How To Know If Your Own Doctor (Or A Doctor You Might See) Is A Quack

LOADING ERROR LOADING Last week, a group of medical professionals calling themselves America’s Frontline Doctors stood in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and insisted that hydroxychloroquine is a “cure” for the coronavirus despite medical studies to the contrary. The fact that so many Americans may have fallen for claims made by Immanuel and the other doctors ― most of whom are only debatably “on the frontlines” of the COVID-19 crisis ― without knowing much about their backgrounds or possible political motives is deeply troubling to Lydia Kang, a practicing physician and co-author of “Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything.” “I was incredibly fearful for the health of those people who would trust her for two reasons: Her thinking agreed with their own, and they were looking to a medical professional to substantiate their own beliefs,” Kang told HuffPost. “It’s very depressing how easily Americans bought into Immanuel’s message even knowing her history of bizarre claims.” - David H. Gorski, a doctor and managing editor of the blog Science-Based Medicine As unnerving as it was that so many Americans shared the video, it was actually a good thing that Immanuel has a history of using her platform to promote conspiracy theories, said David H. Gorski, a surgical oncologist and professor of surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine. “If the astroturfers had chosen a less disreputable figure, it might have been more difficult to counter the message.” That being said, Gorski added that “it’s very depressing how easily Americans bought into Immanuel’s message even knowing her history of bizarre claims.” Still, the fact remains that Immanuel does have a full medical license in Texas, USA Today reported pointing to the Texas Medical Board’s online records. For example, “All mainstream doctors have it wrong” or “I’m the only one who can help you.” That’s another major red flag, Kang said.