A former friend (whom I’ve discussed here before) lost both of his grandparents to dementia. Those deaths changed him. He started building his life around being healthy. That’s not a bad thing. People should take care of themselves. He started working out more consistently. He stopped drinking alcohol. He began eating sea moss and taking gold water once a day to improve the strength of his brain. He embraced veganism.

If you think one of the methods I described sounds weird, congrats! You’re just as gun-shy about being a vegan as I am. Even though it’s probably the right choice. The wrong choice is pretending that sea moss or water with “gold” flakes will do anything to stop dementia. That’s what my friend believed. He was vulnerable and scared, and the wellness industry does what it does best.

Desi Lydic ended her stellar week as guest host of The Daily Show by explaining how toxic “wellness” can be. At the end of the day, there is little scientific evidence that most “cure-alls” or even vitamins do what they are purported to do. However, slinging snake oil is a practice old enough that it has its own folksy colloquialism. Snake Oil Salesmen are a known breed of sh*tty predators. Yet, they still flourish.

These perfidious proprietors of perilous potions care not for the well-being of their clients. They wish to find those who feel scared, worried, or buried by men’s unreal expectations. We’re part of the problem, men! Societal expectations of women are absurd, and men are not put under the same scrutiny in the slightest. Doctors will straight up ignore a woman’s complaints (especially women of color). Meanwhile, this is what it’s like walking through life as a man:

Taking care of yourself is important. That includes not falling for every “get healthy quick” scheme that’s out there. It’s hard, but it’s worth it.