Do YouTrust YouTube Neuropathy Videos?

Today's very short post from foundationforpn.org (see link below) is nonetheless extremely important and valid for everyone living with neuropathy. The truth is that very few YouTube videos concerning neuropathy are to be trusted. Most of them are from private clinics, or alternative practitioners, or commercial interests trying to separate you from your money. The fact that they know that desperate people are searching for solutions to their symptoms, doesn't bother them a jot, they'll persuade you (sometimes very convincingly, with lots of truths inserted, that their product or service is exactly what you've been longing for. It's cruel and amoral but unfortunately it's the way of the world. That's not to say that all videos are useless - many do provide important and useful information and many therapies may well be helpful to some. YouTube themselves aren't to blame - they provide a necessary service and advertising is allowed. This post just attempts to make the viewer a little more discerning. Beware what you buy into.

YouTube Videos on Peripheral Nerve Pain May Misguide Patients 
November 13, 2015 Living Well, News, Research

Researchers who combed YouTube for videos regarding peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage that causes weakness, numbness, and pain in the hands and feet, found 200 videos, but only about half of them were from healthcare professionals, mostly chiropractors. Alternative medicine was cited most frequently among the treatment discussions, followed by devices and pharmacological treatments. Only a minority of treatment discussions were based on recommendations by the American Academy of Neurology.

“Caution should be exercised when YouTube videos are used as a source of information for the treatment of neuropathy,” said Dr. Harsh Gupta, lead author of the Muscle and Nerve study. “With the ever-increasing reach of YouTube to our patients, a stronger presence of neurologists in this social medium is needed.”

https://www.foundationforpn.org/2015/11/13/youtube-videos-peripheral-nerve-pain-may-misguide-patients/