344: Navigating Healthcare Misinformation in the Age of Social Media - Dr. Geeta Nayyar - ON AIR WITH ELLA

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344: Navigating Healthcare Misinformation in the Age of Social Media - Dr. Geeta Nayyar

Episode 344 • 30th May 2024 • ON AIR WITH ELLA | women's wellness, mindset, motivation • Ella Lucas-Averett

DR. GEETA: 00:00

And what's happened in healthcare, particularly in the social media space, is we've allowed misfit propagating disinformation to profit off of consumers in the spirit of saying, be healthy, buy this, buy that. And what we have to do as consumers is start checking the source.

ELLA: 00:17

You are talking with someone today who is absolutely pro the democratization of healthcare knowledge and it's wide dissemination now where we're not utterly reliant on the guy in the white lab coat who went to medical school 40 years ago. Welcome! You're on air with ELLA , where we share simple strategies and tips for living a little better every day. If you're interested in mindset and wellness, or healthy habits and relationships, or hormone health, aging well, and eating well. Honestly, if you're into just living better and with more energy, then you're in the right place. Welcome to real, honest, no-fluff conversations about creating a better you. You'll hear interviews with experts and loads of conversations to help us take small steps toward a better version of ourselves. We're not here for perfect. We're here for a little better every day. Let's go. Hey, you're on air with ELLA and I am joined today by Dr. Geeta Nayyar. Hey, Dr. G, how are you?

DR. GEETA: 01:21

I'm doing well, ELLA . Thanks so much for having me.

ELLA: 01:23

Absolutely. We've never talked about what we're talking about today. Not really in any kind of depth at all. So I'm totally stoked to have you here. But before we jump in, would you please tell everybody who you are and what you do?

DR. GEETA: 01:34

You bet. Well, I am a physician by training, but I've spent most of my career as a healthcare executive primarily in the technology space as the chief medical officer to a variety of companies. But most recently, I am the author of the book, Dead Wrong, a now Wall Street Journal bestseller and USA Today bestseller on the topic of myths and disinformation in health in this era of new technology. So thrilled to chat with you and can't believe you've never talked about this before. Why not, ELLA ? Why not?

ELLA: 02:03

I've probably been out here purporting disinformation.

DR. GEETA: 02:06

Oh no, I'm sure that's not the case. Talk about it.

ELLA: 02:12

Yes, you are the rare breed, Dr. G, of MD, MBA. I always find that as somebody who's just an MBA and went to school with a couple of MD, MBAs, I find that accomplishment worthy in its own right. What was that like for you?

DR. GEETA: 02:29

Pretty intense and pretty expensive. Intense, expensive. But, you know, really, really worthwhile because I think that's how complicated healthcare has become. And so many physicians like myself who decide to get an MBA, that's why we do it because we say, look, there are so many forces making the decisions in healthcare, whether it's insurance companies, policymakers, life sciences companies. And ultimately it's about the people who see patients that really understand the system. And so if you can get those things to align, I think you're just that much more powerful as a physician or a healthcare leader.

ELLA: 03:03

You say health care is about people. When companies overlook that, they run into trouble. I could not agree with you more. You are not talking today to predominantly a health care practitioner audience. Can you share your sort of general thesis here before we jump in and sort of calibrate us to the subject at hand?

