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The Unwell documentary is a modern-day social documentary about wellness, a global industry that has taken over our world. Everyone knows Western medicine has limitations. Many Western medicine treatments cannot actually cure ailments, diseases, and overall health issues. They simply provide relief for the symptoms, masking the illness without curing it. In the “Age of Anxiety,” our awareness of our mental health, the common cold, cancer, and disease associated with physical activity and nutrition, people are worried about their health and are seeking answers.
As a result, the idea of wellness has taken over many of our lives, manifesting as skincare, nutritional supplements, meditation, and constructive activities. Western medicines’ shortcomings combined with people’s health-related anxiety has made many optimistic that alternative medicines and more natural treatments are the answer. However, do these alternative medicines (natural treatments) routes really aim to help and heal us?
Or are they built into money-making schemes that are everywhere we look, such as on social media and advertisements, in an act of exploitation? Everyone has their own opinion on natural medicine.
The Unwell documentary on Netflix helps us explore the good and bad of the wellness industry that has taken over our world. Let’s discuss not only some of the targeted wellness industries we see every day but also some of the more extreme practices in the wellness world seen in the Unwell series.
Nourishing Your Senses
Society has been using aromatic oils for over 5,000 years. Aromatic oils, or more commonly known today as essential oils, are everywhere, and they are not just sold as scents to put into your diffuser at home. Essential oils are derived from plants; leaf, seed, and fruits. They are not regulated as medicines, but there are recommended dosages for our food and drinks. They can also be observed through massage, a warm washcloth over the face or body, and process of inhalation.
In the U.S., many Americans are fighting Big-Pharma with the solution of using essential oils, claiming that they are safer, cheaper, and more effective. (( “Living Wright.” Livingthewrightmoments.com, 2016. )) Yes, we have another opioid epidemic on our hands and many Americans are dependent on pharmaceuticals to the extent of addiction and prescription drug abuse. The Unwell documentary discusses that there is some evidence by clinical aromatherapy specialists that “essential oils can improve the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals, therefore patients can use smaller doses of the pharmaceutical.” There is tremendous potential for essential oils, but they need to be studied more thoroughly.
Some call the essential oils “Happiness is a bottle.” E Joy Boules, Ph.D., says that evidence referring to information is “scanty,” based on an experiment in which researchers studied two control groups. In the Unwell documentary, one control group was given Lavender and the other Lorazepam. Both groups had reduced anxiety. However, in another instance of the documentary, one patient said, “I don’t know if it’s the attention or the oil.'” More studies need to be conducted regarding the placebo effect and essential oils.
However, these larger essential oil companies cannot legally be accredited to saving people’s lives, and they can only claim to help by improving them. For claims of cancer/tumors decreasing or going away completely, a young patient or legal guardian cannot tell a doctor that they refuse to go through radiation, because that would be considered Child Abuse in the US. (( “AMA Journal of Ethics.” journalofethics.ama-assn.org , 2011. )) Doctors are essentially not allowed to support the idea of rejecting chemotherapy or radiation as they are under continuous legal threat by the FDA to only use FDA approved drugs, or drugs under investigation by the FDA.
Unfortunately, many essential oil companies have built up pyramid-schemes into multi-level marketing companies. Through essential oil companies such as Young Living, ninety-four percent of members made an average of $1 a month after paying duties and fees to the company.
Self-Love For A Promise Of Wellness
Tantra represents many things, not just the literal translation “technique.” (( “Tantra.” wikipedia.org, 2020. )) It is considered by many to be a wave of transformative energy, coursing through your body, with a promise of wellness for people who seek healing from things like severe anxiety and depression. The other representation the Unwell documentary discusses is how you relate to your own body, how you relate to your life, and how you dance with it.
“Tantra is a religious thought and practice.”
(( David Gordon White, Professor of Comparative Religions. ))
Throughout our lives, many humans alike experience all types of traumas. The Unwell documentary discusses that we have a neurological bridge and energies that are connected and merged with people around us, so our brains can literally sync and can heal this way. This is similar to how some people have religious experiences, enjoy sports, and music or dance.
However, according to those who practice Tantra, when we experience traumas, this can be broken and can create blockages. Tantra is a spiritual and physical experience that explores your health and is the transformative energy to clean out the trauma and baggage to once again connect. A lot of times this can be done with breath and bodywork, such as witnessed in the Unwell documentary,
- Relaxing and breathing,
- Moving your body with your breath,
- Bringing awareness to your body,
- Feeling the energy move through your body.
Other scenes in this episode of the documentary show people moving their bodies around, crying, laughing, and screaming; and feeling incredibly powerful by doing so. They are essentially trying to release the internal barriers and discover the truth of who they are.
