Dr Alice Howarth is a research academic working in pharmacology and therapeutics at the University of Liverpool. She is vice president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society, has written for The Guardian, Breast Cancer Now and is co-host of the skeptical podcast Skeptics with a K. In August 2020 Alice took on the role of deputy editor for The Skeptic.
Argan oil from Morocco is said to have all manner of health benefits, from preventing hair loss to boosting the immune system - all based on little to no evidence
Menstrual masking - or using period blood as a beauty product - is just the latest in a line of dubious wellness trends based on the body's waste products
The sale of labia peels - caustic chemicals to apply to the genitals to lighten the skin - is a dangerous example of the pressures on women to look 'perfect
Beloved by conspiracy theorists, Med Beds are claimed to be able to cure all manner of ailments using unspecified energetic forces... and empty promises
Any benefits attributed to Alexander Technique are more than likely to be the results of exercise - the expensive programme itself is mostly an exercise in marketing
According to wellness influencers, so many of our symptoms are caused by adrenal fatigue - a false diagnosis, that stops us questioning the real stresses in our lives
Headline after headline warns about the supposed dangers of ultra-processed foods, but evidence that processing food causes poor health outcomes is lacking
