Scammed Wellness

Curissa Groll

Hello, I’m Curissa Groll. I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, which means I love health and wellness. However, throughout my life and academic career I have fount there's a dark side to the wellness industry. Scammed Wellness is a podcast dedicated to breaking down the scams, scandals, and swindles within the wellness industry. Think of it as true crime meets wellness! I use the power of storytelling to illustrate these narratives, and hope to provide the listener with evidenced based advice to make informed decisions about their wellbeing.

  1. 05/10/2023

    Episode 12: The Story Behind the Infamous Liver King, Steroids, and Their Impact on Our Health

    Liver King, formally known as Brian Johnson is now an infamous health and wellness influencer who struck fame in mid 2020 with his outlandish, viral videos of eating raw liver and other meats. He has made it his life purpose to spread his nine ancestral tenants and encourage everyone to eat raw meat, just like our ancestors did. What he doesn't want you to know is that his muscular physique comes from the use of anabolic steroids and hormone injections, all while cashing in on his multiple million dollar supplement companies. In this episode we learn more about Liver King's past and how his impact sends a dangerous message to the wellness community. Resources linked down below. 1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/polar-bear#:~:text=A%20single%20polar%20bear%20liver,occurs%20at%20about%20300%2C000%20IU! 2. https://www.gq.com/story/in-the-court-of-the-liver-king-brian-johnson-ancestral-supplements https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/index.html 5. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-8004-6 6. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/anabolic-steroids 7. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/atlas-athletes-training-learning-avoid-steroids#:~:text=Avoid%20Steroids)%20program.-,The%20ATLAS%20(Athletes%20Training%20%26%20Learning%20to%20Avoid%20Steroids)%20program,%2C%20and%20performance%2Denhancing%20drugs. Resources for help. https://www.findtreatment.gov/ https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

    27 min

  2. 13/06/2023

    Episode 11: happy 1 year to the podcast, let's get vulnerable

    Hello, Scammed Wellness is back and celebrating one whole year. On this week's episode your host, Curissa Groll, dives into her own personal experience with being scammed in the wellness industry, her time in a wellness MLM, and her path to becoming a dietitian. Which ultimately led her to create Scammed Wellness. This is an episode you're not going to want to miss! If you'd like to help celebrate Scammed Wellness' first birthday consider contributing to the No Kid Hungry fundraiser. You can donate following the link here, https://www.instagram.com/linking/fundraiser?fundraiser_id=184099627646975&source_name=SHARE_LINK Or head over to @scammedwellnesspodcast on Instagram to find the fundraiser. Thank you again for listening! I'd love to hear your feedback or experiences. You can always reach me through DMs on the Instagram page.

    16 min

  3. 16/03/2023

    Episode 10: The Olaplex Lawsuit Scandal and Hair Care in the Wellness Industry

    In this week's episode we talk about how hair care fits into wellness, the parallels between "clean" ingredients in food and cosmetics, the current Olaplex lawsuit, and much, much more. On February 9th, 2023 a class action lawsuit was filled towards Olalplex where 28 women claimed that the products left them with severely damaged hair. We then dive further into how companies need to be more transparent with customers and how to avoid falling into the wellness trap. After all there's a deeper lesson we can learn from a scandal! Resources:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaplex https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hair-history-why-hair-is_b_5567365 https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2023/02/11299948/olaplex-hair-loss-lawsuit https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/18/17866150/natural-clean-beauty-products-feinstein-cosmetics-bill-fda https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/personal-care/hair-care/united-states https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/cacdce/2:2023cv00982/875230 https://olaplex.com/pages/testing-results?ranMID=49376&ranEAID=TnL5HPStwNw&ranSiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-NLn1SuitHbTprOYknDRcWw https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0434/1661/files/HRIPT_Fact_Sheet.pdf?v=1677775156

    20 min

  4. 24/02/2023

    Episode 9: Rainbow Diet Pills, the Fen-Phen Scandal, and the Resurgence of Weight-loss Medication