DR. GEETA: 03:24

Sure. Well, first of all, we are living in a really exciting post-pandemic time. If I think about where we are today, what we should have learned during the pandemic and where we can take those opportunities as consumers to remember, it's really was a reminder during the pandemic that health is well, right? And the everyday consumer is asking themselves, how can I be healthy? And what, what watch can I buy? What ring can I buy? Right? So much so that we're willing to spend our own dollars out of pocket, nothing to do with insurance to measure that step, measure that mood, measure whatever it is that makes us feel like we're taking control. of our health. And the reality is you should not need an MD or a PhD to understand your health or to navigate the system. And so the book really goes through the era that we've lived through. And it's really a look forward to say in this era of artificial intelligence, in this era of social media, in this era where the consumer is demanding more from their healthcare, demanding more from their employers who offer the healthcare, how can healthcare finally meet the consumer where they're at And how can the consumer also be a better advocate for themselves or their loved ones to get the health care they need and deserve? But the bottom line is we have ignored misinformation for a long time. The stakes were really high during the pandemic, but they've always been high in health care, whether you're talking about diabetes, fertility, HIV AIDS. The book actually starts out when I was in my training during the HIV AIDS epidemic, where it was very similar stakes and we were getting the facts wrong. Consumers were confused. These things are so preventable, right? The biggest sadness to any physician is when you see a preventable death, right? It somehow seems more tolerable when it's something you couldn't prevent. But this is about getting the facts right to stay healthy. And it really is a message around prevention more than anything and how not to become the victim of of actually taking care of your own health. Because I know so many people who wake up and take 25, 30 supplements that they don't need and spend all kinds of money on stuff they don't need, but they think they're being healthy. They think they're being healthy. And so how do you actually meet the consumer where they want, but also in the most effective ways, in the most powerful ways for their health?

ELLA: 05:42

Yeah, so the book that you wrote is Dead Wrong, Diagnosing and Treating Healthcare's Misinformation Illness. And a lot of what you do, if I'm understanding correctly, is you help leaders in business and in the medical sector, et cetera, et cetera, and beyond, I'm sure, take a human approach to innovation, including rapid advances in AI, in artificial intelligence. But what I want to talk with you today is more, again, like I said, on sort of the layman's level, if you will, deprogramming misinformation in healthcare in the age of social media, where so many of us actually are getting a lot of our healthcare education, deep dives into specific conditions. I know a lot of women who would be nowhere in their perimenopause journey Dr. G, without access to social media. So you are talking with someone today who is like absolutely pro the democratization of healthcare knowledge and it's wide dissemination now where we're not utterly reliant necessarily on the guy in the white lab coat who went to medical school 40 years ago. So I think there's a huge amount of progress here, and there are a huge amount of risks associated with it. And that's why I'm just so keen to talk with you about this. Tell me something. When you look at healthcare advice popping up in the ether, in TikTok, Instagram, social media, and the like, what are some of the worst offenders?

DR. GEETA: 07:14

Well, look, first of all, I am also very much pro democratization of healthcare. To be clear, that is the whole point. But in a safe way, right? Because social media is certainly not inherently bad. I think it's a tool we need to use more in healthcare, right? And what's happened in healthcare, when we don't, as healthcare leaders, own the narrative or meet the consumer where they're at, those that promote myths and disinformation. To be clear, the definition of myths and disinformation is misinformation is simply you got the facts wrong, kind of like a rumor. You thought it was right. You told somebody else, but you didn't actually know the facts or check the facts. Disinformation is spread by those who are intentionally trying to manipulate the masses for some kind of profit, whether it's financial, political, religious, whatever it might be. And what's happened in healthcare, particularly in the social media space, is we've allowed misfits propagating disinformation to profit off of consumers, right? In the spirit of saying, be healthy, buy this, buy that. And what we have to do as consumers is start checking the source. Right? So there are any number of influencers that I even follow, both from my specialty and other specialties, but you know what? I know who they, one, I've either met them. I know who they are. I looked up to see if they're an actual physician, an actual expert in their field, right? So you've got to look at the source. You've got to make sure also that the advice they're giving can often be general advice, right? So it's not personalized or customized to the way that you would simply follow an influencer in the legal field. or in the accounting field. They're going to give you general advice, but very different than if you go to your actual accountant, your actual lawyer, and you say, hey, these are my particular set of assets or my particular situation. So remembering, these are never to replace actually having a physician or someone who has a relationship with you that isn't just giving you personal advice, but is also accountable. When I give my patients advice, I'm accountable if they have a side effect. I'm accountable if something goes wrong. And when they go, if something goes wrong, I do want them to call me and I want to pivot our treatment decision and pivot our diagnostic decision. So making sure that it's not, it's not replacing the personal patient physician relationship. That's really when a lot of these sources. can go Ari, but two, when you're looking at the facts that are being promoted or the facts, quote, air quotes, right? Making sure you're cross-referencing that, right? Is that a fringe? Is this person giving you fringe, outlying advice, or is that consistent with what the field is saying, right? Looking at the language, is it overly promotional? Is it overly, you know, does it sound like marketing? Does it sound, literally, air quotes again, like they're selling you something? Often the language is very indicative of the fact that these are not facts, right? And lastly, trust your gut. Trust your instincts. Sometimes you'll just have this spidey sense. I say this to my daughter all the time. If your spidey sense tells you something isn't quite right, listen to it. Listen to it, right? Listen to it before you put your credit card in there. Listen to it before you subscribe. And if you're not sure, that's what you have a doctor for, right? Coming in and saying, I read this, I follow this person. Hey doc, what do you think? I often tell my patients, hey, these are the three people I follow for lupus, for rheumatoid arthritis. Absolutely, have at it. You should follow them. They make my job easier, right? So not being afraid to have a conversation with your doctor is also really important.

