Recently, I was openly mocked and ridiculed in a widely seen video for taking online classes by a junior doctor who became one just 11 years ago, yet somehow claims 18-20 years of medical experience. Did I complete a 5 hour course offered by Harvard? YES. Did I also complete additional courses offered by Harvard? YES.
“The less a man knows, the bigger noise he makes.” – Mark Twain
Online classes, also known as distance education or distance learning, have made the opportunity for higher education significantly more accessible for everyone. This is especially true for working adults, students with limited travel ability or disabilities, and people whose job, schedule, responsibilities or obligations just won’t jive with traditional classroom attendance.
Now that we’re all enduring a global pandemic, there are entire U.S. states that have done distance learning for every single student which even included some of the largest cities. For last school year (late 2020), the public schools of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago were entirely online. Many other parts of the world were not allowing students to congregate at all. In the Philippines, students have still not gone back to school in public schools.
Even prior to the onset of this pandemic, distance/ online learning was significant here in the U.S. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the Unites States.
Question: How many students take distance learning courses at the postsecondary level? (1)
Response: In fall 2018, there were 6,932,074 students enrolled in any distance education courses at degree-granting postsecondary institutions. (1)
Of this, 3,257,987 students or 16.6% of all college students were exclusively taking their courses online.
I’m very happy that through Edx, I have been able to pursue postgraduate Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses from some of the finest Universities in the world to increase my knowledge as a Physician. Edx has over 2,500 classes from 140 different world-class Universities to choose from, with many of these classes being FREE. I never dreamed as a poor squatter child living in East Rembo that someday I could successfully complete classes from Harvard, or numerous other world-class institutions.
Harvard University is the #1 ranked University in the world for Life Sciences and Medicine by QS World University Rankings®, #1 in the world by U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities for Clinical Medicine, and numerous others. To be able to take classes from there is a dream come true. Visit them online and start your education goals there today.
- Since the #1 Life sciences University in the world offers online classes, why would anyone mock that?
- Why would someone say that I claimed to have graduated from there?
- Why would someone claim I took only a single class from there?
Proverbs 1:22, How long will you inexperienced ones love inexperience? How long will you ridiculers take pleasure in ridicule? And how long will you foolish ones hate knowledge?
It really struck me as odd that this “Savior” would ridicule me for taking online classes to better myself as a doctor and also mislead people about a great many other things about me.
2 Peter 3:3, First of all know this, that in the last days ridiculers will come with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires.
Section 3.1.5 of the Australian Medical Association Code of Ethics; Continue lifelong professional development to keep your knowledge, skills and performance up to-date and improve your standard of medical care. (2)
So, why shouldn’t we continue to learn? Dr. David Sackett is widely regarded as the “father of evidence-based medicine”. He was quoted a few years ago in the BMJ by his very close friend Dr. Richard Horton, the Editor of the BMJ in his article, “Thoughts for new medical students at a new medical school” (3). To remind you, the BMJ was formerly known as the British Medical Journal.
“Half of what you’ll learn in medical school will be shown to be either dead wrong or out of date within five years of your graduation; the trouble is that nobody can tell you which half—so the most important thing to learn is how to learn on your own”. -Dr. David Sackett
Taking Continuing Medical Education courses from the #1 Life sciences University in the world because I want to improve as a Physician seems like a pretty good idea to me.
“The half-life of knowledge in highly specialized clinical arenas cannot endure a shelf life of more than three years, at which point a clinician can become useless at best and dangerous at worst.” – Dr. Steven Z. Kussin (4)
“The medical profession continues to libel and slander innovative doctors.” -Page 27, Racketeering in Medicine: The Suppression of Alternatives, by Dr. James P. Carter, M.D., Dr. P.H., M.S. (5)
“The purpose of science is to extend the validated body of knowledge, which inherently is expected to challenge and even controvert deeply held beliefs.” -Dr. Martin Makary, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (6)
“You should be working against all of the knowledge you have received because it is insufficient.” (7) – Dr. Juan Pascual, M.D., Ph.D., Professor in four Departments at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Since I touched on the Australian Medical Association Code of Ethics, I’ll point out a few other points of ethics for doctors mentioned there.
Section 3.2 Working with colleagues (2)
Subsection 3.2.1 Treat your colleagues with respect and dignity.
Subsection 3.2.2 Recognise colleagues who are unwell or under stress. Know how and when to respond if you are concerned about a colleague’s health and take action to minimise the risk to patients and the doctor’s health.
