Do you need to take magnesium? Are you 'boysober'? What is the main concept of underconsumption? We are here to assist.
We all want to be healthy, to feel good, or at least not awful. For the most part, we know how to accomplish it: eat nutritious foods, exercise, get enough sleep, handle stress, and nurture your relationships.
But eating healthy vegetables, going on walks, and writing aren't really thrilling. New trends that claim to transform our health and well-being are more appealing. Frequently, these movements are ancient concepts wrapped in flashy new packaging (for example, detoxification). Sometimes these are actual advances whose ramifications are not yet completely appreciated (such as microbiome testing).
It might be tough to separate the good wheat from the chaff. Here are some of the most important health and wellness trends of 2024, as of now, and what they mean.
We all want to be healthy, to feel good, or at least not awful. For the most part, we know how to accomplish it: eat nutritious foods, exercise, get enough sleep, handle stress, and nurture your relationships.
But eating healthy vegetables, going on walks, and writing aren't really thrilling. New trends that claim to transform our health and well-being are more appealing. Frequently, these movements are ancient concepts wrapped in flashy new packaging (for example, detoxification). Sometimes these are actual advances whose ramifications are not yet completely appreciated (such as microbiome testing).
It might be tough to separate the good wheat from the chaff. Here are some of the most important health and wellness trends of 2024, as of now, and what they mean.
Magnesium
Earlier this year, magnesium was a wellness keyword on TikTok. Content writers said that using magnesium supplements made them feel less anxious. The mineral is required for the body to operate, and studies shows that it might help reduce stress and have a relaxing impact.
However, further study is required to properly understand its impacts. While there is likely no harm in increasing your magnesium intake - foods such as salmon, avocado, and beans are all good sources - contact with a doctor before taking it as a supplement, and don't be too hard on yourself if it doesn't work. "In our research, as with any other intervention, it did not work for everyone," said one researcher to the Guardian.
Raw milk
Another trend that emerged from the depths of social media this year was raw milk, which is milk that has not been pasteurized. Adherents stated that raw milk has more vitamins and minerals than pasteurized milk; the CDC opposes this.
Demand has risen so much in the United States that the selling of raw milk is now permitted in more than two dozen states. However, food safety experts are "absolutely horrified" by the trend, according to Dr Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, who spoke with the Guardian in January. "The probability of getting sick from raw milk is higher than the probability of getting sick from pasteurized milk," she told me.
At-home microbiome testing kits
Perhaps your Instagram feed, like mine, has suddenly become inundated with advertisements for at-home microbiome testing kits. Many of the firms providing these kits, which range in price from $120 to $400, claim that by analyzing a customer's stool sample, they can provide individualized diet recommendations to assist manage ailments such as anxiety, joint pain, and low energy.
Experts believe that the gut microbiota is vital for human health. However, many experts feel that it is still impossible to draw significant inferences from microbiome data, and that most of these firms would be unable to deliver on their lofty claims. According to one researcher, these tests are now viable diagnostic tools for a "limited number of conditions" such as Crohn's disease and type 2 diabetes, but using them to make diet recommendations is “exceedingly difficult”.
Aura points
On TikTok, people have begun quantifying the power of their auras - a vague phrase expressing one's energy and charisma, or "rizz," in modern vernacular - using "aura points". As writer Alaina Demopoulos stated in July, "winning aura points typically comes from acting in a breezy and unbothered but self-confident way," whereas appearing cringey and uncomfortable costs aura points.
The phenomena is mostly humorous, although philosophers trace its roots back to Aristotle's virtue ethics. "It also seems to be a sort of weird, contemporary honor code," observed philosopher Julian Baggini. So, before you cut someone off in traffic or reveal a secret someone told you in confidence, evaluate whether you can afford to lose aura points.
