Kenneth L Abbott, MD, FACP  |  3/16/2022

Cancer and the Telephone Game

Raise your hand if you have ever played the “telephone game.” Form a line or circle with a sizeable group of people—a dozen or so, at least—and hand the first person a modestly complicated sentence. This person whispers the sentence to her neighbor, who in turn whispers the sentence to his neighbor, and so on until the last person receives the sentence and says it out loud to the group, usually followed by peals of laughter at how ridiculously garbled the message became as it was passed along. Grade school teachers have used the game as a fun way of demonstrating the pitfalls of human communication. The players learn that we often don’t listen well, we can be careless and inaccurate in handling information, we frequently cover embarrassment over poor comprehension by embellishing or augmenting what we say, and the further away information gets from its original source the less trustworthy it may be.

Today, there is a more sophisticated, but no less hazardous, way of obtaining and handling information about cancer: electronic media. Whether you search the internet or follow someone on a social media site, you should be aware of the risk of being misinformed. Having low-quality, unreliable, flat-out wrong information about cancer can lead to poor decision-making and adverse effects on treatment. Worse than just mistaken, this “knowledge” is harmful. Malinformation is a better term for it.

How do you go about reducing your risk of being malinformed? A few pointers:

Check the currency of the article you’re reading, if it bears a date. Some information about cancer ages well, but much does not because of the rapid pace of medical research and publication.

If the article has the name of the author, find out what you can about that person’s credentials. Does he or she have the necessary background and knowledge base to be credible?

Read the entire article carefully, not just the headlines or the lede. Details are important. They may not appear until well into the body of the text. If citations or links accompany the article, take the time to check those as well.

Evaluate the site itself. What is its purpose in posting the article? Does it advance a particular point of view? Is there an interest in selling a product that may introduce bias?

Note the style of writing. You can distinguish a professional, straightforward piece intended to educate from one seeking to provoke a response or to entertain. Look for mistakes in spelling and grammar. Sloppiness in writing often warns the reader against sloppiness in information.

I don’t mean to impugn people who use and contribute to social media sites, but you should treat this material as you would gossip. Verify everything before acting on it.

Finally, double-check what you have learned with your cancer care provider. That person occupies the best position to guide you in your quest to make good decisions.
This record has been viewed 3190 times.

Conversation

Logan
Monday, February 12, 2024

I have been battling a mysterious illness for a long time, but i never lost hope. I sought out the best doctors and tried various treatments, but nothing seemed to work. One day, while doing some research, I stumbled upon a groundbreaking testimony. It revealed a new experimental treatment by Dr Jeremiah that showed promising results for people with similar symptoms. Without hesitation, i decided to give it a try. Days turned into weeks, and weeks. Slowly but surely, i began to notice improvements. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, i received the incredible news from my doctor that I was officially cured! The disease that had once plagued my life was now nothing more than a distant memory.And so, i journey from illness to wellness. I want to remind us all that even in the face of adversity, there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow. for more information on cure any disease or infection contact Doctor on WhatsApp+2349013346785 email ✉️drjeremiahabalaka@gmail.co

Gloria Grace Smith
Tuesday, May 9, 2023

God bless Dr. Manley for his marvellous work in my life, I was diagnosed of stage 4 Cancer since 2015 in the USA and I was taking my medications, I wasn't satisfied I needed to get rid of Cancer out of my system, I searched about some possible cure for Cancer I saw a comment about Dr. Manley base in Turkey how he has cured different Cancer cases with his herbal medicine, I contacted him and he guided and gave me solutions of the medicines, he started the remedy for my health, he sent me the medicine through UPS SPEED POST. I took the medicine as instructed, and in 2 weeks I was totally cured. If you need a cure contact him on his Email: drmanleyhelphome@gmail.com or WhatsAPP +905428528628. Dr Manley has a solution to cure Multiple Organ failure, Fibroid, Heart Disease, Hepatitis A,B,C, HIV/AIDS, Shortsightedness , Liver problem, Obesity, Diabetes Type 1&2, Alzheimer’s Disease, Substance Abuse, Influenza and Pneumonia, Kidney Disease, Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases, Mental, Solution for all type of Cancer, Health Conditions, Stroke etc.

Leave your comment

CAPTCHA Validation
CAPTCHA
Code: