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You ever scroll through Instagram and see someone claiming to “treat the root cause” of depression with green juice and moonlight? Yeah, me too. And today, we’re calling BS (politely but firmly) with my guest, Dr. Jonathan Stea, a clinical psychologist and actual scientist who’s made it his mission to expose mental health pseudoscience for what it is: dangerous, seductive, and everywhere.

We get into how pseudoscience sneaks into our feeds wearing yoga pants and using words like “functional” and “integrative.” Dr. Stea breaks down the nine red flags to spot bad science before it grifts your wallet and your well-being. We also talk about why “food is medicine” isn’t the slam dunk it sounds like, what makes “natural” such a sneaky marketing term, and why even really smart people fall for this stuff.

And because it’s not all doomscrolling and debunking, we dig into how to build your own mental health literacy so you can tell the difference between evidence-based care and snake oil with a side of affirmation cards. We even time-travel back to the 1800s to meet Dr. Kellogg (yes, the cereal guy), who, no joke, used to serve his own poop at dinner parties in the name of wellness. The wellness industry’s always been wild, folks.

If you’ve ever side-eyed a wellness claim but didn’t quite know why, or if you’ve bought the collagen powder anyway, this one’s gonna be eye-opening. Let’s get science-y (without the snooze).

What’s Inside:

• How to spot mental health pseudoscience and why it’s so damn convincing
• The “root cause” and “natural cure” tropes that keep the wellness grift alive
• The surprisingly bonkers history of Dr. Kellogg and early wellness quackery
• Why you can have mental illness and mental health at the same time
• How to boost your mental health literacy and protect yourself from bad info

Quick gut check. What kind of wellness advice are you still hanging on to that might be total nonsense? The one that feels true, even if it’s not? We’ve all been there. I’d love to hear your “wait, was that pseudoscience?” stories. Come hang with me on Instagram and tell me what you’re questioning lately. Let’s get curious, not cynical.

Mentioned in This Episode:
Dr. Jonathan Stea’s book The BS Detecting Guide to Mental Health
Dr. Stea’s free newsletter
Dr. Jonathan Stea’ website
Dr. Jonathan Stea on Instagram
Oonagh’s TEDx Talk: Losing Weight Is All In Your Head
Oonagh Duncan on Instagram
Fit Feels Good
Leave me a voice note on Speak Pipe!