Worst that can happen to medical practice: Expert slams "doctors" actor Samantha cited to back her alternative medicine advise

CHENNAI: A well-known hepatologist, who has made a name for himself by relentlessly taking on and busting medical misinformation, has doubled down on his criticism of popular actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu's recent social media post advocating alternative medical therapies, this time by "exposing" the "experts" who suggested those therapies to her.

First, a quick recap for those who are not aware of the controversy. In a recent social media post, Samantha - who has a whopping 35.3 million followers on Instagram alone, put up a post saying using hydrogen peroxide in nebuliser helped her and advised her followers to try that before taking tablets.

Understandably irked, Dr Cyriac Abby Philips shared the warning issued by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America against using hydrogen peroxide, and added: "In a rational and scientifically progressive society, this woman will be charged with endangering public health and fined or put behind bars. She needs help or a better advisor in her team. Will India's Health Ministry or any health regulatory body do something about these social media health influenzas damaging public health or will they remain spineless and let people die?"

After the post attracted criticisms from actual doctors like him, Samantha cited two "experts" to substantiate her advice: Dr Mitra Basu Chillar and Dr David Jockers and asked her critics to debate the matter with them.

In response, Dr Abby Philip did what he does best - a detailed take-down of the duo, explaining how their advice was found to be problematic by various experts and respected medial bodies.

"Dr Mitra Basu Chillar may have been a doctor and has the required registrations/certifications to show he is one, but at present, he is not. His clinic runs dubious, dangerous and non-recommended practices under the garb of wellness that are a waste of money, time and person," he said.

Dr Abby Philip then cited the examples of ozone therapy, IV cocktail therapy, IV vitamin therapy, low dose ketamine therapy, ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy, all of which were debunked by leading specialists and medical societies. "None of their treatments are effective or beneficial or border any close to being "preventative medicine" and is a huge scam, loss of money and in extreme cases, loss of life," Dr Abby Philip said, and added: "... someone must shut this shit show of a clinic down for public health endangerment."

Mincing no words about the second "expert" Samantha cited, he said Dr Jockers was not even a medical doctor but a naturopath. "The less said about this fraud, the better," he said.

Noting how Jockers was warned multiple times by the US FDA, the US FTA and many other health regulatory bodies for selling and promoting public health endangering products and services, he said, "Basically, he is plain simple fraud."

Reacting to Samantha's response that he should debate these two, Dr Abby Philip said, "I know how [these] 'doctors', the source of Samantha's medical information, will queue up to devour a chronic disease patient/family's vulnerability, ignorance, confusion and mental health state. They are not doctors. They are business men. They are the worst that can happen to medical practice. I do not have to debate such people."

However, even while reiterating his resolve to fight medical misinformation in a "vocal and brutally straightforward" manner with facts, Dr Abby Philip had a compassionate word for Samantha: "I understand and empathise with Samantha's health condition and I wish her the very best. I apologise if she felt uneasy or bad the way the message was conveyed. That was unintentional. My aim was her to leave behind medical misinformation peddling 'doctors' who are using her vulnerability, and catering to her anecdotal experiences, for their gain."