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When it's normal to “Google” any-and-everything –even medical advice, how do we truly know if the source of what we’re reading and hearing is reliable?
In this episode we tackle the very important topic: “How do you find trustworthy information about your child’s health?” especially when health advice can be found at the click of a button.
Our expert guest is Dr. Alex Niemczura, a medical writer with a PhD in neuroscience. Dr. Niemczura has vast experience in evaluating scientific sources and knows exactly what to look for when it comes to finding reliable health information.
#medicaladvice #misinformation #CDC #NIH #goodsources #pediatrics #MAHA #vaccines #socialmedia #reliablesources
Have questions about today’s episode, or anything else related to the health and wellness of your family? Write us an email or upload a voice memo, to growingupwithdr.sarah@gmail.com and we’ll try and address your questions or play your questions on an episode.
Relevant links:
American Academy of Pediatrics: AAP.org
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/
Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/
National Institute of Health (NIH): https://www.nih.gov/
Center for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/
For peer-reviewed studies published in medical journals:
PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/
ABOUT Dr. Sarah:
Looking for a place to educate you and your family to live your best lives? Welcome to “Growing Up with Dr. Sarah,” where we take on and really talk about general health and wellness, parental issues, family matters, and real-life challenges that affect every single one of us. Being a pediatrician, while having a mother's perspective, has given me unique insight and experience on what we all need to do better to live healthier, happier, and stronger as individuals, and as families.
The success of the family starts from the top, and by helping parents and caregivers by addressing tough questions and everyday concerns we can all benefit from, including parents, grandparents, kids, or anyone who cares for another. So join me and some of my special guests: physicians, nutritionists, fitness experts, community members, coaches, teachers, even kids, and parents –and let’s all make a commitment to growing up together!
Check out previous episodes of “Growing Up with Dr. Sarah” at www.growingupwithdrsarah.com
WEBVTT
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[SPEAKER_01]: I also am aware that, you know, with the emergence of AI tools like chat, GPT, a lot of people are relying upon these sources to find medical information and I highly, highly caution against doing that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I've found that a lot of these sources often turn up with inaccurate information or even sources that don't actually exist when you go to find them.
00:26.709 --> 00:30.851
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you raising your family while also feeling like you're still growing out yourself?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Do you wonder if you are getting it right?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Or do you ask?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Where's the roadmap to your building?
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[SPEAKER_00]: You happy healthy life!
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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah!
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[SPEAKER_00]: She's a pediatrician and a mom, and she helps the whole family.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Hi, I'm Dr. Sarah Adams, a board certified pediatrician, but I'm not your pediatrician.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Feel free to use my podcast as helpful information, but in no way do I intend my podcast to replace the advice of your physician.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Your physician knows you and is in the best position to provide medical advice.
01:16.191 --> 01:21.796
[SPEAKER_02]: We live in a time when it's normal to Google, any and everything, even medical advice.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But how do we truly know if the source of what we're reading and hearing is reliable?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Welcome to another episode of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm Sarah Adams.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Today we're going to tackle a very important topic.
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[SPEAKER_02]: How do you find trust or the information about your child's health?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Especially when health advice can be found, we just click of a button.
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[SPEAKER_02]: With me is a special guest and returning friend to the podcast, Dr. Alex Nemzera, a medical writer with a PhD in neuroscience.
01:53.082 --> 02:01.510
[SPEAKER_02]: Alex has a vast experience evaluating scientific sources and knows exactly what to look for when it comes to finding reliable health information.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back, Dr. Nemzera.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for being here.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Hi, Dr. Sarah.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for having me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm happy to be here.
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[SPEAKER_02]: This is one topic that affects every parent, every grandparent caregiver.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm really excited to dive in.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Let's start with a big picture question, though.
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[SPEAKER_02]: In your experience, what do you think is the most common challenge?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Parents face when it comes to finding reliable health information?
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's a great question.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think one of the biggest challenges is just the sheer volume of information out there.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of noise, whether it's from social media, blogs, or even well-meaning advice from family and friends.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The problem is, not all of it is evidence-based or scientifically sound.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So parents often find themselves sifting through a lot of contradictory information, and it can be tough to know which sources to trust.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like information just kind of comes from every direction.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Like, let's talk about how parents can assess whether a health source is really trustworthy.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Whether you're looking for health information online or in books, what's the first thing parents really should check to determine if a source is credible?
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[SPEAKER_01]: The first thing I always recommend is looking at the author of the information.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Who's writing the article or producing the content?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Are they a recognized expert in the field?
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[SPEAKER_01]: For example, if you're reading about a pediatric condition, it's important that the author has medical training, preferably in pediatrics, or at least a background in healthcare.
03:30.627 --> 03:37.892
[SPEAKER_02]: It's such a good point that you make because anybody in anywhere can really comment, write, and I love that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I love that we have that freedom.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So another red flag is when a source really clearly doesn't say where the information is coming from.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So many sources say, oh, it's research, research shows or study suggests.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But if you don't see citations of references to scientific journals, which most people don't understand how to do that, that could be a warning sign.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Reliable health sources should always cite their references, especially when making claims about medical treatments or conditions.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And if you can't verify the information with reputable scientific literature, then it's a sign that the source might not be as credible.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you bring up such a good point.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And that's hard.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you and I know how to look at these resources and say, ah, that, you know, I don't believe that or I do.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So let's let's break it down further for parents.
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[SPEAKER_02]: What are a few sources that they should look for when they're looking for health information?
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[SPEAKER_02]: What do you as a mom?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Where do you go?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, that's a great question.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'd say the gold standard for trustworthy information is the websites of well known medical organizations.
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[SPEAKER_01]: For example, you have the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is also known as AAP and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also called the CDC.
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[SPEAKER_01]: These are both fantastic search sources for pediatric health information.
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[SPEAKER_01]: These organizations they use evidence-based guidelines, so you know you're getting solid scientifically backed advice.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And other sources that can be trusted, including include hospital networks, their websites, like the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And other websites like the National Institutes of Health.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And you can also look at peer reviewed articles from medical journals.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And to find these peer reviewed articles, I recommend using search engines like PubMed.com or Google Scholar.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And you can actually enter the key search words into the search bar.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And you can do a filter that looks at more recent publications.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then you can use the abstract, which is essentially a summary of what is in that publication to figure out if that paper is relevant to you or if it will be helpful to you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I always recommend not just reading the abstract because you can't really get a full picture of what that publication is about and how they did the science.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's always good to dive into the full publication.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But it's important to keep in mind that a lot of these publications are not written toward a general audience.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They're written toward healthcare providers and people with a medical background.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So they can be a little bit difficult to understand for someone who doesn't have a medical background.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But it's still just such an important, you know, way to get to the source of the information and to be able to distinguish scientifically sound content.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I also am aware that, you know, with the emergence of AI tools like chat, GPT, a lot of people are relying upon these sources to find
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[SPEAKER_01]: medical information and I highly, highly caution against doing that.
06:51.557 --> 07:00.164
[SPEAKER_01]: I've found that a lot of these sources often turn up with inaccurate information or even sources that don't actually exist when you go to find them.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, if you don't have a medical degree, it can be difficult to determine what information this real and what sources are real.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So, I just recommend avoiding
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[SPEAKER_01]: AI tools altogether and doing these searches in PubMed or Google Scholar if you are trying to look for medical journal publications.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I totally agree.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Words, I really appreciate your words about evidence-based and peer-reviewed, but most people like our neighbors and the moms that we are friends with and so I really don't understand that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm glad that you broke it down.
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[SPEAKER_02]: To explain that evidence-based means that it has been studied.
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[SPEAKER_02]: People have looked into it, especially for kids.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And peer-reviewed means that not just one person looked at this information, but several did that are in that field.
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[SPEAKER_02]: The American Academy of Pediatrics, as you mentioned, or AAP, and certainly the Center for Disease Control, the CDC is what most people are really two organizations that I turn to all the time.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And even within AAP, they have a wonderful resource I want to tell people called HealthyChildren.org.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And you can find a wealth of information that explains things.
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[SPEAKER_02]: It's all evidence-based.
