Inspired or frightened by health info you just saw on social media? Try this first.

The word "science" comes from a Latin verb "scire" that means "know." Knowing is certainty. It is different to belief, which means accepting someone else's opinion because you have faith in them and trust them.

This article asks us to believe "reputable journals" and those with "credentials." But believing someone because they graduated a name university or because their article was published in the Lancet is no guarantee of truth.

You just have to work it out for yourself.

This article asks us to believe "reputable journals" and those with "credentials." But believing someone because they graduated a name university or because their article was published in the Lancet is no guarantee of truth.

There is nothing that can guarantee absolute truth, but having a name and credentials is much better than nothing. And when that name is characterized by a professional treatment of the best available evidence that is as good as it can get realistically speaking. At least these sources have to deal with the consequences of making mistakes or repeating falsehoods.

You just have to work it out for yourself.

As long as you will put the time and effort to reach expertise in every single topic of your interest. Else this is terrible advice, there are people that make their living out of feeding credible lies for people that are "working out things for themselves" precisely because people in general lack the knowledge and capacity to recognize these lies for what they are.

"Doctor Mike" has a huge following: 13.4 million subscribers to his YouTube channel alone, and millions more on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Many very qualified doctors were blocked from YouTube, Facebook... because they did not follow the corporate narrative.

Many very qualified doctors were blocked from YouTube, Facebook... because they did not follow the corporate narrative.

Not at all they were blocked by lying for personal profit, a big part of the "qualifications" means doctors have a responsibility not to put their personal opinions above what has been proved by the best avaialble evidence. Putting in risk the health and life of patients because these doctors choose their personal benefit is a perfectly valid reason to block their ability to mislead the public or even to rescind those qualifications for unprofessional, unethical actions.

virusrexToday  01:48 pm JST

Many very qualified doctors were blocked from YouTube, Facebook... because they did not follow the corporate narrative.

Not at all they were blocked by lying for personal profit, a big part of the "qualifications" means doctors have a responsibility not to put their personal opinions above what has been proved by the best avaialble evidence. Putting in risk the health and life of patients because these doctors choose their personal benefit is a perfectly valid reason to block their ability to mislead the public or even to rescind those qualifications for unprofessional, unethical actions.

Do you seriously believe that?

Do you seriously believe that?

That is what actually happened, people died because of being mislead by unethical unprofessional doctors that were wrong the whole time. Some still repeat the same disinformation (in any outlet that lets them) well knowing that this cause unnecessary deaths. Ignorant "influencers" take advantage of the excuse of not being health professionals, doctors don't have this easy exit and should be made responsible for their actions.

The word "science" comes from a Latin verb "scire" that means "know." 

I've read it comes from the Latin word "scientia" which means "knowledge". I think there's an important difference - "I know" versus "this is how much I know".

That is what actually happened, people died because of being mislead by unethical unprofessional doctors that were wrong the whole time. Some still repeat the same disinformation (in any outlet that lets them) well knowing that this cause unnecessary deaths. Ignorant "influencers" take advantage of the excuse of not being health professionals, doctors don't have this easy exit and should be made responsible for their actions.

The exact same thing applies to the doctors pushing the corporate narrative.

But if what you say is supported by all institutions of science and medicine then it must be the truth.

The exact same thing applies to the doctors pushing the corporate narrative.

What you call the ”corporate narrative” is just the scientific consensus based on the best available evidence, you not being able to accept it as correct in no way make the doctors acting according to it irresponsible. That only means you believe yourself some kind of absolute authority. Evidence and a scientific approach is what actually proves somethin ”corporate narrative” is just the scientific consensus based on the best

But if what you say is supported by all institutions of science and medicine then it must be the truth.

Again, that means it is simply much more likely to be correct since it is frankly impossible to believe everybody is wrong just because you want to believe otherwise. When the evidence is there to prove something what you want to accept or not has no value.

Taking health info from social media and not actual doctors is completely insane.

Taking health info from social media and not actual doctors is completely insane.

