Doctors don’t know what to do about wellness influencers but we dismiss them at our peril, writes Ranjana Srivastava, an Australian oncologist. To be a cancer specialist is to see the worst of harm caused by social media. Yet she has never changed a patient’s mind with outrage.
Patient Stories Highlight the Problem
One patient proudly announced, “I have completely stopped eating red meat,” despite being anaemic and malnourished. When asked why, she replied, “Because it dilutes my chemo — I saw it on Insta.” Another patient forsook all dairy, and a third wondered why his sugars were uncontrolled on a “hand-squeezed juice only” regimen.
Quirky diets are concerning, but life-threatening issues arise when patients heed influencers over qualified professionals. A case in point is the “ivermectin cures cancer” patient whom every oncologist encounters.
Who Are Today’s Wellness Influencers?
Previously, wellness advice came from Facebook groups. Today, patients watch Instagram and TikTok reels while their doctor keeps them waiting. A large study found that only 17% of conventional doctors, dentists, and nurses create health content, compared to 31% life coaches, 28% business owners, and a motley crew of chiropractors, authors, activists, and “functional” health practitioners. Notably, 16% offer no credentials, touting “lived experience” instead.
The Scale of Influence
Nearly 7,000 influencers in the study had over 100,000 followers each, and nearly one in ten had over a million. These numbers dwarf those of most doctors.
Why Trust in Doctors Has Declined
Trust in doctors has not recovered after the pandemic. Many people balk at medical bills. A few doctors damage the profession by violating the doctor-patient relationship, and doctors make tragic errors. However, doctors are governed by regulations, while influencers face no such constraints.
It’s one thing for an influencer to teach makeup or exercise but quite another to trust an unlicensed person on childbirth, depression, addiction, or cancer.
Who Listens to Influencers?
Half of US adults under 50 get health information from wellness influencers. Two-thirds of Australian teenagers do the same, and neither kids nor parents can distinguish fact from fiction. China has banned unqualified influencers from offering health advice. Yet the generation with the worst mental health is the most influenced.
Doctors don’t know what to do about wellness influencers. Some smugly assume patients will return to professionals, but given the rise of influencers, we dismiss them at our peril.
What Can Doctors Do?
Taking time to understand another perspective helps. Doctors should support professionally credible influencers. Institutions must educate people about the hazards of influencers as advisers, starting with posters in waiting rooms.
As an oncologist, Srivastava sees the worst harm caused by wellness influencers but has never changed a patient’s mind with outrage. Where she has had limited success is by explaining evidence, acknowledging medicine’s limitations, and leaving the door open. This may be the best way to be a wellness influencer.
