Why I decided to not attend Nepal Respiratory society conference 2025?

-
I am a super-specialist doctor. Hence, when I learned about the pulmonology conference in Nepal in September 2025, I thought of attending it since I was there for some other work.  But I ultimately decided against attending the Nepal Respiratory society conference. You will agree that 'the first impression is the last impression'. And my first impression about the conference and organizers, unfortunately, was bad.  Reasons: 1. Incomplete information on internet  No proper directions on internet. There was incomplete and wrong information.  2. No office When anyone makes a medical society or association, it needs to have a proper physical address, phone number, and email id. But this, Nepal respiratory society, lacked all of this.  3. Piecemeal information  Initially, the registration details had no details about registration for international delegates. Later, this was added. But again, there was improper info on it. At one place, the fees was 12k npr and a...
Post a Comment

Beware of health misinformation!

-

Remember the good old days when most of the time only confirmed and reliable health information used to reach you. Your source of this information was through academic journals, books, newspapers, brochures, booklets, pamphlets, or your doctor's and health organizations. 

But the growing social media platforms has created hurdles in the reach of genuine information to the masses. Instead what reaches them is health misinformation through social media posts created by people who have no knowledge about health. These are quacks operating. And social media helps spread this misinformation like fire. This is dangerous. It is playing with the lives of people. 

Read here: Politicians vs doctors: believe whom?

Most of this information is false and not accurate. It can be misleading. Sadly, even governments assist in spread of this misinformation. Most politicians these days are illiterate and shameless who boast about past and have no vision for the present or the future. Moreover, such politicians also do not put on hold or curtail the spread of wrong information because the person spreading it is their own man. For instance, Patanjali in India is owned by a person who has no knowhow about health. He has no degree in it. One cannot go to the forest and learn things. Can they? So this Patanjali products are sold with misleading ads thereby affecting people's health and also pinching their pockets. 


This misinformation is not limited to India. It is a rising global problem. WHO bulletin states that most of this misinformation is online. 60% of these posts are on COVID pandemic and 51% are on vaccines. I will like to add that diet and exercise related misinformation is also highly prevalent on the internet. 

The weak minded people with less information or access to reliable news fall prey to this health misinformation. These people may have lost faith on the corrupt governments or doctors. Many do not believe evidence based western medicine and tout for cultural and traditional medicines that may be not only be ineffective but also harmful. Hence the environment is conducive for dissemination of this false information. 

Such misinformation can foil attempts to contain certain diseases and epidemics. There are innumerable examples of this: COVID pandemic, Ebola outbreak in Africa during 2014-2016 etc. Vaccine take could reduce such as during COVID pandemic and recently in Pakistan people are avoiding polio vaccine and hence polio eradication still remains a dream there. 

Huntsman Cancer Institute, USA studied and found that 33% of the information on Cancer posted online was inaccurate. 

 Steps to take

Steps to limit the spread of this misinformation should be coupled with efforts to build trust of people in proven treatments. Dissemination of accurate information should be done fast before social media posts can damage or thwart the good efforts. 

Involve local leaders in it. Make reliable information online available for people. People prefer YouTube channel. Post accurate information on this channel for all to read or listen. Moderate wrong information. Explain why what is said is right and what the misinformation can lead to. Make people aware to watch reliable and scientific channels and understand the ulterior motives of people who disseminate false information. 

Speak in language that people understand and comprehend. Bridge the gap through local help. Be persistent. It is not a one day action. Only continuous efforts will pay off. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Color therapy-the ancient art of healing! Know the science behind it and its current status!

-
Image
  Color as a form of therapy is not a new concept. In it, electromagnetic waves in the form of the visible spectrum (that we interpret as colors) are used to cure various body illnesses. It is an ancient mode of therapy that is being reinvented. There are attempts to elucidate its scientific basis and explanation. This would help to explore and discover newer dimensions of this old remedy. Color therapy (Chromotherapy) Newton talked about solid matter and moving objects while Einstein found out that mass and energy are dual expressions of the same universal substance. It is the vibration rate of its molecules that determines its form. When slow, it is physical matter and when the vibrations are intense it is energy. Thus, light is an energy and when it interacts with matter, color is formed. Each color has its own wavelength, frequency, and energy level. And human eye is adapted to see only this energy that has a wavelength between 380-780 nm. This is therefore, the visible spe...
Read more

Small wounds on your dog-causes, symptoms and treatment explained!

-
Image
Most of the dogs that are kept as pets are extremely active and move in and out of the house. Only celebrity dogs or those whose owners are extremely wealthy lead a lavish life. The others due to their outdoor or sometimes even indoor activities might suffer some minor wounds. These should not be left unattended and need to be addressed immediately. These can be in the form of small cuts, scratches, or even bites. So how to take care of these small wounds on your dog pets?  Dogs and the causes of wounds Many times, your pet dogs might suffer some small wounds, cuts, and scratches. Dogs like children and play around with them. In the process, they might hurt themselves which is natural. This may be in the garden or lawns or while running around the trees or even while jumping.  Dogs and wounds [Source: Pinterest] The dog may also be playing around with another canine or cat in the house or outside and ends up getting a bite from them. At times, a dog walk through rough terrain ...
Read more

Loneliness is a growing epidemic especially during this coronavirus pandemic in the USA!

-
Image
  The coronavirus pandemic has increased social segregation and this has proven to be bad particularly for the elderly population. They are unable to catch up with their children and grandchildren and are finding themselves extremely lonely. They are the worst affected by the pandemic in terms of physical as well as emotional health. THE OLD AGE AND LONELINESS Old age is a time of loneliness for many people. Usually, people have lost their partners at that ripe age and depend on their children and grandchildren for support and to beat the loneliness. Though their younger family members used to occasionally visit the parents, now with the coronavirus pandemic this has become difficult due to the risk of the children carrying the infection to their aged parents and grandparents. So the visits have come down drastically and the contact remains only on phone or via digital technology. This though good does not suffice and cannot substitute the physical visits and the warmth that th...
Read more