Indeed, but social media has lots of actual doctors/scientists specializing in various fields who offer great content that goes against the corporate narrative.

Indeed, but social media has lots of fake doctors/scientists specializing in various fields who want yout to believe that actual doctors are liars in order to sell you their own pills

Fixed it for you, buddy.

What you call the ”corporate narrative” is just the scientific consensus based on the best available evidence, you not being able to accept it as correct in no way make the doctors acting according to it irresponsible.

What you call the "best available evidence" is just the data provided by studies funded by corporations, you not being able to accept the conflicts of interests in no way makes the doctors questioning the data irresponsible.

We've seen clear examples during the pandemic when many studies were proving the effectiveness of certain products, except for a few pharma-funded studies. And of course, you automatically wrote that the latter were better studies, without providing any valid reasons.

Taking health info from social media and not actual doctors is completely insane.

Indeed, but social media has lots of actual doctors/scientists specializing in various fields who offer great content that goes against the corporate narrative.

Indeed, but social media has lots of fake doctors/scientists specializing in various fields who want yout to believe that actual doctors are liars in order to sell you their own pills

Fixed it for you, buddy.

Yes, both real and fake doctors/scientists are on social media. One must be intelligent and discerning enough to understand the difference.

Indeed, but social media has lots of actual doctors/scientists specializing in various fields who offer great content that goes against the corporate narrative.

That go against the evidence available, which is very bad for the public but very good for the pockets of those "doctors/scientists" that openly lie for personal profit.

What you call the "best available evidence" is just the data provided by studies funded by corporations

No, that is just the typical excuse of antiscience propaganda groups that can't tolerate science demonstrating something they don't want to accept. It is impossible to believe the global consensus, with scientists of every institution of science in the world could be just because of a conspiracy. It is the same as flat earthers that blame supposed "important interests" funding false reports proving the earth is not flat.

Many different studies not funded by any corporations are included in things where science have a global consensus, so this excuse has no merit.

We've seen clear examples during the pandemic when many studies were proving the effectiveness of certain products, except for a few pharma-funded studies.

Retracted studies, works that were found out to include falsified or fabricated results "proved" only that authors had important ethical and professional defficiencies. Meanwhile studies proving the effectiveness of drugs that are dirt cheap (like the use of dexamethasone to treat patients) were published without any problem, this clearly proves that there is no hidden interest behind the consensus, just people that refuse to accept it and look for excuses.

Yes, both real and fake doctors/scientists are on social media. One must be intelligent and discerning enough to understand the difference.

It takes very little to do it, if the supposed doctor/scientist have been found lying before it is safe to ignore whatever it is being pushed. And if it is something that contradicts the global consensus and the "doctor" can't provide scientific evidence of the claim (and instead just excuses about a global conspiracy) then it is sure that is just a crank trying to get an easy profit from naive people.

I was assured by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC and the President of the United States (Joe Biden) in a public service address the if I was vaccinated with the Covid vaccine, I would not get Covid.

That was misinformation propagated by the government AND the main stream media.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-government-and-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-46a270ce0f681caa7e4143e2ae9a0211

BIDEN: “You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.” — town hall.

SNS isn't the only place where misinformation is rife

I was assured by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC and the President of the United States (Joe Biden) in a public service address the if I was vaccinated with the Covid vaccine, I would not get Covid

If you are going to ignore the opinion of actual experts and instead trust what politicians say about it then a great part of the problem is the lack of judgment and media literacy. It is not like experts were not clearly and accurately describing the pandemic and vaccines at the same time as layman sources.

Once again, experts that accurately communicate the scientific consensus are a much more reliable source than people without qualifications, they make much less mistakes and have a professional reputation to protect.

It is not like experts were not clearly and accurately describing the pandemic and vaccines at the same time as layman sources.

Silly me...I assumed that the President of the United States when addressing the public in the middle of a national health crisis would have been advised by a team of medical experts...before making public statements about the efficacy of vaccines that people were hesitant about taking....

My point being...SNS isn't the only place where misinformation is rife...it's also rife coming from the government AND the mainstream news