Doctors turn to social media to help patients where they’re at: online in a sea of misinformation

The joke used to be that falling down a WebMD rabbit hole would leave you convinced you had cancer, chlamydia or some other illness. Now, after scrolling TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube, you might be certain you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or falsely believe that lemon balm tea is as effective as Ozempic for weight loss. Both of these health topics are currently trending on social media.Health misinformation has always existed on the internet, but social media has allowed it to run rampant. Vitamin C in high doses is a natural cure for cancer, eating chickpeas daily results in perkier breasts and poor sleep paired with a puffy face is a sign of high cortisol. These are just some of the false claims influencers deliver with confidence and charisma.