Dr Cyriac Abby Philips (TheLiverDoc)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Cyriac Abby Philips

• Cyriac Abby Philips is an Indian hepatologist and clinician-scientist. He is known for voicing his opinions against the usage of homoeopathic and ayurvedic remedies for treating illnesses. His position on traditional Indian treatment practices, especially homoeopathy and ayurveda, has frequently faced criticism.

• He hails from a Christian family in Kerala.

  

• During a media interaction, he admitted that he failed two times in mathematics while studying in class 10. He further disclosed that upon completing his education, he faced a choice between pursuing a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in Computer Science or opting for a degree in Medicine (MBBS). He talked about it and said,
  

  After completing my schooling, in those days, I had two options – either engineering, preferably computer science, or becoming a doctor. Since I failed math twice in higher school, engineering was not an option.”

  

  Opting for the second option, he began studying for the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) and successfully passed the exams on his second try.

• After completing his formal studies, he began practising medicine in Kochi, Kerala.

  

• Thereafter, he assumed the role of a senior advisor and medical researcher at the Department of Clinical and Translational Hepatology, which is part of the Liver Institute, Center of Excellence in GI Sciences, located at Rajagiri Hospital in Kochi, Kerala.

• He has also served in the Center of Excellence in Microbiome Studies, associated with the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as an expert member.

• Thereafter, he took on the roles of a clinical consultant and a member of the Doctoral Advisory Committee for the Department of Cell and Tissue Culture at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, a government institution located in Trivandrum, Kerala.

  

• Cyriac, as of July 2023, has published over sixty medical research papers, including Healthy Donor Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Steroid Ineligible Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis – A Pilot Study. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology (2016), Healthy donor faecal transplant for corticosteroid non-responsive severe alcoholic hepatitis (2017), Gut microbiome influences clinical events and severity in patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Hepatology (2017), Branch duct-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm presenting as paraneoplastic small plaque para-psoriasis (2018). and Rare cause of isolated severe coagulation failure in cirrhosis: Traditional healing with fenugreek (2018).

• Other than writing academic papers, Abby Philips has also contributed in penning chapters for medical books, such as Textbook of Biochemistry and Human Biology, Biliary System – Dysfunction, Textbook of Biochemistry and Human Biology, Cirrhosis and its complications, and Textbook of Surgical Gastroenterology (2016).

• Cyriac Abby Philips co-wrote Diseases of Pancreas, a book released in 2014.

• Cyriac Abby Philips uses various social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to share medical knowledge with the general public. He actively counters the spread of false medical information by debunking myths through his social media accounts. In an interview, Abby mentioned that he began creating videos on social media when he encountered numerous patients suffering from liver diseases who had worsened their conditions by following ineffective homoeopathy and ayurvedic methods. Talking about it, he said,
  

  I started openly criticizing the traditional medicine system when diagnosing patients with acute hepatitis and acute-on-chronic liver failure, some requiring liver transplantation, all related to the unreasonable, misinformed use of traditional and proprietary Ayurvedic herbal drugs, became increasingly frequent. My journey started with being a good physician to my patients to transforming into the voice of reason for my patients and the community.”

  He goes by the username TheLiverDoc on social media. In addition to dispelling medical misinformation, Abby also shares content in which he questions the legitimacy of ayurvedic and homoeopathic medications administered to individuals with serious health conditions. As of 2023, he has a Twitter following of over 172k and has garnered more than 15.3k subscribers on YouTube.

• Abby has written several articles for The Morning Context as a columnist.

• Abby Philips is an avid traveller and has explored numerous countries.

• In multiple news channel discussions, he has talked about the adverse effects of Ayurvedic medicines on the human body.

  

• Philips is passionate about animals and owns four Dalmatians and a pug that goes by the name of Penny.

  

• He enjoys engaging in video games and possesses a valuable collection of gaming consoles.

  

• He drinks liquor occasionally.

  

• During a media interaction, Cyriac Abby Philips expressed his initial desire to pursue a career as an artist. However, due to the limited prospects in the art industry during the 1990s, he opted to become a doctor.

• In 2017, Abby gave the presidential plenary speech at the Liver Meeting in Washington, D.C. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases organized the event, which was attended by 3,000 people.

  

• According to Abby, he saved the life of a co-passenger in mid-air while he was travelling to Mumbai with Akasa Air from Kochi in 2024. On 16 January 2024, he shared a post on X where he provided the details of the incident. Abby mentioned how he discovered that the man was having difficulty breathing because his left lung was filled with fluid. To help him, Abby gave the man an injection to stabilize his blood pressure and ensure he stayed alive until they could get medical assistance after the flight landed in Mumbai.