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[SPEAKER_02]: There's resources that are noted in those sites.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it's so simple, you can read it quickly.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And then if you want to find more information, they always have resources.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So thank you for sharing that I think it's so important for people to know exactly where this is coming from and how to know whether it's reputable or not.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But let's take a moment, let's turn now to social media.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Wow, what a powerful tool.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And in the time, we're so many of us are using social media and using the platforms.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And we know a large majority of people are an Instagram and TikTok.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And as you mentioned, artificial intelligence, so grateful that you mentioned that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And even YouTube, what would you suggest to people when they're searching information across those platforms?
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[SPEAKER_01]: social media is such a tricky one.
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[SPEAKER_01]: On one hand, it's such a great way to connect with other parents and learn about new research and to stay informed.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But on the other hand, it's filled with a lot of misinformation and personal anecdotes that may not always reflect the science.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So when it comes to health advice on social media, it's very important to look at the credentials of the person sharing the information.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Are they a health care professional?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Or are they just someone who had a particular experience?
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's a huge difference.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And it's also important to click through their profile to see if they have an agenda of any sort.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Are they trying to sell you something like a course or supplements or essential oils?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because usually the most trustworthy sources on social media are not the ones who are directly trying to get you to buy something from them.
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[SPEAKER_02]: This is true.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I know a source like growing up with Dr. Sarah, right?
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it's very important that people understand that obviously social media is a great way to connect.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I love when, you know, I see families and people in these groups and sometimes I even try to join the group, so I'm
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[SPEAKER_02]: in tune with what's going on with families and kind of what they're struggling with.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it's interesting because they give each other advice.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And you're right, I'm glad you clarified that there's a difference between experience and somebody who really does have the education to give you those sources.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So again, a great community, great way to do it.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But let's, what are some ways to always double-check that the information is reliable and evidence-based as you said?
10:48.125 --> 10:57.211
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, of course, so one important thing to ask yourself is does this information make sense with what I already know from trusted medical sources?
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[SPEAKER_01]: If you come across something that seems off or too good to be true, pause and dig deeper, does the claim sound extreme?
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[SPEAKER_01]: For example, claiming that a particular herb or supplement can cure all childhood ailments.
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[SPEAKER_01]: That's a very extreme claim.
11:13.378 --> 11:19.259
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you hear something like that, you'll want to be skeptical about anything that sounds too miraculous.
11:19.279 --> 11:23.320
[SPEAKER_01]: I always say that social media is a good jumping off point.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's a great place to get the topics that you want to dive into further with trusted medical resources because there is an important thing to be said about community.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I personally have a son who has a rare disease.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I am part of the rare disease community and I've learned a lot from people on social media.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But it's always important to verify the information that you're hearing on there.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's a good jumping off point.
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[SPEAKER_02]: That's a great way to describe it because sometimes we don't know what we don't know.
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[SPEAKER_02]: That's what I say all the time.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it's a great way to kind of ask yourself, I love how you mentioned that balance between what that experience and education
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[SPEAKER_02]: And I find that it's with that critical thinking like really really thinking about what exactly seems reliable and because I get I could caught of it too.
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[SPEAKER_02]: If it seems too good to be true, right, then it kind of makes you think, oh my gosh, you know, I want some of that right.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's so easy to get sucked into, you know, because we're all so busy in our day-to-day lives.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And you're not always on social media with your critical thinking hat on.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, those, those, that misleading information can strike when we're least expecting it.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, it's, it's important to just always be scrolling with
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[SPEAKER_01]: your critical thinking hat on and just thinking you know is this is this valid is this legitimate but yes as you mentioned you know it's very very easy to get caught up in it and there's a lot of very convincing people out there.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and you know, what's, you don't want to be wasting resources or time.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And we none of us have that time and all the resources to be able to try this or try that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: But this gets us into a good segue about consulting a professional.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Because at the end of the day, no online source can replace the advice of your physician or your qualified health care providers.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I would say when you're looking for websites, websites that end in .edu or .gov are typically more reliable sources than ones that end in .com.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So that's another thing to keep in mind when you are looking at sources online.
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[SPEAKER_02]: many times I tell parents if you've read some information and you want to bring it to me I am so into hearing what you have to say and I know that not every healthcare provider might feel that way but you are an advocate for your child.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so it's important that you let them know, you really want them to listen and you want to be hurt, but it's crucial to consult a medical professional who can provide that personalized advice to your child's unique needs.
14:18.258 --> 14:23.124
[SPEAKER_02]: And as a feet attrition, as I mentioned, I say, I'm not afraid as the questions.
14:23.424 --> 14:24.205
[SPEAKER_02]: If I don't know
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[SPEAKER_02]: If you see something online and I don't know the answer to it, I will find out for you.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I will be happy to look into it so that we're making the best possible decision for your child's health.
14:37.092 --> 14:43.136
[SPEAKER_01]: Another thing to consider is that patient advocacy organizations can be a great source for
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[SPEAKER_01]: medical and health care and quality of life and you know those types of topics when it comes to certain conditions or diseases.
14:54.578 --> 14:59.985
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of patient advocacy organizations that put out a lot of very reliable accurate content.
15:00.766 --> 15:06.948
[SPEAKER_01]: that can also be a great starting point for determining which topics should be discussed with your healthcare provider.
15:07.968 --> 15:18.191
[SPEAKER_01]: Another thing to consider is that there are a lot of websites from pharmaceutical companies that do provide a lot of valuable information as well.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And I know that sometimes people hesitate to accept information from pharmaceutical or biotech companies because maybe there's a stigma that comes along with,
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[SPEAKER_01]: But the thing is, it's important to consider that the information that those websites are putting out there has gone through a rigorous scientific, ethical, and content review.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And as a medical writer who works with pharmaceutical and biotech companies, I can say from my first hand experience that these
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[SPEAKER_01]: sources go through a lot of reviews before they are publicly available and before they make their way to health care providers as well.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So generally you can trust information that has gone through this medical legal review and being put out there by pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, I would just say that, you know, it's just important to always verify the information that you're finding and, you know, think about, does this align with what I've heard elsewhere and does it align with what I've heard from my healthcare providers?
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[SPEAKER_01]: And just, you know, when and out, just ask the experts.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, it's important to think about what I trust someone who has dedicated their lives to studying
16:46.404 --> 16:52.745
[SPEAKER_01]: this content and getting a medical degree over someone who's a random person on the internet.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's just knowing where to turn and who to ask the questions to and being able to distinguish this valuable resources.
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[SPEAKER_02]: This is such great advice.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I want to remind our viewers to follow us on Instagram and hear on YouTube.
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[SPEAKER_02]: The information is in the description box below.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Dr. Namsura, we talked about experience and education.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Why I'm so thankful that you're on the show today is that you have both.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You are an expert, but also you are mom.
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[SPEAKER_02]: What are some of the common questions you're hearing or even you look up yourself when you're talking to your friends?
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[SPEAKER_02]: Because I know as a medical expert, I'm sure you get some questions and how do you guide them through that process?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely, so I definitely do get a lot of questions and I see a lot of questions on social media like in the parent's groups, I'm a part of, I see a lot of conversation about the safety of vaccines.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Among other topics related to food dies and safety of foods or
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[SPEAKER_01]: added colorance and you know all these topics that are so very important you know in twenty twenty five but let's take vaccines for for an example okay so how would I go about recommending someone searches information for vaccines first I would recommend they go to their child's health care provider because we all know that that is the most reliable source of information to be able to tell someone
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[SPEAKER_01]: What is right for them and their child's health and their situation specifically?
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[SPEAKER_01]: The second route that I recommend taking is looking at hospital websites or reputable websites like the CDC.
18:54.397 --> 19:01.699
[SPEAKER_01]: I know the CDC has very good helpful in science evidence-based information about vaccines.
19:02.079 --> 19:17.856
[SPEAKER_01]: So that is usually a page that I typically point people to to be able to find that unbiased scientifically based information about vaccines and then that can help them decide what route they want to take and what's right for their family.
19:18.657 --> 19:19.798
[SPEAKER_02]: That's such great advice.
