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In the information and knowledge society in which we all assume that it is necessary to learn, also arises the need to be cautious about the content on which we base our knowledge. Counter-knowledge is defined as knowledge learned from unverified sources of information including hoaxes, rumour or partial lies. One of the contexts most prone to the presence of counter-knowledge is the health sector, when someone who is sick and suffers from a chronic illness, tends to seek for miraculous cures. This paper illustrates three cases in the recent history of Italy regarding the application of healthcare treatments. These cases show how the "public authorities" struggled to regain credibility due to the amplification and diffusion of elements of counter-knowledge. By using theories and concepts derived from the KM field, the cases are analysed to highlight the weakness of the "official" (and supposedly credible) sources of knowledge when they must face the upsurge of so many producers of unverifiable elements of knowledge, amplified by social media. Useful lessons for public institutions are finally derived. The findings also complement the KM studies by providing a clearer definition of counterknowledge and lessons to managers and decision makers, as to how they may overcome the presence of counter-knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]