    Disclaimer: The information provided in today’s episode is not intended nor should be used for diagnosing or treating a health condition or disease, and if you’re seeking personal medical advice you should consult with a board certified physician. In today's episode we discuss the rainbow diet pill, also referred to as the perfect drug cocktail that famous Hollywood movie stars, like Debbie Reynolds and Judie Garland allegedly took to keep up with the demands of show business. Then we transition into Fen-Phen a popular non-approved weight loss medication that eventually led to severe heart conditions. I wrap up these scandals discussing how some weight-loss medications work, specifically with our hunger/fullness cues and digestion. With the popularity in medications like Ozempic I felt this episode was needed! Although, I have my expert views on weight-loss medication I acknowledge some of the nuance regarding weight loss medication as a treatment to weight loss and obesity. This episode was created to inform you on weight loss medications so that you can make informed decisions moving forward with your health.  As always thank you for listening! Follow the podcast on Instagram @Scammedwellnesspodcast! Sources:  https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/11/ozempic-hollywood-diet-drug https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3482033/ https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/23/science/how-fen-phen-a-diet-miracle-rose-and-fell.html https://beckerlaw.com/kentucky-dangerous-drug-lawyer/diet-drugs/history/#:~:text=What%20Is%20Fen%2DPhen%3F,some%20drug%20and%20alcohol%20addictions. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2777886

    26 min

  5. 19/01/2023

    Episode 8: Diet Pills, Ephedra Deaths, and How to Actually Set Productive Goals

    Happy New Year! This week’s episode dives into the mystery regarding diet pills as we take a closer look at one shady ingredient, ephedra. This time of year the wellness industry is working harder than ever to make us feel insecure. I also discuss an evidence-based tool you can use when building your new year's resolutions, goals, or whatever you want to name them. If you or anyone you know is struggling with a diet pill addiction or abuse you can call the Addiction Center at 1-877-933-3852 Thank you for listening! Rating and reviewing the podcast is a great way to support Scammed Wellness. Resources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_(medicine)#cite_note-consumerreports-26 https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Ephedra.aspx https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/small-entity-compliance-guide-final-rule-declaring-dietary-supplements-containing-ephedrine https://www.npr.org/2002/11/22/850679/the-secret-of-ephedras-questionable-success https://effectiviology.com/appeal-to-nature-fallacy/#:~:text=The%20appeal%20to%20nature%20is,because%20it's%20perceived%20as%20unnatural. White ND, Bautista V, Lenz T, Cosimano A. Using the SMART-EST Goals in Lifestyle Medicine Prescription. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2020;14(3):271-273. Published 2020 Feb 17. doi:10.1177/1559827620905775 https://www.addictioncenter.com/stimulants/diet-pills/

    21 min

  6. 21/10/2022

    Episode 7: The Story of Taste and the Mystery of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

    MSG is a popular food enhancer that is responsible for giving food an umami flavor- one of the five tastes humans have. MSG was is found in many foods found in nature like meat, cheese, and vegetables. MSG is has been used in some processed foods and in popular chain restaurants like KFC. But for some people MSG can cause allergy like symptoms. For many years Asian food, specifically Chinese food in America has been blamed for the MSG intolerance some individuals experience. However, when looking deeper at the history of MSG and the research we learn that there's always more to the story. In this weeks episode we explore the story of taste, what the research actually says about MSG, and the unfortunate reality blaming a single ethnicity has led to.  Support the Podcast: If you would like to support the podcast please follow @ScammedWellnessPodcast on Instagram and/or leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. You can also share the episode with a friend.  As always, thank you for listening! Resources: Zanfirescu A, Ungurianu A, Tsatsakis AM, et al. A review of the alleged health hazards of monosodium glutamate [published correction appears in Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2020 Jul;19(4):2330]. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2019 We Can't Talk About MSG Without Talking About Racism. ​Frankie Haung. Men's Health. November 2021.

