Health misinformation is a silent killer: Dr Arnold Ashu

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Dr Arnold Ashu, who holds an MBBS and a PG Diploma in Anaesthesia, has accumulated years of practical experience in the medical field. Currently, he serves as a specialist anaesthetist at the Community Health Centre in Diglipur, Andaman.

What is the best thing you enjoy about treating patients?

It is highly rewarding to provide medical treatment to patients who come from remote areas. Their complete trust in us allows us to dedicate ourselves entirely to their care and achieve positive outcomes.

When is a patient easy to treat? 

Trust and clear communication are vital in the doctor-patient relationship. The doctor must explain the treatment plan clearly, while the patient must trust and follow it, even if the treatment takes time and results are not immediately apparent. Changing doctors may disrupt the treatment, so patients should avoid it. Maintaining a good relationship with the doctor makes treatment easier.

When is a patient difficult to treat?

Patients who do not comply with medication, fail to understand the nature and progression of their disease if not managed properly, or opt for alternative treatments lacking evidence-based studies, can be challenging to treat.

How helpful is it to the treatment course, if the patient is knowledgeable about the treatment procedure, benefits, risks etc.?

It is helpful. However, while knowledge about one’s health condition and treatment can facilitate the doctor-patient relationship, constantly questioning every step taken by the doctor can erode trust and lead to a defensive medical practice, ultimately costing patients more in the long term.

How can a patient improve their knowledge about the treatment procedure?

It’s important that you refrain from watching unverified videos that are forwarded on WhatsApp, including other types of messages. These messages and videos lack any credible evidence, and the anecdotal reports they contain are of no use. Therefore, it’s advisable to avoid them altogether. Instead, discuss with qualified medical professionals, refer to authentic medical information sources like books by medically qualified authors and research papers.

How does medical misinformation act as a problem in the overall treatment procedure?

In an attempt to deceive people with diabetes into consuming excessive amounts of sweet fruits and raise their blood sugar levels, an individual conducted an experiment by mixing fruit juice in one blood sample and glucose in another. It’s apparent that the blood sample containing the glucose solution would show a higher reading, as glucose strips are incapable of measuring fructose and would consequently provide a low reading. However, this method is misleading and can lead to inaccurate results. Now, when people watch such videos, a lot of people believe it and start doing things which are harmful for their health. Therefore, medical misinformation is extremely damaging for people’s health.

A few advice that you always give to your patients…

Question claims, seek evidence from trusted sources, stay active and lift weights. This would be advice to everyone.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

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Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

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Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.

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Urmimala Sengupta
Urmimala Sengupta
A mass comm. graduate, she is a young aspirant who has keen interest in learning everything about digital media. She handles social media monitoring and Bengali content division at THIP.
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