The Top 15 Health Trends Of 2018

This was an exciting year of Americans building on existing trends as well as making brand-new efforts to master mind and body. From common sense wellness efforts like seeking out toxin-free beauty products to downright strange ideas like eating bugs, it’s been an exciting year for health trends.

Turmeric

Turmeric has been leading the way as a culinary spice turned homeopathic remedy. As a powerful anti-inflammatory, it is a common folk remedy for everything from sore throats to muscle aches. This year it was a common ingredient in teas, ready-to-drink elixirs, and specialty drink mixes. Recipes for golden milk all but took over the internet, too.

Toxin-Free Makeup

People are starting to apply the same reading of labels for processed foods to their makeup. Without realising it, many people who take great care to eat only organic produce and buy organic cotton clothing are smearing on toxic chemicals. Now, they are switching to non-toxic makeup, and beauty companies are picking up on the trend.

Social Exercise

Turning exercise into a social activity is has been embraced around the country. Soul Cycle, Flywheel, and Mile High Run Club are all examples of combining these two basic human needs. Even those who can’t make it to a studio can now link up with a group by streaming classes from their at stationary Peloton bike at home.

CBD

The non-psychoactive cannabinoid of cannabis, CBD, has long been said to help with everything from pain and inflammation to social anxiety. While the most potent strains are still illegal under federal law, some forms of CBD are now legal to sell in all 50 states, and many shops sell edibles, tinctures, pills, and salves featuring the ingredient.

Medicinal Mushrooms

Fungi have been used as preventative and curative medicine for thousands of years. Mycologist Paul Stamets is an expert on how mushrooms support human and planetary health and offers a line of products called Host Defense to help others get their dose.

Aromatherapy

Essential oils have moved beyond air diffusers and oil burners to become more closely linked with wellness. Aromatherapy uses essences of different plants to stimulate responses in the nervous system for overall well being. The gentle form of therapy, administered or prescribed by certified professionals, works with the body’s natural healing abilities for a holistic approach.

Edible Bugs

Eating less meat has been a lifestyle choice on the rise, but one trendy new source of protein isn’t exactly vegetarian. While it may seem icky to Americans, many other countries include bugs like mealworms and grasshoppers in their diets. In addition to being highly sustainable and paleo-friendly, many insects can be flavorful when properly prepared.

Plant-Based Deodorants

While the topic remains controversial in the medical community, there is enough concern about the possible health risks associated with using deodorants and antiperspirants that contain aluminum to warrant multiple studies. As a general shift toward more natural products continues, plant-based deodorants have finally come into their own, which means no longer having to choose between being sweaty and smelly or risking health issues.

Vegan Fine Dining

The rise of vegan alternatives for classic foods like ice cream and burgers has been wildly successful. Unsurprisingly, fine dining restaurants have picked up on the vegan trend. Establishments like the Fancy Radish in Washington D.C. and Avant Garden in New York City are making waves for their inspired vegan cuisine, taking the vegan trend a step up from juice bars with cuisine everyone, even meat eaters, can enjoy.

Digital Detoxing

Most people are addicted to at least one device, obsessively checking it hundreds of times a day. While difficult, many people are actively giving themselves space and time away from their various screens. This can be as simple as a no phones at dinner policy and banning electronics from the bedroom or as extreme as a retreat with no technology.

Craniosacral Therapy

This emerging alternative therapy is gaining steam in the world of massage, acupuncture, and other similar healing modalities. Craniosacral therapy targets the fluid around the brain and spinal cord by using gentle touch on the body. This process is thought to help prompt the nervous system to autocorrect physical issues, and many people claim it has an ability to reduce anxiety and pain.

Keto

Short for ketogenesis, the keto diet is a carbohydrate-restricting diet that can lead to quick weight loss for some people. Multiple factors, including body type and metabolism, have a part to play, and the diet requires a calorie deficit to result in weight loss. Still, it has become a popular way to drop weight quickly for both men and women.

Myofascial Release

This form of bodywork targets a part of the body that implicates everything from organs, muscle, tendons and bones: the fascia. This material holds bodies together and gets stiff when dehydrated. When worked on to rehydrate and release, which often feels like deep tissue massage, it has an impressive ability to alleviate alignment issues and resulting pain.

Elimination Diets

More and more people are refusing to accept digestive discomforts as normal, leading to elimination diets to find the culprit or culprits. Cutting out FODMAPS (fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols) is a popular place to start, though something as simple as eliminating all wheat or dairy for a period of a week or more can be illuminating.

Sound Healing

Using tools including crystal and metal singing bowls, chimes, tuning forks, drums, gongs, and one’s own voice, sound practitioners claim to be able to do everything from create a sense of deep relaxation, relieve migraines, and help with past life regressions. As contemporary science continues to explore the vibrational nature of the universe, using targeted sound vibrations will only continue to grow in popularity.