Should You Take Wellness Advice From TikTok Influencers?

With more than one billion active users, TikTok is rapidly growing in popularity, and Fitness/Sports is the fourth largest content category. As a result, many influencers are now giving wellness or fitness advice in their videos – but should you take wellness advice from TikTok influencers?

The answer really depends on the individual TikToker. There are real experts on TikTok, including our own Dr. Bill Jensen. However, it’s important to understand that not everyone giving wellness advice on TikTok is a wellness expert. Here’s what you need to know about TikTok influencers in the health and fitness space:

Before You Follow Advice, Check Out the Influencer’s Credentials

The first thing to remember is that anyone can make a video giving health advice. Some fitness influencers are just people who like to work out and talk about it on camera. There’s nothing wrong with that, but their exercise advice may not be right for everyone. Likewise, some wellness influencers may give advice on diet or supplements without any expertise in these areas.

Before you run out and buy a recommended supplement or start a vigorous new workout routine, it’s a good idea to look into the influencer and determine if they are an expert, or simply someone talking about their own preferences.

Wellness Influencers Are Often Very Well-Paid

Once a poster has a large following on TikTok, brands may offer to pay them to demonstrate or pitch products. Generally, wellness/fitness influencers receive offers from brands in this space. For example, they might be asked to demonstrate using a new yoga mat or a smoothie mix. TikTok has rules about creating content around branded products, including properly labeling it as branded content. The site also prohibits users from doing branded content for health-related products, including vitamins and supplements.

However, this can be a bit of a gray area as some supplements may look like regular food or drink products and may be missed by site algorithms. And with one billion users, TikTok probably can’t find and block every video that violates its branded content rules.

The bottom line? If you’re considering trying a new wellness product because a TikToker recommended it, do more research first. Study some product reviews – not on TikTok – and read up on the science or technology behind the product. It’s also a good idea to talk with your doctor or wellness specialist before trying new supplements or nutritional products.

Everyone is Different

Even if your favorite influencer genuinely likes a product or really has benefitted from it, that doesn’t mean that you will have similar results. Due to genetics, hormones, and other environmental factors, different people may have very different reactions to changes in diet, exercise, skincare products, and supplements.

For example, a vitamin powder that helped an influencer have more energy might have no effect on you or even make you sluggish. Again, it’s helpful to talk with a wellness specialist about your specific needs before making any decisions.

TikTok Wellness Influencers Can Only Give General Advice

To follow up on our last point, even a chiropractic expert like Dr. Jensen can’t give you specific advice on TikTok because again, everyone is different and social media is not the place to diagnose and treat patients. A wellness expert might talk about a treatment that helped them with a specific condition, or about a therapy that assisted some of their patients with a particular issue, but that shouldn’t be confused with giving you advice.

If you hear about something and wonder if it would be helpful for you, we recommend making an appointment at a wellness clinic like Premier Wellness. One of our specialists will talk with you about your challenges and goals and create a treatment plan just for you.

Not Everything is a DIY Opportunity

It’s one thing to try the latest dance challenge on TikTok, or use a food influencer’s recipe for hummus, but some things are not do-it-yourself projects, and many wellness posts fall into this category. For example, if you see a video of someone performing a chiropractic adjustment, it may look simple, but please don’t ask a friend to watch the video and adjust your back.

Remember that chiropractors and other wellness experts spend years on training and education in order to do what they do. You can’t learn these skills from a 30-second video and apply them, and trying to do so can be dangerous. Chiropractic care is very safe when performed by an experienced and qualified chiropractor.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about wellness topics or chiropractic care, please contact us at Premier Wellness for a consultation.