Lies you've been told about health and wellness - We’ve entered an era where people will try anything for quick fix to a health problem or a shot at a slimmer body, from bizarre methods of “flushing” their insides to unnecessarily cutting out certain foods (read: joy) from their diets. But experts at Tonic have debunked the tasteless, substance-less myths you’ve been fed so you can stop draining your wallet on charcoal products, and so that you don’t feel bad when products don’t work as promised. Click through to see if you’ve bought into any of these wellness myths.

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Microwaves are bad for you - No, they do not cause cancer, nor do they zap all the nutrients out of your food. The low-radiation frequency isn't capable of changing molecular structures, it merely excites water molecules to heat things up.

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Natural sugars like agave are better than refined stuff - Agave syrup and coconut sugar have seen a rise in recent years, but unfortunately the only way that "natural" sugars significantly differ from refined sugar (calories and nutrients included) is the higher price.

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Eating soy gives men breasts - Soy has surged in both popularity and controversy as more people are looking for alternative sources of protein, but despite the common myth, soy's phytoestrogens don't have feminizing effects on men. Even extensive research on men in Asian countries who consume way more soy than Americans proved that there was no effect, though moderation is always key.

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The ketogenic diet is the best way to lose weight fast - This high-fat, low-carb, and very popular diet has huge claims regarding its cancer-curing and seizure-controlling benefits, but most people on it are relatively healthy, and if they're losing weight it's likely because of the caloric deficit. The biggest problem is that there's little scientific evidence proving its claims, and increasing reports warning about the diet's nutritional deficiencies and side effects.

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Lemon water boosts metabolism -

Celebrities love raving about how much lemon water they drink, but the truth is it doesn't boost your metabolism, or your immunity and digestion. The acid content can, however, eat away at your tooth enamel. What you should probably be thanking is water, the proven metabolic booster.

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Lectins are bad for you - 'The Plant Paradox' scared a lot of people into cutting out beans and legumes (as well as grains, nuts, and many fruits and vegetables) to cut out lectin, which is a large family of protein compounds. Lectin, however, doesn't make beans and those other plants bad for you, and as long as you're not eating raw beans, you should be fine.

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Pink Himalayan salt is more nutritious than table salt - While it looks special and indeed may contain higher trace amounts of some minerals, the amounts are too insignificant to actually see any health benefits.

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Collagen supplements give you shiny hair and nicer skin -

Those celebrities endorsing collagen products have hair stylists, expensive skin treatments, and Photoshop, so they might not even be taking them. Collagen is a ubiquitous, essential protein in your body that decreases as you get older, yes, but there's no scientific evidence that by ingesting it the protein gets broken down and sent to the hair, skin, or nails.

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Probiotics make you happier and healthier - Everyone's talking about probiotics (fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut) but while they do promote gut health, they aren't the key to a good mood, or a killer immune system. They may, however, help with irritable bowel syndrome.

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Kombucha is good for overall wellness - If you're buying it to make you healthier, you've likely been seduced by the buzzy-sounding probiotics in it, but the drink is not actually doing much for you.

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Working out on an empty stomach burns more fat - A single fasted workout may burn more fat than a workout done after breakfast, but the beneficial effects don't translate to a significant increase in fat loss over time. Your body adapts to the change after a few weeks and there is eventually no difference, so it's just up to your own preference!

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Infrared saunas help detox and burn fat - Sure, you'll heat up and lose some water weight through sweat, but you're not losing any fat. Another strange fad lost to fact!

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Antiperspirant causes breast cancer -

Aluminum, the active ingredient in antiperspirant, has caused a frenzy of people panicking that their body is absorbing it through their armpits, and that aluminum absorption is causing breast cancer. But there hasn't been sufficient evidence to prove that, and in combination with the body's ability to keep out harmful toxins, plus the insignificant amount of aluminum in antiperspirants, you can stop worrying about it.

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Juice cleanses are quick ways to detox - Haven't you debunked the detox myth yet?

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You should be "alkalizing" your body - Some people try to drink alkaline water or various products to "alkalize" the body, AKA change your body's pH through what you eat, but that is actually not a thing you can do purely by consumption. Your body naturally takes the reigns on pH, which is probably a good thing.

