon in people eating a varied diet. Most nutrients are best obtained from food, not pills. Research backs this up: many supplements show little to no benefit in otherwise healthy populations, and industry-funded studies are more likely to report positive results. And the money involved? The global supplement industry is worth over $150 billion, which explains why the messaging is so persuasive.

 

The myth: You need electrolyte drinks for every gym session.

What the experts say: Dr White keeps it simple: you only really need electrolytes if you’re an ultrarunner… or have diarrhoea. For most people doing standard workouts, water is more than enough. Sports drinks were designed for endurance athletes, not your average gym session.

 

The myth: Hormones are “broken” and need supplements to rebalance them.

What the experts say: This is where Emma Storey Gordon, personal trainer and nutritionist, is particularly clear and refreshingly blunt. Her stance, echoed across her content, is essentially that menopause isn’t a supplement deficiency. “There is no magic menopause supplement. Most of what’s marketed is just expensive, under-dosed ingredients with little to no evidence.”

And she’s not wrong. Research shows many menopause supplements combine ingredients with limited evidence, contain doses too small to be effective, are marketed as “all-in-one fixes” despite lacking clinical backing and, in fact, one expert review put it even more bluntly: “Most of it is garbage… the evidence is not there.” 

Emma’s broader message aligns with this: symptoms are real, but the solution isn’t a £60 'hormone balance' powder. Instead, she focuses on strength training, adequate protein and carbohydrates, sleep and stress management (which CBD is amazing for!), realistic expectations about body changes. Not sexy. But effective.

 

The myth: You need to eliminate food groups or “heal” your metabolism.

What the experts say: Dr Joshua Wolrich consistently debunks this: fat loss comes down to a calorie deficit over time, not magical foods or metabolic hacks. Cutting carbs can work, but only because it often reduces total calorie intake. It’s not physiologically superior. If you're in perimenopause or postmenopause, fat loss is even more complex than just reducing calories, as lower estrogen means reduced muscle too, so you've got to balance the protein intake to counter that. And that's just one issue you're competing with when trying to lose weight whilst menopausal. 

 

The menopause supplement market alone is booming, fuelled by a mix of underserved patients and clever marketing. As experts point out, it’s a 'huge commercial opportunity' for businesses. Companies don’t just sell products—they fund research, shape narratives, and amplify the most appealing (not necessarily accurate) messages.

 

The work of these doctors isn’t about being negative—it’s about being honest.

You probably don’t need: expensive supplements, electrolyte drinks for normal workouts, hormone 'balancing' powders

You probably do need: consistent nutrition, enough protein and fibre, resistance training, patience

 

Not glamorous. Not viral. But it works.

And thanks to voices like Dr Gordon, Dr White, Dr Wolrich, and Emma Storey Gordon PT more people are finally starting to hear it.