Fake Medical News Threatens Our Lives
F A K E M E D I C A L N E W S T H R E A T E NS O U R L I V E S
“Beware of things that are offered free, one way or another we all pay for them.”
Hiding behind one of the most fundamental human rights, the freedom of expression , giant social media companies have created many platforms that are free to use for the general public for expression of personal opinions, sharing information and knowledge about anything and friendships on wide basis, for the price of their private personal information.
Social media companies, in turn, make billions of dollars by selling our personal private data, to other companies or entities and advertisements, without our permission and, without any concerns or responsibilities.
In the name of freedom of expression, half-truths, fake news, misinformation, lies ,deceptions, contempt for the rules of law, self interest, intellectual dishonesty, absence of moral, ethical and religious principles have been used to blur the difference between the truth and lies. These unethical and immoral behaviors, deceptions have desensitized us about the truth and have become a part of our present internet and political culture. This degenerates culture, threaten our democracy, encourage autocracy, dictatorship, spying and cyber warfare.
Even worse, these irresponsible behaviors have extended to medical profession. Fake medical news, information and deceptive advertisement for the purpose of selling their bogus medications, products and interventions threaten our most precious possession, our lives.
For example, conventional cancer treatments, methods of surgery, chemo, radiation and immune therapies have been challenged by the paranoid zealots and charlatans by spreading fake news and misinformation that surgery causes the spreading of the cancer, chemo and radiation kill not only cancer cells but every cell in the body, including immune system cells thereby causing additional cancer development. Immunotherapy is not always effective and cause many other immunologic diseases. By creating confusion and negative beliefs among desperate cancer patients, they are able to sell their alternative treatments, vitamins, herbs, diet and supplements.
A recent clinical study have shown that when cancer patients turn to alternative treatment modalities they die 2.5 times faster .
Persistent negative thoughts have another ill effect on, our body’s own healing process through the “placebo effect.” Negative thoughts prevent the healing power of positive thinking through the ”placebo effects”.
A study done on patients who were told that they are taking a powerful new medication for their illness but given only sugar pills, in 40% of cases, the patient’s symptoms improved. This means that medications healing power and body’s own healing power, via positive thinking, contribute to the healing process.
What could be done to prevent the spreading of fake medical news , information and deceptive medical practices? As I see it, a three prong approach will be necessary:
First, we as individual should use our own critical thinking skills to reduce the consumption and the influence of fake news and advertisements.
Second, all the members of medical profession, medical institutions and research communities should have an additional mission to educate general public to overcome their medical illiteracy.
Third, government should create rules and regulations for social media companies to follow and make them be responsible for their actions
Freedom of expression should never be allowed to be used for deceptive medical practices.