ELLA: 10:49

Yes, I think it's really important that you point out the difference and sort of the recognition that there is both misinformation and disinformation. Disinformation is typically with nefarious intent, right, and or capitalistic intent, which to me is nefarious when it comes to people's health care. So if you're selling me a skinny tea or some herb that's going to make me magically lose 15 pounds, that is disinformation in the sense that it displaces correct and accurate information. They know what they're doing. Then misinformation I've found, tell me you're the expert here, Dr. G. Misinformation, a lot of times I think, comes from passion, comes from a personal experience and isn't based on science. It's not shared with nefarious intent a lot of the times. It's shared because it's based on an N equals one experiment. And I've certainly done that, by the way. And many, many of us have where you're like, listen, this worked for me. I want to preach now from the mountaintops and share what worked for me. The responsibility and the accountability falls on the speaker in that case to say and to acknowledge that this is an experience and that it's not science. What would you say to that?

DR. GEETA: 12:02

That's exactly right. And or just getting the facts wrong, right? You heard it was supposed to be once a day. The reality is it's supposed to be twice a day. You got it wrong and you spread it, but it was not with any sort of, like you say, malice or, you know, malintent. And that's just, and I call that the rumor, right? You heard such and such and you thought it was true, so you passed it on. You know, one of the things consumers also need to understand is we play a role when we pass on something. Right. And we're not sure if the facts are correct, or we're not sure if that TikTok influencer is real or legitimate. We're actually contributing to misinformation. Right. So that's why it's also important if you are going to pass it on to ask yourself, am I sure of this? And I think we all feel that way about rumors, right? If you don't have something nice to say, if you're not sure, what did mama say? Mama said, don't tell anybody, don't pass it on. Don't be part of the problem. And this is very similar when it comes to your health. And I like the way you said that, right? To also, if you do want to share an experience, whether you're a pediatrician, you're OBGYN, whatever your personal experience might be, women tend to do this more, is that this was just my experience, right? This is not meant to be a blanket statement, good or bad, because sometimes we all might have a good experience, we might have a bad experience, but being mindful of that caveat.

ELLA: 13:18

I was looking into some of the current research on this before we spoke today and one article, I'll link to everything that I mentioned today, but one article said that looking specifically at TikTok posts about liver disease, this was just a very specific project of theirs, Looking specifically at TikTok posts about liver disease, the researchers found that 40% of videos contained medical misinformation, usually with posts pushing fad diets, detox drinks, herbal remedies, or some other solution that you could conveniently buy at conclusion of said video. So I would love to know what rises to the top for you in present day times when you are looking at social media and you're seeing misinformation abounds. What rises to the top for you? What should we be particularly aware of or conscientious of?

