Chris Raynor, an orthopedic surgeon in Ottawa, uses his YouTube channel, ChrisRaynorMD, to combat some of the noise on social media.Chris Raynor/Supplied
The joke used to be that falling down a WebMD rabbit hole would leave you convinced you had cancer, chlamydia or some other illness. Now, after scrolling TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube, you might be certain you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or falsely believe that lemon balm tea is as effective as Ozempic for weight loss. Both of these health topics are currently trending on social media.
Health misinformation has always existed on the internet, but social media has allowed it to run rampant. Vitamin C in high doses is a natural cure for cancer, eating chickpeas daily results in perkier breasts and poor sleep paired with a puffy face is a sign of high cortisol. These are just some of the false claims influencers deliver with confidence and charisma.
The issue of health misinformation is particularly worrisome in Canada, where the shortage of family doctors is pushing people online to seek medical information.
In a survey released earlier this year by the Canadian Medical Association, nearly one–third of respondents said they searched online for medical advice, and nearly a quarter said they experienced either a bad or adverse reaction or a negative health impact after following online advice.
During the pandemic, social-media platforms installed guardrails in an attempt to curb misinformation. Some of those measures have since been rolled back, such as Facebook’s fact-checking initiative, but other platforms are continuing to expand their efforts to amplify accurate content and credible creators. Meanwhile, more doctors are realizing that Canadians are turning to social media for health advice, so they’re joining in to meet patients where they are.
Siobhan Deshauer, a Toronto-based internal medicine and rheumatology specialist with more than 1.18 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, ViolinMD.Siobhan Deshauer/Supplied
Last spring, YouTube launched an initiative that verifies the credentials of creators making health-related content. Licensed doctors, nurses and mental health professionals can apply for accreditation, which allows for their videos to be highlighted in YouTube search results. Under each video, a blue badge identifies the creator’s bonafides. In addition to individual creators, the platform also teamed up with Canadian hospitals and institutions, including the Ottawa Hospital, McMaster University’s faculty of health sciences and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, to spotlight health content.
Garth Graham, a cardiologist and the director of YouTube Health, says the goal of the program is to ensure that evidence-based and accessible health content from credible sources is prominent on the platform.
“We’re seeing a transformation in the health care ecosystem,” says Dr. Graham. “Creators are making content and seeing their information reach people at scale. They’re able to engage in a way that takes science into people’s lives in a direct way.”
One of these creators is Siobhan Deshauer, a Toronto-based internal medicine and rheumatology specialist with more than 1.18 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, ViolinMD.
Dr. Deshauer first joined YouTube eight years ago to document her daily life as a medical resident. These days, she’s focused on creating videos that educate people, whether it’s explaining the early visual signs of undiagnosed diabetes, how to accurately measure blood pressure or the health risks of consuming nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, which has become a popular topic on social media. She sees her videos as a resource for those without family doctors, or for others to get the most out of appointments with their physicians.
“I want to help identify the concerning symptoms you might see on your body that would prompt you to go to a walk-in clinic, or seek help elsewhere,” says Dr. Deshauer. “Sometimes it’s difficult to know when to pull that trigger if it means that you have to be in the waiting room for a couple of hours. I want people to feel empowered to know when is the time they need to prioritize their health.”
Over the past eight years, Dr. Deshauer has seen more health content surface across social media, which is a double-edged sword: Social media provides access to health education – but also allows misinformation that’s emotionally charged and sensational to quickly spread.
Young Canadians specifically have trouble spotting misinformation on social media. In a survey of 18- to 24-year-olds by the Canada Foundation for Innovation from 2021, 52 per cent said they were not sure they could distinguish true content from false content. Seventy-three per cent said they follow at least one influencer who holds anti-science views.
Chris Raynor, an orthopedic surgeon in Ottawa, uses his YouTube channel, ChrisRaynorMD, to combat some of the noise on social media.
“There needs to be something to counteract what’s happening on the other front, which is non-medically trained people speaking authoritatively about stuff that they don’t really have an understanding of,” he says.
To his 678,000 subscribers, Dr. Raynor breaks down complex subjects, such as the current measles outbreak in Texas, the bovine steroid trenbolone that’s become popular with Gen Z teens or the underlying causes of declining testosterone levels in men. Dr. Raynor describes his videos as “edutainment” – a blend of education and entertainment – which he says is essential for keeping viewers engaged on YouTube.
“When my colleagues look at what I do, they kind of laugh and they think, ‘Oh, it’s not very important’ or ‘It has no impact,‘” says Dr. Raynor. “But one of the roles that we have as physicians is that of an educator, and that means I need to get my information out to as many people as possible. And with this medium, I can do that. It’s very effective and powerful.”
