If you had $10,000 you wanted to invest, would you seek advice from a Richie Rich or Scrooge McDuck comic book? Likewise, if you were concerned about how you’re feeling physically, would you take to social media or ChatGPT for the answer?

Medical professionals are concerned you might, and they want to have a little doctor-patient chat with you.

ChatGPT – as ConsumerAffairs found out recently – is a big mistake, but it’s social media that could be creating a monumental health crisis. 

A study by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that one-third of the most popular cancer treatment articles online contain misinformation. Additionally, more than half of the top 100 most popular YouTube videos about ADHD had misleading information about the disorder.

Add to that, weight loss claims like the one promoting a magnetic bracelet for weight loss -- claims that were debunked by fact-checking organizations and health experts as having no scientific evidence.

True, these figures are not a comprehensive percentage of all YouTube advice videos that give out false information, but they do indicate that misinformation is a prevalent issue on the platform.

“In the digital age, where information is just a click away, social media has become a significant source of health-related information for many people. However, this convenience comes with a drawback,” writes Zara Nwosu, a self-described wellness enthusiast, for Medriva. 

“The prevalence of medical misinformation on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok is increasingly concerning. This misinformation is spreading at an alarming speed and scale, raising questions about the effect on public health and whether these platforms are equipped to address this issue.”

YouTube decides to address the issue

YouTube, for one, doesn’t like being lumped along with the others and has taken steps to address medical misinformation. It's partnering with reputable health organizations to create "First Aid Information Shelves" and prioritizing credible instructional how-to videos for handling emergencies. Those topics include:

• CPR

• Choking/Heimlich

• Bleeding

• Heart attack

• Stroke

• Seizure

• Opioid overdose

Don’t get sucked in

However, despite these efforts, the spread of medical misinformation remains a concern, as highlighted by Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and columnist for the Washington Post's Ask a Doctor section.

Answering a reader's question about social media-driven medical advice, she says this: “When you come across a health trend on social media, I suggest approaching it with some skepticism. There’s so much misinformation online, and I’ve seen plenty of people get caught up in fads that make doctors like me cringe.

“But at the same time, I understand the allure. Health trends are often pushed by influencers with some kind of health care, biology or nutrition background. They can make something dubious seem logical by walking you through data and concepts that appear rooted in science, sprinkling in buzzwords like ‘microbiome’ or ‘inflammation’ and referencing medical studies.”

And watch out for the 'supplements' onslaught

Pasricha also worries that 2024 is going supplement wild. You’re likely to see all-the-rage social media posts about Vitamin D, B12, magnesium, turmeric, and St. John's Wort – all of which can interact with medications and some may lack regulation.

Also, watch out for juice cleanses. She says those are unhealthy in the long run and lack fiber, cause blood sugar spikes, and therefore are not a detox. The better option there is to eat whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, lean meats, and whole grains.

There are three extreme fads that could make things ugly, too:

• IV vitamin therapy

• Colonics and wellness enemas

• Full-body MRIs

“Companies offering full-body MRIs claim the scans can detect hundreds of medical conditions, including cancer,” she notes. “But if you feel otherwise healthy, there’s no proven benefit to getting one. The MRIs are expensive — costing anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars out-of-pocket — and are not usually covered by insurance. They may also lead to unnecessary stress and testing.”

How? Here’s where it gets scary.

“Suppose you’re healthy and don’t smoke, but get a full-body MRI. The scan might identify a nodule that appears intermediate-risk for something scary like cancer, so you decide to nail down the diagnosis with an invasive biopsy. During that biopsy, you suffer a complication such as a punctured lung, which gets you hospitalized with a chest tube,” she said.

“But the whole time, the nodule was just a small benign scar caused by an old lung infection. This scenario can play out in a hundred ways that all doctors have seen.”