However, in the Unwell documentary we see that there are dangers within the world of Tantra and there is a huge potential for abuse by those in power. There are cults, workshops, and wellness packages that expose people’s vulnerability. Participants become more damaged when their boundaries are pushed, thus scandals ensue. The point is to experience the embodiment, or mindfulness, of the perception of reality, within and without. Some retreats take advantage of that. There is also a risk of cultural appropriation, as the Western way of Tantra is wrong. In Western culture, people tend to associate Tantra with sexuality or as a way of attaining specific sexual desires. This is not a true representation of how Tantra was intended to be practiced via South Asia.
“You think Tantra means unbridled promiscuity. No, Tantra means extreme discipline.”
(( Sadhguru, Yogi & Author ))
Starting At The Beginning In the Unwell Documentary
The first vaccine for infants, deemed “liquid gold,” has been used for a variety of ailments and as a supplement in diets and workouts for some adults. This “liquid gold” is breast milk. Breast milk is an organic and purely natural substance that builds immunity, promotes brain development, and promotes positive gut health in infants. For fitness and other health fanatics, there is little evidence that this is a safe method of supplementation for adults. Some think that it transfers the same way for adults than it does for infants and the Unwell documentary makes it clear there is little evidence to support this notion.
Anders Hakkason, Professor of Experimental Infection Medicine in Sweden, believes that the HAMLET Protein element of breast milk has been proven to kill off tumor cells, and not the healthy cells. (( “HAMLET.” wikipedia.org, 2020 )) However, there are a lot of elements of breast milk that may or may not necessarily have positive effects in adults. Breast milk is low in protein, high in lactose and saturated fat, high in sugar products, and also has anabolic factors that help the growth of the baby. This is not necessarily good for athletes.
Source: Technology.Org
According to Dr. Sarah Keim, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, there are many risks to consuming breast milk purchased from other persons, especially online. There is already a severe shortage of breast milk for patients in the NICU, babies for adoption, and situations that leave the baby without a milk supply, alike. There is also a huge risk of the transfer of infectious diseases, contaminants, and bacteria.
According to Dr. Sarah of the Unwell documentary, in an experiment conducted where over supply’s of milk were purchased from all over the country, three-fourths of those supply’s tested positive for a pathogenic bacteria. For Milk Bank’s regarding premature babies in the NICU, or those within reach of a Milk Bank, there is rigorous screening and blood testing by donors that is later pasteurized in bottles which clean out the bacteria.
“It will never be ethically grounded as a nutritional source”
– Dr. Sarah Keim, Epidemiologist, US FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION
A Healthy Alternative?
Fasting is one of the most popular diets known in more recent times, specifically intermittent fasting. In the Unwell documentary we see that not only is it a religious practice in some cultures, but throughout history many humans did not have constant access to food. Many people claim that intermittent fasting is the source of their raised level of awareness, better performance, and sharper attention.
Intermittent fasting is essentially considered a thoughtful pause in the consumption of food. Many wellness centers around the world, including in the U.S., supervise people attempting even up to 28 days of water-fasting. Apparently, people can survive on water alone with no other supplementation for extreme amounts of time. In certain circumstances, this is considered safe in a controlled environment under medical supervision and guidance.
According to Unwell, fasting is said to have tremendous benefits in our bodies a number of different ways. People practice abstaining from food in an attempt to reset their systems. Positive results such as boosting natural immunity, normalizing blood sugar levels, normalizing blood pressure levels, and preventing cancer or regrowth are some of the more popular reasons for attending the fasting clinics. Signs of arthritis apparently improve, there are improvements in vision, and resetting the digestive system are also some other benefits. Most of these improvements stem from the original problems regarding poor eating habits.
Some of these facilities, however, are not supervised by physicians and this can be extremely dangerous. Christy Harrison, a registered dietitian interviewed in the Unwell documentary, says this is not healthy for us when there is a risk of death, and that we should practice intuitive eating. She also says that ninety-five percent of people who intentionally lose weight put that weight back on and possibly more within five years, so it’s important to practice only eating enough to satisfy your system, along with exercise and, of course, the consumption of healthy foods.
Popular diet trends attempted by Thomas Stackpole, a journalist featured in the Unwell documentary, included fasting, micro-dosing, and mushroom support in caffeine to increase metabolism. After deciding to take a test by the National Eating Disorder Association, he tested positive for signs of an eating disorder.
