The deluge of improbable health hacks on TikTok can only mean that it’s the start of a new year. Here we look at some of the more curious tips and the evidence, if any, behind them.
Put rubber bands around your ears to reduce facial swelling
The South Korean trend of wrapping rubber bands around the ears for 10 minutes to reduce facial swelling has gone global among TikTok users. Proponents claim that the strips help move fluid through the lymphatic system, but there is no scientific evidence to support this. There is evidence that lymphatic massage, which uses gentle outward movements, can reduce swelling, but the effects are temporary.
Professor Hywel Williams, a specialist in evidence-based dermatology at the University of Nottingham, says many TikTok videos involve young, healthy people without facial swelling. “This craze seems to create anxiety and invent a new source of worry,” he says.
But he would like to see a real test in which hundreds of people with swollen faces wear rubber bands, a piece of cotton or something else, and have their swelling assessed before and after by an independent panel of beauticians. “I’m always open-minded,” he says, “and sometimes the medical profession can be wrong. »
Put garlic in the nose to clean the sinuses
It’s nice that TikTok provides a platform for people who want to film vast bubbles of mucus coming out of their garlic-filled nostrils and torrents of snot flowing out when the garlic is removed. This striking effect is presented as proof that garlic relieves congestion, but this makes no sense. “That doesn’t clarify anything. The mucus was produced by the lining of the nose in response to the pungent odor of garlic,” explains Simon Gane, consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at University College Hospitals NHS Trust. London. “He’s not ‘released’ out of nowhere. A stuffy nose is usually caused by swelling of the nasal mucosa, not snot.
“People absolutely should not put garlic or anything in their nose,” says Carl Philpott, professor of rhinology and olfactology at Norwich Medical School. “To clean the nose and sinuses, we recommend nasal irrigations with physiological serum using kits such as NeilMed or Sterimar, the benefits of which have been demonstrated in scientific studies.”
Put castor oil in the navel to reduce bloating
Entire theses are devoted to the importance of the navel in fashion, religion and meditation, but biologically it serves no purpose except to remind us that we were once connected to our mothers via an umbilical cord. Some TikTokers claim that pouring castor oil into the belly button, a practice known as navel oil or belly button pulling, aids digestion, reduces bloating, and relieves menstrual pain and endometriosis.
This fashion has its roots in Ayurvedic practice, a system of alternative medicine. One treatment claims to involve the absorption of essential oils through the navel, via what practitioners call the “Pechoti gland.” So far, scientists have discovered No evidence that such a gland exists.
“Unfortunately, due to the lack of research into women’s health, combined with issues such as long waiting lists and layoffs by medical professionals, many women have turned to unproven home remedies for relieve their symptoms,” explains epidemiologist Dr Gemma Sharp. at the University of Exeter. “There are no peer-reviewed scientific studies on applying castor oil to the skin for weight loss or to relieve the symptoms of endometriosis, so there is no strong evidence for its efficiency. In some cases it can cause an allergic reaction, so it is best to avoid it.
Oatzempic helps with weight loss
Ozempic, a diabetes drug, has enjoyed meteoric success in the last year, although it is perhaps better known for weight loss. Ozempic contains semaglutide, a hormone-mimicking compound that slows digestion. Not to be outdone, TikTokers have developed oatzempic, a mixture of oats, water and lime juice, and claim it has similar effects. This claim has not been tested, but people don’t lose weight unless they burn more calories than they consume. However, oats can help: they contain soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which can act on reduce body weight and body mass index.
Mouth recording
Many people breathe through their mouths rather than their noses at night, leading to dry mouth, sore throats, and bad breath. They are also prone to snoring. Closing the mouth with porous tape aims to redirect breathing through the nose, which has the added benefit of filtering out allergens and making the inhaled air more humid. Few studies have examined whether it works, but one pilot study of 30 people found that mouth recording reduced snoring in people with mild obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.
But taping the mouth can be dangerous for some. Another try In people with obstructive sleep apnea, it was found that although mouth taping generally improved airflow, more than a fifth saw it decrease significantly.
“If someone knows they don’t have a nasal obstruction, they’re a normal weight, and they haven’t been diagnosed with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea, then they can try to record your mouth at home,” says Dr. Andrew Huang, an otolaryngologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. . Those who have difficulty breathing through their nose during the day, who are overweight or obese, or who have been diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, should consult an otolaryngologist before trying it, adds- he.