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Traveling medicine shows and questionable or even harmful "medical remedies" may seem like a thing of the past, but there's plenty of its 21st-century iterations.

While MLM marketers are not promoting tonics of cocaine or opium, they are trying to convince people that essential oils will cure cancer.

Obvious pyramid-scheme nonsense aside, plenty of people on social media for some reason think of themselves as doctors and spread ignorance to whoever will listen. Just don't let all that BS seep into your brain. Instead, try to laugh at their ignorance; it can be quite funny!

Just scroll through the Twitter account Bad Medical Takes. It shares user-submitted screenshots of some of the most ridiculous misconceptions "online health professionals" have to offer. Here are some of them!

General practitioner, medical researcher, and founder of PrimeHealth Clinical Research, Iris Gorfinkel, M.D., told Bored Panda that social media and the Internet are not a one-size-fits-all. "On the one hand, it improves patient education and can improve public health. It brings people together who are in very wide apart places, so it overcomes geographical barriers... It's a tremendous educational tool for patients," Gorfinkel said.

Yes, it promotes awareness and encourages patient engagement, and it can provide quality information. But at the same time, people are searching online for the next big thing. "So what is more likely to be shared?", the doctor asked metaphorically. What is novel, she immediately answered. Or what is unusual.

Gorfinkel also pointed out a study done in 2018, published in Science by three MIT scholars, which found that falsehoods are 70% more likely to be retweeted on Twitter than truth. It also discovered that it took the truth about six times as long as falsehood to reach 1,500 people. This proves that falsehoods are simply alluring.

But even if many of us know not to trust what uncle Bobby is saying about vaccines on his Facebook page (I hope), reading a scientific paper can be really challenging and time-consuming. "I think there are some websites that are fairly trusted," Gorfinkel said. "Medscape, for example, tries to bring information to people in their own language. It's not perfect, but it is available in German, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. Then there's WebMD, MedlinePlusDrugs.com. There's a whole bunch of these websites that are actually quite good."

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For the so-called orphan conditions — diseases that are so rare, there isn't enough resources on them — Gorfinkel suggested Orpha.net.

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Helen Haley
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At least it was a polite way to inform you of their stupid. Makes it easier to avoid them.

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If you are still concerned about the validity of a certain piece, you will probably have to inspect it yourself.

What is to stop any doctor or professor from writing an opinion piece? Nothing, but this is where peer reviews come into play. "That's where other doctors and professors who have nothing to gain from what's published, look at the paper and say, 'Yes, this is actually true.' So look for things that are peer-reviewed, look for at least an editorial board. Again, that's a safeguard to prevent any one person's opinion from becoming a fact because peer reviews and editorial boards keep doctors in line in terms of making sure that what is said is accurate," Gorfinkel explained.

The sources that Gorfinkel mentioned earlier, like WebMD, publish some research studies that require huge funding. So looking at the funding source matters too — is there a conflict of interest?

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Of course, when a particular paper was written is important as well because, as Gorfinkel highlighted, what may have been relevant, say for COVID-19, even in 2020 is, for the most part, not relevant at all in 2021.

Generally, when you notice medical information online, it's probably best to approach it with caution. "If there is a promise of a miracle cure, that should ring alarm bells big time," Gorfinkel said. "A lot of complex problems, including depression, anxiety, hair loss, acne; a lot of these problems are actually complicated, and they don't have one single solution. This is especially true when things promise very quick answers, and often at a price."

It's always a good idea to run these ideas by either your family doctor or a pharmacist before investing in them.

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I I
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

really ? this has to be a troll , people are not this dumb are they?:?

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Lauren Caswell
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And don't forget if we get on new fangled things like trains, our uteruses fly right out of our bodies. Also apparent they can wander round the body, so make sure your uterus isn't in ur armpit if you are planning kids y'all!

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Daniel Mattock
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“I’ll make your uterus shake” is the chat up line we all need.

justinjpatel avatar
Justin Patel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hey baby, I can make your uterus shake ;-) My new pickup line if I was single (and wanted to stay single lol)

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Gareth Graham
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No. When they're laughing, they have their eyes shut. That really helps us out

justinjpatel avatar
Justin Patel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes. Helps me a lot. But then I open my mouth and they remember all of my unattractiveness

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Sofie
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, and my ovaries are like maracas when I listen to love songs a la Ed Sheeran

laurencaswell4 avatar
Lauren Caswell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

😂 that gave me the funniest mental picture of a person carefully dancing so as to keep her ovarymaracas sound effects in time to the music, thank you for making me laugh!

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Tiny Dog
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is that similar to the “Wandering Uterus Syndrome” that used to be blamed for all female problems?

kaching12 avatar
Yort
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or like how women weren’t allowed to ride horses in case their uterus fell out? Wait, maybe that’s what you’re talking about.

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blugeagua
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So all the men who like funny women have their d***s fall off?

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Seabeast
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I allow mine to wander the neighbourhood late at night, stealing socks and gloves.

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John Topper
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well dang. My decade and a half of experience in medicine be damned. If tictoc says it's true ... Hey you guys remember when we got yelled at for using Wikipedia because it isn't well enough curated? Yeah, good times.

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willy van de paverd
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh dang my husband is super funny now i know why i like him its my raging hormones trickling from my wobbly uterus

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Kristin Ingersoll
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Probably the same (or decendents of the same) guys who said women shouldn't ride on trains because their uteri would fly out.

blbrightonoswin_1 avatar
Brian Bennett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why o why is this generation getting medical advice from TikToc and not medical people!

