CHARCOAL LEMONADE: STORIES FROM WELLNESS WONDERLAND…

“It removes toxins from the body,” a person recently claimed, as they she offered me a sample ‘charcoal lemonade’ product to drink in one of London’s leading health stores. I tried it, then walked away nodding in disgust. Here was ‘wellness on steroids’, once again. Are there limits to which the industry will go in order to sell a new ‘product’?

What about that ‘detox’ salad box from your local salad outlet? How about ‘alkaline‘ water’, maybe infused with a bit of rose?

Really?

Let’s get one thing straight. I’m all for wellness. I’ve benefited from it immensely and believe that everyone should have the ability to really thrive in their busy lives. But there is wellness, and then there is pure selling. There is a point in which the tip of the iceberg goes too far; when natural human physiology is replaced by untested, misleading claims about the potential benefits of products.

As Yuval Noah Harari cites in his blockbuster best seller about humanity, life and the future of our place on planet earth, ‘Homo Deus‘, there is ‘zero evidence’ for a number of given ‘truths’ in our life, why then should we believe the same about ‘half-spoken’ truths?

Think about it. Is it true that as humans, we have many organs of elimination that do a pretty good job, on average, of ‘detoxifying’ the body (for without which, we probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed)?

Does the average city slicker breathe or consume many pollutants on a daily basis? Is drinking an expensive bottle of ‘charcoal lemonade’ really going to make any difference compared to say a glass of water that helps eliminate waste through that the body’s own natural detoxification pathways? Probably not.

Is eating a balanced diet that is full of whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables going to contribute to a better state of health and contribute to a more efficient healthy system? More likely.

Is practising yoga, having a massage or even simply meditating going to make a bigger difference to your physical and/or mental health? How about just going for a walk or even to the gym? You choose.

The problem is that in the consumerist culture we have created, we think we can make ourselves healthy by ‘buying it in a convenient form’ without all the hassle of doing the hard work. As a result, the convenience of wellness creates a false economy – one which thrives off the mistaken beliefs that what people are consuming is actually doing them some good.

My point then is simple. Cut through the nonsense and be discerning in choosing your next wellness product or experience. The wellness industry is huge. Worth trillions in fact. There are a lot of people out there trying to make a difference. But there other products out there which are just a clever marketing ploy, that are a ‘refreshing’ means to throw away your hard earned money down the drain. Just like your charcoal lemonade.

That’s why I only work with manufacturers and producers who I trust and sell authentic genuine products and services. To do otherwise would be to simply be another bandit jumping on the wagon that is the ‘wellness revolution’.

That said, would you like a glass of my home-made, purified, ‘pumpkin seed’ water? It’s great for “digestion”. I rest my case, your honour.

Scott

To learn more about how yoga & meditation can transform your busy personal and professional life, please get in touch with me or email me at Scott@yogibanker.com