Fact Check
Twerking can help with "stagnant blood" in the uterus and "fibroid cysts," an Instagram user claimed.
Anna Rascouët-Paz
Published July 24, 2024
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Claim:
Twerking removes stagnant blood and fibroid cysts from the uterus, enables creativity by increasing circulation to the sacral chakra, and helps with self-esteem.
Rating:
MixtureAbout this ratingWhat's True
Twerking promotes health in several different ways, by strengthening the core, legs and gluteal muscles, and improving hip mobility — all of which support the pelvic floor. New studies have also shown the "far-reaching" benefits every type of dance has on self-esteem, and mental and cognitive health, which in turn promotes creativity. If one interprets "stagnant blood in the uterus" the way eastern medicine understands it — as the cause for endometriosis — dancing can help manage the pelvic pain it causes. Activity of any type can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of fibroids, along with a healthy diet...
What's False
... but twerking, dance, or exercise of any type cannot be the sole line of treatment for endometriosis. Additionally, dancing, or any type of exercise, is unlikely to shrink or remove existing fibroids ...
What's Undetermined
... and as to whether it impacts one's sacral chakra, it all depends on what one believes. While there is no scientific evidence these seven points in the body are "vortices of energy" that balance each other out, some scientists say they may correspond to nervous centers.
On July 11, 2024, an Instagram user claimed in a video that twerking has several key health benefits for women, such as removing stagnant blood and fybroid cysts from the uterus, empowering one's womb space, increasing circulation to the sachal chakra, and boosting creativity.
The Instagram user @estarsuniverse, who described herself as an "empowered wombman" and an "international singing yogini," amassed more than 97,000 likes and 2,900 comments on her post at the time of this writing.
Here's a transcript of what she said as she twerked on camera:
You call this twerking but it was originally known as mapouka, which quite literally means the same thing.
Mapouka — or twerking — has the power to remove stagnant blood from the uterus and even fibroid cysts. Not only that, but it empowers your womb space and it increases circulation to your sacral chakra, okay? So this how we gain more creativity.
So if ever you're dealing with low self-esteem, creative block or womb trauma, I encourage you to practice mapouka. You're welcome, and I love you.
One Instagram user wrote in the comments: "I twerk when I have really bad cramps sometimes!!! It came to me intuitively. Didn't realize it was an actual thing!!!"
"Come to think of it I was happier when I was twerking on a regular basis," another added.
"Sis having a whole conversation while causing earthquakes," a third said, adding a laughing emoji.
Similar posts appeared on X, Reddit, YouTube, and elsewhere on Instagram in May 2023.
However, the first Instagram user's claim was a mixture of true, false and undetermined information.
Benefits
Twerking, which as the Instagram user claimed is also known as mapouka in Côte d'Ivoire (the Ivory Coast), has health benefits related to all types of dancing and exercise, and some that are specific to it.
Like all dances, twerking has both physiological and psychological advantages. A 2024 meta-study (a study of studies) published in Sports Medicine showed that dancing improved the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease, but also anxiety and depression. Not only that, it concluded that dancing was "superior to other physical activity interventions to improve motivation, aspects of memory, and social cognition and to reduce distress." Appeasing mental health conditions can promote creativity, lending credibility to the woman's claim.
Dancing, like all exercise, can help promote physical health as well, by lowering blood pressure, increasing aerobic capacity, building muscle and bone, and more. But it also helps with balance, among other things, according to Harvard Medical School. Exercise can also prevent fibroids and potentially stop their growth, according to the Midwest Institute for Non-Surgical Therapy (MINT).
But due to the specific movements of twerking,
But dancers can also change positions rapidly, dropping into squats and standing up repeatedly while shaking their hips back and forth. Squat repetitions are beneficial for all adults. They help develop muscles, bones and joints of the legs,
As for "stagnant blood in the uterus," this is a concept we found in Eastern medicine, understood as poor blood circulation related to impeded flow of qi — life force. Blood stasis, traditional Chinese medicine says, is the cause of endometriosis — a condition in which endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus, often causing pain in the pelvis — though this is a claim that Western medicine has not proven. However, a small study has shown dance can relieve endometriosis-related pain.
