Cancer

Do the people of the Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan never get cancer because they consume apricot seeds? No, that's not true: There are recorded cases of cancer among the people of the Hunza Valley that date back several decades and there is no evidence that apricot seeds prevent cancer. In fact, the seeds can actually be harmful. The claim…

Did Mel Gibson start working on a new documentary "exposing the 34 billion dollar global child sex trafficking trade"? No, that's not true: No credible sources confirmed he made such an announcement, and his publicist explicitly denied Gibson's involvement in the alleged project in an email to Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Truth Social…

Did a legitimate, peer-reviewed study successfully demonstrate that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna were shown to contain simian virus 40 (SV40), a DNA virus that has been linked to certain cancers? No, that's not true: The research in question was not published in a peer-reviewed journal and as such, has not been vetted for accuracy by scientific…

Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that AIDS-associated diseases and cancers have increased by 338 times since the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: The CDC says there are no indications that COVID vaccines are causing or contributing to these conditions. The public health agency regularly monitors and reports on health conditions including…

Can black seed oil and one of its main compounds, thymoquinone, cure major diseases, including cancer and diabetes? No, that's not true: While some research suggests that black seed may be useful for certain conditions, there isn't sufficient evidence to conclude that any form of black seed is a cure-all. The claim appeared in a reel posted on Facebook on…

Do the blue eyes of babies turn brown because of carbon -- and can adult eye color tinted by heavy metals, toxins and diseases be changed by "detoxing" -- by adopting a raw fruit-based vegan diet or using herbs such as contribo? No, that's not true: The color of human eyes is determined by several different genes that affect the…

Does solely maintaining a healthy liver prevent the spread of any cancer in the human body? No, that's not true: A Harvard Cancer Center professor of medical oncology told Lead Stories that this claim is "entirely false." Also, the woman making this claim is an unregistered naturopathic practitioner who has been publicly barred from practicing medicine by Australian health officials…

Was Shirley Caesar, a Grammy award-winning gospel singer and celebrated pastor, deceased as of May 9, 2023? No, that's not true: Caesar made at least one public appearance after May 9, 2023. There is also no indication that her health was failing at the time of writing. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted on YouTube on May…

Can exercise with oxygen therapy (EWOT) "cure the top 200 diseases in the world ... by using oxygen and raising people's heart rates," as was discovered by chemist Otto Warburg? No, none of that is true: Warburg was a German scientist who was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1931 for his findings that cancer cells can survive in the absence…

Can using the herb comfrey as a mouthwash help heal teeth and gums? No, that's not true: A professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry told Lead Stories that there is no evidence that comfrey can restore damaged gums or teeth. The Mount Sinai Health System explicitly states that people should not take comfrey by mouth. Scientific evidence points to…