19:19.818 --> 19:21.058
[SPEAKER_02]: I would tell you too.
19:21.098 --> 19:28.482
[SPEAKER_02]: I'd like to add to that is when you go to the CDC, which I really do believe is a very reputable.
19:29.102 --> 19:30.623
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to seem a little overwhelming.
19:30.783 --> 19:45.450
[SPEAKER_02]: And so what I typically do is you go to the CDC and then there is that, you know, little magnifying glass that you can look at and then you can type in the tetanus vaccine or any even disease that you want to look up and then
19:45.830 --> 20:14.740
[SPEAKER_02]: the information will be present for you and it's very easy to read but I don't want people to get overwhelmed by the fact that when you go to those sites all of a sudden you're like okay where do I where do I go now so thank you for sharing that what happens though I really want to touch on the risks what is it risk if parents or caregivers they really want to take a chance on those cutting edge options it's just some of it can be really
20:15.240 --> 20:18.382
[SPEAKER_02]: sound, wow, this sounds like really good.
20:18.402 --> 20:23.666
[SPEAKER_02]: I know we talked about, well, if it's too good to be true or if it's the other direction, that's one thing.
20:23.746 --> 20:26.768
[SPEAKER_02]: But some of it really is convincing.
20:26.908 --> 20:34.033
[SPEAKER_02]: So what's really at risk, if they say, you know, I'm going to take, I'm going to take this option and just run with it.
20:34.373 --> 20:35.754
[SPEAKER_02]: Sounds like it's good advice.
20:36.407 --> 20:43.372
[SPEAKER_01]: So there are risks with trying certain supplements that you might hear about on social media.
20:43.452 --> 20:56.260
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's say your child takes a medication that interacts with that supplement and then there is an adverse effect and your child has to go to the hospital because they have something
20:58.115 --> 21:02.697
[SPEAKER_01]: happen because of that interaction with that supplement and another drug that they take.
21:03.438 --> 21:10.881
[SPEAKER_01]: Or maybe your child has an underlying condition and that supplement then triggers an event.
21:10.901 --> 21:26.448
[SPEAKER_01]: So there are definitely risks to trusting information about supplements and things that you put into your child's body without verifying with their healthcare provider if that's a good thing for them to try.
21:26.948 --> 21:40.094
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, as we've mentioned multiple times, it's just always good to check with your healthcare provider, your child's healthcare provider, I should say, to make sure that they think that that supplement is something that their child should try.
21:40.114 --> 21:46.917
[SPEAKER_01]: I will say that I never put anything into my child's body besides food, of course, but
21:48.602 --> 22:03.005
[SPEAKER_01]: Unless I know that I have done the research, you know, calling pharmacists to see if there's any interactions, you know, checking with their healthcare provider to see if, you know, anything could go wrong with giving it to them.
22:04.125 --> 22:18.028
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, because even things that seem harmless, like certain vitamins, they might not be the appropriate dose for a child, or they might not be a good fit for your child, specifically if they
22:18.708 --> 22:20.109
[SPEAKER_01]: have other medical conditions.
22:20.569 --> 22:26.612
[SPEAKER_01]: So I never put anything into my child's body without doing the research first.
22:27.472 --> 22:35.356
[SPEAKER_02]: I love that because, and you hit the nail on the head, is that a lot of the information that we do get is really about adults.
22:35.796 --> 22:40.999
[SPEAKER_02]: And so it is important that you know that what you're, you know,
22:41.339 --> 22:47.329
[SPEAKER_02]: What you are putting into your child's body is something that's uniquely good for them.
22:47.569 --> 22:48.971
[SPEAKER_02]: So I love that you mentioned that.
22:49.773 --> 22:51.275
[SPEAKER_02]: That brings up another question.
22:51.676 --> 22:53.619
[SPEAKER_02]: And that is, who do we trust?
22:54.099 --> 22:55.562
[SPEAKER_02]: How do we know who to trust?
22:56.908 --> 23:13.375
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the first thing I always recommend when looking for reliable trustworthy information about children's health is the author of the information, like who is writing the article or producing the content, are they a recognized expert in the field?
23:13.896 --> 23:20.979
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, if you're reading about a pediatric condition, it's important that the author has medical training, preferably in pediatrics,
23:21.519 --> 23:23.921
[SPEAKER_01]: if they're talking about a pediatric condition.
23:25.162 --> 23:28.685
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's important to check the credentials of the person providing the information.
23:29.325 --> 23:42.236
[SPEAKER_01]: You can look for professionals with degrees such as Doctor of Medicine, which is an MD, or Doctor of osteopathic medicine, a DO, or registered nurse in RN, or a nurse practitioner,
23:42.936 --> 23:52.100
[SPEAKER_01]: and P. So there are quite a few of these acronyms to look out for when you are determining whether someone is a reliable source of information.
23:52.981 --> 24:03.866
[SPEAKER_01]: Now in addition, there are degrees in public health, such as the Master of Public Health, which is an MPH, and that can indicate a strong foundation in health topics.
24:04.628 --> 24:14.813
[SPEAKER_01]: Doctors of philosophy, PhDs, like myself, can also be excellent sources of information because they have extensive training and research and evaluating sources.
24:15.294 --> 24:15.654
[SPEAKER_01]: However,
24:16.282 --> 24:23.869
[SPEAKER_01]: It's important to check that the person's PhD is in a field that's generally related to the topic they're providing information on.
24:24.490 --> 24:37.141
[SPEAKER_01]: Because someone with a PhD in early childhood education, for example, may not be a credible source of information on vaccines, whereas a person with a PhD in biomedical sciences would be.
24:37.962 --> 24:40.505
[SPEAKER_02]: That is such a good point even with myself.
24:40.986 --> 24:53.202
[SPEAKER_02]: People ask me questions about like a medication and this or that and I say, I'm sorry, I don't know what that medicine is because I don't use it to treat children and we can't allow
24:53.562 --> 25:01.165
[SPEAKER_02]: because they automatically assume if I am a medical doctor that I should know everything, but my specialty is in pediatrics.
25:02.126 --> 25:09.889
[SPEAKER_02]: What is a checklist that parents should keep in mind when they're looking up information and content about the health of their children?
25:11.069 --> 25:21.214
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, I would say the first point on your checklist to make sure that the information you're looking at is trustworthy and reliable is the author of the information.
25:22.107 --> 25:27.589
[SPEAKER_01]: Is this person putting the information out there an expert in the field that they are talking about?
25:28.089 --> 25:31.990
[SPEAKER_01]: Or is this person an expert in the field?
25:32.950 --> 25:36.671
[SPEAKER_01]: The second point I would consider is the date of publication.
25:36.691 --> 25:40.292
[SPEAKER_01]: So how recently has the information been published?
25:40.952 --> 25:45.513
[SPEAKER_01]: I usually try to find information that's been put out there within the last ten years.
25:45.993 --> 25:51.595
[SPEAKER_01]: Anything older than that is typically outdated because medicine and science is always changing.
25:52.048 --> 25:56.011
[SPEAKER_01]: And there are always new advances that need to be considered.
25:56.751 --> 26:01.795
[SPEAKER_01]: The third point I would consider is does this person or source have an agenda?
26:02.255 --> 26:04.737
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they trying to directly sell me something?
26:05.197 --> 26:11.202
[SPEAKER_01]: And do they want me to believe what they are saying or get emotionally invested in what they're saying?
26:12.322 --> 26:13.843
[SPEAKER_01]: Because they want to make money from me.
26:15.104 --> 26:18.287
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, you know, and I'd say number four would be,
26:19.132 --> 26:37.286
[SPEAKER_01]: Does this come from a hospital network or a government page or a patient advocacy organization with a good reputation for putting out reliable science-based information that is backed by evidence?
26:37.747 --> 26:39.928
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would say those are the four things.
26:40.549 --> 26:44.952
[SPEAKER_01]: Author, date of publication, agenda,
26:46.298 --> 26:49.781
[SPEAKER_01]: and the organization publishing the information.
26:50.401 --> 27:05.372
[SPEAKER_02]: That's such great information especially when you talk about when things were published or when it was studied because you're right it is ever changing and even our own communities are changing and I really appreciate that comment.
