Adaptogens and Alcohol is a health/wellness themed column about pop culture and personalities. Adaptogens and Alcohol reference the two extremes of health or lack thereof, a reference to Gwenyth Paltrow’s, “Organic products…Laser Treatments…The balance between cigarettes and tofu.”
For the second article of the column I interviewed Lily from Health Gossip, a 'Social health club & weekly newsletter'
How did Health Gossip start? What inspired you?
To be honest, I just woke up with the name in my head one day. This was in 2022, when I had entered a new chapter of my ‘healing journey’ and gotten really into health Twitter/online forums. I found all of this great information that wasn’t really being translated outside of certain online niches, like male bodybuilders and followers of Ray Peat. The original premise of Health Gossip, which was a play on my Twitter handle at the time, was to bring this information into a new context. I maintained less of a focus on dogma and doing things ‘right’ and more of a focus on anecdotal experiences and trial and error, maybe even on doing things ‘wrong.’ A lot of what I wrote about on the Substack drew from advice that I’d privately given friends and family members, or concepts that I was quietly parsing out in my head. It was less structured than it is now, but still tackled many of the same questions.
Since relaunching the newsletter in January, it’s taken on more of a communal vibe. With the way it’s structured now, you kind of have to go out of your way to opt in; it's naturally gatekept by virtue of not being on a centralized platform like Substack or Patreon, and I only recently made a website. I want to preserve that feeling of organic, word-of-mouth promotion, and really build a community of people who are as invested in the project as I am. It's taken on a life of its own in a really fun way.
What first interested you in health culture?
Growing up, my mom worked with a lot of naturopaths and alternative healers. While I saw primarily allopathic doctors as a child, as I got older, I would often accompany her on visits. We would have back-to-back sessions and then go thrifting after. In a small way, this reinforced the interconnectedness of our healing journeys. With time, I’ve come to understand that as you’re healing yourself, you’re also healing your bloodline. There’s a ripple effect.
A doctor who exposed me to a lot of alternative medicine and ways of thinking was this Swedish chiropractor I would see whenever I was in Chicago. He saw muscle testing as a way to connect with the unconscious. The chiropractor eventually referred me to a peer of his, who I began working with after moving to New York. Dr. Rob completely shifted my views on health and diet. Through our time together, I saw how every single symptom was the result of some sort of emotional blockage in the body. I learned how to feel my emotions rather than numbing them, which in turn fostered a deeper connection to my own inner knowing. It opened up a lot, and really underscored this notion of doctor as ‘teacher’ — an idea that’s largely been lost in Western medicine today.
How do you curate your page?
I try not to take such a literal approach with the guests. Many are in the art or literary worlds because that’s who I surround myself with, but the most interesting responses come from the people you’d least expect (one of my favorites was a Twitter anon). Generally, though, writers probably have the best responses because they know how to tell a story, and a lot of this question-and-answer layout is just about storytelling. I'm very grateful to the guests for their vulnerability and honesty and willingness to share. I want to get more moms on.
Do you ever miss the ‘old internet’? Does having a newsletter help use the internet as a way to communicate that has been lost in social media?
I came of age during the height of fashion blogging, when people like Tavi Gevinson and Leandra Medine were redefining what it meant to exist in the industry. I had a Blogspot myself, and I remember I wrote an email to Tavi — we were around the same age and lived in the same area — asking to do a collaboration. That never came to light, but she definitely inspired me to keep going. As someone who was quite shy growing up, blogging gave me a way to communicate with my peers while still maintaining some sort of remove. In high school, I had a style column at the newspaper and would profile different students. This one guy made me an entire presentation of his style phases, with 40 or so slides. Lookbook.nu, Polyvore and street style blogs were big at the time.
It’s not intentional, and I’m not a nostalgic person, but I guess Health Gossip does harken back to that era. In terms of format and feeling, it functions more like a blog than a newsletter or Instagram page; the design is a bit botched because I’m learning as I go, and the Instagram doesn’t follow a strict format or posting schedule. Like the blogs I grew up with, it’s sincere and perhaps a bit naive. “Someone who is out there living life and not fussing over fonts’ is another way I can put the appeal,” said a graphic designer acquaintance.
