When " TikTok doctor" took the throne
In the era of social media development, just a few dozen second video or an attractive post is enough to make a treatment of unknown origin spread with millions of views. The worrying thing is that many people have tried to apply these "tiny tips" to take care of their health, despite the recommendations from experts.
Just type keywords such as no need for surgery in the near future, white eye at home, or treat sinusitis with folk tips, you can find hundreds of educational videos with eye-catching presentations, simple and easy to follow. The sharing people are often famous faces with great influence online.
A recent video that went viral strongly encouraged people to take pure lemon juice in their eyes to reduc fatigue, brighten their eyes at first. Many comments confirmed that they have tried it and found it "effective", while experts were shocked.
Even a Facebook group called High-dose Chanh with more than 52,000 members continuously shares articles recommending lemon juice to reduce eyes, treat allergic rhinitis, cough or treat eye tincture for children. Many members affirmed that "a few days are fine", even though they admitted that it felt very painful.
Dr. Phan Bich Hang - Department of Traditional Medicine, Hanoi Medical University - said: Chanh contains vitamin C, citric acid (5-7%), flavonoids and limonene essential oil. These substances are acidic and mildly antibacterial, making them suitable for digestion or skin care when used properly. However, the human eye has a neutral pH (7.4) and is very sensitive. Squeezing lemon juice into the eyes is an unscientific act, which can cause burns, coronary inflammation, conjunctival damage and even long-term vision loss.
Not only folk tips, " family medicine" for treating stomach pain, increasing resistance... are also transformed into forms of profit. Many people buy drugs of unknown origin because they believe in advertisements, leading to allergies, poisoning, and even damage to the liver and kidneys.
Another worrying trend is the method of "strengthening the rescue of people with heart attack". The story is written by a woman named C.N. shared that when she had a heart attack, her husband urged her to "go away", and then her condition improved. This story quickly spread widely.
However, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu - Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital - said: "Cough replacement therapy has been applied in cardiovascular intervention, helping patients maintain temporary circulation with monitoring devices and supervision by doctors. But this is not a home emergency measure. There is no evidence that a strong cough can "ings out" blood clots as rumored.
He emphasized: There is no miracle to replace specialized health care. Do not mistake coughing for a sacred act, and do not force patients with dangerous signs to cough at all costs.
Many warnings, users still take risks
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center (Bach Mai Hospital) - warned: Self-treating according to online advice can lead to poisoning, liver failure, kidney failure, or delay the treatment of dangerous diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease.
Exposure to false information also affects psychology. Some people are too worried, thinking they have a serious illness; on the contrary, others are too subjective, late to see a doctor. Self-treatment at home, lack of knowledge and being easily convinced by personal experience makes many people follow. When seeing someone say that they get better thanks to some folk advice, others easily believe and follow because they think "there is no gain in trying" - Dr. Nguyen said.
Experts recommend that people need to be alert and selective about medical information. When there are unusual signs of health, it is necessary to go to a medical facility for examination instead of following the "medicine" spread online.
