Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips:

The storm around him continues to grow. Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips answered questions about attempts to silence him, his criticism of alternative medicine and the massive outpouring of support.

Aren’t you intimidated? Your Twitter/X accounts have recently been suspended.

This is another attempt to silence the discourse on rational, logical and reasonable health care and evidence-based medicine. For a long time, I attracted hatred from the alternative medicine industry in the form of legal mentions, harassment, abusive trolling, physical threats, and racial/religious slurs. Their scams could continue, but they will have to face questions.

But seeking the truth and placing prudence above faith is now considered blasphemy.

This might be the case for those who do not consider science to be the closest to the truth. Their confirmation biases nullify critical thinking. These people develop a cult mentality reinforcing their beliefs, traditions and faith over science, logic and reasoning.

Is the sociopolitical climate making the situation worse?

Indeed. My online trolls have a lot in common. Many come from Gujarat. They post, comment on or like far-right, exclusive and hypernationalist Hindutva content, highlight deities by posting images and support the ruling regime and its affiliates. These abusive trolls call me a Christian missionary/leftist, when I am neither.

Are you anti-Ayurveda/Homeopathy?

If that means being pro-public, pro-life, pro-science, pro-rationality, pro-logic, and pro-critical thinking, then yes.

Traditional medicine often confuses effectiveness with effectiveness.

The argument that a centuries-old practice is valuable is fundamentally false. Such an appeal to tradition/antiquity means that the effectiveness of a practice has only been supported for a long time since it has been considered true/superior. The opposite – the appeal to novelty, which claims that a new practice is true/superior – is also false. Antiquity cannot cover up non-existent evidence.

How did research into the health risks of medicinal plants pique your interest?

When I started as a hepatologist in Kochi, I noticed many patients suffering from jaundice/hepatitis with no identifiable medical cause. Their liver biopsies revealed damage. I investigated their medical records. The patients all used herbal products to lose/gain weight, control diabetes, high blood pressure, indigestion, etc. Consumption of these products caused liver damage.

Assuming that these products were natural and therefore safe, they did not reveal this to their doctors. I have had these products tested in an independent accredited laboratory.

And you published the results

Yes. I shared my findings on medicinal plants and liver damage in the peer-reviewed Indian Journal of Gastroenterology (2018). This one won the best article award. Here’s proof that not everything plant-based is necessarily natural and therefore safe. This further piqued my interest. Subsequently, we published a series. Two recent studies of liver injury linked to Ashwagandha and homeopathic remedies constitute the largest series of its kind in the medical literature. This gave me evidence to simplify the potential risks of alternative medicine, thanks to my now suspended Twitter/X account.

Who should create an ecosystem conducive to healthy scientific debate?

Physicians and clinical/scientific societies. Healthy and educational scientific debates simplified for the non-medical public, and the suppression of unscientific practices must be part of clinical medicine. Health professionals must mobilize against the dogma that rots critical thinking. When scientific illiteracy, coupled with a lack of scientific temperament, infiltrates the medical community, it destroys confidence in scientific medicine and creates gaps in health care. These are then filled with pseudoscience and self-proclaimed healers endangering public health.

Organizations like IMA did not support you.

Solidarity for a cause that strengthens public health, improves scientific temperament, and promotes scientific and critical thinking comes from self-realization. This must be free from political, religious, cultural and traditional dogmas, ideologies and prejudices.

Meanwhile, the system keeps you entangled in legal procedures

Yes. The system attempts to frustrate people by making the legal process cumbersome, exhausting and financially demanding. But he also makes calculation errors. I don’t do this for myself but for the patients and their families. This will help them make realistic and rational decisions regarding health and illness. This is not my fight, but ours. I will hold up the shield (at great personal cost) until others are enlightened and join us.

Does the massive support on social networks bring hope?

I was truly overwhelmed by the support when my account was suspended by Twitter/X. The most support came from non-physicians. Many say they miss my precious messages. So, years of fighting health misinformation are paying off. Nothing is ever in vain, neither the great struggles of before, nor this one nor those to come. Because people understand. They know. And they will change others with this knowledge. That’s all that matters. It is both the moment and the movement.

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