To start, please excuse any linguistic errors as English isn’t my native tongue (I’m from Brazil). Whenever I return home from university on weekends, I manage the technology for my family. Recently, my mother requested that I adjust some settings on my granddad’s phone, specifically for YouTube and Instagram. She’s been in constant conflict with him because he’s started skipping his insulin doses—apparently, he hasn’t taken it for several days. He’s been living with diabetes for four decades, and both he and my grandmother face significant health challenges. I attempted to reason with him, but he’s convinced that the pharmaceutical sector is suppressing a permanent cure. He argues that if we can build microscopes powerful enough to view the moon, a cure must exist. He won’t listen to me, my mom, or my grandmother’s nurse. Just a bit ago, I caught him watching a video featuring a “physician” that I immediately recognized as an AI deepfake. When I pointed it out, he just asked if the message was still valid. My only effective tactic is to remind him that he’s a staunch leftist who detests Bolsonaro; I tell him that believing these AI conspiracies makes him sound like a right-wing supporter, which usually rattles him. While it has its humorous moments, we’re genuinely concerned he’ll quit his medication entirely in favor of “organic supplements” he sees on social media. We’re also terrified he’ll try to find alternative treatments for my grandmother’s Parkinson’s and dementia, which could jeopardize her professional care. It’s mostly funny, but the risk is real.
Please don’t treat this as a joke; the consequences are grave. I had a family member go down this path, and he is no longer with us. He suffered from chronic health issues but avoided medical professionals, believing modern doctors were just out for profit, unlike the “miracle” sand-based remedies he bought from mail-order catalogs. He was consuming massive quantities of vitamins and meal replacement shakes, thinking they would heal him. Eventually, he had a heart attack and required a stent. My mom practically had to force him to stay on the operating table because he wanted to go home and use garlic instead. Following the procedure, he was told he needed blood thinners to avoid a stroke. Instead, he found a “hidden” cure in a newsletter that claimed Big Pharma was making people sick for money. Predictably, his herbal supplements failed to stop a blood clot. He suffered a stroke that paralyzed half his body. He then rejected physical therapy for a “magnetic healing” scam. His condition worsened. Doctors said he could have lived 20 more years with proper care; he died in under five. When we cleared out his house, his entire dining table was buried under supplement containers. This kind of misinformation is lethal.
It’s ironic: in the 90s, Boomers told us not to trust the internet. Now in 2025, they believe every single thing they see on Facebook.
My father-in-law had unmanaged diabetes and disregarded ten urgent alerts from his physician to go to the ER for high glucose levels. This led to total kidney, liver, and heart failure. He refused to follow his insulin regimen or diet. He passed away just six months after ignoring those medical warnings.
So his plan is to quit insulin and hope Big Pharma just hands over the secret remedy?
Regardless of whether a cure is being hidden (it isn’t), he has to keep taking insulin until he actually receives that cure, or he’ll die. The mere existence of a cure doesn’t fix his current condition.