How Patients Get Taken for a Ride: Beware of Miracle Cures in Healthcare
Patient: Dr Malpani, everywhere I look—newspapers, hoardings, even WhatsApp forwards—there are ads about “miracle” medical treatments. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot about platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. They say it can treat everything — from baldness to arthritis. It sounds tempting, but is it real?
Dr. Malpani: That’s an excellent question, and I’m glad you asked instead of blindly trusting the ads. Let’s start with a basic principle: if something claims to cure everything, it probably cures nothing.
PRP is being marketed as a universal solution — injected into the scalp for hair loss, into joints for arthritis, and even into the spinal fluid for autism. The very fact that it’s being used for such a wide range of unrelated problems should make you suspicious.
Patient: But the advertisements sound so scientific! They mention “bioactive growth factors” and cite research. Surely that means it works?
Dr. Malpani: That’s where patients often get misled. These treatments are dressed up in scientific jargon, but most of the “research” comes from poor-quality journals that publish anything for a fee. If PRP really was a revolutionary breakthrough, do you think it would only appear in obscure journals?
Any genuine medical advance gets published in respected, peer-reviewed journals like The Lancet or The New England Journal of Medicine. That’s how a discovery earns credibility and changes global medical practice. The absence of such publications is itself a red flag.
Patient: But some patients say they feel better after these injections. Doesn’t that prove it works?
Dr. Malpani: Not necessarily. Every treatment — even a useless one — has a placebo effect. Some patients will improve simply because they expect to. This keeps the buzz going and convinces others to try it. Sadly, hope makes people vulnerable, and clinics know how to exploit that.
Patient: Shouldn’t the government or medical associations step in and stop such misleading practices?
Dr. Malpani: Ideally, yes. But in reality, regulation is weak. The government is inefficient, and the medical profession rarely speaks out against its own because of “professional courtesy” and the money at stake. That’s why patients cannot afford to depend on others to protect them.
You need to protect yourself by asking tough questions, demanding evidence, and applying common sense.
Patient: So what should patients look out for to avoid being taken for a ride?
Dr. Malpani: Here are a few simple rules:
- Be sceptical of miracle claims. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
- Check the source of the research. Real breakthroughs are published in top journals.
- Beware of treatments marketed for “everything”. Medicine doesn’t work that way.
- Think critically before spending money. Don’t let clever marketing override your judgement.
Patient: Thank you, Dr Malpani. I realise now that patients must take responsibility for their decisions instead of blindly trusting glossy ads.
Dr. Malpani: Exactly. Remember: no one cares about your health as much as you do. Don’t let doctors or clinics take you for a ride. Use your common sense, ask the right questions, and make informed choices. That’s the best way to protect both your health and your wallet.