And it’s funny, I was looking at some old yoga blogs a few months ago, and a lot of them have a similar look to the newsletter: Times New Roman font, minimal page components… If Archive.org is working again when you read this, check out Yoga Dawg or Y is for Yogini.
Is skincare overhyped?
Probably. I recently read that a lot of acne topicals are carcinogenic. Speaking from personal experience, investing in fresh, local food and a gym membership (with a sauna) > buying skincare products. The best skincare and beauty ‘hacks’ ultimately boil down to being present in your body, honoring its rhythms, and providing extra support when needed (especially when it comes to your detox pathways). Sweating often and eating a diet that you can easily digest/eliminate is key. If your body is unable to detox through these means, it will use the skin.
Because energy precedes form, there’s also a metaphysical component to this. From a German New Medicine perspective, a lot of skin issues relate to victim programming and a fear of being seen. Acne serves as a ‘shield’ to that which the body feels disgusted, soiled, or attacked by. This is something I’m still parsing through…
Is cooking an art or a craft?
Both.
How do wellness and art intersect?
I see wellness as the ability to access one’s life force energy — ultimately, to actualize heaven on earth. I see art as that which is actualized. At risk of oversimplifying, to make art is to be well and to be well is to make art. Each is a means to the other’s end.
An example of art being the means: Sheila channels her inner rage into her sculpture practice, perfectly shaping busts of people whom she feels wronged by. After cooking them in the kiln, Sheila takes a hammer and smashes the busts. While doing so, she shakes her body and lets out a healthy scream. These emotions that might have caused blockages within the body are now cleared. Sheila is no longer at risk for X disease. Sheila is well.
An example of art being the end: Sheila has been having difficulties with digestion, and her physical constipation has started to feel spiritual. Per the recommendation of a friend, she sees Dr. Y who, after a few thorough rounds of muscle testing, determines that grains are not for her. After making a few adjustments to her diet, Sheila feels well enough to be present with her sculpture practice. She goes back to the studio and creates.
The gospel of Thomas says, “If you bring forth what is inside of you it will save you, if you don't bring it forth it will destroy you.” It is vital that we give ourselves time and space to create, transmute, and remember.
Have your conversations with others affected your own routines? Have you tried any advice given to you by a guest?
To be honest, they haven’t. I feel like I just do my own thing, and I'm very intuitive with it. Often, a lot of what the guests will share happen to be things that I’ve already been thinking about or implementing. It really feels more like a reminder of our commonalities versus an introduction to something new.
That said, there are certain tidbits that I've taken, books or teachers that I've looked into... Lex’s responses were formative for me. She recommended Harmanjot, a Kundalini yoga teacher who works within an astrological frame, and I've gone to a few of her community classes since. But in terms of my routines, I feel like those are quite personal. At this point, when I feel fairly grounded and present in my physical experience, I rely mostly on signals from my body rather than external input.
What are your morning and night routines? (Question inspired by the Health Gossip Newsletter)
Morning
Wake up without an alarm, usually around 7:30am
Oil pull, stretch and do a quick lymphatic massage (sometimes I’ll do this outside)
Tea
Walk
Dry brush
Shower
Breakfast
Work
[...]
Evening
Cook dinner
Walk
Reflect
Bed
Notes on the in-between:
I generally try to spend as much time outside as I can. Weather permitting, I’ll work in the park; otherwise, I break up the day with lots of walks. I recently got rid of my desk and have been using my bedroom only for sleep and leisure, which has been helpful for focus.
Another change I’ve made this year is listening to less lyrical music, particularly when working, and replacing it with chants, chimes, and frequencies. To paraphrase a girl on Twitter, lyrical music (that is, music with lyrics) is like porn in that it immerses you in false scenarios and floods your brain with reward chemicals. It’s also a form of programming. Be discerning with what, and who, you surround yourself with. Investing too heavily in the culture can distract us from what we’re here to do.
What are your goals for Health Gossip?
Even though I’m the one who runs it, Health Gossip really is a community endeavor. Going through any sort of healing journey or awakening requires a certain degree of isolation. That said, we do still need each other, and a lot of our current social infrastructure and ways of relating just feel outdated — particularly in cities like New York. In a small way, I think this project proposes an alternative. It’s a heart-centered initiative that asks for nothing in return, except for a willingness to be present in your life and the lives of those around you.