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All Things Health
Heather Hanks
Written by Heather Hanks

Reviewed by Physician Lim Sock Ling and Dr Jessica Gunawan

6 Celebrities Who Use Alternative Medicine To Look Great

Published | 6 min read

Does your favorite celebrity use alternative medicine? Check out this list of famous people who use natural remedies to look and feel their best. Then consider trying them out for yourself.

Meghan markle min scaled

Celebrities need to look good in front of the camera. To do this, they access personal trainers, nutritionists, and plastic surgeons to keep them looking their best.

Despite their many resources and health and wellness options, many celebrities turn to alternative medicine to keep them looking and feeling their best. Why? Because it works!

What Celebrities Use Alternative Medicine?

Here are 6 celebrities who use alternative medicine to stay in great health.

Jennifer Lopez’s alternative medicine routine

An image of Jennifer Lopez
Singer Jennifer Lopez reportedly takes various herbs to stay healthy daily.

Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez attributes her 15-pound weight loss to acupuncture and herbal remedies. Winter melon seeds (dong gua zi), in particular, are her favorite, although it has been reported that she also uses different herbs daily.

Acupuncture supports weight management by stimulating the endorphins that alleviate stress and frustration, which are common causes of overeating.

It also contributes to healthy weight loss by dispelling Dampness, and fluid and Qi (vital life force) stagnation.

Fengchi (GB20): in the depression created between the Sternocleidomastoid and Trapezius muscles, at the connection of the occipital and nuchal areas.
Taichong (LR3): located on the dorsum of the foot, in the depression of the first metatarsal space.
On the palmar aspect of the forearm, 3-fingers breadth above the transverse crease of the wrist, between the tendons of m. palmaris longus and m. flexor carpi radialis.
Danzhong (CV17): located on the anterior middle line of the chest, at the level of the 4th intercostal space, at the midpoint between the breasts.
Yintang (EX-HN3): on the forehead, at the midpoint between the two medial ends of the eyebrow.

Some of the acupoints that can induce relaxation are:  

  • Feng chi (GB20) 
  • Tai chong (LR3) 
  • Nei guan (PC6) 
  • Dan zhong (CV-RN17) 
  • Yin tang (EX-HN3) 

A number of herbal ingredients may be considered to calm the shen (mind) by nourishing the Heart. These include: 

Celine Dion

Famed singer Celine Dion went through five unsuccessful cycles of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment before being introduced to an acupuncturist named Dr. Aina Zhang. Shortly after her sixth IVF cycle, it was reported that she had successfully conceived her twin sons, Eddy and Nelson.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes the Kidneys and Liver play critical roles during pregnancy.

“The Kidneys are responsible for storing jing (essence) and are directly linked to a woman’s reproductive system. The Chong Mai and Ren Mai vessels support reproduction by distributing jing to all body parts and regulating blood and energy in the uterus. As such, women should take steps to nourish blood and jing, warm Kidney qi, and regulate blood, qi, and the Chong Mai and Ren Mai vessels.” 

TCM Physician Lim Sock Ling

Some herbal remedies that encourage ovulation are: 

  • Si Wu soup  
  • Er Zhi pills
  • Wen Shen An Tai soup and Shou Tai pills: These can be taken on the day of the embryo transfer procedure for IVF

Bak Foong pills don’t directly encourage ovulation, but they help promote hormonal health and balance. This can help support a woman’s fertility.

Acupuncture can also help women relax and boost blood flow to their reproductive organs. Consequently, it’ll improve ovary follicle development and the quality of the eggs (ovum) produced. The points that an acupuncturist may work on are:  

Located at the medial end of the most distal wrist crease, on the medial aspect of the wrist
On the palmar aspect of the forearm, 3-fingers breadth above the transverse crease of the wrist, between the tendons of m. palmaris longus and m. flexor carpi radialis.
Located about a hand width below the bellow button.
Located along the midline of the lower abdomen, 2-fingers-breadth below the navel.
On the inner lower leg, 4-fingers-breadth above the tip of the inner ankle bone, just behind the shin bone.
  • Shen men (HT7) 
  • Nei guan (PC6) 
  • Guan yuan (RN4) 
  • Qi hai (RN6) 
  • San yin jiao (SP6) 

Gwyneth Paltrow

An image of Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow has undergone cupping therapy and acupuncture to stay healthy.

