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Health & medicine fact checks
Explore claims publishers have checked about health & medicine. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.
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Search by text or image13,667 published reviews in this topic
Kicking a man’s testicles produces 9000 del of Pain, which is equivalent to the pain of producing 132 children or breaking 3200 bones simultaneously
Publisher’s rating: FALSE
The review addresses the viral post’s specific assertion that a kick to a man’s testicles produces “9000 del” of pain—equivalent to having 132 children or breaking 3200 bones at once. It concludes that the comparison is unsupported: the review says there is no scientific study directly comparing testicular trauma with childbirth, and notes that pain varies between individuals. Its conclusion is about the lack of evidence for the numerical equivalence, not a finding that either experience is painless. [S1: “There is no scientific study proving that testicular blow is more painful than childbirth. In fact, comparing these two pains is not appropriate, as pain is subjective and varies among individuals.”] The review also challenges the claimed measurement. It reports that “del” is not a recognized pain-measurement unit and describes a historical “Dol scale,” which it says assesses pain from 1 to 10. It adds that pain measurement lacks a universally accepted, unbiased method. These points undermine the post’s use of a precise value such as 9000 del; they do not provide an alternative numerical comparison between the two experiences. [S1: “Further, there is no recognized unit of measurement for pain by the name ‘del’. Mostly scientists are using a 10-point scale to measure pain”] [S1: “the Dol scale assesses pain on a scale ranging from 1 to 10.”] The article distinguishes the experiences rather than treating them as directly comparable: it describes pain from a kick as an intense surge that typically subsides relatively quickly, while labor pain can occur in recurring waves for several hours. It further reports that an ASAPScience investigation in 2013 did not reach a conclusive answer about which causes more pain. Together, these details support the review’s conclusion that the post’s exact equivalence is not established by the evidence it discusses. [S1: “Getting kicked in the testicles results in a momentary surge of pain that gradually subsides, whereas labor pain occurs in recurring waves and can persist for several hours.”] [S1: “In 2013, ASAPScience conducted an investigation into the same question; however, they were unable to reach a conclusive answer regarding which of the two causes more pain.”]
mRNA-vaccines contain cancer-causing DNA from green monkeys
Publisher’s rating: FALSE
Being a Gay or Lesbian refers to neurological disorder
Publisher’s rating: False
Related research discusses sexual orientation and possible neurological influences, but the supplied excerpt does not say that being gay or lesbian is a neurological disorder. It defines sexual orientation as patterns of attraction and distinguishes it from gender identity and sexual behavior. It also describes homosexuality as involving a complex interplay of biological, genetic, neurological, and environmental factors. Those statements concern definitions and possible influences; they do not, in the excerpt provided, identify same-sex orientation as a neurological disorder or provide evidence for such a diagnosis.
the herb Brahmi can control diabetes
Publisher’s rating: Missing Context
Research from related reporting directly connects the claim to brahmi: S3 identifies the plant as “brahmi (Bacopa monnieri)” and says it has long been used in traditional and Ayurvedic medicine for its ability to control diabetes. This supports that the claim is being made about the same herb, but the article presents the statement as a traditional-use description, not as a demonstrated medical effect. The excerpt gives no diabetes study, patient results, dose, or checking method to establish that Brahmi controls diabetes. It is primarily about growing the plant as ground cover; its discussion of medicinal use is brief and does not substantiate the therapeutic claim. The available research therefore does not establish that Brahmi can control diabetes.
Denúncia de dentista boliviana sobre as vacinas, inclusive a de covid, que contém substâncias venenosas, como grafeno
Publisher’s rating: Falso
අපේක්ෂා රෝහල සඳහා Tomo-Therapy & Linear Accelerators යන යන්ත්ර මිලදී ගැනීමේ සටහනේ ඇත්ත කතාව!
Publisher’s rating: Explainer
Fact Crescendo examined social-media posts asking people to donate toward Tomo-Therapy and Linear Accelerator machines for Maharagama’s Apeksha Hospital, saying the machines would cost about 100 crore rupees. The hospital’s deputy director, Lalith Poddaligoda, told the publication that the project was no longer underway. The review also used a reverse-image search and found that the circulating post had appeared in 2019, rather than being a new appeal for that original project. Narada Herath, secretary of the Fight Cancer Team, told the review that the project began on 1 April 2019 with the aim of donating the two machines. Although the full target was not raised, more than 20 crore rupees were donated to the Apeksha Hospital account under the Health Development Fund. Herath said the funds were subsequently directed, in consultation with the hospital and Health Ministry, toward a CT Simulator Radiotherapy machine and other necessary work for patients. Thus, the old machine-purchase project was inactive, but that did not mean donations to the identified hospital account would go to a private account or outside cancer care. The review also reported that the Health Development Fund secretary confirmed the account was maintained for public contributions to Apeksha Hospital, with oversight and audit arrangements. It cited a reported balance of 127,990,040.53 rupees collected for the machines as of 31 December 2019, and described approval procedures for withdrawals. The evidence supports distinguishing the outdated fundraising purpose from the destination and stated use of donations sent to the hospital account.