When the first surprise attack video against me was released by the “Savior”, this photo below shows where I was. While being degraded, ridiculed and bullied with disinformation, I was enduring dangerous complications just shy of 9 months into my pregnancy.
“This is par for the course. This is what they do. They have engaged in smear campaigns against numerous scientists, numerous journalists around the world, and they do it through these third-party strategies so that it looks like it’s coming from a more authentic, more valid independent source.” -Carey Gillam, Former Reuters Journalist & Author
“We don’t want to be seen as beating up on mothers, nobody will listen to it anyway. It has to be done by third parties.” -Monsanto executive Dan Goldstein Beating up on mothers
“It is very important in this age of information to really be careful of the information you take as truth.”– Catriona Gray, Miss Universe 2018
Natural healthcare clinicians are, “continuing to be clandestinely targeted by organized disruption campaigns and “black PR” efforts being instigated by forces within the medical-chemical-food industrial combine…” (8)
“What we should really be concerned about are the nefarious, deceptive, powerful, hidden public relations strategies and tactics that are used by industry.” -John Stauber, Author of The toxic sludge is good for you.
“Well-funded and highly-organized disinformation operations are in full-swing throughout the internet. From forums to comment boards and even professional websites that have only one purpose: Defame, distract, and destroy the truth.” (9)
Interesting… “Defame, distract, and destroy the truth.” Looks like the playbook of the “Savior”.
What does the Australian Medical Association Code of Ethics say about damaging the reputation of a colleague?
Subsection 3.2.3 Refrain from undertaking actions such as making comments which may unfairly damage the reputation of a colleague. (2)
This “Savior” created an elaborate false narrative and even implied that I claimed to have graduated from Harvard Medical School. This was very malicious and utterly false disinformation that was clearly designed to “damage the reputation of a colleague.” This was the ideal opportunity for the “Savior” to “gaslight” me, Natural Medicine and my role in it, while I was nearly at full term in my pregnancy.
What is Gaslighting?
This “Savior” misleadingly stated that, “So according to her Facebook page, she went to Harvard Medical School.”
This person can’t even read a Facebook page properly because it DOES NOT say Harvard Medical School. It DOES NOT say I “went to Harvard Medical School.” It DOES NOT say I graduated from Harvard. It simply refers to having Harvard training, which is accurate.
Exodus 20:16, You must not testify falsely when you are a witness against your fellow man. (Me being a woman does not change that)
The “Savior” furthered the fake narrative of claiming graduation from Harvard Medical School by saying they checked the alumni roster and could not find me. OF COURSE you wouldn’t! I never claimed to have graduated from Harvard ANYWHERE. The “Savior” invented this fiction and then tried to shame ME for it! This misled viewers with outright disinformation.
“Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it.” – Jonathan Swift
After I completed my first class from Harvard, I made a post to Instagram on October 14, 2019
It says, “Just finished my first Harvard course!” This is the EXACT SAME IMAGE stolen from my Instagram page and used in the “Savior” mocking video. It DOES NOT say anything about graduating from Harvard. If you watch the defamatory video that was made, they left out “Just finished my first Harvard course!”
“It’s easier to fool people than it is to convince them that they have been fooled.” – Source unknown
After completing my next 3 classes from Harvard, my husband had our social media manager update the About section of my business Facebook page in late 2019 and change it from “St. Louis University trained Medical Doctor” to “Harvard University and St. Louis University trained Medical Doctor”. My husband was proud of me and I was in fact “Harvard University” trained in several courses. It didn’t say I graduated from Harvard or “went to Harvard Medical School.”
What is the definition of “Trained”?
- The Cambridge Dictionary defines trained as: Having been prepared for a particular job or activity, by learning skills, getting qualifications, etc.
- Lexico Dictionary powered by Oxford defines trained as: Having been taught a particular skill or type of behaviour through practice and instruction over a period of time.
- Google’s English dictionary provided by Oxford Languages defines trained as: Having been taught a particular skill or type of behavior through practice and instruction over a period of time.
- Collins English Dictionary defines trained as: Having been trained by a specified person or organization.
- Wiktionary defines trained as: Having undergone a course of training (sometimes in combination).
- The Freedictionary.com defines trained as: To make proficient with specialized instruction and practice, and To give or undergo a course of training.
- Yourdictionary.com defines trained as: Having undergone a course of training (sometimes in combination).
Clearly, the “Savior” either doesn’t know what “trained” means or was willfully misinforming people. Completing multiple classes offered by a University denotes having been “trained”.