The Netflix series The Goop Lab and its executive producer, Gwyneth Paltrow, have been heavily criticized for promoting products and treatments unsupported by scientifically validated facts.

Ultimately, Gwyneth is an advocate of TCM and has undergone acupuncture and cupping therapy. She also brews and drinks goji berry (gou qi zi) and chrysanthemum flower (ju hua) tea to soothe red, dry eyes.

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle

Crippling migraines that required her to be hospitalized used to be the bane of Meghan Markle’s existence. Thankfully, she found acupuncture and cupping therapy and has been living a migraine-free life ever since.

The Duchess of Sussex also used acupuncture to relax and improve blood flow during her pregnancy with her son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. 

Justin Bieber

A TCM technique that’s becoming increasingly popular with celebrity facialists, the Graston technique — a trademarked version of gua sha — has also been used by Justin Bieber to alleviate neck pain. 

Normally, the pain can stem from minor injury or strain due to prolonged sitting or sleeping in an awkward posture, sports injuries, or a sudden fall.

In TCM, neck stiffness is associated with internal imbalances such as Cold, Dampness, Stagnation, and Deficiencies. 

On the dorsum of the hand, between the 2nd and 3rd metacarpal bones, about one half of an inch proximal to the metacarophalangeal joint.
Jianjing (GB21): located on the shoulder directly above the nipple, at the midpoint of the line connecting the acromion and the depression below the spinous process of the 7th cervical vertebra.

To relieve the discomfort, a licensed TCM practitioner may recommend using gua sha, acupuncture, cupping, or tuina. The acupoints that can help regulate body constitutions are luo zhen (EXUE 14) and jian jing (GB21).

Robert Downey Jr.

Like all the other celebrities on this list, Robert Downey Jr. is also a fan of alternative medicine. However, he’s the only one who’s actually been presented with an award – the Robert Graham Visionary Award – for upholding the system of medicine. 

But that’s not to say he isn’t deserving of the accolade. After all, he has come a long way from being a drug addict since the tender age of eight.

Today, he lives a healthier lifestyle, which includes using acupuncture and herbal remedies and the practice of Qigong and kung fu.

As Downey aptly put it, “It’s contributed to making me a more tolerable father, son, husband, co-worker, and according to the title of this award, visionary.” 

Try Alternative Medicine For Yourself

TCM is a proven system for maintaining good health through internal equilibrium, as these Hollywood celebrities can attest to.

If you are thinking of following in their footsteps, it’s best to speak to a licensed practitioner beforehand.

Proper guidance will ensure that you reap the benefits of incorporating TCM into your life without experiencing contraindications.

References

  1. DAO LABS. 2019. 4 WAYS TO USE CHINESE MEDICINE LIKE A CELEBRITY. 
  2. Eu Yan Sang. Stress From The TCM Perspective.
  3. All Things Health. 2022. Considering IVF Treatment? These Success Stories Can Help You Decide.
  4. Wikipedia. The Goop Lab.  
  5. ACUFINDER.COM. Cupping: How Gwyneth Paltrow Got Her Spots. 
  6. MailOnline. Gwyneth Paltrow turns to acupuncture to heal herself – and says those ‘many little needles have helped her through many an ailment’. 
  7. HELLO! Meghan Markle’s ‘debilitating’ hidden illness she was hospitalised with. 
  8. AcuMedic. MEGHAN MARKLE USED ACUPUNCTURE TO DELIVER THE NEW ROYAL BABY. 
  9. HealthCMi. 2013. Acupuncture Revived From Cutting Room Floor In Iron Man 3. 

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