HÀ NỘI – Social media has recently lit up with a discussion about medical treatments that supposedly “follow natural therapies”,  reported Lao Động (Labour) Newspaper.

Several therapies have rapidly spread across social networks as users describe their experiences.

Instead of giving medicine to babies with high fever, some mothers have applied a method called “mother-baby skin contact”, or they drink some herbs which are thought to be excreted through their breast milk.

They claimed that even a baby with a 40 degree Celsius fever did not need to be checked by doctors or use fever relief medicines.

Some mothers said that breast milk could help re-grow babies’ amputated fingers of babies because breast milk can provide 2 billion stem cells every day.

Notably, the unscientific accounts have attracted the interest of young mothers.

Earlier this month, the case of a woman who gave birth at home without any assistance from health workers in the northern province of Hưng Yên has attracted the interest of people and medical doctors.

The baby was connected with the placenta for six days.  

According to Health deputy Minister Nguyễn Viết Tiến, a well-known obstetrical doctor, giving birth at home is dangerous for both mothers and babies.

“At present, there are no medical organisations recommending that women should give birth without medical assistance”, Tiến told the paper.

After birth, babies’ health is checked and monitored carefully by doctors. The baby born at home in Hưng Yên was fortunately born without complications.

In terms of methods of fever relief for children, Dr. Nguyễn Tiến Dũng, former head of pediatrics department of Bạch Mai Hospital, said when children got fever of up to 40 degrees Celsus, using natural methods is not effective and can even endanger their lives.

And breast milk contains nutrients but it cannot help regrow the amputated fingers, the doctor said.

“People should check carefully information posted on social networks and find out whether the information is given by experts or not,” Dr. Tiến said. “If we blindly follow false information, we’ll put our health at risk.”

Meanwhile, Nguyễn Đức Vinh, head of the Child and Maternal Healthcare Department of the Health Ministry, recommended that social network users take greater responsibility for posting information. -- VNS