Gwyneth Paltrow now anticipates a mixed public reaction to her wellbeing tips.
The Oscar-winning actress launched her lifestyle website Goop back in 2008, with the forum offering everything from recipes to general health advice.
Some of her methods have been deemed controversial though, such as her early use of cupping – an ancient form of alternative medicine to treat issues such as inflammation by creating suction on the skin – but Gwyneth has learned to take negative outbursts against her with a pinch of salt.
“They’re not without judgment,” she admitted to Women’s Health Australia. “When you’re at the forefront of something that’s new, people can get really reactive: ‘This is crazy! Why are you doing this?’ Then, five years later, everyone’s fine with it. So I have a bit of pattern recognition in hand at this point – which is helpful.”
She also finds it useful to distance herself from people who don’t like her methods or share her interests, adding, “One of the best things someone ever said to me was that the only time criticism hurts is if you have a judgment about yourself about that very thing.”
Her latest investigation is into the impact of heavy metals and parasites on people’s bodies, citing these as the cause of people feeling poorly.
Quizzed on what triggered her passion for health and fitness, the 44-year-old recalled her late father Bruce’s diagnosis with cancer in 1998, which he eventually led to his death in 2002.
“I really started to think about the link between environmental toxins and cancer. What’s the impetus behind the way our bodies are no longer able to overcome all these skyrocketing diseases, from immune disorders to autism to diabetes and cancer? What is going on?” she mused.