    16 min

  7. 05/10/2022

    Episode 6: The Magic of Essential Oils, Gary Young, and the Danger of Wellness Multi Level Marketing

    Essential oils have been around for centuries. The only difference now is they are manufactured on a larger scale. Touted for their broad abilities and DIY home remedies. From aiding a stomachache, removing toe fungus, and curing cancer. However, the science isn't matching up to the claims, and worse the idea to capitalize on essential oils has led to some pretty risky business moves and corruption. If you haven't heard of wellness multi-level marketing companies episode 7 dives into the false promise of alternative medicine and unethical business practices. A company called Young Living, started by Gary Young started in the 90s took off convincing people that essential oils were the cure to all their worries. Sadly, something more tragic lies behind the success of Young Living. Lies, unethical medical practice, false claims, and even death.  Resources  Stacey's story  (Un)Well episode 1: Essential Oils . www.netflix.com. 2020.  https://www.insider.com/woman-hospitalized-after-eating-essential-oils-had-swelling-rashes-2020-8 Young's Background   https://web.archive.org/web/20200729175749/https://www.businessinsider.com/young-living-gary-young-founder-essential-oils-2020-7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._Gary_Young Young Living  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Living MLM Research Marguerite DeLiema, et al. Study of Multilevel Marketing: Profiling Participants and their Experiences in Direct Sales. AARP. 2018. Scientific Literature on Essential Oils  Valdivieso-Ugarte M, Gomez-Llorente C, Plaza-Díaz J, Gil Á. Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Immunomodulatory Properties of Essential Oils: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(11):2786. Published 2019 Nov 15. doi:10.3390/nu11112786 PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board. Aromatherapy With Essential Oils (PDQ®): Patient Version. In: PDQ Cancer Information Summaries. Bethesda (MD): National Cancer Institute (US); August 16, 2022. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-essential-oils-work-heres-what-science-says/

    19 min

  8. 25/08/2022

    Is Red Wine the Fountain of Youth? Agism in the Wellness Industry

    What if you could take a pill that reversed aging? Well, David Sinclair, a biologist and Harvard genetics professor, had high hopes when he discovered resveratrol, a molecule found in grapes could help reverse the effects of aging like inflammation and cell growth. He claimed one day there would be a pill people could take that would solve all of our aging problems. The media had a field day with his findings and soon resveratrol made its way into wellness as the new fad food. Better yet, you could find resveratrol in wine! But what happens when research studies go wrong? When the findings aren't always what they seem? The story of resveratrol is a great example of trusting the data too soon, before it's replicated over and over by other scientist. Today's story is about one scientist who got too ahead of himself which led to criticism and conflicts of interest.....all in the name of aging and fame. Resources: https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-HEB-3860 Gupta SC, Kunnumakkara AB, Aggarwal S, Aggarwal BB. Inflammation, a Double-Edge Sword for Cancer and Other Age-Related Diseases. Front Immunol. 2018;9:2160. Published 2018 Sep 27. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.02160 Brenjian S, Moini A, Yamini N, et al. Resveratrol treatment in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome decreased pro-inflammatory and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2020;83(1):e13186. doi:10.1111/aji.13186 Martins L.A.M., Coelho B.P., Behr G., Pettenuzzo L.F., Souza I.C.C., Moreira J.C.F., Borojevic R., Gottfried C., Guma F.C.R. Resveratrol induces pro-oxidant effects and time-dependent resistance to cytotoxicity in activated hepatic stellate cells. Cell Biochem. Biophys. 2014;68:247–257. doi: 10.1007/s12013-013-9703-8. Salehi B, Mishra AP, Nigam M, et al. Resveratrol: A Double-Edged Sword in Health Benefits. Biomedicines. 2018;6(3):91. Published 2018 Sep 9. doi:10.3390/biomedicines6030091

    19 min
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About

Hello, I’m Curissa Groll. I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, which means I love health and wellness. However, throughout my life and academic career I have fount there's a dark side to the wellness industry. Scammed Wellness is a podcast dedicated to breaking down the scams, scandals, and swindles within the wellness industry. Think of it as true crime meets wellness! I use the power of storytelling to illustrate these narratives, and hope to provide the listener with evidenced based advice to make informed decisions about their wellbeing.

Information

  • Creator
    Curissa Groll
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2023
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Curissa Groll
  • Show Website
    Scammed Wellness