"Immune Boosting" in the time of COVID: selling immunity on Instagram.

Authors :: Wagner, Darren N.
Marcon, Alessandro R.
Caulfield, Timothy
Source :: Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology; 9/3/2020, Vol. 16 Issue 1, pN.PAG-N.PAG, 1p
Publication Year :: 2020
Abstract: "Immune boosting" is a trending topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of "immune boosting" is scientifically misleading and often used to market unproven products and therapies. This paper presents an analysis of popular immune-boosting posts from Instagram. Of the sampled posts, all promoted "immune boosting" as beneficial, nearly all involved commercial interests, and many used scientific and medical rhetoric in their messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]