Medicine

Does eating the inside of a burnt orange mixed with brown sugar repair a person's sense of taste and smell? No, that's not true: An ear, nose and throat surgeon told Lead Stories that "no treatment ... has been shown to repair the sense of taste and smell." Restoring those two senses typically requires addressing underlying health issues, consulting with…

Does a drink recipe mixing carrots, vinegar and baking soda, along with orange and lime juice, restore eyesight within a week? No, that's not true: The claim is not supported by scientific evidence. While carrots contain vitamin A, important for eye health, and citrus fruits like oranges and limes provide vitamin C, there's no credible research demonstrating that this combination…

Is corn syrup "illegal in much of the world," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence that corn syrup is banned in any country. The claim stems from a common misconception that high fructose corn syrup is banned in the European Union, which is false. The sweetener was formerly regulated under a…

Can exercise and diet cure Type I diabetes? No, that's not true: At the time of this writing, there is no known cure for diabetes, medical experts told Lead Stories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Mayo Clinic both state that there is no cure for the disease as of April 2024. The claim appeared in a…

If preteen and teenage girls use laptop computers on their laps, will it increase their risk of miscarriages later in life? No, that's not true: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Lead Stories, "The claims in the video are inaccurate." There's no scientific evidence to support the allegations; miscarriages are typically caused by factors like genetic abnormalities, hormonal…

Is the "Budwig Diet" -- a diet rich in low-fat cottage cheese and organic flaxseed oil -- a scientifically proven treatment or preventative for cancer? No, that's not true: Oncological experts agree that there is "no reliable evidence to show that the Budwig diet can treat or prevent cancer" in humans, writes Cancer Research UK. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer…

Did President Joe Biden give $16 billion of American money away to Iran in 2023? No, that's not true: First, it's important to say that the amount in question is $6 billion, not $16 billion. Secondly, the money wasn't U.S. taxpayer dollars to begin with; the funds were Iranian financial assets that had been frozen in South Korea due to…

Is it impossible for women to snore? No, that's not true: Besides no evidence to support that claim, a sleep medicine expert told Lead Stories, "Women are equally likely to snore compared to men." Statistics from the National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine do show that more men than women report snoring but snoring affects both…

Does dairy consumption lead to calcium deficiency due to acidity, as a video on Facebook claims? No, that's not true: The International Osteoporosis Foundation writes that milk and other dairy foods are not acid-forming and do not leach calcium from the bones. A registered dietician who is a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics told Lead Stories that…

Is Canada killing autistic people without their consent? No, that's not true: The implication in a social media post, with a screenshot of a news article, that a man's perfectly healthy daughter who is on the autism spectrum could be killed with Canada's MAID program is false. MAID -- an acronym for "medical assistance in dying" -- does not kill…