The beautiful actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu has become more health conscious since she has been diagnosed with Myositis which is an autoimmune condition and she is trying her best to spread awareness about health and fitness through her social media handles.
Recently, Samantha made a post in which she recommended the use of hydrogen peroxide nebulisation but this didn’t go well with an Indian hepatologist, Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips who is known as “The Liver Doc” on social media networks.
The Liver Doc took to X and made a long post in which he called Samantha, a health and science illiterate for advising millions of her followers to inhale hydrogen-peroxide for the purpose of treating the respiratory viral infections. He said that hydrogen peroxide is harmful for health and Scientific society, The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, has warned people against using it.
The Liver Doc further wrote that Samantha would have been put behind the bars or fined for putting the lives of many people in danger in a scientific and progressive society.
Here is what he wrote, “Left: Influential Indian actress Ms. Samantha Ruth who is unfortunately a health and science illiterate advising millions of her followers to inhale hydrogen-peroxide to prevent and treat respiratory viral infections.
Right: Scientific society, The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, warning people to not nebulize and breathe in hydrogen peroxide because it is dangerous for health.
https://community.aafa.org/blog/danger-don-t-nebulize-hydrogen-peroxide-and-breathe-it-to-try-to-treat-or-prevent-covid-19
In a rational and scientifically progressive society, this woman will be charged with endangering public health and fined or put behind bars. She needs help or a better advisor in her team.
Will India’s Health Ministry or any health regulatory body do something about these social media health influenzas damaging public health or will they remain spineless and let people die?”
https://x.com/theliverdr/status/1808804909783159003
Soon Samantha responded on this criticism and talked about the treatments that she had undergone, some of which were quite expensive as well. She wrote that many times she thought that she is lucky to be able to afford these treatments but what about those who can’t afford it so she just tells people about the alternate therapies that work good for her and are less expensive as well.
She wrote that she suggested hydrogen peroxide nebulisation with a good intention and she didn’t do that on her own, it was suggested to her by a highly qualified doctor. She asked The Liver Doc to be a little kind and compassionate and would have politely invited her doctor who recommended hydrogen peroxide nebulisation to her.
She wrote, “It would have been kind and compassionate of him had he not being so proactive with his words. Especially the bit where he suggests I should be thrown in prison. Nevermind. I suppose it goes with the territory of being a celebrity. I posted as someone who needs medical treatment and not as a celebrity.”
Samantha also wrote, “It would have been nice had he politely invited my doctor, whom I have tagged in my post, rather than go after me. I would have loved to have learnt from the debate and discussion between two highly qualified professionals.”
Here is her long post:
The Liver Doc has now responded to the post of Samantha and stated that she is playing the victim card now. He further adds that she is a serial offender in terms of spreading misinformation regarding health and he also writes the reason behind the decision of not responding to any future post of Samantha.
He posted, “Ms. Samantha Ruth Prabhu has responded to my ‘provocative’ criticism of her endorsement of unscientific, pseudoscientific and baseless alternative medicine therapies by playing the victim card and endorsing more alternative practices.
Please note, she is a serial offender in the context of healthcare misinformation and she has been in the line of fire previously too. The reason why doctors like me have to spend (waste) time from our busy schedules to fight misinformation online is because it is peddled by large influential “celebrity” accounts that have no regard for public health. Engagement and monetization is their concern. Public health and disease prevention is mine. I (we) will be provocative, strongly criticise, be blatant, and brutal with facts because we have no time to waste, catering to emotions.
I expected better from someone who claims that she wants to “improve.” This is far from improvement. A rational and logical response would be to delete the public health endangering posts and apologize to her millions of followers and vouch to never quote or cite fraudulent practices or practitioners.
I have absolutely ZERO hope for improving scientific temperament or rationalism in this country. Everyone role plays the victim of “scientific criticism” but will keep embracing and holding on to dogmatic views in healthcare, traditional untested observations or debunked dangerous therapies without shame or self reflection.
If celebrity influencers really want to impact people positively, then start unlearning and re-learn, develop critical thinking skills, disregard logical fallacies and stand up for medical science instead of “playing victim” of the same science that is helping you, and all of us, survive into the future.
I won’t be commenting or debunking any of Samantha’s future endorsements of pseudoscientific alternative public health endangering posts because,
“You can’t help people that don’t want to be helped.”
— John Armstrong”
https://x.com/theliverdr/status/1809086284637315473
What is your take on this matter? Do let us know.
