Prime Minister Tusk dealt with alcotubes in one day. Why can't he do so with quacks and other charlatans?

Znachniks advise against ... biopsy. "It is supposed to spread cancer cells through the body".

The scale of the problem has been known to doctors for years, but the media's interest in the subject even more widely opens the field for discussion of how to end the anti-medical propaganda sown by circles of self-proclaimed healers as soon as possible. The situation is becoming more difficult every month and the lack of a sharp reaction from the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health allow the gray area of healers, quacks, charlatans to expand.

 - We are not talking about incidents, but a problem that is gaining strength. I had to deal with a patient who had suspected breast cancer and refused to have a biopsy arguing that a needle stuck into the cancer opens it up and spreads it throughout the body. When I asked if she was suggesting that we were trying to harm her as doctors, she replied that she didn't really know what to think, she was afraid and had read on the Internet that biopsy was bad," says Michal Bulsa, president of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin. 

  Cottage healers are gaining recognition. When a patient listens to them it goes to the point where treatment is delayed, reduced or even suspended, which practically always leads to a worsening of the patient's condition. 

- Limiting diagnostic biopsies, ignoring tests, criticizing and even refusing chemotherapy because naturotherapy is better and you should drink juices and eat vegetables. After all, this is all a denial of what we know as modern medicine. No doctor wants bad for his patient. So the spillover of the popularity of quacks is frightening, and the Internet fosters the promotion of such attitudes," says Michal Bulsa.

Patients flee to "alternative" treatments out of desperation and because of misinformation

What do doctors expect? Michal Bulsa, chairman of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin, points to several factors, but two are most important: to control as quickly as possible and to limit the possibility of "treatment" by quacks, naturopaths and people without diplomas or medical knowledge. The second is equally important - health care must work better and more efficiently.

- Prime Minister Donald Tusk, when he wanted to show his prowess and power it was in one day that he outlawed alcotubes, and the Health Minister announced the fight against e-cigarettes. However, it's time to tackle other, less media-savvy topics as well. In one day, Prime Minister Tusk could drive the entire pseudo-medical elite promoting their harmful content underground. It's time to do it. There is also a need for a solid information campaign on this topic," says Michal Bulsa. 

Why are people resorting more and more to visiting quacks?

- Often it's a matter of misinformation, and often desperation due to insufficient support in public health care. Patients wait in long lines, seeking quick help fall into the underworld of pseudoscience and pesudomedics. Their anxiety over fear is brutally exploited. This pushes them to seek alternatives, which often lead to tragedy instead of prolonging their lives or ensuring their recovery," says Michal Bulsa, president of the Regional Medical Council in Szczecin. 

Source: OIL in Szczecin