Health Feedback
Verifying the credibility of claims related to medical, health and life sciences.
Latest reviews
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UnsupportedTattoos do carry some health risks, but there is currently insufficient evidence for the claim that tattoo ink causes cancer
Claim:
Tattoo ink contains heavy metals that cause cancer; a zeolite cure can remove these heavy metals from the body
Source: Instagram, Danica Walker, 2024-09-27 -
MisleadingOnly certified medical devices should be used to measure blood pressure, not unvalidated apps promoted on social media
Claim:
Blood pressure tracking apps can replace a cuff
Source: Facebook, Facebook user, 2024-04-08 -
IncorrectDecline in autism among high-income white households not caused by a decrease in childhood vaccination, vaccines don’t cause autism
Claim:
Autism and vaccination decreased over the same time period among high-income white households from California, indicating a possible causal relationship
Source: Children's Health Defense, Toby Rogers, 2024-08-08 -
InaccurateStudies show flu vaccine reduces risk of flu-related illness and hospitalization; benefits of flu vaccine outweigh its risks
Claim:
Flu shots don’t work, increase your risk of getting the flu, damage your immunity and nervous system
Source: Silicon Valley Health Institute, Facebook, Raymond Francis, 2017-11-16 -
MisleadingLED lights aren’t a cause of cataracts and don’t cause migraines for most people, contrary to social media claims
Claim:
LEDs cause headaches and migraines; LEDs are the major cause of cataracts
Source: Facebook, Matt Roeske, 2024-09-14 -
MisleadingHigher COVID-19 death toll under Biden than Trump reflects longer presidential term spent managing the COVID-19 pandemic
Claim:
More deaths from COVID-19 occurred during Biden's administration than Trump's
Source: Threads, Social media user, 2024-09-10
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Insights
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How fears of parasites drive viral claims for detoxes and cleanses
Removing parasites from the body is a recurring theme in health misinformation on social media. These posts misleadingly suggest that…
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Are claims linking recent U.S. trends in cancer diagnoses to COVID-19 vaccines plausible? A look at the available data
Since it takes several years to gather, verify, and consolidate cancer data at the national level, there’s no real-time way to monitor national cancer trends. Medical experts have also explained that there is no plausible mechanism or data that connect COVID-19 vaccines to cancer.
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How health problems after COVID-19 vaccination are sometimes used to feed misinformation narratives
While illness can occur shortly after vaccination, it doesn’t mean that the vaccine must be the cause. Illness can also occur simply by coincidence, since diseases have existed long before vaccines arrived. Part of evaluating whether a vaccine is the cause of an illness requires determining if vaccinated people are at a higher risk of the illness compared to unvaccinated people—something that anecdotes alone cannot provide.