“The truth simply cannot compete with hoax and rumor…Fake news and false rumors reach more people, penetrate deeper into the social network, and spread much faster than accurate stories.” (10)
Prior to recently limiting the viewership on my personal Facebook page (due to ongoing and significant cyberbullying), it demonstrated that some of my additional post graduate medical education includes the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Zhongfang Red Cross International Hospital.
Of all the “research” that the “Savior” did, my personal Facebook page was not mentioned because it didn’t fit the false narrative that was crafted where they also implied that I am just a Naturopath and not a “real doctor”. It was even mentioned on a recent “Savior” video about how my personal Facebook page is recently no longer viewable to the public, so CLEARLY it was seen before the defamatory mockumentary video was made. The “Savior” disregarded the hundreds of hours and months of education I’ve taken in the U.S. for my Continuing Medical Education by focusing on a single class and did this in a way that misled scores of people into thinking I only took a single 5 hour class, which is completely false.
“Research shows that when myths are debunked, people often remember the myth rather than the facts!” (11)
My page CLEARLY and PUBLICLY stated that I studied Doctor of Medicine at Saint Louis University, Baguio City. NOWHERE did it say I graduated from Harvard.
I am properly licensed by the Philippines Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) as a Physician. I have a license to practice medicine in the Philippines, the “Savior” does not. I give opinions, the “Savior” gives medical advice and even says so. I’ve even been challenged by the “Savior” to debunk medical advice that person gives. I’ll do this in my time, not theirs.
A proper search on the PRC website demonstrates the FACT of my licensure. Try it yourself
I am properly licensed by PITAHC, The Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Healthcare, which is part of the Department of Health. The “Savior” is not.
After the surprise attack defamation video came out, we decided to put all of my post graduate Continuing Medical Education (CME) in the About section of my Facebook page. This is when my husband and I learned that the About section of a Facebook business page is limited to only 255 characters. We decided that if we couldn’t put everything in there, we would just remove the newest addition which was nearly a year ago. and change it back from “Harvard University and St. Louis University trained Medical Doctor” to “St. Louis University trained Medical Doctor”.
The “Savior” accused me of misleading people claiming that I had Harvard training even though I have completed several courses of Harvard training.
I was also degraded because my first Harvard course was only $49. Yes $49! That was the best $49 I ever spent because I learned something and got a solid class credential from the #1 ranked University in the world for Life Sciences and Medicine!
“A false story reaches 1,500 people six times quicker, on average, than a true story does.” (10)
When there are courses, even free ones that can enable me to be a more knowledgeable Doctor, I take them! I have taken and am still taking numerous credentialed courses at Harvard and other world-class institutions. The false narrative of the “Savior” is that I took just one. It was also implied that because the course was just $49 and because it was online that it was low quality!?
In the Philippines, $49 is a week’s salary at a good job, and this was belittled! That is 2,500 pesos! TESDA provides free training for Filipinos online. Who would belittle Filipinos for the cost of those courses? Will the “Savior” belittle Filipinos if they have TESDA courses and certification? Look how many people worldwide have no choice but to take their courses online now!
“The media’s coverage of the truth must be comprehensive and come from a place of sincerity. When reporting social phenomena, many media outlets present only part of reality in ways that are often misleading and can do more harm than outright lies.” (12)
What we have yet to see is ANY Continuing Medical Education (CME) credentials from the “Savior”. Is there something to hide? What are the credentials for their expertise? Having a medical degree does not make you an expert in all things medicine any more than the ability to fold a paper airplane would grant all-encompassing knowledge in aerospace engineering.
Regarding President Barack Obama, I never claimed to have been endorsed by him or Dwayne Johnson. Those were parody pictures made by a T-shirt manufacturer. Anyone can do a reverse Google image search and clearly see that both were parodies. This is no different than the parody of the “Savior” talking to a skeleton that talks back, or the parody of claiming on a T-shirt that Harvard teaches cabbage. Does this mean that that the “Savior” has the medical ability to enable a deceased skeleton to speak? Of course not! It’s just a parody. If one wants to talk legitimately misleading, I’d like to know how the “Savior” got 18-20 years of experience with just 11 years as a Medical Doctor.
Notice at the top of the post where it says, “Hilarious!!! This made my day. Big kudos to whoever made it. I’ve treated heads of state but not these folks.”
This issue with the “Savior” has been an educational experience into weaponized misinformation and disinformation online. It worked perfectly for the “Savior” as over 700,000 people started following their Facebook page. It taught me that if unethical hooligans cannot find a juicy scandal, they will just create one with misinformation and disinformation.
