False medical news seriously affects our health



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False medical news seriously affects our health
source: google.ro

The term false news, almost never heard until recently, is probably most associated with President Donald Trump, who uses it to reject almost any statement about him. But the false news is not only used in politics, where the borderline between truth and lies diminishes. Experts have reported a sharp increase in misinformation online and in the medical field. It is very disturbing that these fake medical news contradict or hide the essence of the truth about an innovative medical breakthrough.

Professor Heidi Larson, a public health expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), sees false science in medicine as a "bad science", often spread by those who doubt that traditional (allopathic) medicine benefits the sale of books, supplements and alternative health services.

Homeopathy can be misleading and work according to the placebo effect. Homeopathy comes from the Greek hómoios – "likeness" + páthos "suffering". Studies show that homeopathy is useless in the treatment of any disease.

Research conducted by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reveals that more than 70% of us are distributing fake news on social media rather than facts. And that's because we are getting our attention right now.

Half of us admit that they often turn to the Google Doctor instead of a specialist. Last week, a survey showed a 9,000% increase in the last three years in the number of Internet-related symptoms research (UK survey).

The giants of Google, Facebook and Twitter – the main culprits of this phenomenon – signed last month a commitment to fight against the spread of false information. Google will "prioritize high quality results from legitimate sources". But that's not enough.

Enter a "Natural Cancer Treatment" into your search engine and a Wikipedia page will display, followed by a site offering juice benefits.

Some false news related to health are quite easy to identify. However, there are some "stories" with very little legitimacy, but which will convince more and more naïve people.

Here are some of the most common fake news on the Internet!

Plastic containers cause cancer.

Cancer Research UK states that there is no convincing scientific evidence to conclude that heat treatment of plastic would increase the risk of cancer. The panic began in 2002 when a scientist issued a warning on Japanese television about the danger of freezing water in plastic bottles. There have also been warnings about heating microwavable foods in plastic containers. These views have been widely disseminated on the Internet. Warnings that, by heating or cooling, plastic releases chemicals that are hazardous to health, such as dioxins or DEHA (diethylhydroxylamine).

The cell phone causes brain tumors.

Within the scientific community, radiation-induced carcinogenesis is still a topic of discussion. In the US, the US National Cancer Institute reports that a "limited number of studies" have shown some evidence of this association, but most research has not identified such a link.

The vaccine causes autism.

No, the vaccine does not cause autism. Yes, it is true that some cases of autism become visible after the age of one year when the MMR vaccine is manufactured, the vaginal vaccine that would cause autism. The MMR vaccine, intended to immunize children against measles, mumps and rubella, has been controversial, particularly in the last decade in Romania. Following the formation of an anti-vaccination trend in the West, fears of complications that may occur in children following vaccination with MMR vaccine have appeared in Romania. Specifically, according to a report by the British gastroenterologist in the mid-1990s, there was a hint of link between autism or what the British autistic enterocolitis vaccine and the MMR, had called, and other similar studies, actual anti-vaccination current, fueled by less scientifically proven myths or fears.

Source: tabu.ro

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