For these reasons, dancing in general and twerking in particular can be part of a healthy exercise practice, with benefits for both body and mind.
Questions Remain
Contrary to @estarsuniverse's claims, however, most exercises, which would include twerking, cannot shrink or remove existing fibroids, according to MINT. Also, there is no evidence that exercise, which includes dancing, can
Lastly, the concept of chakras is part of the tradition of Hinduism and Buddhism. There are seven main chakras, according to Hinduism (four in Buddhism), located along the spine and from the top of the head to the perineum. They are thought to be vortices of energy that act like hubs for energy channels. However, no scientific evidence has ever backed up this idea, despite
But given its multiple benefits, whether chakras exist or not, it is safe to say that dancing can help improve well-being at large.
Sources
Anandanayagam, Jennifer. 'Science Says You Should Twerk More Often For Your Health, Here's Why'. Health Digest, 7 Oct. 2023, https://www.healthdigest.com/1414532/good-for-you-twerking-dancing-stress-relief-dance-dementia/.
Blood Stasis - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/blood-stasis. Accessed 19 July 2024.
Burks-Wicks, Carla, et al. 'A Western Primer of Chinese Herbal Therapy in Endometriosis and Infertility'. Women's Health, vol. 1, no. 3, Nov. 2005, pp. 447–63. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.2217/17455057.1.3.447.
'D'IVOIRE-MUSIC: Public Outcry Over Censored TV'. Inter Press Service, 31 Mar. 1998, https://www.ipsnews.net/1998/03/divoire-music-public-outcry-over-censored-tv/.
'Exercise and Endometriosis: Pros and Cons'. Healthline, 4 Mar. 2024, https://www.healthline.com/health/endometriosis/endometriosis-and-exercise.
Fibroids And Exercise – A Unique Relationship: Midwest Institute for Non-Surgical Therapy: Vascular and Interventional Radiologists. https://www.mintstl.com/blog/fibroids-and-exercise-a-unique-relationship. Accessed 19 July 2024.
Fong Yan, Alycia, et al. 'The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Psychological and Cognitive Health Outcomes Compared with Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis'. Sports Medicine, vol. 54, no. 5, May 2024, pp. 1179–205. Springer Link, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01990-2.
'Let's Dance! Rhythmic Motion Can Improve Your Health'. Harvard Health, 21 Apr. 2016, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/lets-dance-rhythmic-motion-can-improve-your-health-201604219468.
Rius, M., et al. 'Therapeutic Role of Dance in the Treatment of Endometriosis-Related Chronic Pelvic Pain: A Proofof- Concept Study'. World Journal of Gynecology & Women's Health, vol. 1, no. 2, Oct. 2018, pp. 1–4. irispublishers.com, https://irispublishers.com/wjgwh/fulltext/therapeutic-role-of-dance-in-the-treatment-of-endometriosis-related-chronic-pelvic-pain-a-proof-of-concept-study.ID.000507.php.
'The Surprising Link Between Dancing, Video Games, And Your Pelvic Floor'. HuffPost, 14 Jan. 2014, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/strengthen-pelvic-floor_n_4596526.
Toberna, Caroline P., et al. 'Dancing During Labor: Social Media Trend or Future Practice?' Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews, vol. 7, no. 2, Apr. 2020, pp. 213–17. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.17294/2330-0698.1723.
What Are Chakras? Concept, Origins, and Effect on Health. 24 May 2022, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-are-chakras-concept-origins-and-effect-on-health.
By Anna Rascouët-Paz
Anna Rascouët-Paz is based in Brooklyn, fluent in numerous languages and specializes in science and economic topics.
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