U.K.'s National Health Service Executive Simon Stevens believes the actress' new Netflix show is putting fans' health at risk by promoting unfounded health claims.
- Feb 1, 2020
AceShowbiz - Gwyneth Paltrow's new Netflix show has been slammed by the head of Britain's National Health Service (NHS) for putting fans' health at risk by promoting unfounded health claims.
Paltrow expanded her wellness brand Goop's reach into streaming TV with the release of her "The Goop Lab" series this month, which features the star and colleagues at the firm exploring alternative therapies for physical and mental ailments.
However, according to the BBC, NHS Chief Executive Simon Stevens has accused the show of spreading "misinformation."
"Her brand peddles psychic vampire repellent, says chemical sunscreen is a bad idea, and promotes colonic irrigation and DIY coffee enema machines, despite them carrying considerable risks to health," Stevens said at an academic event on Thursday, January 30.
A spokeswoman for Goop told the BBC show and brand were "transparent when we cover emerging topics that may be unsupported by science or may be in early stages of review."
And representatives of Netflix pointed out when contacted by WENN, the show opens with a medical disclaimer.
"The following series is designed to entertain and inform -- not provide medical advice," the advice card reads. "You should always consult your doctor when it comes to your personal health or before you start any treatment."
Stevens took aim at the "dubious wellness products and dodgy procedures" featured in The Goop Lab as part of a wider trend of misleading internet health advice.
"Myths and misinformation have been put on steroids by the availability of misleading claims online," he said. "While the term 'fake news' makes most people think about politics, people's natural concern for their health, and particularly about that of their loved ones, makes this particularly fertile ground for quacks, charlatans and cranks."
In 2018, Goop agreed to pay $145,000 (£112,000) for making "unscientific claims" about "vaginal eggs" it was selling after facing legal from officials at California's consumer protection office.
