In 2025, I was sent a remarkable number of reels and pieces of writing about hormones posted by influencers.
Health influencers
'Ralph, can you take a look at this? Is this right?' In many cases, unfortunately, it rattled on all sides.
The topics hormones, transition, disrupted cycle, getting pregnant and being pregnant, thyroid problems and insulin resistance have become very popular. Of course, I am very happy about that, because I can now build on the preliminary work I have been doing for 20 years and thus give another hefty boost to my hormonal mission.
What is a side effect, however, is that many 'health influencers' have also caught on to this popularity. Many of them are now also suddenly seizing on hormonal balance as a nice marketing tool.
Recently, I was talking about it with fellow trainers in the field of hormones or orthomolecular. "Have you ever had ... and ... in your training?". The answer, unfortunately, was no. As a result, I suspect that the information is gathered by these influencers from google, chat-GPT and exceptionally from books. Well, then I can understand that this makes you at best hear the bell ringing, but not know where the clapper is.
Get an education!
However, I don't understand why these influencers don't do training. Have they started believing in themselves too much and is it an ego issue? Have they jumped on a marketing-favourable train that they hopped off within a short time anyway making training too much trouble? Who knows may say.
This lack of education naturally leads to the spread of disinformation and negative publicity for the specialty of 'hormone coaching', making it even easier to frame as 'evil'.
"Yes, but Ralph, shouldn't you tackle these influencers and fight the disinformation?", I sometimes get as a request from followers. My answer to that is adamantly no.
Disinformation fighters
After all, I am allergic to disinformation-fighters who make that their core business. Their goal is to grow in followers on the backs of influencers, which to my mind is a kind of parasitism. They just fight the disinformation, but don't have the guts themselves to proactively come up with actionable solutions to help people become healthier.
It is also striking that they do not fight the disinformation coming from the big institutes or leading scientists, even though this is of course sometimes the case. It's nice and easy though to just roast an influencer. Grab someone of your own stature I would say. So I find this kind of 'witch-hunt' especially cowardly and it doesn't really help anyone!
Moreover, I am not at all negative towards influencers. They can motivate and move large groups of people to healthy behavioural changes like no other. The fact that there is some disinformation here and there does not make them suddenly the evil that should be fought.
Still, I would love it if influencers start educating themselves better on the topics they focus on. Then they share good information in an engaging way that they are so good at.
If, as an influencer, you are in doubt about a claim you make about hormones, nutrition and lifestyle, send me a message. I'll be happy to check it out for you. Of course, you are also welcome in the hormone factor coach training!
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