DR. GEETA: 14:11

I think number one, if you're being asked to buy anything, whether it is a product, supplement, subscribing to something that is a monthly $4.99, $5.99, and there's no small amount of money because most of these things are in perpetuity, which means they're not actually a small amount of money, but two, you're now hooked and they've kind of, it's a little bit like brainwashing, right? This is now you're a subscriber and you think it's innocent enough, but now you're overly relying on this one source. in the absence of, again, that true physician partner and or balancing it out, right? So I also say follow a few people because you might find that might be the flag for you is that there is a contradiction, right? Or you might actually see the similarities. Well, this one's selling me a supplement. This one's selling me a skincare routine. this one's selling this, that or the other, right? And so understanding that's very different than when you follow the Lupus Foundation, very different than when you follow the Arthritis Foundation and knowing the difference and also asking your docs, what are the sources either you recommend for me at the consumer lay audience language and or doc, just what do you follow? Even if it's not quite at my level, I want to know who you follow and what you're reading, right? And I have those conversations all the time with patients, and I'll say that. Look, I follow these three rheumatology influencers. I'm not sure you're going to understand the p-value and the different metrics and ways we talk about public health data, but I have no reason not to share that with you, right? But in complement, I would say, hey, these are the best three resources for you. Do not go to Dr. Google. Dr. Google will scare the hell out of you. But the truth is, I want you to be informed. And what we know most importantly out of all of this, ELLA , is when patients have a good partnership with their doctor, and they are actually informed, you can take better care of yourself and truly be a shared decision maker. Right? So coming into the office and saying, Hey, doc, I read about these three side effects. I'm concerned about them. Here's why my grandmother had this. My mom had this. And I can say, Hey, you know what? There's a really so glad you read this. Let me explain to you why I think these three issues are not a problem for you. Or given that you shared that about your family history, actually, you're really right. And we need to pivot to this, that, or the other. So doctors, I think a lot of patients don't understand this. We love when you read. We love when you're informed. We can have a more intelligent conversation and much faster, right? Instead of six visits later, we're able to have the conversation sooner and faster about therapy. But it actually drives outcomes. Patients who understand their diabetes, patients who understand their high blood pressure, they do better. They're more compliant with their medications, their treatment regimen. So I love when my patients are informed. We are definitely not living in a world where doctors don't want their patients informed. What makes our lives harder is when consumers are misinformed. And they come in and they say, hey, I was told to eat these three, five jujubes and then take this, you know, take this tea, this 25 ounce tea that gives me diarrhea, right? Now you've got electrolyte imbalance. So we don't like patients who are misinformed and disinformed. It makes our job that much harder to get to the facts.

ELLA: 17:24

I want to play devil's advocate on three points. And I struggle with what you're saying because of experiences, firsthand experiences. And then, of course, I have a community of thousands of women, and I hear from them all the time. And so the experiences that I'm going to share with you are certainly not limited to me. The most predominant one, or the most top of mind for me right now, is that in medical school, many MDs Their education, their immersion into women's health is like 96% delivering babies. As I mentioned, I credit social media for spreading the word about menopause hormone therapy and debunking the erroneous conclusions of earlier studies that stopped an entire generation of women from getting the help that they needed. And social media is a big part of the rise in education and our community starting to communicate with one another. and there are several MDs leading this charge. And I don't know where they would be if it weren't for social media. So I'll pause on that one because so many of the women in this community go to their doctor and their doctor is, with respect, relatively clueless about what they're experiencing. And this is something I know, I know you know what I'm talking about because we are, we are in the same, of the same generation, Dr. G. Talk to me about this before we go any further.