Psychedelics for mental health
The mental health benefits of psychedelics are not a new trend, but rather a continuation of an established one. The study of how substances like LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin can benefit mental health is ongoing and evolving. Companies and researchers are focused on themes such as how patients may take psychedelics without tripping in order to alleviate depression, as well as how psilocybin might assist terminal cancer patients cope with death.
However, not everything is going smoothly. This July, the FDA rejected MDMA-assisted treatment for PTSD. However, as Ross Ellenhorn and Dimitri Mugianis, the designers of the psychedelic program Cardea, noted in the Guardian in July, treating psychedelics like medications may not be beneficial. "It is a means of accessing an experience; it’s not a medication,"
Underconsumption core
Is it "under-consuming" or simply living normally? A lot of TikTok producers have begun to criticize the culture of buying and displaying material possessions, instead advocating for "underconsumption core". While other "cores" are typically connected with certain aesthetics and the acquisition of certain clothing or other things, this trend promotes recycling, upcycling, and waste reduction.
Critics point out that this is not unique for most individuals. "A lot of people are responding [to the trend] by saying this is what it's like being working class," Georgina Johnson, an editor and environmentalist, told the Guardian in August. She believes it is still possible to convey a positive message. "It's just about how it's contextualized and who is given visibility around it."
Skincare for kids
The skincare business is rising, and some studies attribute this growth to Generation Alpha, individuals born between 2010 and 2024. This year, parents and doctors reported that children as young as nine were following intricate, multi-step skincare regimes and requesting eye creams and anti-aging serums on their holiday wishlists. Some of this can be ascribed to the natural experimenting and identity formation that tweens and adolescents go through.
Experts warn that dread of aging and an obsession with excessive beauty standards can be detrimental to a child's mental health. Not to mention the potential hazards to their skin. "Most tweens have few, if any, skin issues, and using these products can result in irritation and often cause skin conditions like periorificial dermatitis,” Dr Shreya Andric, a dermatologist, told the Guardian.
Digital detoxing
While cellphones have become a part of contemporary life, more people and businesses are reconsidering their interactions with them. Some individuals are going on digital detoxes or giving in their smartphones for "dumb phones" - old-school flip phones without email or distracting apps. In the United States, several schools have banned smartphones and are finding fantastic outcomes.
Students prepare for lunch at Buxton boarding school, which has prohibited cellphones on campus.
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There is still some dispute about how detrimental phones are for us. However, many individuals desire to use their phones less frequently, or more thoughtfully. At the beginning of this year, the Guardian started the Reclaim Your Brain newsletter help people spend less time on their phones. Over 100,000 readers signed up in under three months. In a March survey, subscribers said they cut their overall screen time by 40%. “I’m reading more books, doing more chores and sleeping better,”
Voluntary celibacy, or being ‘boysober’
If you haven't heard the word "boysober," you've undoubtedly come across its nongendered synonym: celibacy. In February, a lady told The New York Times that it was "this year's hottest mental health craze". A few months later, actress Julia Fox claimed that she had remained celibate for more than two years. Bumble apologized in the spring following considerable criticism of its anti-celibacy marketing campaign. This movement, led primarily by heterosexual women, occurs in the midst of a larger purported "sex recession". Some of this lack of desire in sex might be ascribed to dating app weariness. Others consider it a reworking of sexual politics and dynamics.
Egg freezing
The number of people freezing their eggs has increased dramatically in fertility clinics across the United States and the United Kingdom. In the United States, this growth is attributed in part to an increase in the number of companies who provide fertility treatment benefits that cover the procedure's enormous costs. These services can provide a sense of independence and security, allowing persons who utilize them to make decisions about their life without being influenced by their "biological clocks."
The Guardian: The Great Sperm Sellout Illustration 1 v3.
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Still, egg freezing is not a certainty, one fertility clinic expert told the Guardian. For individuals over 35 who are able to harvest 20 eggs, the chance of pregnancy is 50%. For those with 5 eggs, it’s 6%. Finding sperm for one’s eggs presents its own challenges. And even if all goes smoothly, social and professional support for parents is often lacking.