Words of Wellness with Shelly

Shelly's Shares: Science vs. Social Media: Navigating Health Information Online

• Shelly Jefferis • Season 2 • Episode 88

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Have you ever wondered if that viral health tip you saw online is actually legitimate? The digital world is flooded with wellness advice, but distinguishing scientific fact from profitable fiction can be challenging. This episode dives into the crucial difference between true health experts and popular influencers who may lack scientific backing.

Drawing from her 35+ years as a wellness professional and college professor, Shelly shares insights on how to critically evaluate the health information bombarding us daily. We explore the concerning trend of social media personalities with massive followings dispensing wellness advice without proper credentials or research to support their claims. Using the example of respected researcher Dr. Paul Arciero, whose 30 years of scientific work is contrasted with influencers who prioritize engagement over accuracy, we discuss why follower counts shouldn't determine who we trust with our health.

The episode offers practical guidance on evaluating wellness claims by examining study origins, sample sizes, peer review processes, and potential conflicts of interest. We unpack the common practice of corporate-sponsored research and stealth marketing disguised as educational content. Most importantly, you'll learn to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate the overwhelming volume of health information available today. Whether you're confused about nutrition advice, exercise recommendations, or mental wellness strategies, this conversation provides the framework to make more informed decisions about your health journey. Have questions about a wellness topic? Reach out anytime—Shelly is committed to bringing clarity to your wellness concerns or connecting you with experts who can help.

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Thank you for listening to the Words of Wellness podcast with Shelly Jefferis. I am honored and so grateful to have you here and it would mean the world to me if you could take a minute to follow, leave a 5-star review and share the podcast with anyone you love and anyone you feel could benefit from the message.

Thank you and God Bless!
And remember to do something for yourself, for your wellness on this day!

In Health,
Shelly Jefferis

Speaker 1:

They have hundreds, thousands, millions of followers and, even though they might have good intention, the information that they are passing along might not be accurate and or might not be backed by scientific research.

Speaker 1:

Do you get confused by all of the information that bombard us every day on ways to improve our overall health and our overall wellness? Do you often feel stuck, unmotivated or struggle to reach your wellness goals? Do you have questions as to what exercises you should be doing, what foods you should or should not be eating, how to improve your overall emotional and mental well-being? Hello everyone, I am so excited to welcome you to Words of Wellness. My name is Shelly Jeffries and I will be your host. My goal is to answer these questions and so much more, to share tips, education and inspiration around all of the components of wellness through solo and guest episodes. With 35 plus years as a health and wellness professional, a retired college professor, a speaker and a multi-passionate entrepreneur, I certainly have lots to share. However, my biggest goal and inspiration in doing this podcast is to share the wellness stories of others with you, to bring in guests who can share their journeys so that we can all learn together while making an impact on the health, the wellness and lives of all of you, our listeners. The ultimate hope is that you leave today with even just one nugget that can enhance the quality of your life and that you will we all will, now and into the future, live our best quality of lives, full of energy, happiness and joy. Now let's dive into our message for today. Hello, friends, and welcome back to Words of Wellness.

Speaker 1:

I am hopping in here today with a quick message. I have been sharing on Mondays, just a short share, calling it Shelly's Shares, and kind of just sharing either a personal message or a short message that can help you perhaps with your wellness journey. And today I have a couple thoughts on my mind that I wanted to share with everyone. I have a friend who shared a post earlier today on social media and he was highlighting a friend of mine Also. He's very, very talented, brilliant, Dr Paul Arciero. He's very, very talented, brilliant, Dr Paul Arciero. I've had him on my podcast a couple times and he has been doing research in the area of performance, protein, nutrition, metabolism, all of those areas combined for over 30 years. He has over 70 publications 30 years. He has over 70 publications. He has just done a ton of research and has a ton of science backing up all of the information that he shares, and this particular post today was highlighting him over another individual who has millions of followers, but he doesn't necessarily have the science to back up his claims.

