Cancer

Did naturopath Barbara O'Neill endorse a "concoction" containing wheat and other herbs said to treat liver and colon tumors, as a post on Facebook suggested? No, that's not true: O'Neill, who is "permanently prohibited from providing any health services" in New South Wales, Australia, is the subject of a fake post on Facebook designed to look as though it belongs…

When applied to the "liver area," does castor oil "break up" gallstones and kidney stones, as a video on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: No substantive evidence exists that topically applied castor oil can treat gallstones or kidney stones. Castor oil is "generally recognized as safe and effective as an over-the-counter laxative product," the Food and Drug Administration confirmed…

Are all disease symptoms the result of the lymphatic system expelling toxins? No, that's not true: Such claims are a "vastly oversimplified concept of how disease in humans occurs," an expert in infectious disease told Lead Stories. Several factors, including exposure to infectious agents, environmental and lifestyle conditions, and genetic predispositions, cause diseases. Though there are some lymphatic system diseases,…

Did vaccines cause an "explosion in autoimmune diseases"? No, that's not true: Only in rare cases has vaccination been associated with autoimmune diseases. Vaccines are rigorously tested for safety before being approved for use, and extensive research has shown that vaccines are not linked to an "explosion of autoimmune diseases." The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here)…

Does dairy intake cause asthma? No, that's not true: Although someone with both a dairy allergy and asthma may experience heightened asthma symptoms if they consume dairy, dairy is not a root cause of asthma. Asthma may be caused by a variety of other factors, including environment, having a family history of asthma and previous respiratory infections. The claim appeared…

Do chemotherapy drugs consist of "100% mustard gas," as a post on Instagram claimed? No, that's not true: The National Cancer Institute told Lead Stories that its records do not indicate any forms of chemotherapy drugs are known to contain "100% mustard gas." One group of chemotherapy drugs, alkylating agents, contain a less toxic mustard gas derivative known as nitrogen…

Does the "cause to every disease" originate in the colon, as a video on Instagram suggests? No, that's not true: Scientific literature shows that there is a relationship between gut health and both the management and prevention of certain diseases, but it is not accurate to say that all diseases are caused by the colon or gut, a spokesperson for…

Does hyperbaric oxygen therapy cure cancer? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration has not approved such therapy as a cancer treatment. In fact, the agency has been refuting this claim for over a decade. The claim reappeared in a post (archived here) on Instagram on February 24, 2024. The caption began: Dis-ease is a illusion and once…

Is exposure to radium beneficial to human health, as a post on Instagram implies? No, that's not true: Radium is recognized by public health experts as a known carcinogen or cancer-causing agent. While it is true that radium was historically touted in the 20th century for its supposed health benefits and used in a variety of products at the time,…

Did scientists prove in 2024 that "orgone energy" exists in the form of orgonite? No, that's not true: A Princeton physics professor interviewed by Lead Stories described the claim as unscientific. The post in which the claim was made is an apparent attempt to promote a website selling hand-made decorative crystals branded as "orgonite", said to have properties rooted in…