DR. GEETA: 18:48

Look, I think social media is absolutely table stakes for these conversations. And do I think health care is equal? Unfortunately, no. And yes, the underserved community is often the one that gets left out, the black and brown communities and women and women get left behind. And we know this based simply on our clinical research. We don't have enough studies in all the right populations. So I'm I'm absolutely with you. But again, I think that's part of the progress. And I think people like you, ELLA , are part of the progress, raising the question. And then I would say to your listeners, ask the question of your doctor. And hey, if you like your doctor saying, you know what, I would follow you. I would follow you if you had a YouTube channel. I would follow you on Instagram. As healthcare leaders, we need to start doing that to do exactly what you're saying is to meet the consumers where they're at. So I actually think we need more real doctors on social media doing the things you're talking about. But they need to be paid for their time. And they need help. They need help from the hospital system. They need help from all of the stakeholders that they have to serve. But I think the more that consumers demand it and ask for it. Look, I have a 12-year-old daughter at home. I can't tell you how many skincare routines She is like, you know, following. And I actually told her there's this dermatologist and I said, this is a real dermatologist. I know them. And they are like a mega duper influencer. If you want to watch videos, these are the ones to watch. And I will only buy you stuff from this channel. So look, I get it. I absolutely get it. But we have to start making the science match with all the technology because what we don't want to do is undermine science, which is unfortunately what's been happening a lot more than the latter.

ELLA: 20:26

d we be looking these days in: 2024

DR. GEETA: 21:37

Well, number one, again, if you have a physician, you should start with your physician and asking them what resources they recommend. If you do not have a physician, I suggest you attempt to get one. It is always better to have a physician, a pediatrician, long before you're sick. So, remembering those are your top two resources. But then third, patient advocacy organizations. If you are a diabetic, the American Diabetes Association, If you have young children at home, the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are patient advocacy groups in every field, in every disease set, and their entire focus is on the consumer for that disease or that area of specialty. So not discounting them and also asking them the question, which is social media is where I go. Believe me, this is not a newsflash anymore, right? So who do you recommend Lupus Foundation? Who do you recommend American Diabetes Association? What is your handle? Right? Where is it that I should read the latest studies, but translate it? Because it's one thing to read a study, but the reason you go to a doctor or lawyer is to translate this area and field that you don't understand. Listen, I do not read law journals. I would not pretend to understand them. But, you know, going to a place that my lawyer might recommend the translation of that, or generally for this type of medical malpractice issue, where could I go? Asking those questions, but there are groups every patient advocacy group out there This is their sole mission is to advocate for patients in their specific tribe So being really mindful of that is important and look there are any number of social media influencers tik-tok influencers that are legitimate Looking for them, being sure they're real, being sure they actually practice, being sure they have a license. These are all things that you can be looking for. And again, looking to see that it's cross-referenced, that you're not following the one person who's always the outlier. But in fact, yep, that matches up with the ACP, that matches up with AAFP. Those are the kinds of people you can be rest assured, okay, this is somebody solid. solid media news outlets also remain a source for some of these things and some of the debate. Some of these are where they will play out the debate on XYZ guidelines, etc. And also look from a public health standpoint, the CDC. Your state and local governments, if you're in a state and local government or the issue happens to be a state regulated issue, these are all places where you're going to want to go. But ultimately you really want that personal partnership with your own physician. And I would even say, you know, look, in this age of virtual medicine, in this age where telemedicine is now very much a part of the ecosystem, it's really easy to set up a virtual visit, a 10 minute office visit on this topic of what should I read? Where can I go for XY disease I might have? And I really want to have a conversation about that. Set it up. Don't drive to the doctor's office. That's a perfect virtual visit to set up, which is just around counseling and education. I have one more point, ELLA , if I can. Look, healthcare in America is really employer health. Most of us get our insurance 65 and younger, right? Or 64 and younger are getting their insurance from their employer. So in demanding from your employer certain benefits, you know, you mentioned menopause, I would say fertility, specifically in women's health, understanding what those benefits are, virtual medicine benefits, mental health benefits. These are things you want to ask your employer, especially if you're looking for a new job. This might be the decision that actually helps you make a decision of whether you want to join a company or not. Your healthcare benefits are an important conversation to have with your employer, either current or new one.

