Gwyneth Paltrow Urges Women to get a “Vaginal Steam”

Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow is the absolute archetype of the mindless liberal chickehead.  From her belief that yelling at milk can make it rot, to her thoughts about her “conscious uncoupling” from husband and Coldplay front man Chris Martin, Paltrow has described several strange ideas in her lifestyle newsletter “Goop.” [9] Recently, the liberal diva is acting like if she was a health professional, going here and there dispensing nutty medical advices.  She is famous for offering up recipes, beauty tips, and covetable yet outrageously expensive products, but she took it a step further when she preached the importance of getting so-called V-Steams — a spa treatment that cleanses a customer’s lady parts, [4] in other words a “Vaginal Steam.” [2]  As part of her ongoing transformation from vapid Hollywood starlet to vapid Hollywood lifestyle guru, the “v-steam” is Paltrow’s latest advice for improved health and wellness.  [3]  Everybody is well aware of Gwyneth‘s love of healthy food, beauty treatments and Tracy Anderson workouts, but this goes way beyond pampering. [7]  Here is what she says on her Goop site; “The real golden ticket here is the Mugwort V-Steam. You sit on what is essentially a mini-throne, and a combination of infrared and mugwort steam cleanses your uterus, et al. V-Steam is not just any old steam douche, it is an energetic release that balances female hormone levels. [1] [4] It’s available at the Tikkun Spa in Santa Monica. If you’re in LA, you have to do it.” At a cost of $50-75, we instead recommend using a vibrator for an “energetic release” for half the price, or use your fingers for free. [4]  The spa’s site provides a history of the steam, explaining that it has been utilized in Korea “for hundreds of years” and helps to “maintain internal health” and keeps “skin looking young and healthy. The procedure involves the placement of boiled leaves and flower buds on a “specific area of the body” for “detoxication.”  [4] In China and Japan the Mugwort herb is used during acupuncture. In South Korea it’s used as a flavoring in rice deserts, and in Gwynnietown it’s used to steam vaginas. [2]

Paltrow claims the treatment not only cleanses the uterus, but also can balance female hormones, but most doctors are skeptical. Some believe that the “Vaginal Steam” is dangerous because it can cause uterine contractions, and that pregnant women should stay away from it. [2]  ‘There’s no scientific evidence that shows it works,’ Dr. Draion Burch, an obstetrician and gynecologist from Pittsburgh told Live Science. [5] [9] The vagina doesn’t need any special treatments to be clean. “The vagina cleans itself,” Burch said. [9] And, in fact, some methods of cleaning the vagina, such as douching, can have negative side effects. In a 2004 study in the American Journal of Nursing, women who douched were more likely to get bacterial vaginosis, a disruption in the normal flora in the vagina. Bacterial vaginosis, in turn, is also associated with an increased risk of contracting HIV. And a 2001 study in the Maternal Child Health Journal suggested that douching during pregnancy could increase the risk of preterm labor. [9] Though bacterial infections are probably not a big issue, V-steaming could also cause more immediate problems, such as second-degree burns to the sensitive area if the steam gets too close to the woman’s body, Burch said. [9]

According to Dr. Jen Gunter, a board certified OB/GYN and expert in vulvovaginal disorders, Paltrow’s medical claims surrounding the steams are just a bunch of hot air, at best. In a detailed post to her blog, Dr. Gunter warns, “Steam is probably not good for your vagina. Herbal steam is no better and quite possibly worse.” [11] She explains, “Mugwort or wormwood or whatever when steamed, either vaginally or on the vulva, can’t possibly balance any reproductive hormones, regulate your menstrual cycle, treat depression, or cure infertility.” [11] Dr. Gunter also takes issue with Paltrow’s claims that the steam “cleanses your uterus.” She writes “Steam isn’t going to get into your uterus from your vagina unless you are using an attachment with some kind of pressure and MOST DEFINITELY NEVER EVER DO THAT.”[11]

As with most medical questions, it’s generally wise to get a second and a third opinion.  Dr. David L. Finke, a Los Angeles-based OB/GYN, tells PEOPLE, “I don’t think it’s completely crazy to say [the steam] could be beneficial” – just maybe not in the way Paltrow claims.  [11] “It could change the circulation patterns for probably 30 minutes to an hour,” Dr. Finke says. “Depending on how the steam is applied, the benefits could be similar to a regular steam room.”  Dr. Finke notes, “As far as bold claims that doing this will change hormonal balance or cleanse the uterus, it’s probably bogus.”  [11]

