Latest news with #DrStuartFischer
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Shocking truth behind doctor's warning about kissing a dead person at funerals
A doctor's shocking warning to avoid kissing a dead person's head as they lie in a casket at a funeral has taken the internet by storm. Dr Viktor Ivanovik, a Moldovan physician with over 1.2 million followers on TikTok, claimed that dangerous bacteria start growing on corpses just nine hours after death. In the clip titled 'Never kiss a dead person!' Ivanovik said that coming into contact with this bacteria could cause the kisser to lose their sense of smell and suffer cardio-respiratory problems. ' Do not kiss the deceased on their final journey, especially in the summer or in the room where the lifeless body is placed if there is no air conditioning,' Ivanovik said. 'Kiss the deceased when the lifeless body is in the custody of an air-conditioned morgue at an appropriate temperature,' he added. The controversial advice has set off a wave of debate, with mourning families on social media slamming the advice as insensitive, and fact-checkers calling the doctor's claims exaggerated. However, Dr Stuart Fischer, a New York City-based internist, declared the claims to be nonsensical and simply not possible, given the amount of immune defenses the human body contains. 'In any given person, there are many different types of good bacteria, but they all serve a purpose. It would be like having 100,000 secret service agents to guard someone,' Dr Fischer told 'In other words, the bacteria would be outnumbered, and they would die quickly because of the immune system of the supposedly newly infected person,' Dr Fischer said. Dr Ivanovik's claims have spread fear that someone's final goodbye could spread potentially deadly pathogens like Staphylococcus or Clostridium. 'How come I've never heard of this before in my life as a physician for 45 years?' Dr Fischer asked. 'That means that the loved ones would die or be hospitalized within a day or two. I don't believe it's happening,' he continued. The World Health Organization (WHO) agreed with Dr Fischer's take on the TikTok claims, noting that even after a natural disaster, 'there is no evidence that corpses pose a risk of epidemic disease.' 'Most agents do not survive long in the human body after death. Human remains only pose a substantial risk to health in a few special cases, such as deaths from cholera or hemorrhagic fevers,' WHO added in a statement. While Dr Ivanovik may have a massive following online, his medical credentials could not be verified by multiple media outlets, both in the US and Europe. Dr Fischer added that Ivanovik's TikTok video did not take into account the professional manner in which bodies are preserved for funerals in modern times. 'For burials, the funeral directors take things like this into account also,' Dr Fischer revealed. 'There would certainly have been cases of this before. This is not something where you could suddenly have a brand new epidemic of something,' he added. While the doctor didn't personally endorse kissing a deceased loved one at a funeral, he noted that there was nothing medically wrong with choosing to do so if it brings a grieving relative comfort. Although Ivanovik's TikTok post was liked by many of his followers, others rejected his advice, saying that their final moment with a dead relative was worth any risks. 'I kissed my father, and I would do it a million times more! I can even lose my taste and smell, he's my father!' one person replied. 'Honestly, I don't think anyone can resist kissing their parent on the hand or forehead, one last time,' another poster commented. 'It's hard when you break up with someone you love. For example, a child, mother, father, brother, etc. Maybe you're right, scientifically, but, in such a situation, it's hard,' a social media user added.
The Independent
16-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Trump's strange bruised hand makes reappearance before president's visit to Pittsburgh
President Trump's mysterious hand bruise has reappeared, but this time, it appeared to be caked in even more makeup. The commander in chief, 79, was snapped by the media while boarding Marine One at the White House ahead of his trip to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, when his off-color hand was noticed. A zoomed-in shot of Trump's hand appeared to be flaking with a layer of makeup – a shade that did not match his skin, plastered over the top. One area of his hand buried beneath the concealer looked like an incision or scar of some kind. The mark on his right hand was first noticed months earlier, in February, during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. At the time, his right hand appeared yellow and bruised, and it seemed to be covered in concealer. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed a statement she gave to The Independent in February: 'President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other President in history. 'His commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day.' Dr Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine physician in New York, told The Daily Mail in February that the bruises were concerning. He said that while an 'aggressive handshake' may contribute, the president's age, which naturally weakens his blood vessels, can make bruising more severe. Fischer noted that the president is the second-oldest in US history. Equally, Osteoarthritis – a degenerative joint disease – could also be a cause, the doctor speculated. Ultimately, 'I think it's probably all of those things together,' he said. Trump first blamed the bruise on repeated hand-shaking during an interview with Time magazine for his cover shoot in December. He spoke to reporters in a press gaggle Monday about the rise of inflation, tariff sanctions, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a trade agreement with Indonesia, and the Epstein debacle. Trump then headed to the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit to tout a $90 billion investment in new energy and AI technology. Later in April, the patched-over hand was spotted during a presentation ceremony for the President Trophy in Washington, D.C, as he clung to a football. Leavitt batted off allegations of ill-health again, insisting it was the result of frequent handshaking. The same month, the president underwent his annual physical medical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and declared himself to be in 'excellent health.'
