Dangerous Fallacies of Unsupported Remedies for Long Covid Sufferers
As more people with long Covid seek remedies for their unaddressed suffering, it is important to be aware of the potential dangers of experimental treatments. This blog discusses the fallacy of assuming that an experimental treatment will help or not leave you worse off.
Tatiana Prowell, MD
Oncologist serving people w/ #cancer in #bcsm clinic, #MedEd, #regulatory, & #COVID19. #ASCO20 Ed Chair. @HCWvsHunger co-founder. Team hope/good trouble/go high
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I see a lot of people with #longCovid desperate for any remedy to their unaddressed suffering doing things that have no quality data to support them. Some people say “no one has been able to help us so we have nothing to lose.” Please realize that this is a dangerous fallacy. 1/
— Tatiana Prowell, MD (@tmprowell) March 19, 2023 -
People tend to imagine that an experimental treatment will help or it won’t. And if it doesn’t, it’ll leave them no worse off for trying. But the other possibility is that it that you end up even sicker. Few things are free of side effects, & some are very dangerous. /2
— Tatiana Prowell, MD (@tmprowell) March 19, 2023 -
I recognize & have seen firsthand mult times the devastating impact of #longCovid. #MedTwitter & govts should be treating this like an int’l emergency. It is. We need a huge investment in basic science, esp of 🧠, & well-designed #clinicaltrials, accessible to all. /3
— Tatiana Prowell, MD (@tmprowell) March 19, 2023 -
Anecdotes generate hypotheses, but they never take the place of science. I have spent the last 20 yrs in oncology. I’ve seen too many people with cancer harmed by random profiteers hawking miracle cures that weren’t. We cannot let the same thing happen in #longCovid. /4
— Tatiana Prowell, MD (@tmprowell) March 19, 2023 -
If you want help #MedTwitter crack the code of #LongCovid, consider joining this study. This is not a treatment trial. It’s intended to help scientists understand long COVID, & they need people with & without it to compare them: https://t.co/HvVm9n6TmJ. /5
— Tatiana Prowell, MD (@tmprowell) March 19, 2023 -
Here are several other studies to consider, some of which are intended only to help #MedTwitter learn about #longcovid, & others that include new treatments being tested for the condition. /6 https://t.co/XkHHs1s8a4
— Tatiana Prowell, MD (@tmprowell) March 19, 2023 -
We urgently need #telehealth access across state lines either via a single 🇺🇸 medical license or interstate reciprocity. There are specialized ctrs seeing patients with #LongCovid. Where you live & whether you can travel should not keep you from seeing experts who can help you.
— Tatiana Prowell, MD (@tmprowell) March 19, 2023