27:05.952 --> 27:09.675
[SPEAKER_02]: I do want to ask let's say we're following somebody on social media.
27:10.335 --> 27:11.276
[SPEAKER_02]: How do we know
27:11.876 --> 27:15.377
[SPEAKER_02]: based on the social media platform that we're on.
27:15.597 --> 27:25.260
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's just use Instagram, for example, what is a way parents can find out up more about that person that they're following or listening to?
27:25.280 --> 27:31.161
[SPEAKER_01]: I was saying the best place to start is just by scrolling down their page.
27:31.662 --> 27:32.302
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, seeing
27:33.439 --> 27:37.201
[SPEAKER_01]: in their bioline, do they have degrees listed there?
27:37.342 --> 27:38.482
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they real degrees?
27:39.183 --> 27:46.868
[SPEAKER_01]: And scrolling down their page to see, are they posting links that they want me to click on something and buy something from them?
27:46.928 --> 27:49.189
[SPEAKER_01]: That's usually a red flag to me.
27:49.549 --> 27:57.114
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, it's not to say that all people who are selling something are putting out bad information, because you can't generalize like that.
27:57.635 --> 28:02.578
[SPEAKER_01]: But it usually means that if they do have a bias in some way,
28:03.198 --> 28:07.260
[SPEAKER_01]: They are probably putting out information that fits their agenda.
28:08.140 --> 28:11.461
[SPEAKER_01]: I would also look at the people that they partner with.
28:12.041 --> 28:22.145
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they doing partnerships with organizations or with companies that have good reputations that are putting out quality content?
28:22.885 --> 28:28.247
[SPEAKER_01]: And that is who are they having brand partnerships with?
28:28.687 --> 28:30.348
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's an important thing to consider.
28:31.458 --> 28:45.652
[SPEAKER_01]: I would also say how long have they been on the platform because if they just started posting a couple months ago, you know, you don't know if they have a long standing history of putting out reliable accurate content.
28:46.092 --> 28:51.938
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, someone who's been on the platform for years putting out content, you know, it's
28:52.505 --> 29:06.430
[SPEAKER_01]: They're typically a more trustworthy source than someone who's new to the platform or at least they have the you know the proof that they've been around for a while putting out good content and honestly.
29:07.585 --> 29:27.512
[SPEAKER_01]: your standard Google search can really go far, you know, you put that names that person's name into Google and, you know, you can find things like are they still licensed to be practicing medicine, you know, are these is this person to they get their medical degree in the United States or
29:28.152 --> 29:31.614
[SPEAKER_01]: in a different country, which could impact the information that they're giving to you.
29:31.934 --> 29:43.620
[SPEAKER_01]: Because if they had their training in a non-United States country, they might be giving information that's more relevant for people living outside of the United States.
29:44.461 --> 29:48.203
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's all these things that you can find out just by Googling someone.
29:48.243 --> 29:49.864
[SPEAKER_01]: You can look them up on LinkedIn.
29:50.684 --> 29:55.747
[SPEAKER_01]: You can look them up if they are a healthcare provider on their actual practice website.
29:56.467 --> 29:59.289
[SPEAKER_01]: You can go to the Hospital Networks website.
29:59.309 --> 30:03.412
[SPEAKER_01]: You can find their bio page and see what their specialties are.
30:03.832 --> 30:07.194
[SPEAKER_01]: And figure out where are their areas of expertise?
30:07.815 --> 30:11.197
[SPEAKER_01]: Does this align with the content they're putting out on social media?
30:11.557 --> 30:14.839
[SPEAKER_01]: And are they qualified to be giving this information?
30:15.279 --> 30:17.361
[SPEAKER_01]: Because, you know, let's say someone who is
30:18.221 --> 30:28.067
[SPEAKER_01]: a board-certified plastic surgeon is not probably going to be giving information about your immune system.
30:28.467 --> 30:30.148
[SPEAKER_01]: These things are important to consider.
30:30.509 --> 30:36.052
[SPEAKER_01]: What are their qualifications, their board certifications, and are they the real deal?
30:36.452 --> 30:53.043
[SPEAKER_01]: So you might have to do a little bit of digging, but when it comes to your children's health, which is the most important thing, and you really just want to make sure that you're doing everything for your children to make sure you're getting the best information for them to know how you can best guide their medical journey.
30:53.904 --> 30:57.867
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's worth the extra work in my opinion to do that digging.
30:57.887 --> 31:01.229
[SPEAKER_02]: Alex, I couldn't have said it better myself.
31:01.449 --> 31:01.869
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you.
31:03.070 --> 31:05.571
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much Dr. Alex for joining us today.
31:05.872 --> 31:14.937
[SPEAKER_02]: Your insights are so valuable and I know our listeners will walk away feeling more confident about how to approach health information for their kids.
31:15.797 --> 31:20.520
[SPEAKER_02]: If you've liked our conversation, please like and subscribe to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah.
31:20.840 --> 31:24.402
[SPEAKER_02]: So others like you raising families can find this episode.
31:24.902 --> 31:29.805
[SPEAKER_02]: Until next time, I'm Dr. Sarah Adams and let's grow up together.
31:30.827 --> 31:32.116
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for having me.
31:32.157 --> 31:33.829
[SPEAKER_01]: I hope this is helpful for a lot of people.
00:00.151 --> 00:14.805
[SPEAKER_01]: I also am aware that, you know, with the emergence of AI tools like chat, GPT, a lot of people are relying upon these sources to find medical information and I highly, highly caution against doing that.
00:15.686 --> 00:24.255
[SPEAKER_01]: I've found that a lot of these sources often turn up with inaccurate information or even sources that don't actually exist when you go to find them.
00:26.709 --> 00:30.851
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you raising your family while also feeling like you're still growing out yourself?
00:31.531 --> 00:33.732
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you wonder if you are getting it right?
00:34.093 --> 00:34.993
[SPEAKER_00]: Or do you ask?
00:35.233 --> 00:36.674
[SPEAKER_00]: Where's the roadmap to your building?
00:36.694 --> 00:37.854
[SPEAKER_00]: You happy healthy life!
00:38.475 --> 00:40.856
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah!
00:41.276 --> 00:45.038
[SPEAKER_00]: She's a pediatrician and a mom, and she helps the whole family.
00:45.678 --> 00:51.502
[SPEAKER_02]: Hi, I'm Dr. Sarah Adams, a board certified pediatrician, but I'm not your pediatrician.
00:51.962 --> 01:00.728
[SPEAKER_02]: Feel free to use my podcast as helpful information, but in no way do I intend my podcast to replace the advice of your physician.
01:01.209 --> 01:06.052
[SPEAKER_02]: Your physician knows you and is in the best position to provide medical advice.
01:16.191 --> 01:21.796
[SPEAKER_02]: We live in a time when it's normal to Google, any and everything, even medical advice.
01:22.276 --> 01:26.980
[SPEAKER_02]: But how do we truly know if the source of what we're reading and hearing is reliable?
01:27.620 --> 01:30.563
[SPEAKER_02]: Welcome to another episode of Growing Up with Dr. Sarah.
01:30.963 --> 01:31.924
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm Sarah Adams.
01:32.324 --> 01:34.766
[SPEAKER_02]: Today we're going to tackle a very important topic.
01:35.147 --> 01:39.390
[SPEAKER_02]: How do you find trust or the information about your child's health?
01:39.830 --> 01:43.834
[SPEAKER_02]: Especially when health advice can be found, we just click of a button.
01:44.414 --> 01:52.442
[SPEAKER_02]: With me is a special guest and returning friend to the podcast, Dr. Alex Nemzera, a medical writer with a PhD in neuroscience.
01:53.082 --> 02:01.510
[SPEAKER_02]: Alex has a vast experience evaluating scientific sources and knows exactly what to look for when it comes to finding reliable health information.
02:01.971 --> 02:03.572
[SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back, Dr. Nemzera.
02:03.652 --> 02:05.154
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much for being here.
02:05.840 --> 02:06.721
[SPEAKER_01]: Hi, Dr. Sarah.
