Health tip

4 Health Fads You Should Forget
They sound good, but some of the latest trends are just fads that may mess with your health--or your wallet.
By Michael Roizen, MD and Mehmet Oz, MD

The only things that seem to spread faster than rumors about pregnant celebrities are sellers of sketchy science. Sure, something like an ultrasound video of your unborn baby sounds like fun. Isn't that what your doctor orders? But here’s why ultrasounds done without your doc's supervision, as well as other easy-to-find health "services," may be unhealthy for your body, your wallet, or both.

1. Baby's first ultrasound video. "Ultrasound day" is a red-carpet event for expectant moms and dads: Finally, a chance to glimpse who's been growing in there. These sneak previews used to happen only under a doctor's orders, with a trained technician and in a medical facility with well-maintained equipment. But today, you can get your own baby ultrasound video, in high-resolution 3-D, at your local mall.

Our opinion? These mall videos may not be ideal for your baby; wait for birth to see your little one. Thanks to powerful ultrasound scanners and longer scan times (up to an hour at some places), these for-profit prenatal portraits may expose unborn children to risky levels of heat and vibration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.

Stick with the careful, brief, medically necessary ultrasounds your doctor orders. Meanwhile, enjoy baby activities the old-fashioned way: Put a hand on your belly to feel those kicks and somersaults.

2. Colon cleansings. So-called "high colonics" may be a waste of your hard-earned cash. You can get the same colon-cleansing and toxin-eliminating effect with a 24-hour fast and without paying someone to push a tube into your lower intestines (via your back end)! That's what GoLYTELY does. Do a colonic to lose weight and you'll be disappointed: Whatever they wash out will be replaced tomorrow. If you're trying to unclog stopped-up bowels, look to your diet. For a better number two, make eight glasses of water and 25 grams of fiber from foods like lima beans, whole grains, grapefruit, and berries a top priority. Just work your way up to 25 grams slowly.

3. Magnets. We believe that energy medicine holds lots of promise, but there are no data that magnets inserted into your shoes or embedded in a little skin patch have any more power than a placebo would. (That's not to discount the placebo effect, which works in 30 percent to 40 percent of people!) So far, research doesn't support the most popular magnet claim: that they relieve pain. And the FDA has yet to approve the marketing of magnets that promise health benefits. So, they're handy on your fridge, but don't spend extra to put magnets in your shoes.

4. Do-it-yourself genetic tests. Soon they, combined with genetic counseling, will be ready for prime time. But not quite yet. And you can blow a wad of money on them. For $30 (minimum), anyone can buy a DNA test at the drugstore. Take a sample of your DNA (usually swabbed from inside your cheek) and mail it to the test company. For an additional $200 and up (sometimes way up), they'll test for markers of lupus, sickle-cell anemia, depression, glaucoma, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis ... the list will get longer and more meaningful over the next several years.

Gene testing promises to be an amazing tool. Mapping the human genome has yielded powerful new weapons against breast, ovarian, colon, prostate, and other cancers. In fact, we have colleagues who refer people for testing for defects in the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 breast cancer genes every week. Yet, while research has identified genes and gene mutations that contribute to about 1,400 diseases or disorders, so far, most of these provide only preliminary clues. And with certain diseases, such as Alzheimer's, genetic mutations increase your risk but don’t always mean you'll get a disease.

Knowing your family history and sharing it with your doc can help you decide whether you need a genetic test from a certified lab or whether you simply need to do all you can to safeguard your health against a risk that runs in your family. Besides, your lifestyle, not your genes, controls 70 percent of how well you age.

Spending $10 on fresh fruit and veggies at the weekly farmers market will get you miles further than spending that much on these kits over three years. But stay tuned. Soon, these genetic tests, coupled with counseling, may become standard and important for your health choices.