7 Overhyped Health Products

Jumping on a bandwagon without doing your own research is never a good idea. Dubious claims by proponents or sellers of products or information often get folks riled up and ready to reap some serious benefits, but too often, those benefits don't manifest, and they amount to nothing more than a colossal waste of money. Overhyped products are typically ineffective at best, but at worst, they can actually harm your health.

Any time you hear the buzz about a magic pill or potion, a miracle diet or workout, or anything that "doctors don't want you to know about," turn on your B.S. detector and take to the WWW to find out the truth. But be sure to get your truth from reputable resources, like university and government websites.

1. Detox Cleanses: There is no medical evidence that fad detox diets, which basically consist of fasts supplemented by small quantities of odd food combos such as cayenne pepper and maple syrup, actually remove toxins from your body. That's your liver's job, and your liver does a better job of it than any detox cleanse you come across. And these cleanses will not help you lose weight. Period. You'll lose some water weight maybe, and you'll definitely lose muscle mass, which will lower your metabolism so that when you resume eating like a normal person again, you'll actually end up gaining weight.
2. Cellulite Creams: Cellulite is just lumpy fat, and only diet and exercise (and Photoshop) can completely remove it from your body. While some retinol-based creams may slightly improve its appearance, as can liposuction, a more sensible solution to cellulite is losing body fat through lifestyle changes that include a healthy diet and regular exercise. Folks, that's the only way you can lose cellulite, and wishing otherwise - and trying any alternative - is a waste of time, money, and a breach of good sense.
3. Energy Drinks: Professional footballers or marathon runners may need energy drinks, but for most of us, they are just sugar-laden bottles full of empty calories. You may as well have a bag of Cheetos and a soda.
4. Antibacterial Hand Soap and Lotion: Antibacterial soaps and lotions are no better than regular soap and water for preventing illness, and these products contain harmful chemicals such as triclosan and triclocarban. Slathering your skin with these nasty solutions dries it out, and it kills the good bacteria that keeps your skin healthy. If you're camping in the mountains and have no access to hot water and soap, then yeah, take along a little bottle of hand sanitizer and use a little before you eat. If you're at the hospital to hold your sister's newborn, then yes, please wash your hands with antibacterial soap. Otherwise, skip the sanitizing and just wash your hands with good old soap.
5. Vitamin Supplements: A well-balanced diet provides all the vitamins and minerals you need. If you're worried that you have a vitamin deficiency, visit your doctor for the appropriate tests and to get expert advice about the best supplements to take, the proper dosage, and the right time of day to take them. Taking supplements without a real need can lead to dangerously high levels of some vitamins and minerals — particularly iron and fat-soluble vitamins — which can cause a number of serious health problems.
6. Cold Remedies: Drugstores are filled with cold remedies, ranging from herbal concoctions to nasal sprays and pills. But guess what? There is no cure for the common cold. There is no cure for the common cold. Cold remedies can help relieve the symptoms so that your nose isn't running onto your keyboard and your cough isn't making people around you nervous, but there's nothing that will reduce your chances of getting a cold or shorten its duration or severity. Except maybe living in a plastic bubble. So, if you get a cold, just take it easy for a few days, and milk it for all it's worth by taking a "sick" day, having your spouse do all the cooking, and laying around moaning so that people will bring you things and fluff up your pillows.
7. Toning Shoes: Does a pair of shoes that tones your legs and butt with no extra effort on your part sound too good to be true? The Federal Trade Commission made Reebok refund $25 million to customers and stop making deceptive claims in their advertising for toning shoes. 'Nuff said.

If you want to lose weight, have more energy, ward off illness and disease, and tone your muscles, then eat healthy food and exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week. Everything else is just clever people capitalizing on those poor, gullible souls who will spend a fortune on snake oil to avoid having to put in the effort to make meaningful, permanent lifestyle changes that have been medically, clinically, and scientifically proven, time and time again, to provide actual results. For real.