02:06.761 --> 02:07.681
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for having me.
02:07.741 --> 02:08.562
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm happy to be here.
02:09.162 --> 02:13.185
[SPEAKER_02]: This is one topic that affects every parent, every grandparent caregiver.
02:13.225 --> 02:14.606
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm really excited to dive in.
02:15.026 --> 02:17.567
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's start with a big picture question, though.
02:17.928 --> 02:22.110
[SPEAKER_02]: In your experience, what do you think is the most common challenge?
02:22.391 --> 02:25.873
[SPEAKER_02]: Parents face when it comes to finding reliable health information?
02:26.830 --> 02:27.851
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a great question.
02:28.091 --> 02:32.495
[SPEAKER_01]: I think one of the biggest challenges is just the sheer volume of information out there.
02:32.955 --> 02:39.500
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of noise, whether it's from social media, blogs, or even well-meaning advice from family and friends.
02:40.021 --> 02:44.264
[SPEAKER_01]: The problem is, not all of it is evidence-based or scientifically sound.
02:44.745 --> 02:50.669
[SPEAKER_01]: So parents often find themselves sifting through a lot of contradictory information, and it can be tough to know which sources to trust.
02:51.770 --> 02:55.455
[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like information just kind of comes from every direction.
02:55.595 --> 03:01.843
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, let's talk about how parents can assess whether a health source is really trustworthy.
03:02.223 --> 03:10.233
[SPEAKER_02]: Whether you're looking for health information online or in books, what's the first thing parents really should check to determine if a source is credible?
03:11.163 --> 03:15.164
[SPEAKER_01]: The first thing I always recommend is looking at the author of the information.
03:15.644 --> 03:18.425
[SPEAKER_01]: Who's writing the article or producing the content?
03:18.865 --> 03:21.086
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they a recognized expert in the field?
03:21.586 --> 03:29.748
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, if you're reading about a pediatric condition, it's important that the author has medical training, preferably in pediatrics, or at least a background in healthcare.
03:30.627 --> 03:37.892
[SPEAKER_02]: It's such a good point that you make because anybody in anywhere can really comment, write, and I love that.
03:38.012 --> 03:39.293
[SPEAKER_02]: I love that we have that freedom.
03:39.754 --> 03:45.798
[SPEAKER_02]: So another red flag is when a source really clearly doesn't say where the information is coming from.
03:46.178 --> 03:51.162
[SPEAKER_02]: So many sources say, oh, it's research, research shows or study suggests.
03:51.582 --> 04:00.765
[SPEAKER_02]: But if you don't see citations of references to scientific journals, which most people don't understand how to do that, that could be a warning sign.
04:01.945 --> 04:02.626
[SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.
04:02.886 --> 04:09.568
[SPEAKER_01]: Reliable health sources should always cite their references, especially when making claims about medical treatments or conditions.
04:10.128 --> 04:16.170
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you can't verify the information with reputable scientific literature, then it's a sign that the source might not be as credible.
04:17.293 --> 04:19.435
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you bring up such a good point.
04:19.735 --> 04:21.217
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's hard.
04:21.297 --> 04:28.624
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you and I know how to look at these resources and say, ah, that, you know, I don't believe that or I do.
04:28.664 --> 04:31.206
[SPEAKER_02]: So let's let's break it down further for parents.
04:32.027 --> 04:36.531
[SPEAKER_02]: What are a few sources that they should look for when they're looking for health information?
04:36.571 --> 04:37.653
[SPEAKER_02]: What do you as a mom?
04:38.233 --> 04:38.794
[SPEAKER_02]: Where do you go?
04:39.814 --> 04:41.256
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, that's a great question.
04:41.416 --> 04:48.024
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd say the gold standard for trustworthy information is the websites of well known medical organizations.
04:48.705 --> 04:58.997
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, you have the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is also known as AAP and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also called the CDC.
04:59.538 --> 05:03.442
[SPEAKER_01]: These are both fantastic search sources for pediatric health information.
05:04.383 --> 05:10.490
[SPEAKER_01]: These organizations they use evidence-based guidelines, so you know you're getting solid scientifically backed advice.
05:11.211 --> 05:19.320
[SPEAKER_01]: And other sources that can be trusted, including include hospital networks, their websites, like the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic.
05:20.581 --> 05:23.643
[SPEAKER_01]: And other websites like the National Institutes of Health.
05:24.444 --> 05:29.048
[SPEAKER_01]: And you can also look at peer reviewed articles from medical journals.
05:29.629 --> 05:36.195
[SPEAKER_01]: And to find these peer reviewed articles, I recommend using search engines like PubMed.com or Google Scholar.
05:36.575 --> 05:40.018
[SPEAKER_01]: And you can actually enter the key search words into the search bar.
05:40.439 --> 05:45.003
[SPEAKER_01]: And you can do a filter that looks at more recent publications.
05:45.563 --> 05:55.208
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you can use the abstract, which is essentially a summary of what is in that publication to figure out if that paper is relevant to you or if it will be helpful to you.
05:56.069 --> 06:05.994
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I always recommend not just reading the abstract because you can't really get a full picture of what that publication is about and how they did the science.
06:06.054 --> 06:08.756
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's always good to dive into the full publication.
06:09.296 --> 06:14.841
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's important to keep in mind that a lot of these publications are not written toward a general audience.
06:15.141 --> 06:19.205
[SPEAKER_01]: They're written toward healthcare providers and people with a medical background.
06:19.245 --> 06:24.410
[SPEAKER_01]: So they can be a little bit difficult to understand for someone who doesn't have a medical background.
06:25.270 --> 06:35.157
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's still just such an important, you know, way to get to the source of the information and to be able to distinguish scientifically sound content.
06:36.038 --> 06:44.984
[SPEAKER_01]: I also am aware that, you know, with the emergence of AI tools like chat, GPT, a lot of people are relying upon these sources to find
06:46.133 --> 06:50.677
[SPEAKER_01]: medical information and I highly, highly caution against doing that.
06:51.557 --> 07:00.164
[SPEAKER_01]: I've found that a lot of these sources often turn up with inaccurate information or even sources that don't actually exist when you go to find them.
07:00.925 --> 07:07.950
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, if you don't have a medical degree, it can be difficult to determine what information this real and what sources are real.
07:08.651 --> 07:10.653
[SPEAKER_01]: So, I just recommend avoiding
07:11.293 --> 07:19.918
[SPEAKER_01]: AI tools altogether and doing these searches in PubMed or Google Scholar if you are trying to look for medical journal publications.
07:20.739 --> 07:23.160
[SPEAKER_02]: I totally agree.
07:23.481 --> 07:36.589
[SPEAKER_02]: Words, I really appreciate your words about evidence-based and peer-reviewed, but most people like our neighbors and the moms that we are friends with and so I really don't understand that.
07:36.629 --> 07:38.150
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm glad that you broke it down.
07:39.111 --> 07:42.554
[SPEAKER_02]: To explain that evidence-based means that it has been studied.
07:42.834 --> 07:45.136
[SPEAKER_02]: People have looked into it, especially for kids.
07:45.476 --> 07:52.342
[SPEAKER_02]: And peer-reviewed means that not just one person looked at this information, but several did that are in that field.
07:53.465 --> 08:04.170
[SPEAKER_02]: The American Academy of Pediatrics, as you mentioned, or AAP, and certainly the Center for Disease Control, the CDC is what most people are really two organizations that I turn to all the time.
08:04.510 --> 08:11.413
[SPEAKER_02]: And even within AAP, they have a wonderful resource I want to tell people called HealthyChildren.org.
08:11.793 --> 08:14.994
[SPEAKER_02]: And you can find a wealth of information that explains things.
08:15.415 --> 08:16.515
[SPEAKER_02]: It's all evidence-based.
08:16.555 --> 08:20.577
[SPEAKER_02]: There's resources that are noted in those sites.
08:21.197 --> 08:24.641
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's so simple, you can read it quickly.
08:24.961 --> 08:28.024
[SPEAKER_02]: And then if you want to find more information, they always have resources.
