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 to O'Neill. A link in the post's comment section redirects users to an unrelated webpage registered in Iceland that is not affiliated with O'Neill. Included at the link is a recipe that claims a "concoction" of various herbs is "a testament to the healing powers of nature," posed to suggest -- without evidence -- that the mixture can treat liver and colon tumors.
The claim originated in a post shared to Facebook on March 14, 2024, (archive) by a page posing as belonging to O'Neill, with a caption that read:
The recipe that saved my life 17 years ago: How I defeated a tumor in the liver and colon:
Only Polite Member Says Thank You 😍😍😍
Details in the first comment⬇️
Below is how the post appeared at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken Weds Mar 20 11:28:00 UTC 2024)
The Facebook page is not affiliated with O'Neill. Instead, it is categorized as a "Fan Page" in its "About" section (archive). The page was created on September 5, 2023, under "Dr Barbara o Neil" and renamed "Dr. Barbara O'Neill" on November 16, 2023.
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken Thu March 21 16:41:00 2024 UTC)
In the post's comments section, a link (archive) led to the webpage 4kRecipes, which did not declare any affiliation with O'Neill. It included a recipe for a "concoction" that read, in part:
The Recipe That Saved Me 17 Years Ago: How I Overcame Liver and Colon Tumors
In navigating the challenging waters of health and wellness, sharing stories of personal triumphs can be both inspiring and enlightening. The journey I embarked on nearly two decades ago, battling liver and colon tumors, is one that underscores the power of hope, resilience, and the pursuit of alternative health strategies. It's vital to remember, though, that each journey is unique, and what has worked for me might not be a universal solution.
A Recipe Born from Hope
The concoction I'm about to share is more than just a recipe; it's a testament to the healing powers of nature, combining ingredients celebrated for their health-enhancing properties. Garlic, lemons, nuts, dried fruits, and honey are just a few of the components that have been lauded for centuries for their contribution to health and wellness...
According to the domain search engine Whoxy, which provides backend information about websites, 4krecipes.com was initially registered (archive) to a private owner listed in Reykjavik, Iceland, under the name NAMECHEAP INC. This information was confirmed through another domain search engine, ICANN:
(Source: ICANN screenshot taken Thurs March 21 17:35:17 2024 UTC)
A link to the 4kRecipe website's "About" section redirects users to another link (archive) to a blogspot page Fashy, which is self-described as a "minimal fashion blog for creatives." Neither of these websites is affiliated with O'Neill.
This lack of transparency in ownership and efforts at redirecting to irrelevant pages indicate that this content was created under the pretense of pushing online scams.
Finally, neither the post on Facebook nor the recipe on the linked website provided credible evidence that the "concoction" cured liver and colon tumors.
As Lead Stories has previously reported, O'Neill was permanently prohibited by the New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) in 2019 from practicing any form of health care after an investigation concluded that her spread of misinformation breached New South Wales, Australia's Code of Conduct for Unregistered Practitioners. In a news release published on September 24, 2019, HCCC stated that O'Neill made "dubious and dangerous health claims" that were "not evidence based or supported by mainstream medicine."
Lead Stories has debunked other claims made by O'Neill, which can be read here.