What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation?
UP Diliman- The Problem with Fake news: Misinformation and Disinformation
“Disinformation campaigns often cast real people into traditional story roles like hero and villain, whistleblower vs. corrupt power, crusader vs. criminal.” (11) “White Crusader” vs. Dr. Farrah®?
What is misinformation? Below, Emerson T. Brooking explains it. Mr. Brooking is Co-Author of LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media. He’s also a Resident Fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council, where he works at the frontier of digital disinformation, electoral interference, and social media manipulation.
CBS News, How “fake news” and misinformation online is changing society
Dr. Kate Starbird on identifying disinformation campaigns
Dr. Starbird is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) and Director of the Emerging Capacities of Mass Participation (emCOMP) Laboratory at the University of Washington.
“Disinformation campaigns depend on others to spread their message. They use disingenuous tactics to promote engagement and to sidestep critical analysis of their claims (e.g., using slick production values or emotionally compelling narratives).” (11) Who does that sound like?
It’s comical that the “Savior” quotes and cites the Dunning-Kreuger effect on at least 2 occasions, but clearly doesn’t understand it. What it means is that the less competent you are at something, the less likely you are to realize it.
An example of the Dunning-Krueger effect in action is this. It can be someone who spouts off medical advice and criticism in areas where they have zero legitimate or credentialed expertise, no license to practice in the locale where they are promoting their opinions, they provide no scientific evidence to support their criticisms and worst of all, they cannot even properly read the words on a simple Facebook page.
Last of all is the accusation made by the “Savior” of me being unethical.
What’s unethical is you misleading everyone into thinking I took a single 5 hour course. I’ve spent months taking post graduate courses. I’ve spent hundreds of hours studying and learning to be a BETTER doctor. You ridiculed me for ONE of the courses I took? You belittled me because that course was ONLINE? How dare you! I’m constantly taking continuing medical education courses from some of the finest universities in the world to improve my knowledge as a doctor and you want to make fun of a single course and laugh at me? You violated your medical code of ethics and you’re a bully. Why did you lie about me? When can we see what your continuing medical education looks like?
Burden of proof.
If someone makes a claim, they must be the one to provide proof that something exists or that something is correct. Anyone who tries to get you to make their argument instead, saying, “I don’t have to prove I’m right, you have to prove I’m wrong!” is using this. (13) A good example would be someone challenging you to debunk their medical advices without showing a single shred of scientific proof as to why they give such advices. There’s an old proverb of unknown origin that says, “No amount of evidence will ever persuade a fool.”
“Social media seems to systematically amplify falsehood at the expense of the truth, and no one—neither experts nor politicians nor tech companies—knows how to reverse that trend.” (10)
References:
- Purdue University, Purdue Online Writing Lab, College of Liberal Arts. General Writing/ Academic Writing/ Logic In Argumentative Writing/ Logical Fallacies.
- U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Fast Facts. Distance Learning.
- The AMA Code of Ethics 2004. Editorially Revised 2006. Revised 2016 is at
- Smith R. Thoughts for new medical students at a new medical school. BMJ. 2003;327(7429):1430–1433. doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7429.1430
- Doctor, Your Patient Will See You Now: Gaining the Upper Hand in Your Medical Care. Basic Books: New York, NY. Hard cover 384 p. First edition. 62015. ISBN-10: 0465054749. ISBN-13: 978-0465054749 by Dr. Steven Z. Kussin, M.D.
- Carter, James P. Racketeering in Medicine: The Suppression of Alternatives, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 1992, 353 pages.
- BMJ 2016;353:i2139. (Accessed December 2018)
- Shelley, Matthew. D Magazine, Dr. Impossible, October 2019, p. 124-129.
- Bylund, Lynnea. Local Health-Freedom Attorney is Quack-buster Buster! San Clemente News Topix. June 20, 2007.
- Torres, Marco. Everything Is A Lie: The Deliberate Intent To Deceive People Is At An All Time High. Preventdisease.com August 10, 2010.
- Meyer, Robinson. The Grim Conclusions of the Largest-Ever Study of Fake News. The Atlantic, March 8, 2018.
- #MEAction, Disinformation Playbook.
- How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World, by Editorial Board of “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party”. 491 pages. Australian Epoch Times Limited, 2020.
- Purdue University, Purdue Online Writing Lab, College of Liberal Arts. General Writing/ Academic Writing/ Logic In Argumentative Writing/ Logical Fallacies.
Proverbs 14:15, The naive person believes every word, but the shrewd one ponders each step.
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