08:28.104 --> 08:38.353
[SPEAKER_02]: So thank you for sharing that I think it's so important for people to know exactly where this is coming from and how to know whether it's reputable or not.
08:39.074 --> 08:42.977
[SPEAKER_02]: But let's take a moment, let's turn now to social media.
08:43.017 --> 08:44.398
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow, what a powerful tool.
08:44.778 --> 08:49.561
[SPEAKER_02]: And in the time, we're so many of us are using social media and using the platforms.
08:49.621 --> 08:53.364
[SPEAKER_02]: And we know a large majority of people are an Instagram and TikTok.
08:53.484 --> 08:57.187
[SPEAKER_02]: And as you mentioned, artificial intelligence, so grateful that you mentioned that.
08:57.527 --> 09:04.752
[SPEAKER_02]: And even YouTube, what would you suggest to people when they're searching information across those platforms?
09:06.252 --> 09:08.694
[SPEAKER_01]: social media is such a tricky one.
09:08.714 --> 09:15.179
[SPEAKER_01]: On one hand, it's such a great way to connect with other parents and learn about new research and to stay informed.
09:15.720 --> 09:22.765
[SPEAKER_01]: But on the other hand, it's filled with a lot of misinformation and personal anecdotes that may not always reflect the science.
09:23.346 --> 09:30.331
[SPEAKER_01]: So when it comes to health advice on social media, it's very important to look at the credentials of the person sharing the information.
09:30.952 --> 09:32.293
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they a health care professional?
09:32.813 --> 09:35.235
[SPEAKER_01]: Or are they just someone who had a particular experience?
09:36.053 --> 09:37.034
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a huge difference.
09:37.775 --> 09:42.119
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's also important to click through their profile to see if they have an agenda of any sort.
09:42.599 --> 09:47.624
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they trying to sell you something like a course or supplements or essential oils?
09:48.125 --> 09:55.272
[SPEAKER_01]: Because usually the most trustworthy sources on social media are not the ones who are directly trying to get you to buy something from them.
09:56.211 --> 09:56.911
[SPEAKER_02]: This is true.
09:56.931 --> 10:00.572
[SPEAKER_02]: I know a source like growing up with Dr. Sarah, right?
10:00.632 --> 10:08.774
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's very important that people understand that obviously social media is a great way to connect.
10:09.334 --> 10:17.536
[SPEAKER_02]: I love when, you know, I see families and people in these groups and sometimes I even try to join the group, so I'm
10:17.896 --> 10:21.639
[SPEAKER_02]: in tune with what's going on with families and kind of what they're struggling with.
10:21.960 --> 10:24.261
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's interesting because they give each other advice.
10:24.562 --> 10:34.630
[SPEAKER_02]: And you're right, I'm glad you clarified that there's a difference between experience and somebody who really does have the education to give you those sources.
10:34.970 --> 10:38.253
[SPEAKER_02]: So again, a great community, great way to do it.
10:38.373 --> 10:46.940
[SPEAKER_02]: But let's, what are some ways to always double-check that the information is reliable and evidence-based as you said?
10:48.125 --> 10:57.211
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, of course, so one important thing to ask yourself is does this information make sense with what I already know from trusted medical sources?
10:57.731 --> 11:04.336
[SPEAKER_01]: If you come across something that seems off or too good to be true, pause and dig deeper, does the claim sound extreme?
11:04.776 --> 11:10.897
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, claiming that a particular herb or supplement can cure all childhood ailments.
11:11.057 --> 11:13.018
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a very extreme claim.
11:13.378 --> 11:19.259
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you hear something like that, you'll want to be skeptical about anything that sounds too miraculous.
11:19.279 --> 11:23.320
[SPEAKER_01]: I always say that social media is a good jumping off point.
11:23.760 --> 11:34.403
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a great place to get the topics that you want to dive into further with trusted medical resources because there is an important thing to be said about community.
11:34.903 --> 11:38.767
[SPEAKER_01]: And I personally have a son who has a rare disease.
11:38.787 --> 11:44.894
[SPEAKER_01]: I am part of the rare disease community and I've learned a lot from people on social media.
11:45.314 --> 11:50.279
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's always important to verify the information that you're hearing on there.
11:50.780 --> 11:52.262
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a good jumping off point.
11:52.962 --> 11:57.166
[SPEAKER_02]: That's a great way to describe it because sometimes we don't know what we don't know.
11:57.386 --> 11:58.888
[SPEAKER_02]: That's what I say all the time.
11:59.448 --> 12:10.478
[SPEAKER_02]: And it's a great way to kind of ask yourself, I love how you mentioned that balance between what that experience and education
12:11.825 --> 12:22.233
[SPEAKER_02]: And I find that it's with that critical thinking like really really thinking about what exactly seems reliable and because I get I could caught of it too.
12:22.574 --> 12:29.239
[SPEAKER_02]: If it seems too good to be true, right, then it kind of makes you think, oh my gosh, you know, I want some of that right.
12:29.861 --> 12:35.324
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's so easy to get sucked into, you know, because we're all so busy in our day-to-day lives.
12:35.424 --> 12:40.406
[SPEAKER_01]: And you're not always on social media with your critical thinking hat on.
12:40.966 --> 12:46.809
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, those, those, that misleading information can strike when we're least expecting it.
12:47.009 --> 12:51.231
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, it's, it's important to just always be scrolling with
12:51.771 --> 13:03.423
[SPEAKER_01]: your critical thinking hat on and just thinking you know is this is this valid is this legitimate but yes as you mentioned you know it's very very easy to get caught up in it and there's a lot of very convincing people out there.
13:03.982 --> 13:08.083
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and you know, what's, you don't want to be wasting resources or time.
13:09.744 --> 13:15.486
[SPEAKER_02]: And we none of us have that time and all the resources to be able to try this or try that.
13:15.586 --> 13:20.067
[SPEAKER_02]: But this gets us into a good segue about consulting a professional.
13:20.467 --> 13:28.750
[SPEAKER_02]: Because at the end of the day, no online source can replace the advice of your physician or your qualified health care providers.
13:29.250 --> 13:43.784
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I would say when you're looking for websites, websites that end in .edu or .gov are typically more reliable sources than ones that end in .com.
13:44.225 --> 13:48.029
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's another thing to keep in mind when you are looking at sources online.
13:48.969 --> 14:04.503
[SPEAKER_02]: many times I tell parents if you've read some information and you want to bring it to me I am so into hearing what you have to say and I know that not every healthcare provider might feel that way but you are an advocate for your child.
14:04.923 --> 14:18.138
[SPEAKER_02]: And so it's important that you let them know, you really want them to listen and you want to be hurt, but it's crucial to consult a medical professional who can provide that personalized advice to your child's unique needs.
14:18.258 --> 14:23.124
[SPEAKER_02]: And as a feet attrition, as I mentioned, I say, I'm not afraid as the questions.
14:23.424 --> 14:24.205
[SPEAKER_02]: If I don't know
14:24.805 --> 14:28.968
[SPEAKER_02]: If you see something online and I don't know the answer to it, I will find out for you.
14:29.428 --> 14:35.752
[SPEAKER_02]: I will be happy to look into it so that we're making the best possible decision for your child's health.
14:37.092 --> 14:43.136
[SPEAKER_01]: Another thing to consider is that patient advocacy organizations can be a great source for
14:43.642 --> 14:53.897
[SPEAKER_01]: medical and health care and quality of life and you know those types of topics when it comes to certain conditions or diseases.
14:54.578 --> 14:59.985
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of patient advocacy organizations that put out a lot of very reliable accurate content.
15:00.766 --> 15:06.948
[SPEAKER_01]: that can also be a great starting point for determining which topics should be discussed with your healthcare provider.
15:07.968 --> 15:18.191
[SPEAKER_01]: Another thing to consider is that there are a lot of websites from pharmaceutical companies that do provide a lot of valuable information as well.
15:18.991 --> 15:33.037
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know that sometimes people hesitate to accept information from pharmaceutical or biotech companies because maybe there's a stigma that comes along with,
15:35.173 --> 15:46.381
[SPEAKER_01]: But the thing is, it's important to consider that the information that those websites are putting out there has gone through a rigorous scientific, ethical, and content review.
