Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu and Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, known as The Liver Doc, recently clashed on social media over the practice of “grounding.” Dr. Philips, renowned for his criticism of health misinformation, targeted Vembu’s promotion of walking barefoot to connect with the Earth’s energy, calling it pseudoscientific.
In a post on X, Vembu, 56, shared his experience of walking barefoot on his farm for nearly a year. He described it as a simple and cost-free practice, likening it to a tradition among rural communities. “It is easy to do, doesn’t cost anything and isn’t harmful—our rural people have been doing it for ages,” he said. Vembu’s post highlighted the benefits of “grounding,” a practice that involves walking on natural surfaces like grass to supposedly connect with the Earth’s electrical energy.
Dr. Philips countered this claim, criticizing grounding as pseudoscience with no clinical benefits. “Grounding or Earthing (via bare-foot walking) is a pseudoscientific practice. There are a lot of absolutely nonsense wasteful studies on this topic,” he wrote. He challenged the idea that the Earth has any special energy benefits and warned that walking barefoot increases the risk of foot infections. He concluded with a sharp remark: “Indian healthcare’s biggest challenge lies not in teaching people critical-thinking skills, but in educating and training the common person how to avoid health-illiterate boomer uncles like Mr. Vembu.”
Vembu responded robustly, taking issue with Dr. Philips’ dismissal and labeling him as “arrogant.” In his rebuttal, Vembu advised to “stay away from arrogant doctors,” praising humility as a hallmark of great doctors. “The best doctors I know are all uniformly humble because they know just how extremely complex the human body is,” Vembu noted. He argued that medical knowledge evolves and that ancient practices should not be outright dismissed.
Vembu criticized the arrogance he perceives in Dr. Philips’ approach, citing historical medical practices that have recently gained scientific recognition, such as the benefits of coconut oil and the drawbacks of alcohol. He defended the plausibility of grounding, pointing to his own academic background in Electrical Engineering and citing the book “Born to Run” as supporting his views on the practice.
In his final remarks, Vembu reiterated his support for grounding, emphasizing his personal experience and belief in its benefits.