Health

Is oregano in its natural form known to definitively "protect against cancer?" No, that's not true: The herb itself has anti-cancer properties, and herbal extracts have been shown to inhibit -- and even kill -- cancerous cells in laboratory studies using human cells, a dietician confirmed to Lead Stories. However, we found no evidence that clinical studies have occurred in…

Does drinking a mixture of carrots, onions and garlic in lime juice cure "any form of cancer" between stages one and three? No, that's not true: The vice president of research from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) told Lead Stories that there is no evidence to support this claim and to claim that this mixture can cure all…

Does the listing of "Pneumonia mycoplasma" in Pfizer's guidance on adverse event reports associated with its COVID-19 vaccine prove that the shot caused a respiratory outbreak in China? No, that's not true: It's a fundamental misreading of standard vaccine documents, which direct doctors to rapidly report any problems from a long list as a precaution. The Centers for Disease Control…

Does onion peel water cure or alleviate urinary tract infections, prostatitis or other infections? No, that's not true: A medical expert told Lead Stories there is no scientific evidence that a tea made from the outer skins of onions does any good for recurrent urinary tract infections, prostatitis or any sort of inflammatory condition. They warned that using onion peel…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin order "the destruction of a Kyiv pharmaceutical laboratory suspected of manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines" owned by Farmak, one of Ukraine's major companies selling medical products, in November 2023? No, that's not true: The company's warehouse near Kyiv had been burned down roughly a year and a half earlier. It happened during the early stages of the…

Do cantaloupe and papaya juices help prevent or reverse age-related macular degeneration, or AMD? No, that's not true: According to an ophthalmologist at the National Eye Institute, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that cantaloupe and papaya juice specifically help prevent or reverse AMD. The complex eye condition and its progression are influenced by various factors, including…

Does a video shared on X document lab-grown meat moving autonomously? No, that's not true: The video in question was made by a content creator who produces videos containing sculptures of food items that move as if they are alive. Lab-grown meat is not created in a way that would allow it to move autonomously. Sarcastic captions on the video…

Is cancer caused by the consumption of an "excess" amount of sugar "in your system"? No, that's not true: Sugar itself does not cause cancer. While sugar is not carcinogenic, meaning it does not cause cancer, consuming it is linked to some health conditions and physiological changes that may impact or exacerbate certain cancers, a dietician confirmed to Lead Stories.…

Do 95 percent of people who request senior benefits through an urgent "limited offer" in an ad on social media qualify the same day? No, that's not true: This promotion does not point to an official government website and it is unclear which company runs it. There are multiple red flags that point to it being an information-harvesting ruse for…

Is bathing with Epsom salts highly toxic? No, that's not true: Toxicology experts told Lead Stories the claim that bathing with Epsom salts is toxic is "completely false" and "there is no toxicity associated with salt." Poison control agencies such as the Missouri Poison Center classify the salt as "generally safe" and "low risk" when used as the directions intended.…

Does a video show Apeel coating applied to a cabbage? No, that's not true: The cabbage in the video is not real, and it's not meant to be eaten. The footage shows a way to make food samples for display, and it's from Japan, not the United States. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Instagram on October…

Did former President Donald Trump advertise a water filter on Facebook? No, that's not true: Outside of the post making such a claim, Lead Stories did not find any evidence confirming that. A video with a Trump-sounding narration likely utilized a so-called "cloned" version of the former president's voice generated by AI. The claim originated from a post (archived here)…

Is the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine "contaminated" with a type of DNA that causes permanent genetic changes in vaccinated people or leads to death due to cardiac arrest? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Lead Stories that residual DNA found in Pfizer's COVID shot has produced "no safety concerns." Additionally, an infectious disease expert said…

Does data pulled from the Adverse Event Reporting System and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System prove that COVID-19 vaccines have caused more than 1.4 million adverse events and over 32,000 deaths as of November 25, 2022? No, that's not true: The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, known as VAERS, is a government database of negative health reactions to vaccines…

Does a video on Facebook show singer Cardi B. endorsing a "health spending card" from the U.S. government? No, that's not true: The footage of music artist Belcalis Almanzar-Cephus comes from a video in which she promoted a "holiday drink" she had made; not a health spending card. The U.S. government has denounced as scams any "spending cards" supposedly issued…

Did former basketball star and current media personality Shaquille O'Neal promote a stimulus check card? No, that's not true: The video making this claim uses a fake voice. O'Neal did not actually contribute his likeness or his voice to an advertisement for the so-called stimulus check card. The claim is the latest effort in a continuing scam to deceive online…

Does a video of a non-laboratory test using the T-Square brand oral fluid drug test prove that Red Bull energy drink contains the drugs buprenorphine and cocaine? No, that's not true: There is no way to confirm that the people featured in a video shared on social media used the drug test correctly and used an uncontaminated cup to hold…

Does a video on social media show a "hack" that will "slash your gas expenses"? No, that's not true: This video fails to deliver what is promised in seven minutes of drawn-out instructions on how to make a nonfunctional contraption. How the gas savings might occur is never disclosed. Furthermore, a safety professional with the National Fire Protection Association advises…

Did actor Anthony Hopkins endorse a Medicare program that allows senior citizens to use a flex card to pay their expenses? No, that's not true: A voice resembling Hopkins was used in a video about a Medicare program that doesn't exist. Lead Stories could not find any evidence that Hopkins has endorsed this on his social media accounts or on…

Does a video on Facebook show actor Michael B. Jordan endorsing a "health spending card" promotion? No, that's not true: Jordan's public relations team confirmed to Lead Stories that this claim is false. Lead Stories previously has debunked fake promotions, such as the one linked to this post, as scams to get social media users' personal information. The claim appeared…