I hope you’ve been enjoying the sunshine this week? Hasn’t it made a difference?! I expect like many people I’ve taken to the garden, and have been planting plants, cutting grass, and trimming hedges. It’s very satisfying work, and rather nice to be outside and doing something different to my day job. Rather annoyingly however, all the garden work has triggered a flare of medial epicondylitis, otherwise known as golfer’s elbow. I had it a few years back, but thankfully not too bad this time around. I couldn’t quite remember the physiotherapy exercises to do, so went hunting online to find them. It struck me that there was such a lot of content, and so many ‘experts’ suggesting things, that it was all a bit overwhelming!
Where do you put your trust when it comes to online health advice?
This question was bought into sharp relief by an article that caught my eye this week. I am in the fortunate position of having a medical degree to inform my decisions, but former model Irena Stoynova did not. In 2021, the 39 year old was diagnosed with a form of cancer called non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and it was recommended she have chemotherapy. Clearly no one wants to hear this news, but in her case she took a rather drastic approach.
Searching online, she found alternative therapies recommended including a ‘juice diet’. For over 2 years she followed this, and also intermittent fasting, boiling herbs, and special teas. The person recommending the therapy had lots of online followers, and she was convinced this was a good alternative to conventional medicine. Sadly of course it was not, and she lost 20kg in weight and was on the verge of dying when she finally consented to conventional treatment with chemotherapy. The treatment worked, and thankfully her cancer is now in remission. She is now publicising her cautionary tale to help others who may be tempted to depend on rely on non-conventional treatments to think twice, hence me writing about it today.
I am of the view that complementary medicine does have a role, and I absolutely think that lifestyle changes can be hugely important. However, this should not be at the expense of treatments with significant evidence bases, recommended by expert doctors. A patient may of course choose not to accept recommendations, and indeed in scenarios where the impact is not life-or-death there is a lot more wiggle-room. In the case of my elbow, the reality is that many of the exercises recommended online are likely to be absolutely fine! I still however always look for reputable websites, for example with links to reputable hospitals or clinics. Good communication between healthcare provider and patient is key.