Healthy or Hoax

A raft of new dairy substitutes are turning up on supermarket shelves, but in part four of Healthy or Hoax we ask: can they really be called milk?

By Kate Pereyra Garcia

On the surface almond milk is a pretty innocuous, even healthy, alternative to dairy milk.

But the name - those two words 'almond' and 'milk' - raise all sorts of questions. For example, how do you milk an almond? Even the best Kiwi cockie wouldn&...

Stacey Morrison puts her body on the line to find out if coolsculpting - a non-surgical fat removal technique - can help you get the perfect figure.

By Liz Garton

Saddlebags, mummy tummies, bra pockets, double chins, hips, jibbly jobbly bits.

There are so many terrible names for the fatty bits that hang over the top of our pants or wobble when we wave.

Coolsculpting is a new(ish), non-invasive surgical technique which claims to remove...

Studies show fasting could improve outcomes for a huge range of medical conditions... in mice. Do those benefits cross over to humans too?

By Liz Garton

Associate Professor Alexander Tups from the Neuroendocrinology and Brain Health Centre at Otago University said fasting looks promising for treating certain autoimmune conditions, reducing rates of cancer, improving general gut health and brain function and mental health too.

"T...

Shakti Mats made a big splash when they arrived in New Zealand a few years ago. But does lying on thousands of tiny spikes improve our health or is it just a painful hoax?

By Liz Garton

The Shakti Mat's arrival in New Zealand is a classic yarn.

Jonathan Heslop and his university mate George Lill were travelling in Thailand, they were on a particularly yoga retreat style beach, when a man came along with one of these mats. The ma...

Turmeric is supposed to help a range of ailments from arthritis to Alzheimer's. But is this spice the real deal or just fool's gold?

By Liz Garton

If you google 'health benefits of turmeric' you're going to come up with hundreds of articles proclaiming the spice as a new wonder drug.

But that 'cure-all' tag should be a red-flag, according to food and nutrition writer Niki Bezzant.

Bezzant told Healthy or Hoax ...

Can something make us feel better just by smelling nice? And if it can do that, could we get even more benefits from rubbing it on our skin or even eating it?

By Liz Garton

Essential oils have been used for thousands of years, but more recently we are seeing them used as home remedies for ailments, as skin care and even in recipes.

The latter is a trend that is seriously concerning some experts.

"It's not something that&#x...

Fermented foods have been around for longer than refrigeration, but recently they have developed a reputation for having numerous health benefits. We find out if that reputation is founded in reality.

By Liz Garton

The popularity of kombucha and other fermented foods, like kefir, kimchi and tempeh, has risen on the back of research which shows gut health is closely linked to general, overall health.

"We carry around about two ki...

In a classic case of 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger...' Stacey Morrison confronts her serious aversion to the cold and enters a cryotherapy chamber.

In a classic case of 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger...' Stacey Morrison confronts her serious aversion to the cold and enters a cryotherapy chamber.

Wim Hof is part of the reason cold immersion therapy has become the hottest wellness trend of recent y...

Stacey Morrison find out the best way to increase our collagen and keep our skin looking healthy and radiant.

There's no doubt collagen plays a key role in keeping our bodies healthy. The question is, how do we get more of it?

Dr Louise Reiche, head of the Dermatological Society of New Zealand said it gives support and structure to a lot of the different components of our bodies.

" helps to enable us to move and to have stre...

To kick Season 4 of Healthy or Hoax off with a bang - or a gong - Stacey Morrison heads off for some sound healing. Can sound really fix what ails you? Let's find out.

The idea of using sound for healing seems to have been around for a very long time. But what does it all mean and what does it do?

Stacey Morrison, host of RNZ's Healthy or Hoax podcast, started by joining sound healing teacher and practitioner Kata Mikecz to have...

Dreaming of taping a snorer's mouth shut? Struggling to snooze? Stacey Morrison finds out if mouth taping, sleep syncing and the latest apps and technology could be the secret to getting a good night's rest.

We spend a third of our lives sleeping and yet so many of us have trouble with it.

So when we hear about new theories on how we might improve our sleep, it's not surprising that people want to try them out. This week on Heal...