By News18
Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, a renowned hepatologist also referred to as The Liver Doc, has called out Indian Chess Grand Master Vidit Gujrathi over the latter鈥檚 Doctor鈥檚 Day wishes for his family. On July 1, Vidit shared a selfie with his family members, including his father, mother, wife, and sister, along with the message 鈥淗appy Doctor鈥檚 Day to my entire family.鈥
In response to the post, an X user inquired about the specialities in their profession, to which Vidit detailed, 鈥淢y father is an Ayurvedic migraine specialist, my wife is an MD homoeopathy, my mom does cosmetology, and my sister is a physiotherapist.鈥
Seemingly unconvinced with Vidit tagging his family鈥檚 profession as doctors, The Liver Doc reshared the post with the remark, 鈥淚 am sorry, but none of them are really doctors.鈥
I am sorry but none of them are really doctors. pic.twitter.com/ppj1rvWNre
鈥 TheLiverDoc (@theliverdr) July 2, 2025
While the original post has since been deleted, The Liver Doc鈥檚 post left Internet users largely divided, as many claimed that the discussed professions could still be counted as doctors. One of them added a detailed explanation and wrote, 鈥淒octors basically are called healers. So anybody helping in healing gets that badge. I don鈥檛 know about other branches, but Ayurveda, homoeopathy, and physiotherapy are definitely healers.鈥
Though I respect your contribution to society but who are you talking negative about Ayurveda ? This is not so mature of you Doctor .
There is a whole government department called AYUSH propagating Ayurveda . The Ayurveda industry is 20 billion usd market . The Ayurveda was鈥
鈥 Sandip 啶ぞ啶班い ?? (@IndiaBottomline) July 3, 2025
Another added, 鈥淭hey have a recognised degree too to do the practice. Their way of treating a patient is different, but sorry to say, they are a doctor too, my arrogant doctor friend.鈥
On the other hand, a user emphasised, 鈥淗igh time govt should take away the title of doctor from ayurvedic and homoeopathic doctors; lately I see there鈥檚 a rise of homoeopathic doctors on Instagram, sharing tips to avoid serious diseases.鈥
With mixed reactions about the post, let鈥檚 take a look at what these professions actually mean.
What Is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is an indigenous ancient medical science of India, said to be 5,000 years old. It is counted as an upaveda of the Atharva Veda, which makes use of herbs for medicinal purposes. According to the Directorate of Ayush, Ayurveda is the science of life and not only the science of diseases, which aims at the propagation of health and the cure of diseases. Ayurveda has been divided into eight branches, which deal with various factors like gynaecology, internal medicine, obstetrics and paediatrics, psychiatry, ENT, surgery, toxicology, geriatrics, and sexual disorders.
What Is Homoeopathy?
Homoeopathy is described as a complementary or alternative medicine that is different from the treatments that are done as part of conventional Western medicine. It is based on a series of ideas originally developed in the 1790s by a German doctor, Samuel Hahnemann. Homoeopathy is based on the process of dilution and shaking called succussion. Over the past years, there has been extensive debate on the effectiveness of homoeopathy, with no major evidence to suggest that it is effective as western medicine for any health condition.
What Is Cosmetology?
Usually is not counted as a medical profession, cosmetology is mainly a program that focuses on skincare products and procedures to help people improve their physical appearance. Cosmetologists are professionally trained to offer cosmetic treatments for concerns related to skin, hair, and nails.
What Is Physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy is an act of helping patients to restore movement and function in the body when affected by injury, illness, or disability. The profession of physiotherapists involves extending these services via manual therapy, education, and advice for people of all ages. Physiotherapists also need to encourage their patients to develop and facilitate recovery. Said to be a degree-based healthcare profession, it can help with various conditions related to the body, such as neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neuromusculoskeletal.
With all that said, while the use of the title 鈥渄octor鈥 is not precisely exclusive to the practitioners of modern medicine, the Indian Medical Association has already clarified that those practising ayurveda and homoeopathy can also use the same if registered with the relevant medical councils.