15:46.982 --> 15:55.487
[SPEAKER_01]: And as a medical writer who works with pharmaceutical and biotech companies, I can say from my first hand experience that these
15:57.308 --> 16:05.170
[SPEAKER_01]: sources go through a lot of reviews before they are publicly available and before they make their way to health care providers as well.
16:05.730 --> 16:15.953
[SPEAKER_01]: So generally you can trust information that has gone through this medical legal review and being put out there by pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
16:17.593 --> 16:33.003
[SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, I would just say that, you know, it's just important to always verify the information that you're finding and, you know, think about, does this align with what I've heard elsewhere and does it align with what I've heard from my healthcare providers?
16:33.543 --> 16:36.665
[SPEAKER_01]: And just, you know, when and out, just ask the experts.
16:37.245 --> 16:45.230
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, it's important to think about what I trust someone who has dedicated their lives to studying
16:46.404 --> 16:52.745
[SPEAKER_01]: this content and getting a medical degree over someone who's a random person on the internet.
16:53.225 --> 17:02.247
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's just knowing where to turn and who to ask the questions to and being able to distinguish this valuable resources.
17:05.787 --> 17:06.948
[SPEAKER_02]: This is such great advice.
17:07.128 --> 17:11.088
[SPEAKER_02]: I want to remind our viewers to follow us on Instagram and hear on YouTube.
17:11.428 --> 17:14.169
[SPEAKER_02]: The information is in the description box below.
17:18.359 --> 17:22.620
[SPEAKER_02]: Dr. Namsura, we talked about experience and education.
17:23.381 --> 17:26.462
[SPEAKER_02]: Why I'm so thankful that you're on the show today is that you have both.
17:27.182 --> 17:30.443
[SPEAKER_02]: You are an expert, but also you are mom.
17:30.903 --> 17:38.326
[SPEAKER_02]: What are some of the common questions you're hearing or even you look up yourself when you're talking to your friends?
17:38.466 --> 17:45.708
[SPEAKER_02]: Because I know as a medical expert, I'm sure you get some questions and how do you guide them through that process?
17:46.789 --> 18:00.917
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely, so I definitely do get a lot of questions and I see a lot of questions on social media like in the parent's groups, I'm a part of, I see a lot of conversation about the safety of vaccines.
18:01.397 --> 18:08.441
[SPEAKER_01]: Among other topics related to food dies and safety of foods or
18:09.722 --> 18:36.093
[SPEAKER_01]: added colorance and you know all these topics that are so very important you know in twenty twenty five but let's take vaccines for for an example okay so how would I go about recommending someone searches information for vaccines first I would recommend they go to their child's health care provider because we all know that that is the most reliable source of information to be able to tell someone
18:36.553 --> 18:42.694
[SPEAKER_01]: What is right for them and their child's health and their situation specifically?
18:43.195 --> 18:53.857
[SPEAKER_01]: The second route that I recommend taking is looking at hospital websites or reputable websites like the CDC.
18:54.397 --> 19:01.699
[SPEAKER_01]: I know the CDC has very good helpful in science evidence-based information about vaccines.
19:02.079 --> 19:17.856
[SPEAKER_01]: So that is usually a page that I typically point people to to be able to find that unbiased scientifically based information about vaccines and then that can help them decide what route they want to take and what's right for their family.
19:18.657 --> 19:19.798
[SPEAKER_02]: That's such great advice.
19:19.818 --> 19:21.058
[SPEAKER_02]: I would tell you too.
19:21.098 --> 19:28.482
[SPEAKER_02]: I'd like to add to that is when you go to the CDC, which I really do believe is a very reputable.
19:29.102 --> 19:30.623
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to seem a little overwhelming.
19:30.783 --> 19:45.450
[SPEAKER_02]: And so what I typically do is you go to the CDC and then there is that, you know, little magnifying glass that you can look at and then you can type in the tetanus vaccine or any even disease that you want to look up and then
19:45.830 --> 20:14.740
[SPEAKER_02]: the information will be present for you and it's very easy to read but I don't want people to get overwhelmed by the fact that when you go to those sites all of a sudden you're like okay where do I where do I go now so thank you for sharing that what happens though I really want to touch on the risks what is it risk if parents or caregivers they really want to take a chance on those cutting edge options it's just some of it can be really
20:15.240 --> 20:18.382
[SPEAKER_02]: sound, wow, this sounds like really good.
20:18.402 --> 20:23.666
[SPEAKER_02]: I know we talked about, well, if it's too good to be true or if it's the other direction, that's one thing.
20:23.746 --> 20:26.768
[SPEAKER_02]: But some of it really is convincing.
20:26.908 --> 20:34.033
[SPEAKER_02]: So what's really at risk, if they say, you know, I'm going to take, I'm going to take this option and just run with it.
20:34.373 --> 20:35.754
[SPEAKER_02]: Sounds like it's good advice.
20:36.407 --> 20:43.372
[SPEAKER_01]: So there are risks with trying certain supplements that you might hear about on social media.
20:43.452 --> 20:56.260
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's say your child takes a medication that interacts with that supplement and then there is an adverse effect and your child has to go to the hospital because they have something
20:58.115 --> 21:02.697
[SPEAKER_01]: happen because of that interaction with that supplement and another drug that they take.
21:03.438 --> 21:10.881
[SPEAKER_01]: Or maybe your child has an underlying condition and that supplement then triggers an event.
21:10.901 --> 21:26.448
[SPEAKER_01]: So there are definitely risks to trusting information about supplements and things that you put into your child's body without verifying with their healthcare provider if that's a good thing for them to try.
21:26.948 --> 21:40.094
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, as we've mentioned multiple times, it's just always good to check with your healthcare provider, your child's healthcare provider, I should say, to make sure that they think that that supplement is something that their child should try.
21:40.114 --> 21:46.917
[SPEAKER_01]: I will say that I never put anything into my child's body besides food, of course, but
21:48.602 --> 22:03.005
[SPEAKER_01]: Unless I know that I have done the research, you know, calling pharmacists to see if there's any interactions, you know, checking with their healthcare provider to see if, you know, anything could go wrong with giving it to them.
22:04.125 --> 22:18.028
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, because even things that seem harmless, like certain vitamins, they might not be the appropriate dose for a child, or they might not be a good fit for your child, specifically if they
22:18.708 --> 22:20.109
[SPEAKER_01]: have other medical conditions.
22:20.569 --> 22:26.612
[SPEAKER_01]: So I never put anything into my child's body without doing the research first.
22:27.472 --> 22:35.356
[SPEAKER_02]: I love that because, and you hit the nail on the head, is that a lot of the information that we do get is really about adults.
22:35.796 --> 22:40.999
[SPEAKER_02]: And so it is important that you know that what you're, you know,
22:41.339 --> 22:47.329
[SPEAKER_02]: What you are putting into your child's body is something that's uniquely good for them.
22:47.569 --> 22:48.971
[SPEAKER_02]: So I love that you mentioned that.
22:49.773 --> 22:51.275
[SPEAKER_02]: That brings up another question.
22:51.676 --> 22:53.619
[SPEAKER_02]: And that is, who do we trust?
22:54.099 --> 22:55.562
[SPEAKER_02]: How do we know who to trust?
22:56.908 --> 23:13.375
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, the first thing I always recommend when looking for reliable trustworthy information about children's health is the author of the information, like who is writing the article or producing the content, are they a recognized expert in the field?
23:13.896 --> 23:20.979
[SPEAKER_01]: For example, if you're reading about a pediatric condition, it's important that the author has medical training, preferably in pediatrics,
23:21.519 --> 23:23.921
[SPEAKER_01]: if they're talking about a pediatric condition.
23:25.162 --> 23:28.685
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's important to check the credentials of the person providing the information.
23:29.325 --> 23:42.236
[SPEAKER_01]: You can look for professionals with degrees such as Doctor of Medicine, which is an MD, or Doctor of osteopathic medicine, a DO, or registered nurse in RN, or a nurse practitioner,
23:42.936 --> 23:52.100
[SPEAKER_01]: and P. So there are quite a few of these acronyms to look out for when you are determining whether someone is a reliable source of information.
