Why Health Anxiety Is Rising And How Too Much Wellness Advice May Be Making It Worse

Natalie Tysdal (00:00)

Hi everyone, it's Natalie. Welcome back to the podcast this week. I've been a health reporter for 30 years. My job has been to study the research, interview leading experts, ask hard questions, and bring you credible information that you can actually use. So I am very aware of the irony of today's episode because I'm someone who gives health information. I share studies, I interview specialists.

I talk about supplements, hormones, gut health, longevity. And the last thing I want to do is tell you one thing and then do another. But here's what three decades in this space has taught me. More information from too many sources is not the same as better health. In fact, sometimes it's the exact opposite. Today's episode is about the fear inducing and very loud health and wellness space.

You know, 20 years ago, we didn't have so many people telling us what to do, what to eat, what supplements to take, what exercise we absolutely must do. And today it's just me. I want to talk to you about this loud industry. And if you have questions or you want links to some of the things that I'm talking about, be sure to check out the show notes today. Here's what you may not know. I get samples in the mail.

constantly, new probiotics, new collagen powders, protein powders, new magnesium blends, new breakthrough longevity formulas. I listen to more health podcasts than the average person. I read the research. I do a lot of reading online. I follow the trends. And there was a moment not long ago when I realized something uncomfortable. All of that input was starting to create an uncomfortable feeling in me, even for me.

I would catch myself thinking, am I taking the right thing? Should I be doing more? Is there something that's missing that someone else is doing? Is everyone else ahead of me? It was like social FOMO, but in the health space, the fear that you might be missing something really good. And I stopped and I thought, if I, after 30 years of covering health, if I feel this pressure, what is this doing to the women who listen to the podcast and read my newsletter?

And that's when it became really clear to me. The wellness industry is very loud and that is on purpose. That is because the wellness industry wants you to feel like you're missing out. They want you to feel like you have to have this thing if you want to live longer. But let me tell you this, it's on purpose for them, but your body is more quiet. And when everything feels urgent,

your body doesn't feel safe.

We live in a time of constant optimization, tracking sleep, tracking steps, tracking macros, testing our hormones. And yes, I do all of these things. I love the data. I think it can be very beneficial. I believe in science. I do believe in data. And I think that having informed decisions helps us become healthier. But information without context, that creates stress.

and stress is not neutral. So when your nervous system is constantly in fight or flight, even subtle fight or flight, your body simply can't repair. You can't optimize your way out of chronic stress. And the irony, sometimes the stress is coming from just trying to be healthier. So let's connect the dots on all of this. Chronic stress raises cortisol. Elevated cortisol, that disrupts your sleep.

poor sleep, well, you know what that affects your blood sugar and blood sugar swings. Well, that affects our hormones. So hormones, they influence our mood, our weight, our energy, the inflammation in our bodies and stress also alters your gut microbiome. Do you see where I'm going with all of this? When everything is out of sync because we're just worried and our body is in constant fight or flight.

then everything is off balance. And this leads to a weaker immune system and resilience. It increases systemic inflammation, which is a big deal in our bodies. So if you're taking all the supplements, maybe you're eating really, really cleanly. Maybe you're trying every protocol that you've heard about or seen on TikTok or Instagram, but you're still feeling anxious.

maybe you're working against your biology because

Stress about your health is still stress and your body doesn't distinguish between I'm running from danger and I'm worried about my supplement routine. It just responds. So let's simplify and let's talk about how we can actually help ourselves without creating stress or that FOMO in our healthcare. When I say listen to your body, I'm not saying ignore doctors or ignore advice from a trusted expert.

I'm not saying skip the lab work. Certainly not. And I'm not suggesting we replace science with just vibes. If you have listened to any amount of time here on my podcast, you know me better than that, because what I'm really saying is this, combine the data with awareness. Start noticing patterns in your body. When do you feel steady energy? When do you crash? Is it the middle of the day? Is it when you're overstimulated?

What meals really satisfy you to where you're not thinking about hunger? What disrupts your sleep? How does your mood shift across your cycle? When do you feel calm in your body? Most women are so busy chasing inputs that they don't really observe the outcomes. And listening to your body, it's not mystical, it's simply paying attention.

Your body whispers before it screams with problems before you get sick. Fatigue. That's a whisper. Bloating feeling that after you eat or maybe after a couple of drinks of alcohol, bloating. That's a whisper. Irritability in your mood. Again, that's a whisper. Poor sleep the same, but if the noise is constant, you actually can't hear it. I was in a stage like that when I did early morning news and I was

always, always in a state of fight or flight, always in a state of just feeling yucky because my sleep was so far off of what a normal person should feel. So here's what I want to challenge you to do.

I'm actually going to create a download so you don't have to write all of this down. You can just go to today's show notes and get that information. I'm going to call it the seven day reset for seven days. Don't add anything new, no new supplements, no new protocols, nothing dramatic, no elimination diet, but instead sleep for seven, eight hour or eight hours. And that might be hard for some people. I know we're all busy.

but prioritize and sleep for seven to eight hours. Eat real recognizable food that you prepare in your own home. And I'd like you to not let that food come from a can or a box. Actually, you might be surprised how easy it is, but something that doesn't come from a can or a box. Prepare that food at home. Take a 20 minute walk every single day, even when you think you don't have time. First thing in the morning, after dinner, 20 minute walk.

Choose one practice, not all of them that I'm going to list. Just pick one from this list. It needs to be something that calms your nervous system. Something like prayer, journaling, maybe breath work, some silence, sitting in silence or sitting outside in the sun, just letting your body absorb that sun, vitamin D, but pick one of those. Do you have one in mind? One that you can commit to every day for a week and then every night write down

Three simple observations. How was my energy today? Was my digestion good today? What did I feel in my body today? And that's it. Not perfection, not optimization, but just awareness. Because awareness is what's going to lead us to better health and feeling better when we can actually read the signals that our body is sending us. Clarity leads to better decisions.

and it is much better than panic. So the wellness industry, it's going to continue to be loud. As a matter of fact, I think it's getting even louder and there will always be new studies, new people interpreting all of those studies, new supplements, a new warning. And I'm going to continue to bring you credible conversations, things that I have vetted, people that I have interviewed, trusted experts, but I never want to add to the noise. I want to help you filter the noise.

You don't need 50 new health hacks. You just need consistency. You need safety in your nervous system. You need space to actually hear your body so that all of those things you are hearing. And I realized that I'm one of those voices, but I want to be a calm presence that truly informs instead of overwhelms. And when your body is calm, you know what you actually need. You're not chasing the next thing. You're quieter.

and overall you're wiser. If this episode, nice short episode for you today, if it resonated with you, I'd love it if you would share with a woman who feels overwhelmed right now. And if you want to go deeper into how you can feel better, how your gut health connects to stress, inflammation, immunity, listen to the last episode that I recorded. It's a conversation with probiotic researcher, Martha Carlin.

and make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss what's next and go to the show notes, get that seven day reset that I talked about because your health shouldn't feel chaotic. It should feel steady. Steady is powerful. Thanks so much for listening today. I'll talk to you next week.