{"id":854754,"date":"2025-06-11T00:12:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T05:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/science-matters-medical-advice-in-a-world-awash-with-misinformation-who-do-you-trust\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T00:12:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T05:12:08","slug":"science-matters-medical-advice-in-a-world-awash-with-misinformation-who-do-you-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/science-matters-medical-advice-in-a-world-awash-with-misinformation-who-do-you-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"SCIENCE MATTERS: Medical advice: In a world awash with misinformation, who do you trust?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Health advice on podcasts, YouTube and social media is everywhere \u2014 and too often wrong. And it\u2019s not just confusing, it\u2019s also dangerous. So, who do people usually turn to for sound advice on health?<\/h2>\n

In a world flooded with wellness influencers and content creators who often offer conflicting advice, making sound medical choices becomes murky and difficult.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Health advice on podcasts, YouTube and social media is everywhere:<\/span> \u201ccelery juice is good for immunity, sugar causes cancer, collagen for glowing skin, fasting for weight loss, statins are poison\u201d; wellness and health commentary is loud, persuasive \u2014 and too often wrong. And it\u2019s not just confusing, it\u2019s also dangerous.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read: <\/b>Why do we fall for wellness scams? Our cultural biases and myths are often to blame<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Caught between the seductive appeal of \u201cnatural\u201d feel-good alternatives and the impersonal authority of science, it\u2019s hard to know who to trust. The lines blur easily.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, who do people usually turn to for sound advice on health?<\/span><\/p>\n

Belief vs science: Why emotion often wins<\/b><\/h4>\n

According to Professor <\/span>Kevin Behrens<\/span><\/a>, director at the <\/span>Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics<\/span><\/a>, the answer often depends on what people already believe. Those who value scientific positivism and empiricism may insist that only peer-reviewed, mainstream research is worth listening to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Others, more sceptical of the scientific establishment, might advocate for a broader openness to alternative or traditional therapies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Sue Goldstein<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> managing director of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), says belief systems \u2014 shaped by our social circles and favourite online personalities \u2014 often contradict hard science.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWould you take advice from someone at your gym over a trained doctor?\u201d she asks, \u201cEven when science says otherwise?\u201d Goldstein warns that anecdotal stories, even from trusted influencers, are not the same as peer-reviewed studies based on repeatable trials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And the stakes are high.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Public figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump have amplified medical misinformation, leading to <\/span>scepticism and mistrust<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

More recently, Trump\u2019s decision to <\/span>cut federal aid<\/span><\/a> to leading medical research institutions, for instance, threatens to slow down discoveries in cancer, Alzheimer\u2019s, and infectious diseases; Goldstein says that \u201cthis isn\u2019t just bad policy \u2014 it\u2019s a reckless gamble with global health\u201d. With fewer trusted scientific voices and of course, resources, such cuts are also likely to fuel the spread of disinformation, leaving a vacuum for conspiracy theories to thrive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anti-science age<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Professor Guy Richard<\/span><\/a>, Emeritus Professor of Critical Care and Pulmonology at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), says we\u2019re living in an anti-science age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s become nearly impossible to convince patients of basic facts,\u201d he says. For example, despite clear evidence many people still reject the flu vaccine, believing it will make them sick. Richard adds that while the idea that vitamin supplements or IV drips can \u201cboost\u201d your immune system is one of the most persistent health myths, these treatments are largely ineffective unless you have a diagnosed deficiency \u2014 and in some cases, they can even be harmful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He says the only proven way to boost immunity is through vaccines, and points to the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) <\/span>vaccine scare<\/span><\/a> as an example. It\u2019s based on a now-debunked <\/span>1998<\/span><\/a> study. To this day, the damage lingers, with vaccine hesitancy causing measles outbreaks globally. In fact, the <\/span>World Health Organization<\/span><\/a> (WHO) has even listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr Andy Gray<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and co-director for the WHO Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy, says many opt for unproven treatments because they mistrust \u201cBig pharma\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, social media thrives on personal anecdotes that are persuasive but lack any scientific backing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople cherry-pick information they trust. Pharmaceutical companies have flaws, but they also fund the trials that bring life-saving drugs and vaccines to market,\u201d he explains.<\/span><\/p>\n

He notes that <\/span>political mistrust<\/span><\/a> also made people more doubtful about vaccines. Some groups and professionals share false information about the efficacy and safety of vaccines, which leads to more people being hesitant to get vaccinated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another bugbear Gray has is that some people believe \u201cnatural\u201d is \u201csafer\u201d. Take homeopathy \u2014 widely used, yet consistently proven ineffective beyond the placebo effect. He explains that many modern drugs are plant-based too, but they\u2019re scientifically tested, reviewed, and dosed for safety. Natural products with no oversight can be dangerous, especially for serious illnesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where should you turn?<\/b><\/h4>\n

The experts agree that one should stick to sources backed by science.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These include the <\/span>World Health Organization<\/span><\/a> (WHO), <\/span>Centres for Disease Control and Prevention<\/span><\/a> (CDC), research centres at academic hospitals like <\/span>Mayo Clinic<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Johns Hopkins<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Cancer Association of South Africa<\/span><\/a> (Cansa).<\/span><\/p>\n

Goldstein says it best: \u201cNo treatment is 100% foolproof. It\u2019s about weighing up the risks against the benefits. If overwhelming research concludes a treatment is effective and safe, why follow the alternative view?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBe sceptical \u2014 yes \u2014 but don\u2019t throw out science in favour of celebrity-endorsed shortcuts.\u201d <\/span>DM<\/b><\/p>\n

If you wish to comment on this issue, please send an email to <\/span><\/i>[email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Letters will be edited.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n

\"Gallery\"<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Health advice on podcasts, YouTube and social media is everywhere \u2014 and too often wrong. And it\u2019s not just confusing, it\u2019s also dangerous. So, who do people usually turn to for sound advice on health? In a world flooded with wellness influencers and content creators who often offer conflicting advice, making sound medical choices becomes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":854755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32801,3421,104640],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-854754","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-matters","8":"category-science","9":"category-youtube-videos"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}