Speaker 1:

And it just struck me because it's such an important point to make, because I have heard other doctors, scientists, talk about this very topic where, on social media on TikTok, on Instagram and Facebook there might be those individuals who are considered to be influencers because they have hundreds, thousands, millions of followers and, even though they might have good intention, the information that they are passing along might not be accurate and or might not be backed by scientific research. And I wanted to share that because I think it's such an important reminder to step back and just look at things from a little different perspective. If we are reading information, especially on social media, and applying it to ourselves, especially when it comes to our own personal health and wellness, we need to be very, very cautious, Because there are many, many people out there who are influencers and they have a lot of followers and a lot of people doing what they say to do and, again, it might not be terrible, but it might not be the best and it might not be 100% accurate or correct information. So I just want to encourage you to really Do your own research and make sure you are looking at what this person is sharing and what they are saying that we should be doing, and does it make sense and is it backed by science? Because, ultimately, if something isn't backed by science, it's not going to hold up as far as what it actually can do for us.

Speaker 1:

And, believe me, there are different ways that people approach doing studies and I totally understand this and this is something that I learned in college, especially when I was working on my master's degree. There are different ways that people go about doing research and doing studies and you have to have a certain sample size for it to really be effective and make sense, and you have to also look at who did the research and was there anything for them to gain, whether it be you know whether it and then determine the outcome of the science and the claims. That's a big deal. So, as opposed to someone doing a study and then just putting the information out when you have it peer reviewed, you have certain people making sure that everything is legitimate within that study and with the claim that's being made. And you know, this was really really kind of hit home to me today when I saw this post today, because for many, many years of my teaching college I would always tell my students you have to really look at information that is out there and claims that are made and really do some of your own research to make sure that it's accurate information.

Speaker 1:

And I know it can seem a little bit overwhelming at times, for sure, but so much of the time there might be a study that supports a certain product, but then when you look a little further, the company was responsible for doing the study and they want the results to be in their favor, and this happens kind of often. Another, another thing that I used to see and I don't see it as much because there isn't as much when it comes to magazines and and articles and paper. You know newspapers and articles and magazines but for many, for many years and it probably still happens there would be a page in a magazine that would be looking to be like it was sharing a study or sharing some important information, and it would be eye catching, of course. And then when you would look at, I would always look at the article. I would look at the information and look down at the bottom of the page and really really find print. There would be something about the company, the company being responsible for the study, or something where you go, oh, they're trying to sell me something here, right?

Speaker 1:

So you just have to be cautious. You have to be so cautious of what you are reading and information that you are taking in and how you're applying it to your life and your in this case, specifically your health and your wellness, because that is what we're talking about today and always on this podcast, and that was the social media post today that struck me as being really important. It's just an important reminder of the fact that not everything and you know I'm speaking to the choir, all of you are very smart and you know this to be true that everything that we read out there is not always true, of course, but when it comes to science and research, you have to really kind of read between the lines and really look at the origin of the study, who was responsible for, for initiating it, what was the sample size? Or just so many different factors, and I just remember telling my students through the years that lots of times, you see where the study came from. It's the person or the company that's trying to sell you something.

Speaker 1:

So I will kind of just leave it at that for today, because there's so much out there, there's so much information and it, yes, can be so overwhelming, and my goal has always been, through all of my years of education and teaching, and still to this day, my goal is to bring about clarity when it comes to these topics, answer questions and help individuals with their own personal wellness and health and nutrition and fitness questions that they might have or areas that they might need some clarity on, and I will always tell my students and my clients that's what I'm here for. Ask me questions, bring information to me. I want to help you so that you can get the best results, and if it's a topic or an area that I don't have the expertise in, I will find someone who does. So I hope that you can kind of keep that in mind as you listen to this today and feel free, as always, like I say, reach out to me if you have. You know you have a topic. Maybe it's a topic that I I'm not familiar with. Well, I will find someone who knows about it and I will bring them on as a guest. So please, always feel free to reach out, always reach out with questions and always reach out If there's any topic that you would like to know more about, Please, please message me and let me know and I will be sure and have an episode here for you and, as always, take time for yourself and your wellness on this day and have a beautiful blessed week and I'll see you all next time on Words of Wellness.

Speaker 1:

And have a beautiful blessed week and I'll see you all next time on Words of Wellness. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope you gained value and enjoyed our time together as much as I did, and if you know someone who could benefit from today's episode, I would love and appreciate it if you could share with a friend or rate and review Words of Wellness so that more can hear this message. I love and appreciate you all. Thank you for listening and if you have any questions or topics you would like me to share in future episodes, please don't hesitate to reach out to me through my contact information that is shared in the show notes below. Again, thank you for tuning in to Words of Wellness. My name is Shelly Jeffries and I encourage you to do something for you, for your wellness, on this day. Until next time, I hope you all have a healthy, happy and blessed week. Thank you, you.