The Health | august, 2019
30
Exclusive
Common medical
myths debunk!
We have gotten Dr Firdaus to spill some of his
favourite myths:
Myth 1: Taking a shower at night is not allowed
because it will lead to water in the lungs
Fact: Certainly a myth from our elders and their
elders. If we can’t take a shower at night, that
means we can’t also drink water at night as
well!
Myth 2: Women shouldn’t exercise because if
they do, their uterus will collapse.
Fact: There has been so many fit women in
the world that this myth could only exists in
pockets of society. There is even a special
type of exercise called the kegel exercise that
strengthens women’s pelvic floor!
M3’s engagement session amongst social media influencers with Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad and Tun Dr
Siti Hasmah.
Stop believing
medical myths!
Debunking myths about health and medicine is
all in a day’s work for these doctors
I
f there’s something strange about a thing
you read, who you gonna call? No no, not The
Ghostbusters, I I am talking about the Medical
Mythbusters Malaysia!
Do any of these ‘medical facts’ sound familiar?
‘Drink this tea and your diabetes will be cured’ or
‘consume this and you will have a safe pregnancy’, or
‘taking a shower a night will fill your lungs with water.’
Centre for misinformation
How it started
“The idea started in 2016. Dr Mahyuddin Mohamed, Dr
Mohd Syamirullah Rahim, Dr Khairul Hafidz Alkhair
and I got together. Since each of us were writing some-
thing to combat fake medical information, why not
gather a group of people and form a one-stop centre for
the public to obtain valid medical facts from credible
resources?”
Before the debut of Medical Mythbusters Malaysia
(M3), Dr Firdaus began writing a blog called MOFrust.
com - where he used it to blow off steam about his
daily routine. From there, he realised it could be a good
medium in exposing medical imposters and myths.
From his blog, he soon met other doctors who shared
the same pressing issue, fake medical information.
“I remember in 2017, I wrote a short paragraph -
Calling all medical Avengers, whoever interested in
joining us and debunking medical myths, please mes-
sage me,” he recalls.
M3 receiving the certificate of appreciation by the
Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad
during World Vaccination Day 2019.
Myth 4: After giving birth, the mother should
not consume vegetables.
Fact: Another myth that puts new mothers in
peril. Not consuming vegetables would only
lead to constipation and lack of nutrition for the
baby.
One step at a time
By Reenassri Sekaran
Do a quick scroll on either Instagram or Facebook and
out pops some cancer curing tea or vitamin C injec-
tions. Fake medical products claiming to solve multiple
ailments have popped up like mushrooms and fake
medical information are being spread like wildfire.
Realising how the situation is putting public health at
stake, co-founder and Health Ministry medical officer
Dr Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Haris decided to take it upon
himself to help tackle the matter.
Myth 3: After giving birth, the mother should
not drink too much water.
Fact: This myth is a dangerous one to believe,
because it would lead to dehydration for he
mother, which can affect the production of milk
and the overall well-being of the mother.
President and CO-Founder of M3, Dr Ahmad
Firdaus Mohd Haris.
Medical Mythbusters Malaysia went through many
phases throughout the years in efforts to bring aware-
ness to the public.
“Initially, someone would ask us about a particular
product and we will write on it. However it became inef-
fective and the outcome wasn’t fruitful. At one point,
we would see all these many products being advertised
on our social media wall and we would write on that.
We don’t only have doctors but also dieticians and
pharmacists on board M3 - so we will refer to them
on certain regulations and then proceed to formulate
the article.”
Now however M3 has swerved in a different direc-
tion. Dr Firdaus and his team are targeting to tell the
public what to keep an eye out for when it comes to the
various myths and products being sold on social media.
“There are way too many products present in the
market. Debunk one and another product with a differ-
ent name will pop up. Recently, there was a myth about
non-stick pans causing cancer. Despite the debunking,