6 TikTok Health Trends To Stay Away From
Written by Leslie K. Hughes
Medically reviewed by Dr. Monique White-Dominguez
Though TikTok got its start from dance videos and has made international stars out of teens who perfected the art of choreographed dances, it has evolved a great deal since its inception. Now, TikTok is a source of all kinds of information about life – from finances to cooking to health. If the all-powerful algorithm has determined that you’re into health, chances are good your feed is flooded with all kinds of health trends.
People from a wide range of backgrounds with varying levels of experience and authority in health have turned to the platform to share wellness tips that promise to do all sorts of things from curing COVID symptoms to helping you lose weight fast.
But just how legitimate are those videos? Can you really trust the person on your screen with something as precious as your health?
Though the answer seems like it should be a resounding “no,” that isn’t necessarily the case. There are qualified, experienced, and educated health professionals on TikTok who have turned to the app to share quality information.
Unfortunately, those professionals aren’t the only ones with access to the platform, and you’ll find thousands of people on TikTok sharing health trends that are not just wrong but potentially downright dangerous.
Here are the TikTok trends that you should never try to recreate in real life – trust us on that.
1. DIY teeth whitening with hydrogen peroxide
Having white teeth is a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon, and people are always on the hunt for a quick fix to turn those coffee-stained teeth into pearly whites.
However, the solution to your yellowed teeth is not straight-up hydrogen peroxide. Though hydrogen peroxide is an ingredient in teeth whitening products, it is a low level that is combined with other ingredients to keep your teeth safe. Too much hydrogen peroxide can actually strip your teeth of enamel, which leads to all kinds of problems.
In addition to that, too high of a concentration of hydrogen peroxide can lead to damaging the teeth and gums.
2. Fasting for teens
Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that has become extremely popular in the last few years and has shown some promising results. It involves creating a schedule for fasting and eating in which you, for example, eat all of your meals in a 10-hour window and then fast for 14 hours. Research shows that this way of eating can help with weight loss and may even have the ability to help with diseases.
However, TikTok is promoting intermittent fasting for teenagers, which is very dangerous. Teenagers nowadays are more prone to eating disorders than adults and the buzz around intermittent fasting opens up the doors to having an eating disorder look acceptable.
3. “What I eat in a day” videos
Speaking of eating disorders, another trend that has hit TikTok and Instagram is the “What I eat in a day” videos in which the person shares everything they eat in 24 hours (or, what they want everyone to think they eat).
Why are these videos ones you should stay away from? Because the food that is shown in the videos gives people the idea that if they eat like that person is eating, then they will look like that person. And, oftentimes, the amount of food that person shows in the video does not even equate to 900 calories a day, which is not healthy or sustainable for anyone.
Videos such as this create fear around food and restrictive and unhealthy eating habits that are not good for anyone at any age. If you feel that you have an unhealthy relationship with food, connect with a Sameday Health virtual therapist who can help you get to a better place.
4. At-home mole removal
There is a whole trend on TikTok of people removing unwanted moles from their bodies at home via scraping or picking them off. This is a dermatologist’s worse nightmare. If you have moles, you need to get them regularly checked by a dermatologist who can tell you whether they are safe or potentially dangerous and need to be removed. And, then the dermatologist, who is trained and certified, will remove them safely.
Attempting to remove a mole at home can lead to scarring, infection, and more. Plus, you may be messing with a mole that is cancerous and you’d never know if you didn’t have a dermatologist remove it and send it off to be biopsied.
5. Papaya seeds to rid of gut parasites
Many people have never even thought that they may potentially have parasites until they saw a TikTok video about it. The chances that you have a parasite living in your gut are very slim, especially if you aren’t traveling around the world regularly.
However, so-called health enthusiasts have turned to TikTok to promote eating a whole lot of papaya seeds to get rid of parasites. And, that’s just not going to cut it. Papaya seeds are packed with fiber and too much of that can cause your gut even more problems. If you think you may have a parasite, schedule an appointment with a Sameday Health virtual doctor who can get you to the right lab panel to see where your gut is having problems.
6. Garlic for congestion
Garlic is an herb that boasts all kinds of benefits, from reducing oxidate stress to providing your body with antioxidants. However, despite what TikTok says, you will not gain anything from shoving garlic up your nose to help with congestion. In fact, by doing that, you open yourself up to problems.
Garlic in your nose can lead to mucus buildup, which is not something you want. You also run the risk of skin irritation with raw garlic, which has the potential to lead to even more congestion.
If you’re trying to get rid of a cold, schedule an Immunity IV with Sameday Health to give your body the boost it needs to kick that cold to the curb.
At the end of the day, TikTok is a great resource for many things, but not the best place to go for health advice.