ELLA: 25:13

Yes, you're talking to someone who's been self-employed for 23 years. And so I've heard this rumor of health care and benefits. I know it exists. I just haven't had a personal encounter with it yet. It's like my unicorn. But nonetheless, you mentioned looking at some of the more trusted media outlets, if there is such a thing anymore. Everything in our zeitgeist has been completely polarized at this point. Dr. G. But I have two more sort of skepticisms that I'd love your help contextualizing. And one of them is related to the media and to some of the sources that you mentioned. And that is the role that pharmaceutical companies play just undoubtedly in the US health care system, in US medical schools, in the marketing of pharmaceuticals to consumers. I'm a big fat skeptic when it comes to pharmaceutical companies and their influence on everything from FDA policy to what we see when we turn on our television. So let me ask you this. medical students increasingly subjected to pharmaceutical marketing throughout their education. And then my understanding, you're the one that went to medical school, I'm only related to people who went to medical school. My understanding is that that's just the beginning of a lifelong relationship. So how do I put my skepticism in context when speaking to a professional who is more likely to prescribe something to me than a natural alternative which do exist sometimes when natural alternatives or natural methods we can agree aren't very profitable for anybody. It is widely agreed that most adults in the Western world suffer from a lack of magnesium, a lack of vitamin D, and many of us would do well to have omega-3, 6, 9 ratios in perfect balance, right? And the world would be a better place. No doctor has ever told me that, Dr. G. Not ever. But I can get a prescription for anything, anytime. Help me see this differently.

DR. GEETA: 27:21

So, you know, we don't live in a perfect world and we don't live in a utopia, whether you're talking about business, whether you're talking about healthcare, whether you're talking about any industry. Right. And so I think the first thing is ensuring that you're truly informed, knowing the facts, making sure that the sources you're looking at are in fact factual, right? Because some of these things we have data on and some we still don't. Right. So. Ensuring that you're also very much on the right path. Partnering with your patient advocacy organizations. I can't state that enough. A lot of this is really happening at the patient advocacy level. And I would say that most consumers may or may not even be aware of those organizations, but they do this routinely in areas like menopause and otherwise. AARP also, right? So hitching your wagon to one of those organizations to have some power sort of behind you and some of their own studies and research that they might be behind. But I think finding the right doctor too, right? I'm not naive, and everyone is not for everyone. I mean, look, the number one question I get asked when I drop my daughter off at this school is, hey, hey, Dr. G, before you run out of here, Is there a female cardiologist that you recommend? Is there a female pediatrician you recommend for my daughter? We all relate to somebody that looks and walks and talks like us, right? And so finding that right doc, it might take some time. You may, you know, this is what second opinions are for, third opinions are for. You want to find someone who understands that that's your approach. Your approach is a holistic one. You believe in acupuncture. You believe in X, Y, and Z.

And I'll tell you, even with my own patients, with in the arthritis field there are all kinds of different supplements out there and what I often do even when we don't have maybe the solid research because we also simply can't have all the Long-term studies that we'd ideally want in a utopia, but to say look I'll I'm okay with you doing this from a do-no-harm perspective So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna monitor your kidney function. I'm gonna monitor your liver function Because what happens is a lot of these things can interact. And because we don't have the data, we don't know. So what I say is, look, we'll, we'll make a deal because this is what you want to try. I'm going to be transparent and say, I don't know, but here's my concerns. And so let's monitor, let's, let's partner and let's monitor. Other than you're spending money on something, if you're wanting to do that and that's what you believe in, you feel better. I, as your doc, don't actually have a problem with that. So there are many doctors like myself out there, but I think consumers also have to. advocate for themselves, be clear on their path. Because I can also tell you many stories of the flip side, where I have consumers who come in and just say, you know what, I read about this thing called Humer and Enbrel, or this neighbor of mine went on it, and then they got TV, and I'm not doing a doc. And then I watched them over 10, 20 years lose the ability to function. and become handicapped, their joints don't work anymore, and it's so preventable. But I wasn't able to convince them, right? I wasn't able to them to do the same, to say, look, we tried it your way. It didn't work. What about trying it my way? And we monitor for X, Y, and Z. And so it's a balance because on the flip side, we have people who die of preventable things or become disabled unnecessarily, and then we can't fix that. And so I think there's a balance because sometimes, particularly in social media, we over-index on the miracle the miracle cures or these cures that have no data. And we forget when we've got the data, there is an inflection point. Eyes wide open, whatever decisions you make, right? You want to have an eyes wide open approach.