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Gluten is bad - Gluten-free foods, particularly those packaged products, are not inherently healthy, and could mean you're missing out on nutrients and fiber that your body needs. The only legitimate reasons to cut gluten from your diet are if you have celiac disease or you experience stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea after eating it.

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Dark chocolate is better for you than other sweets - You've heard the various stress-combating benefits of dark chocolate, but the studies that have found a connection between chocolate consumption and better health to only be an association, and all good scientists know correlation is not causation. If it helps you kick worse cravings, however, you don't need to swap it for anything else.

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Apple cider vinegar will treat acid reflux and detoxify your insides -

There's no significant scientific evidence supporting taking ACV, but lots of evidence suggesting you don't drink it. It is, however, great for salads.

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Eating your placenta is a good idea - In fact, it's a very bad idea. There's no evidence that it can have positive effects on depression, lactation, or maternal bonding, and it has also seen negative effects passed on to newborns.

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Weighted blankets can treat all mental illnesses - The heavy blankets, engineered to be about 8-15% of your body weight, are meant to simulate the feeling of being held, and are marketed as beneficial for people with insomnia, OCD, anxiety, and many other conditions, however if you're not someone who likes to be excessively touched, it can actually be a really bad idea.

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Activated charcoal cleanses the skin and digestive system - The absorbent nature of activated charcoal is really only helpful in amounts way, way larger than what you'll find in most products and tablets, and it's most useful if you've just overdosed and need to get the drugs out of your system. So, no, that black ice cream you had was still just ice cream.

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Charcoal toothpaste strengthens your teeth - Okay, so maybe you shouldn't ingest it, but what about that trendy toothpaste? Turns out, this trendy beauty hack might be wearing away your enamel, thereby doing the opposite of what you hoped.

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Epsom salt baths relieve muscle pain - Soaking in the magnesium sulfate solution is supposed to expedite the absorption of healing minerals and relieve sore muscles, but there's actually no evidence to support that. Taking a hot bath has positive effects on your mental state, but heating up torn muscles can actually exacerbate the damage by widening blood vessels.

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You can sweat out toxins - Sweat is a way your body regulates your temperature when you're hot, but it's not a means of excreting waste or removing toxins—exercise does, however, help your liver and kidneys do their natural work.

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A colonic will give your intestines a good wash - Your intestines don't need a power-wash, and if you're constipated, there are safer, cheaper things to try than sticking a tube in your rectum and pumping in a large amount of water. The process, akin to detox teas, just results in diarrhea. There's also more evidence of negative effects than there are of positive effects, so don't worry if Gwyneth Paltrow says you should do it.

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Coconut oil lowers your cholesterol and boosts weight loss - Some people need to hear these difficult words: coconut oil will not fix everything. There's a lack of significant research on lauric acid in coconut oil (the medium-chain fatty acids credited with weight loss and killing bacteria), and while the oil does increase the "good" kind of cholesterol, it similarly increases the "bad" kind.

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Oil pulling is effective dental care - Swishing around coconut oil in your mouth might help rinse out your mouth, like any mouthwash or even plain water would, but there's little to no evidence that it's disinfecting or “detoxing” your mouth.

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Organic cotton tampons and menstrual cups protect you from TSS - Toxic Shock Syndrome is a rare but terrifying condition associated with tampons and the growth of a particular staph bacteria that comes from leaving tampons in too long. After a few publicized TSS reports, people turned to cotton tampons and menstrual cups, but it turns out the added room for oxygen to get through actually helps the bacteria grow faster!

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Hydrogen water is better for you - There's no evidence that hydrogen water—in which the H2O contains extra H molecules—has anti-inflammatory or other positive effects outside of normal water-related benefits. It doesn't have negative effects per se, but you're better off spending the money on a good water bottle and a decent filter.

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Food intolerance tests are reliable - Food intolerance tests (notably different from allergy tests) are actually quite inaccurate, based on shaky science that uses a drop of blood to infer a wealth of data. Many tests that screen for those specific antibodies could just mean you were recently exposed to a certain food, not that your body is sensitive to it.

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The solution? -

Do the difficult, boring thing that doesn't look cool on social media—get enough sleep, exercise regularly, drink enough water, don't drink too much alcohol, eat a diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and less meat, and try to manage your stress.

See also: The best advice for anyone who lives alone

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