Missed the Mark

The author writes that "Wellness culture is rife with black and white views" and this book is no exception.

Two stars because this book has some helpful information and important concepts.  Sadly, I found the "us versus them" mentality incredibly exhausting.  The tone was negative, judgemental, condescending, and close-minded and I found it very difficult to finish it. This is unfortunate because many people are craving sound and empathetic guidance from a credentialed health professional.

For reference, I am an avid reader and finished the entire book. I have been a university professor for 20+ years and teach exercise science, nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and wellness. I am fully aware that health professionals must walk a tight rope to encourage healthful behaviors without perpetuating disordered eating and poor body image. I try to stay current on the literature and evidence based practices which is why I picked up this book. I felt that it missed the mark.

Here are some of my concerns:

The author referenced the "so called obesity epidemic" and states that diet and exercise are only responsible for a minority of chronic conditions. This clearly conflicts with an abundance of literature and positions of major health organizations such as the CDC, WHO, ACLM, and AICR. The author refers to some of these organizations as credible later in the book, yet seems to refute their stances on certain issues.

The author implies that healthful behaviors do not impact the immune system, which is not supported by the evidence. An overall healthful diet, regular moderate physical activity, stress management, avoidance of tobacco, and adequate sleep all support the immune system-- an especially interesting finding during the COVID pandemic.

The author criticizes social media and "wellness culture" for exploiting the fact that our brains are wired to zero in on negative information. "Narratives that invoke moral outrage, anger, and disgust generate more traffic for publishers and websites." It appears that this book is using the same tactics.

At some points, the author makes sweeping generalizations such as 1) all yoga practitioners have bad intentions and promote the appearance ideal, 2) doctors don't care about mental health, 3) all supplement manufacturers have ill intentions, 4) creators of workplace wellness are only in it for the money, and 5) workplace wellness programs are worthless because they don't lead to lasting wellness.

At one point the author states that "you can't just think your way out of a condition" but later acknowledges that mindfulness and meditation have been demonstrated to improve anxiety.

The author cites that "Americans don't trust 14 major health institutions" and "only 38% have confidence in our medical system". ..This contributes to the temptation to seek alternative guidance and "scammers prey on this vulnerability." I am curious how the condescending and judgmental tone of this book is going to help readers feel confident with qualified health professionals.

Rather than presenting an "us versus them" mentality, I have found it more helpful to present concerns in a genuine, compassionate, and empathetic way. Let the reader decide what to do with the information once the concerns have been addressed.

The author admits that she has experienced tense social media exchanges that have pulled her "toward more black-and-white views" and "less nuanced ways of thinking". It is also clear that she has had a difficult experience with her own personal health and been negatively influenced by "wellness culture".

This book left me with a very negative, hopeless, and pessimistic worldview. It missed the opportunity to inspire and motivate behavior change. It missed the opportunity to reframe a healthier relationship with food, exercise, and body image.

My hope is that the author will use her passion, personal experience, education, and training to present these very valid concerns in a more balanced way that allows the reader the opportunity to maintain autonomy over their decisions.

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3 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Heartbreaking and So Important

It was heartbreaking to read through this essentially wake up call to how the Wellness Industry intentionally and unintentionally preys on those of us seeking answers that simply don’t yet exist to pain and illness. This book provides a grounded and through review of how easy it is to get trapped in a hope and “promise”for a different answer or reality and the profound grief when you finally see it for the unsubstantiated claims they are.

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A path out

After reading Anti Diet, her first book, I had this on pre-order. Validating, but not shaming, Christy contextualizes wellness culture’s drawbacks and failures, while not diminishing the benefits some have found from it. So much of my own story was in this book and now I feel empowered to let go of the path I was on. This is a great read for those starting their journey out of disordered eating and healing their relationship with their bodies and those trapped in thinking whatever pain and suffering they are experiencing is all their fault for not following all the rules of wellness culture to a T.

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So healing + validating

Having been duped many years ago with pseudo science, a leaky gut + candida diagnosis and paying thousands for testing and supplements I couldn't afford, I cannot even put into words how validating it was to hear someone call bullsh!t on the whole thing. I learned a lot listening to Christy's book and so appreciate the research to back up her claims. As with every book, take what works and leave what doesn't. But I would definitely recommend this read.

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Well Informed

As always, Christy did not disappoint! I am a long time follower of her Podcast “Food Psych” and now her newest Podcast “Rethinking Wellness.” What I love about Christy is how she backs up everything she says with evidence. As a massage therapist and future nutritionist, I have been deeply engrossed in wellness culture. This book and the podcast have shined new light and will inform my future practices.

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Good reading for those open and flexible enough in their thinking to hearing the message

Unlike some other reviewers, I did not come into this book with preconceived notions or an academic position to defend - I thought this book and Christy Harrison’s previous book was useful for learning how to interact with HCP to receive the best possible care and how to skeptically but fairly evaluate wellness practices in the common age. With a few scientifically evidenced exceptions (eliminating gluten for celiac disease, yoga and meditation for stress reduction for some folks), many wellness practices can be neutral or even harmful and often part people readily and sometimes catastrophically from their hard-earned money. This book is part of the well-needed field of lifting the hood of wellness practices, such as the Maintenance Phase podcast. Although the book was a little long, I did learn a lot.

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life changing book

a must read for anyone, whether you’re trapped in wellness culture or not. It’s incredibly helpful

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Not what I expected

She dived really deep into political viewpoints, which was important to make a point but the whole book became very repetitive. Her first book I found to be much more interesting and engaging!

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Essential reading in my book

Recommending to everyone. I'm a medical student and this is one of the most useful books I've read for understanding patient experience (including my own).

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THE wellness book of the year

I bought this book because it was featured on the news, and already I could see why because THIS is the book you need in order to get out of, well, “the wellness trap” but other traps you may not have realized you’ve been entangled in.

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