Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu and Dr. Cyriac AB Phillips, better known as the Liver Doctor on X, clashed over the practice of walking barefoot, also known as “grounding.”

Dr. Phillips, who has been targeting prominent figures for spreading healthcare misinformation, criticized Sridhar Vembu for promoting the benefits of walking barefoot, a practice known as “grounding,” in his latest post.

Vembu, 56, shared his personal experience of walking barefoot on his farm for almost a year and praised it as a simple and free practice that also has health benefits.

He encourages others to try it, suggesting that it is beneficial to connect with the earth’s energy by walking on natural surfaces such as grass.

However, Dr. Phillips dismissed grounding as a “pseudoscientific practice” with no credible benefits. He criticized the practice as a “pseudoscientific” notion with no clinical validation and accused it of contaminating the scientific literature.

According to a Kerala-based hepatologist, grounding involves a supposed connection between human electrical frequencies and the earth, a concept he says is unfounded and potentially risky as it may increase the risk of foot infections.

The doctor’s criticism also included a dig at Vembu, saying that a major challenge in Indian healthcare is not just teaching critical thinking but “educating and training the common man on how to avoid being treated like health-illiterate boomer uncles like Mr. Vembu.”

In response, Vembu protested the liver doctor’s comments on social media. He objected to the term “health-illiterate boomer uncle” used by the doctor and called it a sign of arrogance.

Vembu emphasised that the best doctors are humble and open-minded, accepting the evolving nature of medical science. He cited historical wisdom on coconut oil and wine to emphasise that ancient practices should not be hastily discarded.

Vembu wrote, “I am a ‘science illiterate’ who has a PhD in electrical engineering and knows how to read research papers and also know that most published papers are fake. The body is a bioelectrical system. This idea of ​​grounding is at least scientifically plausible. That’s why I said “I do it, try it yourself” – I stand by it.”

He concluded by saying, “Health is so important that we cannot leave it to egoistic doctors.”

The liver doctor shared his last response to Vembu before signing off. He wrote, “Through various scientific sources I have shown that grounding is a pseudoscientific practice with no evidence of clinically relevant benefits. Instead of correcting himself or showing me the contrary, Mr. Vembu, the 55th richest Indian and a billionaire who employs hundreds of thousands of people, called me an arrogant doctor trying to dehumanize me in front of members of his circle jerking echo chamber.”

He then wrote a post advising his followers not to be like Vembu. Dr. Phillips wrote, “Don’t be ignorant. Don’t be arrogant and ignorant. Be willing to correct mistakes. I do this and have done so many times. I am a doctor. I live to protect public health, unlike some billionaires from Princeton who are quick to misinform many people.”