Gwenyth Paltrow’s company Goop has been accused of peddling non-scientific products bolstering magic claims for years. Her lifestyle brand Goop is a favorite trope for critics of pop-science. The company was even fined for its false claims regarding Jade eggs that Goop said could balance a woman’s hormones. Goop has not only pushed some patently false ideas but it’s also made some dangerous mindsets more fashionable.
When Netflix announced the launch of the 6 episode series The Goop Lab skeptics everywhere were ready to tear it apart. The show makes its fair share of outrageous claims but there was a shocking amount of solid information as well. Today we are going to explore what the show actually got right!
Psilocybin Therapy
Magic mushrooms are nothing new. Indigenous people have used them as medicine since humans first discovered them. When the efficacy of psilocybin is explored through a scientific lens the results are exciting. The FDA approved limited trial testing of the therapeutic value of psilocybin and described the results as “groundbreaking”.
The administration fast-tracked the second clinical trials and the results were just as positive. The compound has been found to increase the efficacy of talk therapy and greatly reduce anxiety. With wider study it’s likely we’ll see medications being developed from this ancient medicine.
MDMA Treatment For PTSD
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a devastating mental illness that is challenging to treat. The FDA has recently authorized several phases of clinical trials to explore the efficacy of treating PTSD and other anxiety disorders with the street drug MDMA.
More commonly referred to as ecstasy or molly MDMA effectively bridges the current gap between where therapy and medications leave off and where patients need to be. The claim that party drugs have legitimate clinical applications is definitely not pseudoscience.
Cold Water Immersion
In episode 2 Wim Hoff touts the benefits of cold therapy including extreme plunges into icy water. It’s been observed under scientific scrutiny that cold water immersion does have all of the effects on the human body described in The Goop Lab. The most important detail that the show leaves out is that these effects last about 5 to 10 minutes. The really amazing science behind “The Wim Hoff Method” is much more fascinating than a 5-minute metabolism boost.
Before Wim Hoff claimed to have discovered the secret of controlling your core temperature with your mind the Tibetan practice of g-tummo had been in use for more than a century. When scrutinized by science Tibetan nuns, and a group of untrained Western control subjects, were both able to use breathing techniques to control their own core temperatures.
Fasting And Memory
Staffers at Goop each try varying diets to explore their effect on aging. Gwenyth herself takes on the most challenging diet, a calorie restrictive fast. There have been many studies on the effects of fasting on the human body. The episode makes several claims about fasting including its effect on memory.
There is a body of evidence that shows a positive increase in the performance of the memory of fasting subjects. These effects are measurable in subjects with a healthy BMI but increases in obese subjects.
Fasting And Aging
Goop makes a few claims about calorie restriction that viewers may question. Gwenyth claims to use fasting as a means of “detoxing” her body which we know is utter nonsense. A healthy liver and kidneys provide all the detoxification the human body needs.
Her expert guest brings up fasting’s positive effect on aging. That claim can be supported by scientific evidence and research. Studies have shown that regular fasting can slow down the process of aging at a cellular level.
Veganism And Health
Advocates of omnivorous diets have claimed that an exclusively plant-based diet can’t provide adequate nutrition. The science is definitely in on this one and it’s not good news for meat lovers. Not only is it possible to subsist on nothing but plants, the diet has been shown to have an overall positive effect on health.
Vegan subjects are typically healthier than omnivores of the same age, weight, and lifestyle. The consumption of animal products, even in moderation has been linked to an increase in illnesses including heart disease and certain cancers.
Anatomically Correct
One of the most humorous moments in the show happens to be in the show’s most scientifically accurate episode. The third installment of the series is groundbreaking and rife with important information. Gwyneth herself learns an important fact about her own body. The actress refers to her genitalia as her vagina. Women’s sexuality expert Betty Dodson stops to correct her.
The vagina is just a part of the female genitalia. The entirety is referred to as the vulva. “Vagina” only refers to the birth canal. This is a misconception even many women have. This is just the beginning of the truth bombs in this episode.
Types Of Female Orgasm
There are so many outright lies that still circulate about female sexuality and orgasm. One can almost forgive the last three episodes of The Goop Lab for being nearly devoid of any fact because of how important this episode is. It’s 2020 and women are still being misinformed about their own sexuality even in progressive, developed nations.
Dodson clears up one of the most persistent myths about female orgasm. People still assume that the two types of female climax are clitoral and vaginal. The actual difference isn’t in WHERE the orgasm comes from but simply in the sensations experienced. Dodson refers to these two types as a tension orgasm and a rock n roll orgasm.
Female Pleasure
Scientists, mostly male scientists, have tried to dismiss widely reported female experiences for centuries. While women have reported very little satisfaction from heterosexual physical relationships it wasn’t until very recently that science has admitted the truth. Penetrative sex with men is simply not much fun for the vast majority of women.
By comparison, women get much more satisfaction from homosexual or solo encounters. Dodson brings up this fact that has just now been addressed by science.
Performative Receiving
This may be the single most important scientifically backed fact in the entire series. It’s a fact that our culture refuses to address, men will not face and women don’t even want to admit. This issue is directly responsible for women’s sexual dissatisfaction and contributes to misogyny even outside of the bedroom. Performative Receiving refers to a deeply ingrained behavior in which women fake pleasure. Not just orgasms, but basic sexual enjoyment.
Why is this a problem? It sets unrealistic expectations in men. It makes it uncomfortable for women to be genuine and worst of all, it covers up how little the majority of women are enjoying themselves.
