Health

Did U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, a physician, describe mothers as "egg producers" during her August 6, 2023, visit to an LGBTQ+ clinic in Alaska? No, that's not true: None of the sources describing this supposed remark use a direct quote or a recording to prove it was said, and a clinic manager confirmed to Lead Stories…

Does a "secret CDC report" show hundreds of thousands of children "died suddenly" in the United States following the COVID-19 vaccine rollout? No, that's not true: The author or authors of the article making the claims did not find any such report; instead, they created their own document using publicly available Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data they found…

Did oil tycoon and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller act as a driving force behind arrests of those who supported alternative medicine? No, that's not true: Although Rockefeller's foundation financially backed medical education changes in the U.S., there is no evidence that Rockefeller's contributions led to the arrest of those who encouraged alternative medicine. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Are COVID-19 vaccine-related "turbo cancers" real? Are they also "contagious" and "behaving like a bioweapon"? No, that's not true: There is no serious evidence for the claim that COVID vaccines cause "turbo cancers." Cancer is complex and has many causes. Additionally, the thought that cancers could be contagious or act like bioweapons lacks support from credible science. Vaccines help the…

Does Klaus Schwab, a former professor of business policy in Switzerland widely known as the founder of the World Economic Forum, have family ties with the Rothschild dynasty via a person named Marianne Schwab, née Rothschild? Is she his mother? No, that's not true: A viral video making such an assertion did not include any public records to confirm it.…

Is cayenne pepper "the most powerful blood thinner"? No, that's not true: A cardiologist told Lead Stories it's not the most powerful blood thinner and there is no evidence cayenne pepper is more effective than the drugs scientists have tested and have proven work on large groups of people. The claim appeared with a video on Facebook (archived here) on…

Was ivermectin approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for COVID-19 in August 2023? No, that's not true: The FDA has not granted approval of the anti-parasitic drug for treating the virus. Clinical studies and scientific evidence have not established the safety or efficacy of ivermectin for this purpose. The claim appeared in a post…

Do babies not need the hepatitis B vaccine because it was only created for "hookers & drug users" and are babies being used by the pharmaceutical companies to mitigate losses? No, that's not true: There are legitimate reasons for babies to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, including serious long-term health risks, even if their parents do not engage in risky…

Is nattokinase an effective treatment for "spike protein detox" associated with COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: COVID vaccines are not shown to be toxic, so it is not necessary to "detox" from them. Nattokinase is a soybean supplement that is not monitored in the U.S. and as of August 2023, experts recommend avoiding it. Furthermore, the study cited as…

Is it true that menstrual cycles, or periods, lasting longer than three days are abnormal? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence that a period lasting longer than three days is not normal. Two gynecologists and an expert on women's health told Lead Stories that the average length of a period is three to seven days. The claim…

Did U.S. Marines arrest Albert Bourla, the CEO of the biopharmaceutical company Pfizer, on August 7, 2023? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Bourla was arrested, and Pfizer confirmed that it didn't happen. The claim started on a website known for publishing fictional stories about real-life figures. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by…

Does the pH of soda (pH 2) make it seriously toxic, "a pH killer," and does it take 32 eight-ounce glasses of alkaline water to reverse the toxic effects of one soda? No, that's not true: A food science professor told Lead Stories that many foods are as acidic as soda and that all are considered weak acids compare to…

Are sunglasses "bad for your eyes" because they trick the brain into believing the sun isn't that hot, thus leading to more severe sunburn? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to substantiate this claim. Lead Stories spoke to the American Academy of Ophthalmology and two board-certified dermatologists who all told us this claim was false and that individuals…

Does data collected from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) prove that COVID-19 vaccines are "killing an estimated 1 person per 1,000 doses," resulting in "676,000 dead Americans"? No, that's not true: The claim originated in a blog post by a known COVID misinformation spreader who used VAERS data in ways that medical experts have explicitly advised against. As…

Did Pfizer employees in Australia receive a special batch of imported COVID-19 vaccines that were different from what the public was given? No, that's not true: Pfizer global media relations told Lead Stories that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology company imported "additional doses" for its staff that were evaluated and authorized by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) but all the COVID…

Are seedless watermelons genetically modified organism (GMO) products, and are they poisonous? No, that's not true: A representative of Walmart, one of many stores that sell seedless watermelons, told Lead Stories that these claims are false. An article published by Michigan State University reported that "No current seedless plants are genetically modified organisms (GMOs)." Also, a previous Lead Stories fact…

Does eating cayenne pepper kill cancer cells and regenerate damaged DNA? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that eating cayenne pepper will repair DNA or kill cancer cells in humans, according to a dietitian at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. A clinical director at the National Human Genome Research Institute told Lead Stories that if a…

Did the family of 10-year-old Kelsey Morand, who died in Princeton, New Jersey, in July 2023, confirm that her death happened after vaccination? No, that's not true: Publicly available reliable sources do not mention any vaccination records and do not describe vaccination as a contributing factor in the girl's demise. The family said that the cause of death was a…

Does a study by University of Colorado medical researchers show that the "vast majority of humanity has gotten the COVID-19 vaccine via "shedding," meaning the vaccine spread from person to person? No, that's not true: The study's lead author told Lead Stories that the social media post making this assertion "does not properly reflect the findings of our study." Also,…

Did Dr. Meryl Nass represent the World Health Organization (WHO) at a press conference, boldly outlining plans to ignore existing human rights laws? No, that's not true: Nass does not speak for the WHO. She is an internal medicine doctor from Ellsworth, Maine, whose license is temporarily suspended while under review. This symposium was not a World Health Organization press…