Another doctor interviewed by Yahoo News, Dr. David Shobin, Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the State University of New York, was asked whether or not there was any scientific evidence to suggest the purported benefits of steaming your fine china, such as increased energy, balancing hormones, and alleviating cramps. This is what he had to say: “Here’s the deal: When I first read the articles about V-jay steaming, I wasn’t sure if they were discussing a feel-good technique, a novel treatment for the crabs, or a new venue for cooking your dumplings. [8] But after managing to suspend my disbelief, I finally gathered that this is pure kitsch — a fad touted by uninformed celebs. [8] I checked the medical literature as thoroughly as I could and found no credible evidence of any GYN health benefit from steaming one’s junk. Positive health claims appear nothing more than anecdotal,” Dr. Shobin said. [8]

Yet another doctor interviewed by Women Health Mag was condemning the procedure: “It’s complete bull,” says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale School of Medicine. Minkin says that the alleged benefits of getting your vagina steamed are totally bogus and that undergoing a treatment like this could even harm your lady bits. [10] She provided 3 reasons why women shouldn’t get their vaginas steamed:

1. It Burns
“My first concern is that someone would burn themselves because steam is hot,” says Minkin. “And I certainly wouldn’t want someone to get a burn in their vagina.” Fun fact: Your hoo-ha sits right next to the bladder and rectum, so a bad burn could damage the lining between the two of them and cause a lot of issues. “That would be a worst-case scenario,” says Minkin. [10]

2. It Can Mess With Your Vagina’s Good Bacteria
Just like regular douching, trying to “cleanse” your vag with steam can be drying and disrupt the natural bacteria that lives up in there, says Minkin. And since the vagina is a self-cleaning machine, you don’t need to take any action to keep it that way, she says. However, one thing you could do to boost your vagina’s natural cleaning abilities is to eat more yogurt, which contains the good bacteria that keep your vag fresh yeast infection-free. Minkin also questions the steam’s effectiveness as a uterus cleanser since it’s hard to say whether the steam could actually reach that far. She says that even if it could, there are very few bacteria in the lining of the uterus and that those bacteria absolutely do not need to be cleaned out. [10]

3. It Won’t Balance Any Hormones
First off, Minkin says, there are no hormones produced by the uterus or the vagina. “The hormone factory is in the ovaries, and there’s no reason why steam would affect the hormones produced there,” she says. And again, it’s hard to say if the steam even makes it that far.

Even if she’s ill informed on every subjects, sources tell Us Weekly that Paltrow truly practices what she preaches and visited Tikkun Spa just last week for a V-Steam. She followed up the cleansing treatment with a full body scrub, massage, and facial. [4] Dr. Draion Burch said that vaginal Steam may have no benefic effects whatsoever on the vaginal health, however, maybe Gwyneth has other reasons to do it. He is refering to the pleasant effects of the down-under “facial.” Suggesting that it is possible that the treatment is doing something else to her. “She’s probably getting turned on,” Burch said. “Heat increases blood flow to the vagina, as well as the clitoris.” [9] Gwyneth Paltrow’s idiocy is legendary, so much that academics are now writing books about it.  Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, has a love hate relationship with Paltrow and the celebrity culture she represents through her online magazine Goop: he’s written a whole book to explain why.  He was inteviewed recently by the National Post about his new book: Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? (Viking Canada, 400 pgs, $32.00). [3] Caulfield thinks that Gwyneth Paltrow is “a symbol of the place celebrity culture has on our lives right now.” [3] She is more than just a celebrity, more than just an icon. Part of her brand is tied up with health, he said. [3]  The bad news for all her liberal followers out there is that she’s as dumb as a donkey and she’s wrong on almost every subjects she try to talk about. She is intellectually lazy, ill informed and follows blindly all the latest new age tendencies out there. So her fans would be well advised to check the facts first before they try to follow Gwyneth on the path of health and beauty. Now they know that by blindly mimicking all she does, they can end up with a vagina looking like a “steamed” boxing glove.