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Gwyneth Paltrow\u2019s range of wellness products has been criticised by the head of NHS England who warns that one of the recommended procedures poses a considerable health risk.<\/p>\n
At an event in Oxford, Sir Simon Stevens said people were wasting their money or taking risks with their health by falling for the lure of \u201ctoo good to be true\u201d wellness products and cures and singled out the actor\u2019s brand Goop for specific criticism. He said: \u201cMyths and misinformation have been put on steroids by the availability of misleading claims online.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stevens traced the development of fake news from the original snake-oil salesman, Clark Stanley in the 19th century, who claimed to cure anything with a potion made from boiling rattlesnakes.<\/p>\n
In 1998 Andrew Wakefield claimed that the measles vaccine was linked to autism on the basis of a flawed study of eight children that was later retracted.<\/p>\n
\u201cA century later, anti-vax lies have spawned health burdens being borne by children and parents in 2020,\u201d he told the audience at an Oxford Conversations event on the theme of the impact of fake news on our lives. \u201cHalf of the cases were in people who are in the so-called Wakefield Generation, born at the turn of the century, and who originally missed out on the vital MMR jab as a result of widespread disinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related: <\/span>From vagina eggs to anti-vaxxers: is it time for an influencer detox?<\/p>\n The misinformation about the MMR vaccination has resulted in a steep rise in mumps cases, Stevens said, from about 1,000 in 2018 to approximately 5,000 last year. About half of those affected in 2019 had not been vaccinated.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now we have dubious wellness products and dodgy procedures available on the web,\u201d he said. \u201cFresh from controversies over jade eggs and unusually scented candles, Goop has just popped up with a new TV series in which Gwyneth Paltrow and her team test vampire facials and back a \u2018bodyworker\u2019 who claims to cure both acute psychological trauma and side effects by simply moving his hands two inches above a customer\u2019s body.\u201d<\/p>\n Stevens points to examples such as the \u201cpsychic vampire repellent\u201d, which sells for $27 on the Goop website, claims that \u201cchemical sunscreen is a bad idea\u201d, and the promotion of colonic irrigation, despite the practice \u201ccarrying considerable risks to health\u201d. NHS advice, said Stevens, clearly states there is no scientific evidence for health benefits associated with colonic irrigation.<\/p>\n Stevens hit out at the online sale of products that are useless or potentially harmful to health, citing not only what he considers old fakes, such as homeopathy, but also new offerings. Along with Paltrow\u2019s Goop brand, he cited Russian social media bots undermining public faith in essential vaccines.<\/p>\n In a statement, Goop said it \u201ctakes efficacy and product claims very seriously\u201d. It said that on editorial on its website, it is \u201ctransparent when we cover emerging topics that may be unsupported by science or may be in early stages of review\u201d. When it comes to products for sale, \u201cwe have a robust legal and compliance team that works closely with our science and research group to vet product claim\u201d, it says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n