THE ESSENTIAL
- A teenager decided to stop his treatment after watching the videos of the youtuber Thierry Casasnovas
- The youtubeur claims to know how to cure “all diabetes in 20 minutes”
- Adolescent was hospitalized in intensive care after diabetic ketoacidosis
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A diabetic adolescent was hospitalized in intensive care in a serious state after having followed the health advice of a “youtubeur”. Alexandre, who has had type 1 diabetes since he was 17, decided to stop his treatment after watching the videos of Thierry Casasnovas (TC), a surfer animating a “popularization chain” proposing “generic advice on food, and more generally in lifestyle, for people wishing to adopt a more natural approach ”.
Lies and Dangerous Words on Youtube
On this channel followed by nearly 500,000 subscribers, TC posted videos on diabetes, one of which is called “Treat all diabetics in 20 minutes”. A sensational title that gives hope, but diabetes, which it owes to type 1 or 2, is a chronic disease that can be treated, but that cannot be cured. The youtubeur claims, however, supported by study, that weight loss can cure diabetes. Sure Futura Science, Filipe de Vadder, doctor in physiology, deciphers all the lies and dangerous words made by this internet user who has no medical specialization in diabetology.
Alexander however, believing his advice, stopped his insulin therapy and did a ketoacidosis attack, a severe complication of diabetes resulting from a large insulin deficiency in the blood. Potentially fatal, diabetic ketoacidosis usually occurs in diabetes that begins or is poorly compensated for by treatment.
Fortunately, the young man survived, but his mishap points to the irresponsibility of some people who define themselves as “influencers ”on the Internet and distributing advice without experience or knowledge. “In this domain, [TC] is the most followed skid, its audience is very [trop] important. It is also a gateway to other pseudo-specialists inclay, fasting, vaccines, etc. He is a kind of general practitioner of false medical promises. He has covered almost all subjects. By deconstructing his discourse, we try to alert to all these drifts ”, explains to Futura Science the collective Extractor, which combats dangerous health-related information on the Internet.
The risk of wrong advice
In 2015, the youtuber EnjoyPhoenix caused a scandal by advising internet users to apply a homemade cinnamon beauty mask. Our colleagues from 20 Minutes had questioned at the time a dermatologist who warned about the risk of using cinnamon, an “allergenic” plant.
Some internet users have indeed had burns on the face after applying their mask recipe. To which “influence” replied: “Honestly, if there are serious health problems in the world, it is rather cancer, AIDS, whatever you want. I think at some point, you have to review your priorities and 20 Minutes, instead of doing an article on a mask that burns your face a bit, go and do articles on how to reduce the war in the world.”
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