(NaturalNews) There's no shortage of fads when it comes to reversing the aging process or delaying death, especially in Hollywood, the land of movie stars, music gurus and everyone else trying to become these things. But not all is wrong, nor is it all right, when taking the latest Hollywood approach to living long and living well; that is, if you have the cash to make it happen.

So which of the latest approaches to longevity actually work? Nutritionally speaking, the so-called "Paleo" diet, for instance, which involves skipping grains and processed oils in favor of pastured meats, healthy fats -- yes, this includes saturated -- and fresh vegetables, seems to be a solid recipe for reducing disease-causing inflammation. So does consuming nutritionally dense foods like goji berries and spirulina, which are staples at fresh juice bars in many of L.A.'s most posh neighborhoods.

CVAC is probably harmless, but does it actually work?

But what about some of the more radical Hollywood approaches like Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning (CVAC)? This unusual technology requires that a person enter a special plastic pod that rapidly fluctuates in altitude, supposedly simulating a vigorous aerobic workout without the person having to actually exercise.

Tennis professional Novak Djokovic supposedly swears by the technique, and other athletes with extra cash to spare say it promotes rapid healing, and especially muscle recovery. Some upscale health clubs and gyms are purchasing CVAC pods for their members to use, and anecdotal reports indicate improved stamina, increased endurance, more energy and deeper sleep from their use.

Hormone replacement therapy is helpful for some, but not for others

Then, there's hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The science shows that both men and women can benefit from HRT when the cause of hormone imbalance is genetic or age-related. But many celebrities are using it to try to stay young forever, which can cause long-term damage to natural hormone production. Without knowing the root causes of hormone imbalance, taking steroids or human growth hormone (HGH) is risky.

"[N]o research has shown that hormone therapies add years to life or prevent age-related frailty," claims the National Institute on Aging (NIA). "And, while some drugs have real health benefits for people with clinical hormone deficiencies due to a disease or disorder, they also can cause harmful side effects. That's why people who have a diagnosed hormone deficiency should still only take hormones prescribed by a doctor and under a doctor's supervision."

CVAC treatments fail to address root causes of inflammation

Delving even further down the longevity rabbit hole, some Hollywood celebrities are now in a way having their bodies cryogenically frozen, at least for a few minutes, in an attempt to lengthen their lifespans. The company Cryohealthcare offers a deep-freeze treatment, which its proponents say helps mitigate inflammation, thus preventing diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, musculoskeletal injuries and autoimmune disorders.

The idea is that the machine triggers the production and release of inflammation-lowering cytokines, which naturally reduce inflammation. But this method, even if effective at this task, does not actually address the root causes of inflammation, which can include chemical toxicity, food allergies and poor diet.

Other Hollywood "fads" like raw juicing, daily meditation, and Ayurvedic medicine, for instance, do, indeed, address these things, and deserve commendation. But expensive deep-freeze treatments that only address the symptoms rather than the cause, or unproven genome-sequencing pipe dreams, are arguably just as bad as pharmaceuticals and vaccines in terms of bringing the body back into homeostasis and promoting real health.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

http://www.cbn.com

http://abcnews.go.com

http://www.nia.nih.gov