The wild west of wellness: a practitioner’s guide for detecting bullsh*t
26 Nov 2026
Theatre A
By the end of this talk, the attendee will be able to spot the incentives behind wellness claims; recognize marketing tricks of the trade; use a bespoke screening tool to evaluate the interventions for themselves and their clients; and talk openly with clients who hold misinformed beliefs.
This 30-minute talk will include:
- A whistlestop tour of the $6 trillion wellness industry—its perverse incentives, business model, and why health content is produced for clicks rather than outcomes.
- Illustrate how wellness misinformation travels from bad science to media hype, to social-media fitness content, accumulating error at every step.
- Reveal the common red flags that practitioners should look for when evaluating wellness claims: from popularity traps and tradition appeals, to science washing and sponsored content.
- Provide simple screening tools so practitioners can evaluate evidence and risk for themselves and their clients.
- Detail initiatives to build health literacy, reduce the spread of misinformation, and support shared decision-making with clients who arrive with strong wellness beliefs.
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