Thread by @gauravsabnis

Every week I get a demonstration of what a hazardous influence Whatsapp is for public health in india. This time, it was in a relatively benign context. A relative who is almost 70, went to a doctor because his family told him, your hearing seems to be getting really bad. /1

The doctor, an actual FRCS doctor, not a homeopathy or alternative medicine type quack, ran a bunch of tests and said, it's just age. Can't fix this with surgery. You have to wear hearing aids. They are very small and inconspicuous now. Hardly anyone will notice, I promise.

My relative was like, cool. Hook me up. Said relative is awesomely rare in not really caring log kya kahenge. Ordered the best hearing aids for both ears. Him happy. Family happy.

This is when Whatsapp groups, neighbors, relatives etc kicked into high gear.

"Is it really necessary? My uncle said he found it annoying."

"Why wear it in both ears? You can hear okay even by putting it in one ear."
(🤦🤦)

"I heard that hearing aids make your hearing even worse with dependence."
(Lies)

And so on. None of them doctors btw.

But on Indian Whatsapp, rules are different. The West has made such a big deal about having lots of Indian doctors that every Indian assumes he/she knows as much as doctors if not more. The confidence with which they will spout pseudoscience is unreal.

Thankfully said relative shrugged it off. But I know people who actually take these earnest but utterly unscientific health recommendations from whatsapp groups seriously in India. Sounding eloquent is more important than domain knowledge in health issues.

The bizarre or rather bizarro thing about indian whatsapp is that any pseudo science nonsense, from homeopathy to coronil, they become instant cheerleaders for, no evidence needed. But actual clinically tested modern medicine, they have a thousand "I heard that" objections. 🤷🏽‍♂️