Health Feedback
Verifying the credibility of claims related to medical, health and life sciences.
Latest reviews
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IncorrectNo evidence that “Dr. Sebi” could cure AIDS and other diseases using natural remedies or change in diet
Claim:
Dr. Sebi could cure a wide range of diseases using natural remedies or change in diet.
Source: Facebook, Social media users, 2024-06-10 -
InaccuratePeanut oil isn’t an ingredient in vaccines; doesn’t cause peanut allergies
Claim:
Peanut allergies are caused by the peanut oil in vaccines
Source: Cultivate Elevate, Matt Roeske, 2024-07-22 -
InaccurateEdible food coating Apeel doesn’t contain toxic ingredients; its ingredients are recognized as safe for use in foods
Claim:
Apeel contains harmful ingredients
Source: Facebook, One America News Network, TikTok, Social media users, Alison Steinberg, 2024-06-26 -
UnsupportedNo current evidence to support social media fad of “blood type diet”
Claim:
Eating specific foods based on your blood type can optimize your health
Source: Instagram, Social media users, 2024-07-07 -
Partially correctActivated charcoal is used to treat poisoning, but isn’t effective for all poisons and isn’t a substitute for medical attention
Claim:
“Charcoal absorbs and neutralizes poisons”; charcoal can treat diarrhea and bloating
Source: Facebook, Barbara O'Neill, 2024-05-30 -
IncorrectUnprotected sun overexposure, not sunscreen or sunglasses, causes sunburn and skin cancer
Claim:
“sunscreen and then skin cancer, it's a direct correlation”; wearing sunglasses increases the risk of sunburn; sunscreen reduces vitamin D production
Source: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Social media users, 2024-07-11
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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.