I’m a doctor – podcasters have become a danger to public health ...Middle East

The health industry has been reshaped in the past decade with the surge in wellness and health influencers across social media. This has generally been a good thing: it’s helpful when patients are more informed about their symptoms. But as a doctor, I’ve noticed that the rise in podcasts and TikTok and Instagram videos misinformation is becoming a real problem in everyday practice.

Over the past year in hospital, I’ve seen patients who have eschewed treatment for thyroid disorders and type 2 diabetes on the basis of advice they’ve seen online from podcasters and wellness videos advocating for alternative methods. I have seen patients who want intravenous fluids, vitamin and supplement replacements, inspired by the rise in IV wellness clinics which many celebrities advocate – despite the risk of severe line infections and little 4d benefit in return if there are no deficiencies.

Likewise, according to my colleagues in paediatrics, many children are not being vaccinated due to parental concern about the longstanding myth that vaccinations are linked to autism. This of course has been debunked many times, but the likes of Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has appeared on many popular podcasts, has been reiterating this suggestion so often that it seems to have seeped into the minds of some worried parents.

Vaccination scepticism is hardly new, of course. There was a backlash during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many people feeling that their basic liberties had been taken away from them, which heightened conspiratorial beliefs against health organisations and scientific research. The difference now is that false information, quite like a pandemic, spreads rapidly to thousands. As a result, vaccination uptake remains below the 95 per cent target, and infectious diseases like measles have returned in the last few years. More generally, certain movements on social media are creating an environment of scepticism towards healthcare and medicine, and a sense that the health industry has lied to them about modern treatment.

These examples can be individually dangerous too. Eddie Abbew, former bodybuilder and psychiatric nurse turned TikTok health-influencer – with more than 1.6 million followers – once advised people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to stop taking their medications and simply change their diet, cutting out everything but meat, eggs, fish and salt (before potentially adding more things back in). However, without medical intervention, IBDs such as Crohn’s can lead to patients becoming incredibly unwell and at risk of severe complications. More recently, he claimed perimenopause is “a term coined by big pharma … to get women hooked on HRT”. With the menopause being such a taboo subject, especially in minority communities, this remark is not only incorrect, but also dangerous to already marginalised women in healthcare.

The fear for doctors like me is that patients will try these alternative methods first, without an evidence base or without consulting a doctor, and then present to GP or hospital later down the line when they are potentially more symptomatic and unwell than they previously were. I know that part of the issue is with GP waiting times being as high as they currently are – patients often feel forced to look to alternatives when they physically cannot see their doctor and end up following advice they see online.

The entrepreneur Steven Bartlett recently came under scrutiny following an investigation by the BBC into misinformation on his podcast, The Diary of a CEO. There have been various examples of his guests spouting nonsensical and unchallenged claims, the most worrying of which has been vaccine scepticism and the suggestion that ketogenic diets could treat cancer. (In response to the BBC’s investigation, a spokesperson for Flight Studio, Steven Bartlett’s production company said: “The Diary of a CEO is an open-minded, long-form conversation… with individuals identified for their distinguished and eminent career and/or consequential life experience.” They heard a range of voices, they said, “not just those Steven and the DOAC team necessarily agree with”.)

The Ultimate Human Podcast is hosted by Gary Brecka, a human biologist and ‘longevity expert’ who claims to know when humans will die. He also suggested that ADHD may be caused by an excess of folic acid in the diet, which is not supported by any evidence. Brecka, meanwhile, has more than two million followers on Instagram. He has been credited by Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), for ‘saving his life’.

White, who is closely associated with podcaster Joe Rogan and Donald Trump, is another popular figure whose influence is far-reaching. He once himself suggested that he “will never go to a doctor again about his general health” as they put patients on medications unnecessarily. This idea that doctors are somehow only trained to deal with symptoms is a common misconception that many in the wellness industry have latched onto and patients often now believe. In fact, doctors are trained in preventive measures as well as treating using medications.

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Joe Rogan could be considered the leader of the “podcast bros” pack. His podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, has more than 15 million followers on Spotify and almost 20 million on YouTube, and likely played a role in the outcome of the 2024 US Presidential election – with Trump himself thanking him for his endorsement.

Rogan has spread too many examples of health misinformation to even begin to list. The most recent was an episode with Mel Gibson, who is spreading the suggestion that Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug, can cure cancer. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest Ivermectin by itself can cure cancer, although research is ongoing. Meanwhile, the spread of these conspiracies – whether the ancient Egyptians being “the most advanced civilisation” to have ever existed, or Covid vaccinations altering your genes – are what Rogan thrives on.

In response to criticism of his podcast, Rogan has denied trying to spread misinformation, saying he “never tried to do anything with this podcast other than just talk to people”. He has also pledged to “try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives, so we can maybe find a better point of view”.

While it is frustrating to see the spread of misinformation from videos online, I don’t blame patients for being sceptical towards healthcare. Why shouldn’t they be? There are many examples of the health industry being abhorrently wrong – then trying to cover it up. The opioid crisis created by malignant pharmaceutical companies’, for example, has had widespread impact across the globe.

And on this side of the Atlantic, in our ‘beloved’ NHS, we have also had a plethora of health scandals and cover ups – the most notable of which being the infected blood scandal, where thousands of patients with haemophilia were lied to about the risks when receiving blood products in the NHS, going on to be infected with HIV or Hepatitis C. Clinicians and health leaders cannot advocate for patients to listen to us unquestioningly, without acknowledging the wrongdoings of the past. So I understand why people might want to proceed with caution.

Thankfully, most of the patients that I and colleagues meet in hospital and clinic are ultimately sensible enough to put their scepticism aside and listen to the advice of experts, not podcasters.

But without intervention from the government, increased health education as well as fact-checking provided by tech companies, the problem is likely to worsen going forward. Healthcare professionals need to work together with educators and policy-makers in order to make sure that patients are receiving the correct information about their health online and for patients to know where they should look to find the best resources.

Ammad Butt is a foundation doctor at University Hospitals Birmingham and a freelance writer

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