Tata Memorial Hospital director cautions Nithin Kamath on online health tips, says ‘don’t fall for random influencers’

After an X user gave health advice to Nithin Kamath, who recently suffered a mild stroke, the director of Tata Memorial Hospital flagged it.

Pramesh CS, a thoracic surgeon and director at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, took to X to urge Zerodha co-founder and CEO Nithin Kamath to avoid medical advice from ‘random influencers’ who lack scientific backing to support their claims. Kamath recently suffered a mild stroke ‘out of the blue’. He mentioned in his tweet that his ‘dad passing away, poor sleep, exhaustion, dehydration, or overworking out,’ can be one of the reasons behind the stroke.

Zerodha co-founder and CEO Nithin Kamath recently experienced a 'mild stroke'. (X/@Nithin0dha)

Read| Zerodha's Nithin Kamath reveals he suffered a mild stroke six weeks back

It all started when Nithin Kamath shared an update about his health on X. Many people extended their wishes to him, hoping that he would get well soon. Among numerous comments, Shankar Sharma’s advice to Nithin Kamath caught the attention of many, including Pramesh CS.

Take a look at the tweet posted by Sharma:

Several doctors disagreed with Sharma’s recommendations and expressed their opinions. Pramesh CS is among them. He quoted Sharma’s advice and wrote, “A thread that demonstrates how life-threatening social media can be. Please don’t follow random ‘influencers’ who don’t have true science to back them beyond ‘trust me, bro’.”

Take a look at the tweet below:

To this, Sharma replied and wrote, “There is plenty of science to back up all of this. And by the way, I am not an ‘influencer’. Alongside, he posted a screenshot showing that ‘Red Light Therapy for the brain is beneficial to patients who suffered a stroke’.

In a separate post, Pramesh CS wrote, “Zero true science to back this. Don’t fall for influencers without a science background.”

In yet another tweet on February 28, Pramesh wrote, “While some may have malicious or mercenary intentions, I largely believe in the inherent goodness of the human race and generally give the benefit of doubt that folks are well-intentioned when they give advice. But ill-researched ‘expert’ advice can do more harm than good. Beware.”

Not just Pramesh CS, but Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, Senior Interventional Cardiologist at a hospital in Bengaluru, also disagreed with Sharma’s advice, tweeting, “Neurology crying in a corner #MedTwitter.”

Here’s how people reacted to Pramesh CS’s tweet flagging the advice shared by Sharma:

An individual wrote, “And the confidence with which they dispense unsolicited unsubstantiated advice!”

“Both Instagram and Facebook are full of ‘cures’ for everything from diabetes to anxiety. I think they fall in the sweet spot between regulatory authorities, and escape scrutiny,” added another.

A third expressed, “‘Plenty of research’ is the new ‘trust me, bro’.”

“True. And when the patient is a senior citizen, it is worse. Because many already have a problem with taking too many tablets, and alternatives sound nicer. Like people checking the tongue and suggesting herbal powders for strokes or flower therapy. Sigh,” expressed a fourth.

A fifth commented, “Thanks for calling this out, doctor.”