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Xylle Flora
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, I as an aromantic person totally and completely feel attracted to some random guy who makes jokes because of my uterus

nkysunnyfunny avatar
Sonya Jersey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, it's called Shaking Uterus Syndrome. All shaky uteri unite!!

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mulk
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's why women like to sit on the washing machine?

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David carro
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So, the hormones released (to the atmosphere it seems) will magically make him more atractive, loke some sort of spell potion? And do testicles release the same for her when shaken?

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Me
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So that's why girls like horses so much, those uterus shakers.

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Hollysmom
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Getting your education from Tik Tok...always a good idea.

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Brett Connor
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is part of the Hormone release when excited. This is true. Shaking when excited changes things

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Anon Anon
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just hate it when I laugh so much, my uterus cracks from shaking violently.

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Guðrún Sveinsdóttir
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Usually I laugh at guys I don't know because they act stupid. I'm attracted to guys who are not dangerously stupid.

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Heidi I
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being a gyn nurse I can tell you shaking uteruses are no joke. We try to do transvaginal ultrasounds, but can't get a clear picture of the darn uterus, cuz the thing keeps bouncing up and down. So dear men, please stop being funny, it makes my job nearly impossible.

nfrlprdpr avatar
Mazer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Once thought a uterus would fly out of a woman if she rode a train…Where do people come up with this stuff?? Don’t answer that

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Sarah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She gets all her medical info from TikTok. Be afraid.

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MiaOokami
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is partially true. Except it only happens during a certain "period" every month, and the hormones are released from your body entirely. It doesn't make people seem more attractive. It just makes you annoyed because you know you probably just ruined another pair of underwear.

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third molar
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think these people are dug out from deep underground like orcs in LOTR!!

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Bobby
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok, this one could be from the 1800's.... Your uterus is in the wrong spot or moving and that causes your depression!

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Linda HS
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just read this to my husband…He laughed, but my uterus was not shaking….Oh, wait! I don't have one, but my hubby is still very attractive!

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Renee Letkiewicz
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

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denzoren
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So would it be better if I ask a girl out while she's playing jump rope? Or while on a treadmill?

552d2491ab9c0 avatar
Rachel Peterson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Riiiiiiight, 'cause all the most accurate data on biology comes from TikTok.

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Curry on...
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know why, but I thought of the song, "My milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard."

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Kari Panda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

By that logic, women would also love driving over cobblestone pavement on a bike, sitting on an old spin-dryer and similar :/

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Doctor Gorfinkel also added a very important piece of information: the United States and Canada do not monitor natural products. "Whether or not it's made in trusted countries, understand that they generally will fall under a separate category that does not have to fulfill the requirements of standard drugs."

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This can become a problem because there's really nothing to stop natura-ceuticals and that includes the entire vitamin industry and the mineral industry. "There is no one to police what's in that stuff. And for the most part, there's no one there to pull it off the shelves," Gorfinkel explained.

"Moreover, these products tend to be some of the highest profit margin products available in stores. Often, they're placed right next to the normal pharmacy so that people can 'self-medicate.' But much of that has no evidence base whatsoever."

Because no one's watching, the potential for having these products adulterated with potentially toxic elements is very high. This is true for the probiotics industry as well as the prebiotics industry.

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I I
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

what do i get every year ? are they putting fresh trackers in my arm ? or magnets ?

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"I don't think people realize what's happening," Gorfinkel said. "There was a study done in the United States where they went into Walmart, and pulled off natura-ceuticals just off the shelf, and found that there was no correlation between what was on the label and what was actually in the bottle."

When experts checked probiotics in Toronto (this was the Department of Family Practice at the St. Michael's Hospital), they just took 12 random things off the shelf, gave them to the microbiology lab, and found the same: no correlation between what was promised to be in the bottle and what was actually in the bottle.

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"So if there are promises that sound too good to be true, bottom line, they probably are," Gorfinkel said. And this sadly applies to more than just online medical takes.

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qwerty
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Alright. I never liked PETA, to put it mildly. But I thought that even they would be above this udder bullshit.

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qwerty
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can just imagine this person at the doctor. "Doctor, I have a problem." "Oh, what is it?" "I keep getting my period." "How often does it happen?" "Every month! Can you believe it?" "Ok. So, we're going to refer you to the psychiatric ward."

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Chris Wade
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was this tweeted in 1860 or something? Cause, boy, have I got news for you, Andrea.

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Helen Haley
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do incels post everywhere, or is there just an alarming number of them?

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qwerty
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This isn't just a scientific error. It's also a mathematical error.

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Sonya Jersey
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

wait until you find out that you can die from badly infected and untreated teeth

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Eslamala
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some people should get sterilized as a favor to the rest of the world.

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tiari
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, at least this one is not *completely* wrong. He is just wrong about the amount of water needed for that, there is no risk with your normal everyday amount.

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Monday
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wish the vaccine could be sexually transmitted...would be so much easier to vaccinate more people with a limited supply.

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Anyone-for-tea?
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

WT absolute F? I feel sorry for her daughters having such a hateful, uninformed mother. And poor Taylor Swift, not that I think she would have seen this, but it reminds me of Ellen trying to shame her about her rumoured relationships, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

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I I
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yeah , no wonder people wont get the vaccine with these dumb tw@s out there

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mulk
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, because women have more DNA in common with princesses and unicorns

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earringnut
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's an unpopular opinion because most people have a post dark ages level of education.

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Sofie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have brown eyes which is a darker colour which is strong like espresso, which means that I'm never ever sick. Well, starting now.

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