23:52.981 --> 24:03.866
[SPEAKER_01]: Now in addition, there are degrees in public health, such as the Master of Public Health, which is an MPH, and that can indicate a strong foundation in health topics.
24:04.628 --> 24:14.813
[SPEAKER_01]: Doctors of philosophy, PhDs, like myself, can also be excellent sources of information because they have extensive training and research and evaluating sources.
24:15.294 --> 24:15.654
[SPEAKER_01]: However,
24:16.282 --> 24:23.869
[SPEAKER_01]: It's important to check that the person's PhD is in a field that's generally related to the topic they're providing information on.
24:24.490 --> 24:37.141
[SPEAKER_01]: Because someone with a PhD in early childhood education, for example, may not be a credible source of information on vaccines, whereas a person with a PhD in biomedical sciences would be.
24:37.962 --> 24:40.505
[SPEAKER_02]: That is such a good point even with myself.
24:40.986 --> 24:53.202
[SPEAKER_02]: People ask me questions about like a medication and this or that and I say, I'm sorry, I don't know what that medicine is because I don't use it to treat children and we can't allow
24:53.562 --> 25:01.165
[SPEAKER_02]: because they automatically assume if I am a medical doctor that I should know everything, but my specialty is in pediatrics.
25:02.126 --> 25:09.889
[SPEAKER_02]: What is a checklist that parents should keep in mind when they're looking up information and content about the health of their children?
25:11.069 --> 25:21.214
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, I would say the first point on your checklist to make sure that the information you're looking at is trustworthy and reliable is the author of the information.
25:22.107 --> 25:27.589
[SPEAKER_01]: Is this person putting the information out there an expert in the field that they are talking about?
25:28.089 --> 25:31.990
[SPEAKER_01]: Or is this person an expert in the field?
25:32.950 --> 25:36.671
[SPEAKER_01]: The second point I would consider is the date of publication.
25:36.691 --> 25:40.292
[SPEAKER_01]: So how recently has the information been published?
25:40.952 --> 25:45.513
[SPEAKER_01]: I usually try to find information that's been put out there within the last ten years.
25:45.993 --> 25:51.595
[SPEAKER_01]: Anything older than that is typically outdated because medicine and science is always changing.
25:52.048 --> 25:56.011
[SPEAKER_01]: And there are always new advances that need to be considered.
25:56.751 --> 26:01.795
[SPEAKER_01]: The third point I would consider is does this person or source have an agenda?
26:02.255 --> 26:04.737
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they trying to directly sell me something?
26:05.197 --> 26:11.202
[SPEAKER_01]: And do they want me to believe what they are saying or get emotionally invested in what they're saying?
26:12.322 --> 26:13.843
[SPEAKER_01]: Because they want to make money from me.
26:15.104 --> 26:18.287
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, you know, and I'd say number four would be,
26:19.132 --> 26:37.286
[SPEAKER_01]: Does this come from a hospital network or a government page or a patient advocacy organization with a good reputation for putting out reliable science-based information that is backed by evidence?
26:37.747 --> 26:39.928
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would say those are the four things.
26:40.549 --> 26:44.952
[SPEAKER_01]: Author, date of publication, agenda,
26:46.298 --> 26:49.781
[SPEAKER_01]: and the organization publishing the information.
26:50.401 --> 27:05.372
[SPEAKER_02]: That's such great information especially when you talk about when things were published or when it was studied because you're right it is ever changing and even our own communities are changing and I really appreciate that comment.
27:05.952 --> 27:09.675
[SPEAKER_02]: I do want to ask let's say we're following somebody on social media.
27:10.335 --> 27:11.276
[SPEAKER_02]: How do we know
27:11.876 --> 27:15.377
[SPEAKER_02]: based on the social media platform that we're on.
27:15.597 --> 27:25.260
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's just use Instagram, for example, what is a way parents can find out up more about that person that they're following or listening to?
27:25.280 --> 27:31.161
[SPEAKER_01]: I was saying the best place to start is just by scrolling down their page.
27:31.662 --> 27:32.302
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, seeing
27:33.439 --> 27:37.201
[SPEAKER_01]: in their bioline, do they have degrees listed there?
27:37.342 --> 27:38.482
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they real degrees?
27:39.183 --> 27:46.868
[SPEAKER_01]: And scrolling down their page to see, are they posting links that they want me to click on something and buy something from them?
27:46.928 --> 27:49.189
[SPEAKER_01]: That's usually a red flag to me.
27:49.549 --> 27:57.114
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, it's not to say that all people who are selling something are putting out bad information, because you can't generalize like that.
27:57.635 --> 28:02.578
[SPEAKER_01]: But it usually means that if they do have a bias in some way,
28:03.198 --> 28:07.260
[SPEAKER_01]: They are probably putting out information that fits their agenda.
28:08.140 --> 28:11.461
[SPEAKER_01]: I would also look at the people that they partner with.
28:12.041 --> 28:22.145
[SPEAKER_01]: Are they doing partnerships with organizations or with companies that have good reputations that are putting out quality content?
28:22.885 --> 28:28.247
[SPEAKER_01]: And that is who are they having brand partnerships with?
28:28.687 --> 28:30.348
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's an important thing to consider.
28:31.458 --> 28:45.652
[SPEAKER_01]: I would also say how long have they been on the platform because if they just started posting a couple months ago, you know, you don't know if they have a long standing history of putting out reliable accurate content.
28:46.092 --> 28:51.938
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, someone who's been on the platform for years putting out content, you know, it's
28:52.505 --> 29:06.430
[SPEAKER_01]: They're typically a more trustworthy source than someone who's new to the platform or at least they have the you know the proof that they've been around for a while putting out good content and honestly.
29:07.585 --> 29:27.512
[SPEAKER_01]: your standard Google search can really go far, you know, you put that names that person's name into Google and, you know, you can find things like are they still licensed to be practicing medicine, you know, are these is this person to they get their medical degree in the United States or
29:28.152 --> 29:31.614
[SPEAKER_01]: in a different country, which could impact the information that they're giving to you.
29:31.934 --> 29:43.620
[SPEAKER_01]: Because if they had their training in a non-United States country, they might be giving information that's more relevant for people living outside of the United States.
29:44.461 --> 29:48.203
[SPEAKER_01]: So there's all these things that you can find out just by Googling someone.
29:48.243 --> 29:49.864
[SPEAKER_01]: You can look them up on LinkedIn.
29:50.684 --> 29:55.747
[SPEAKER_01]: You can look them up if they are a healthcare provider on their actual practice website.
29:56.467 --> 29:59.289
[SPEAKER_01]: You can go to the Hospital Networks website.
29:59.309 --> 30:03.412
[SPEAKER_01]: You can find their bio page and see what their specialties are.
30:03.832 --> 30:07.194
[SPEAKER_01]: And figure out where are their areas of expertise?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Does this align with the content they're putting out on social media?
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[SPEAKER_01]: And are they qualified to be giving this information?
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[SPEAKER_01]: Because, you know, let's say someone who is
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[SPEAKER_01]: a board-certified plastic surgeon is not probably going to be giving information about your immune system.
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[SPEAKER_01]: These things are important to consider.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What are their qualifications, their board certifications, and are they the real deal?
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[SPEAKER_01]: So you might have to do a little bit of digging, but when it comes to your children's health, which is the most important thing, and you really just want to make sure that you're doing everything for your children to make sure you're getting the best information for them to know how you can best guide their medical journey.
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[SPEAKER_01]: So it's worth the extra work in my opinion to do that digging.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Alex, I couldn't have said it better myself.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you so much Dr. Alex for joining us today.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Your insights are so valuable and I know our listeners will walk away feeling more confident about how to approach health information for their kids.
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[SPEAKER_02]: If you've liked our conversation, please like and subscribe to Growing Up with Dr. Sarah.
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[SPEAKER_02]: So others like you raising families can find this episode.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Until next time, I'm Dr. Sarah Adams and let's grow up together.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for having me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I hope this is helpful for a lot of people.
