I’m a cardiologist — 5 of the biggest healthcare lies on TikTok, ignore the quacks

Surely, you don’t believe everything you hear on social media.

But just in case you’re not sure where to draw the line when it comes to your health, shared a video in which he dispelled five “healthcare lies on TikTok” — so we can “drown out a lot of these quacks.” 

Levine warned against a “total BS” test and shared another healthy eating recommendation that will save you some money.

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Myth: Celtic sea salt is better than regular salt 

Celtic sea salt was originally hand-harvested from coastal France, although it now comes from several locations around the world. It’s been touted on TikTok as being “healthier” because it’s less processed and contains tiny amounts of minerals, but Levine calls this advice “the biggest quack out there.” 

“Guess what? It’s sodium chloride like your salt,” he said. “It has trace — little itsy bitsy — amounts of calcium, potassium … and that’s it.” 

He also warned everyone that you should avoid putting salt in your water if you have heart disease, as doing so can raise your blood pressure and make you go into heart failure.

Myth: Pricey olive oil sold by MDs is better

Levine acknowledges that, yes, olive oil is good for you, mostly because it’s very rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which can help lower bad cholesterol. 

Studies have shown that consuming 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil per day may lower your risk of heart disease, although Levine notes that you can’t discount the possibility that these people eating olive oil also just have healthier lifestyle habits. 

However, these days, there are plenty of doctors selling olive oil online on the promise that theirs has special health benefits, and some of them carry a price tag as high as $47.95, which Levine considers pretty bogus. 

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“Eating a tablespoon of olive oil sold by some doctor on TikTok that claims his olive oil is special is more BS than truth. They’re just looking to make money,” he said. 

“Don’t waste your money buying some brand from some quack selling on his site. Costco extra virgin olive oil is likely a better source.” 

One more thing: some people are convinced taking a “swig” of olive oil before bed will improve your overnight digestion and reduce bloating. He advises against that. 

“Don’t take swigs of olive oil before bed,” he said. “There’s no benefit in that.” 

Myth: No one should take statins

Statins are a group of medications that can help lower the level of LDL cholesterol —the “bad one” — in the blood. 

While they are considered safe and effective for most people, some believe you shouldn’t take them because they could have potentially negative side effects. 

Dr. Levine’s verdict? 

“Not true. Statins reduce heart attacks and save lives. They cost pennies. They’ve been studied in millions of people. Slight truth: low-risk patients do have little or no benefit. Same thing for lots of medicines.”

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Myth: You can detect blockages with a quick test 

The Allen test is a screening exam in which a medical practitioner locates the two arteries that provide blood flow to your hand — the radial and the ulnar — and compresses them, causing the hand to turn white. 

The patient then squeezes the hand into a fist several times, after which the examiner will release one artery to see how quickly color returns to the hand, then repeats the process with the other one. If color does not return within 15 seconds, that is considered a negative Allen test, which may indicate poor blood circulation. 

There is some debate within the medical community as to whether the test is fully effective in general, but, according to Levine, you shouldn’t believe anyone who tells you it can help you detect blockages. 

#healing

“The quacks are out there promoting a negative Allen test as a way to show you having blockages in your arteries,” Levine said, “Total BS.” 

According to Levine, not everyone has an ulnar artery, so doctors usually use the Allen test to determine whether or not it exists before performing heart surgery. That’s all. 

“It has no association with any other problems. Zero,” he said. 

Myth: High blood pressure is no big deal 

This one seems sort of obvious, but Allen asserts that there are “quacks quacking away out there” saying having high blood pressure is just fine because of misconceptions about the term “essential hypertension.” 

According to him, this term originated about a hundred years ago, when doctors taking blood pressure saw “lots of old folks with high blood pressure and they labeled it as ‘essential hypertension.’”

However, “it isn’t essential. It’s a danger that increases the risk of stroke, heart attack [and] kidney failure.”