General practitioners in Brabant are concerned about the advice of so-called ‘health influencers’ on social media. This is evident from research by Omroep Brabant. Stefan van Rooijen, general practitioner in Asten and Helmond, is also concerned. Reason for him to set up a TikTok account and tackle the problem. “We have to accept that health cannot be ordered on demand.”
Many influencers promote nutritional supplements, for which you often have to complete a test to see which deficiencies you have and which ones
nutritional supplements you all need. During his consultation, Stefan is often asked for an extensive blood test to investigate deficiencies, for example in patients who suffer from fatigue. “But blood tests reveal a deficiency in less than 1 percent of cases. Especially if you have a healthy lifestyle.”
“Influencers are giving people a sausage.”
He also notices a lot of resistance to contraception with hormones, such as the pill. “Someone came into the practice and said, ‘I’m only fertile for three days, so why do I have to use contraception for the other 25 days?’ Yes, it just doesn’t work that way. Moreover, all kinds of contraception are possible, even without hormones.”
According to Stefan, influencers take advantage of people’s ignorance. “I see some of those people during my consultation hours with a lot of questions and uncertainties. On the other part of the people, the influencers and companies make money because they are presented with a sausage.”
“I understand why people fall for that.”
To combat misinformation, he started a TikTok account under the name ‘GP Stefan’. There, for example, he shares videos about the dangers of vaping, how you can lose weight in a healthy way and what types of contraception are available.
He not only wants to combat incorrect information, but also give it a positive spin on social media. “I want to show people that you can easily change your lifestyle by taking small steps.”
According to him, more and more people are opting for the quickest solution, i.e. miracle remedies. “People want to see a quick effect, preferably within a few weeks. The companies are responding to that. I now often see videos about sachets of powder that you have to take every day and then you get rid of your intestinal complaints. I understand. that many people fall for this, it is an easy and quick solution.”
“A pill, bag of powder or diet is not going to solve your problem.”
But according to Stefan, the health problems need to be tackled more at the core. “There are ten million people in the Netherlands with a chronic condition, which really scares me. That’s because we don’t have the basics in order. Many people eat unhealthy and don’t exercise enough. If you are young and energetic, you can compensate for that. When you are older and develop complaints, people start to adjust their lifestyle, but by then it is often too late.”
The problem, according to him, is that there is a lot of information about health, but people are not aware of it and do not live according to it. “A pill, a bag of powder or a diet will not solve your problem permanently. Investing long-term energy into your own healthy lifestyle will. However, that takes more time and energy and we are often not willing to pay for it.”