Some people do see tremendous benefits from fasting, but it is also very dangerous and there is too much at risk when there is the potential of triggering anxiety and depression, cardiac arrest, and sometimes even death. Other side effects of extreme fasting include detox symptoms such as feeling weak and miserable, skin rashes, elimination from mucous membranes, vivid dreams, and sleep disruption, and for the sake of deprivation, a metallic taste in the mouth. These symptoms are similar to severe anorexia that includes skin dryness, hair falling, and catabolizing, where the body consumes its own organs (( Merriam Webster.” merriam-webster.com, 2020. )).
“Fasting is a profound tool,” says Mike Maser, who is in cancer remission and fasted throughout chemotherapy sessions, thus being confirmed cancer-free after two of six chemotherapy sessions. As viewed by an M.D., however, fasting is still considered a “premature idea.” He also says “anything powerful can work with you or against you.” Dr. Alession Nencion, an M.D. at the University of Genoa in Italy, was interviewed in the Unwell documentary.
Curiosity Or Self-help? Indigenous Psychedelics
Carlos Suarez Alvarez, an ethnographer of South America, says that people of the Western world are lost, dissatisfied, and are searching for something to help them find themselves. Our bodies have now been consumed with negative thoughts, which has driven us to physical sickness. Psychedelics and micro-dosing with mushrooms and other hallucinogens have been recently recognized by the scientific world as possible medical treatments for psychiatric illnesses that are not treatable by modern-day medicines.
According to the Unwell documentary, approximately fifteen to twenty thousand foreigners are fleeing to the Amazon for Ayahuasca rituals and ceremonies. The Ayahuasca plant, mixed with the leaves of the Charcruna plant, is believed to have special power as a natural psychedelic that can give one life-changing vision and heal deep wounds. People who consume the Charcruna plant, otherwise known as DMT, along with the Ayahuasca plant, which has protective enzymes in ways of processing the DMT in the stomach for about four hours, experience the following:
- Increased level of awareness, one may feel relaxed and sleepy.
- Purging, one may vomit several hundred times (this is also thought in a literal translation to purging actual traumas).
- An altered state of consciousness in which one experiences auditory and visual hallucinations, epiphanies, and possibly speaking in tongue.
“Ayahuasca is the mother of all medicinal plants.”
(( Abraham Gruerara, Ayuahsca Farmer ))
Both leaves of the plants must be brewed for approximately eight to twelve hours for a person to see the positive benefits in their lives after consuming it. The Unwell documentary discusses how many who travel to the Amazon go there to heal from personal trauma, and things such as anxiety, addiction, and PTSD. However, there are many dangers to consuming the brew, especially if you have a history of psychiatric illness (epilepsy, bipolar, or schizophrenia) and/ or are on psychiatric medications. There are risks, in which people have died from serious seizures, experienced psychosis, and died from suicide.
Warning: In this episode, there was an actual seizure and loss of consciousness by a partaker which was very hard to watch. Ayahuasca is considered a Schedule 1 drug, with “no medical value and high potential for abuse.” People accredit the “nasty taste” as part of the plants designed to not abuse the psychedelic (( “Ayahuasca Wisdom.” ayahuascawisdom.c. ))
Although some foreigners travel and attend the churches in which the brew is considered a sacrament, in the route of curiosity to experience it all, many are exploiting the spirituality of Peruvian and Amazonian culture. The traditions are changing to give foreigners what they want, instead of solely a Shaman consuming the tea to enter in contact with God.
“There are hard truths that some need to face and experience,” says Draulio B. De Argujo, a neuroscientist interviewed in the Unwell documentary. “The ability to get in contact with the truth behind the mirage” and self-heal with an increased ability to observe your own thoughts and emotions are of acceptance by what the subconscious needs to heal itself. In this episode of Unwell, some suggest revisiting traumatic memories is the answer to healing, and while repression is certainly not the answer, this brew is clearly not for everyone.
A Definitive, Yes?
Some of these wellness activities start with the very beginning of life itself, others have been around as practices for thousands of years, and the rest are newly formulated in concept. Many of us have a major disagreement with Big Pharma in the U.S. itself, but does that mean we are willing to take the risk in order to heal ourselves?
Natural supplementation and activity are now everywhere. Many of our human ancestral civilizations are rich in culture of healing, naturally. With modern-day spewing of medications, then over-doing the medications, and ultimately not getting to the bottom of our health issues, we are doing so much harm.
However, it is up to the viewer and reader to decide if we are simply covering up and creating even more repressive habits in vicious cycles and possibly reincorporating our ailments, such as PTSD, all over again. Many of the things we viewed in the Unwell documentary have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not deemed safe, and can also be portrayed negatively from an illegal stance in many different ways.
