Health

Does the Apeel produce coating Organipeel contain an "unidentified coating" that is falsely labeled as organic and that could be harmful to human health? No, that's not true: Though it may be applied to organic produce, it is neither considered an organic product by regulatory agencies nor does the company claim it to be. Orangipeel is a coating used to…

Did ABC News host David Muir advertise on air a diabetes cure discovered by TV personality and physician Dr. Mehmet Oz? No, that's not true: A clip containing images of both Muir and Oz used manipulated sound to mislead audiences. The video didn't even name the "cure" described as "a revolution in diabetes treatment." The claim appeared in a video…

Did U.S. Marines arrest World Health Organization official Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories that this claim is "false." This claim appears in an article on a website that regularly publishes fabricated content often mistaken for real news. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) where it was published by Real…

Did Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon and former Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary, endorse blood vessel-cleaning gummies? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Carson said that the claim is "completely fake." Additionally, a digital forensics and deepfakes website that analyzes audio and other media concluded that a recording purporting to show him saying that was not authentic.…

Did actor John Travolta promote a hair growth product called RenewHair-X in a video on social media? No, that's not true: An audio track of a voice sounding like Travolta's is dubbed over a clip of the actor from a late-night talk show appearance. The audio purportedly spoken by Travolta repeats word-for-word audio purporting to be actor Kevin Costner in…

Did U.S. Marines "kick ... out" the Federal Emergency Management Agency from Tennessee following a disaster recent as of December 21, 2023? No, that's not true: A FEMA representative told Lead Stories, "FEMA teams are on the ground in Tennessee working with state and local officials in assisting those in need after the tornado of December 9th." The claim appeared…

Can tapping and squeezing the thumbnail and the area surrounding the thumbnail cause a "brain reboot"? No, that's not true: There is no credible information stating that this technique, attributed to reflexology, causes any significant change to the brain. A search of medical and scientific literature turned up no evidence that the action produces a "brain reboot." The claim appeared…

Did California approve Bill Gates' plan to make residents drink their own feces? No, that's not true: A headline by The People's Voice grossly misrepresents the regulations that were approved by California's State Water Board on December 19, 2023. The recycled wastewater would meet or exceed current drinking water standards, and the regulations have nothing to do with billionaire Gates.…

Did Dr. Mehmet Oz promote a "cure" for prostate disease that does not require surgery? No, that's not true: A representative for Oz told Lead Stories, "This is a fake post fraudulently using Dr. Oz's name and likeness." A link that accompanied a post making the claim on Facebook redirected users to a bogus website posing as NBC News. Also,…

Did Texas Children's Hospital announce in December 2023 that it would "no longer treat unvaccinated children"? No, that's not true: A hospital spokesperson told Lead Stories that this claim is "not true." Even if it were true, it would be illegal. Texas enacted a state law, effective September 1, 2023, that prohibited clinicians from refusing services to patients enrolled in…

Is rubbing your arms a proven technique to boost your immune system? No, that's not true: There is no evidence of proof from medical literature that this method can prevent illness. An expert told us they are not familiar with any studies that have substantiated the claim. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on July 13,…

Did Italy start an investigation against the former health minister Roberto Speranza, who held this job during the pandemic, for "murder" in connection with administering COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: No such decision has been made as of December 14, 2023. Articles on the Internet exaggerated the meaning of the complaint the Office of Public Prosecutor had already recommended…

Did the British journalist Piers Morgan reveal that he has developed Vaccine Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (VAIDS) and blamed it on the anti-vaccination community? No, that's not true: Morgan never said that he has VAIDS, which is not a real medical condition. This claim was made without supporting evidence by a prolific publisher of fake news. The article (archived here)…

Did Cambridge scientists "admit" that 25 percent of people vaccinated for COVID-19 now have "vaccine acquired immune deficiency syndrome"? No, that's not true: The scientific report that the claim is purportedly based on never mentions the term VAIDS or vaccine-acquired immune deficiency syndrome, which is not a recognized medical condition. Pfizer Media Relations stated that the online claim is "out…

Does a video of a hot dog slice under a microscope prove that hot dogs have parasites in them? No, that's not true: A food science expert told Lead Stories that this video was "completely made-up." The U.S. Department of Agriculture told Lead Stories that hot dogs are ready-to-eat products that are "extremely unlikely" to be able to house parasites.…

Did an article published by one of the specialized scholarly outlets of the British Medical Journal say that child mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic led to "irreversible brain damage"? No, that's not true: The study didn't even mention brain damage. Posts on social media speculated about a conclusion the article didn't make on a topic it didn't address. The…

Did the Food and Drug Administration say all cancer treatments "actually cause cancer"? No, that's not true: The agency issued a press release announcing that it is investigating only cases related to one specific type of drugs -- CAR-T therapies. Medical professionals who discussed the press release with credible media organizations said the chances of developing a second cancer as…

Did Moderna admit that its COVID-19 mRNA vaccines cause cancer? No, that's not true: Moderna made no such admission that its COVID mRNA vaccines are contaminated, nor that that they cause cancer or birth defects. There is no publicly available credible evidence that any mRNA vaccines cause cancer, a doctor of infectious disease told Lead Stories. A "study" the cancer…

Did former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama appear in a video promotion for a federal program giving out monthly $5,600 health spending cards to spend on bills, gas, groceries or "anything else you can think of"? No, that's not true: A video of Michelle Obama taken from a BBC interview has been altered with a fake voiceover that sounds like…

Did Dr. Mehmet Oz promote a gummy cure to "clean out your blood vessels"? No, that's not true: For years the celebrity Dr. Oz has been the subject of false promotional advertising using his name and likeness to sell products, and he has been outspoken about the problem, warning his audience to avoid the scams. Several video clips showing Oz…