Toxic Athleisure, Fake Tarot Readers, + AI Prescriptions
The wellness industry can be downright contradictory sometimes, can't it? We preach health and wellbeing while our practices don't always match up with those values. Today, we're taking a closer look at three significant "fakes" that have snuck into our industry: the plastic clothing we've all embraced as athleisure wear, those suspicious AI fortune tellers gaining massive followings on social media, and (on a more positive note) how artificial intelligence is shaking up medical treatment in ways that might actually save lives.
Your Yoga Pants Are Basically Plastic Wrapped Around Your Body
Let's just call it what it is—most of our favorite athleisure wear is made of plastic. Those comfy yoga pants hugging your legs? That moisture-wicking top that feels so good during hot yoga? They're essentially petroleum products molded to your body. And yes, that's as concerning as it sounds.
Here's something that might make you rethink your workout wardrobe: a single load of laundry containing these synthetic clothes can release up to 700,000 microfibers. These tiny plastic particles end up everywhere—in our water systems, in the environment, and eventually, in our bodies. Current water treatment facilities just aren't equipped to filter them out completely, which means we're literally drinking and eating our clothing over time. (Appetizing, right?)
The environmental impact is bad enough, but the potential health effects should really make us pause. These materials are endocrine disruptors—they mess with our hormones when they come into contact with our skin, especially when we're sweating during exercise. The chemicals from these plastics can enter our bloodstream and lymphatic system, potentially contributing to all sorts of chronic health issues.
What's particularly frustrating is that we've collectively convinced ourselves these materials "feel good" against our skin. In reality, we're wrapping ourselves in toxins and calling it comfort. And the biggest companies in the wellness industry? They're often the very clothing manufacturers producing these plastic-based products. Talk about a contradiction!
The good news is we do have options. Companies like Pact offer organic cotton alternatives that won't break the bank (plus their packaging is eco-friendly—paper instead of plastic). For those of us who need more support during workouts, Branwyn makes primarily merino wool options that actually perform really well when you're sweating. They're pricey but they last forever and won't slowly poison you, so there's that.
Another brand worth checking out is Jungmaven, which focuses on hemp-based clothing. While these natural alternatives tend to cost more upfront, they're comparable to what you'd pay for high-end athleisure brands anyway, with the added benefit of not being made from garbage.
If the price tags make you wince, secondhand marketplaces are your friend. Many of these companies have their own resale platforms where you can find gently used items at much friendlier prices. And hey—if you're entrepreneurially minded, there's clearly a market gap waiting to be filled with more affordable, natural fiber athletic wear. Just saying.
AI Fortune Tellers Sliding Into Your DMs
From physical fakes to digital ones, there's a weird trend taking over social media: AI-powered tarot card readers, fortune tellers, and astrologers gaining hundreds of thousands of followers practically overnight.
These accounts work by engaging users in direct messages, where an artificial intelligence responds to people seeking guidance. The sketchy part? They're collecting payment for "readings" while having zero human oversight—essentially selling fake spiritual advice powered by algorithms.
A recent profile highlighted one such business that ultimately shut down after its founders discovered what people were actually sharing with their AI tarot reader. Users weren't just asking about career moves or romantic prospects—they were sharing thoughts of self-harm, financial disasters, and serious mental health issues with what they believed was a spiritual guide.
The concerning part isn't the one company that recognized the ethical problems and pulled the plug—it's the hundreds of similar operations that continue to capitalize on people's vulnerabilities without appropriate oversight. When we position ourselves as healers or guides in the wellness space, we take on certain responsibilities that can't simply be outsourced to an algorithm.
When AI Becomes Your Last Hope Doctor
Not all technological "fakes" are harmful, though. Our final story shows how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing medical treatment in ways that are honestly pretty amazing.
The New York Times recently reported on a patient with a rare blood disorder who was essentially sent home to die—told there were no treatment options left. It was only when the patient's girlfriend reached out to a specialist in Philadelphia that things took a dramatic turn. This doctor plugged the case details into an AI system designed to identify potential uses for existing medications.
The AI suggested a protocol using already-approved drugs in a new combination—something none of the patient's previous doctors had considered. With nothing to lose, the patient tried it. Today, that person is in remission from what was considered a terminal condition just months earlier.
This highlights a massive gap in our medical system. More than 90% of rare diseases have no approved treatments, largely because pharmaceutical companies don't see enough profit potential in developing drugs for conditions that affect relatively few people. And there's even less financial motivation to research how existing, off-patent medications might be repurposed.
AI can analyze vast amounts of medical literature and data to identify connections that human researchers might never spot. In another case, the same AI system suggested that inhaling isopropyl alcohol could help a 19-year-old suffering from chronic vomiting when nothing else worked—an old-school remedy that proved effective but had been largely forgotten in modern medicine.
This represents a fundamental shift in how we might approach conditions that have fallen through the cracks of our profit-driven healthcare system. The question remains: how will we integrate these tools sustainably when the solutions they propose may not generate significant revenue for the medical industry?
Finding Our Way Through a World of Fakes
These three stories show just how complicated our relationship with technology, wellness, and authenticity has become. From what we wear to the spiritual guidance we seek to the medical treatments we pursue, distinguishing between helpful and harmful innovations isn't always straightforward.
The world isn't simply divided into "good" and "evil" technologies—the same artificial intelligence that powers potentially exploitative fortune tellers can also discover life-saving medical treatments. What matters is the intention, oversight, and ethical framework surrounding these tools.
As consumers and professionals in the wellness space, we have both the power and responsibility to question what we're being sold. Whether that means looking more closely at the materials in our workout clothes, approaching digital spiritual guides with healthy skepticism, or remaining open to unconventional medical approaches with promising evidence—we need to engage thoughtfully with everything around us.
By recognizing the "fakes" in our industry, we can make better choices about what we wear, who we trust with our wellbeing, and how we approach health challenges. After all, true wellness isn't about blindly following trends—it's about making conscious decisions that actually support our health and the planet's too.
REFERENCES:
Marvelous Software Platform
Well Well Well Marketplace