ELLA: 30:41

Yes, I think what you're advocating for at the end of the day is an extremely common sense approach and one that emphasizes the value of partnership, again, like we spoke about before. And I get it. Like I have fallen prey. Yes, I want coconut oil and turmeric to solve every single problem that I have. Me too, ELLA , me too. I'm here for it. But I think it is so critical and a big part of the work that I do is I want to responsibly take what is out in the ether and serve it to my community and cite experts and or studies or both. In large part Dr. G that's why this show exists. Thank you for being a part of me being able to present a truly fair and an objective point of view because as I mentioned I definitely get excited about things and I want to share them but I want to share healthcare knowledge in the most responsible way that I can. So not perfect I'm sure there are a few shows I should go back and delete but we are here to listen and to grow. Let me ask you this though, what are our main takeaways today? If we allow that not all physicians are perfectly positioned and we allow that an enormous amount of the information that we see out in the zeitgeist is not serving us necessarily, what should we who are sitting in on this conversation today take away from this when it comes to improving or renegotiating our relationship with our health care providers?

DR. GEETA: 32:20

Well, first of all, ELLA , thank you for having the conversation. And that's going to be my tip number one, which is have the conversation and ideally have it with your doctor long before you're ever sick. And if you do not have the time to go into the office, set up a virtual visit. It's one of the quickest, fastest ways to develop a relationship and check out if a doctor is the right one for you. Number two, ask the question. I love to read. Doc, I love social media. Who should I follow? What should I read? Who do you follow? What do you read? Right? Three, patient advocacy groups abound in every disease and every specialty. If this is a chronic issue, particularly that you or your family member is dealing with breast cancer, diabetes, whatever it might be, join that patient advocacy organization and have the same conversation. What are the resources you trust? Where should I go? How can I help? What can I do to improve the movement for patient advocacy in this area, in this field? You mentioned menopause, perimenopause. There's so much attention being given to that area. I think it's high time. So joining that movement is critical. Lastly, if you have a certain philosophy on healthcare, if you happen to be into herbals, if you happen to be into alternative medicine, Share that philosophy earlier than later. If you haven't told your doc, they can't read your mind, sharing that up front and saying, this is my preference. I want to try this first, and then we can see where the data and where the experience goes. Lastly, I am always a resource to any of your listeners. I am probably very easy to find on social media or otherwise. I hope you enjoy the book. I hope you read the book. This is one of the things we can do to really help combat misinformation.

ELLA: 33:53

you've inspired me to share two things that work for me that I want to build on what you're saying with and the first one is I think that the community of particularly women in this case who are now speaking with one another who are saying look this was my experience with this doctor do you have a better recommendation for someone who can meet me where I am like That community, that networking, if you will, Dr. G, I think is changing the game. And this show is supposed to be an amplification of that. So, I mean, that's what inspires me. But the last thing that I want to say, it just occurred to me as you were speaking, is trust yourself. Like if a voice inside of you is telling you that this isn't it, or or can acknowledge when you're being seduced by something on social media that sounds way too good to be true. Like trust that voice inside of you that is also speaking truth into what your body needs and does not need. You bet. I love that. Dr. G, thank you so much. We will make it extremely easy to find you in today's show notes. And I just really appreciate you being willing to have this conversation with me today. Thank you. You bet.

DR. GEETA: 35:02

I'm happy to come back anytime. Thank you, ELLA .

ELLA: 35:05

Okay, if you enjoyed today's show, please share it with someone you care about. And be sure to check out our new YouTube channel and head to OnAirELLA .com for today's show notes. You can also learn about how to work with me there, OnAirELLA .com. And I would love to hear from you, so if you DM me on Instagram, I promise I will reply. P.S. All the links you need for us to connect are right here in your podcast app, in the description for today's episode. Check them out. Thanks for listening, a

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Join Ella in a candid conversation with Dr. Geeta Nayyar about healthcare information, mis-information, and dis-information in the age of social media.

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