you should eat stale bread (roti) to gain weight
Publisher’s rating: Mostly False
Related reporting explicitly makes the same claim: it says stale bread can help people who are thin gain weight, attributing the effect to its fiber and carbohydrates. The article is about leftover rotis and describes eating them with milk, so its subject is directly relevant to the claim. However, the supplied excerpt gives no studies, measurements, expert comments, or other supporting evidence for that weight-gain assertion. It therefore documents that the advice was published, but does not establish that stale roti causes weight gain or that people should eat it for that purpose. The excerpt also advises that roti should be no more than 12–15 hours old and kept in a clean, dry, covered place; it warns against eating it if it smells or tastes abnormal.
Slapping The Inner Elbow Is A Recommended Treatment During A Heart Attack!
Publisher’s rating: False
The review examined a viral video and accompanying advice claiming that slapping the inner elbow could help someone having a heart attack. The post said this would stimulate acupressure points linked to the heart and lungs, improve circulation, and should be followed by taking the person to hospital. The review’s conclusion is that elbow-slapping is not a recommended first-aid or treatment method for a heart attack, and that it may be harmful. To assess the medical claim, the review reported consulting named medical experts. Dr Christiane Tiefenbacher told AFP that elbow clapping is not proper first aid for a heart attack and that there is no evidence it can dissolve a clot in heart vessels or increase blood supply to the heart. Cardiologist Dr Lin Wei-Wan likewise said he knew of no medical basis for the method and that additional stimulation is not recommended during an acute coronary syndrome. The article instead lists steps it attributes to the Red Cross and Mayo Clinic: have the person rest, call emergency services, help with prescribed chest-pain medicine, consider aspirin while waiting for help, and begin CPR if the person is unconscious. These are the review’s stated alternatives to the viral elbow-slapping advice; the article does not present slapping as a substitute for emergency care.
The EMA admitted that Covid-19 vaccines can cause infertility and adversely affect female fertility
Publisher’s rating: False
ஆமாம்மா.. எய்ம்ஸ் ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு இணையா திருநெல்வேலி ஆஸ்பத்திரியும் இருக்குதுன்னு ஊருக்குள்ளே பேசிக்குறாங்க..
Publisher’s rating: False
Alcohol is over 100 times more dangerous than cannabis
Publisher’s rating: Misleading
Hospital do Homem, em São Paulo, vai fechar por falta de pacientes
Publisher’s rating: Falso
The claim concerns the Hospital do Homem in São Paulo, which the circulating message said might close because too few people used its free services. The review identifies the facility as the Centro de Referência em Saúde do Homem, located within the Hospital de Transplantes do Estado de São Paulo Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini. It says the closure rumor had circulated for years, with its persistence attributed to an earlier report describing the service as underused. The review does not present evidence of a pending closure; instead, it recounts a direct denial from the hospital’s own administration. That denial, reproduced in the review, says the messages claiming the center was idle and might close “não correspondem com a realidade do serviço.” It reports that the unit performed about 3,000 urology consultations and more than 300 urological surgeries each month. The review also explains that this is a specialized SUS service: patients are screened and referred by primary-care services, including UBS units. Thus, the message’s appeal for people to call and book directly omits how access works, and the presence of a referral system does not establish that the hospital lacks patients. The review concludes that the hospital would not close for lack of patients. Its supporting evidence is the institution’s denial, the reported volume of care, and the explanation that patients must be referred through SUS services. The excerpt does not provide independent operational records or a separate investigation of the facility’s current status, so the conclusion presented here reflects the evidence and reporting included in the review.
Marijuana doesn't kill brain cells
Publisher’s rating: Unproven
DW examined the claim that marijuana does not kill brain cells, which it says circulated on X. The review says the effects of cannabis on the brain have not been fully researched, so the evidence in the excerpt does not establish a simple, definitive answer about whether cannabis kills brain cells. [S1: “The impact of cannabis on the brain has not yet been fully researched”] The article discusses a 1970s experiment by psychiatrist Robert Heath at Tulane University Medical School, in which he said marijuana use killed brain cells in rhesus monkeys. But it reports that the experiment’s methods were heavily criticized and that later researchers refuted its results. That account challenges the experiment as proof; it does not, by itself, settle the broader claim. [S1: “The qualitative implementation of the experiment was heavily criticized, and the results of the study were later refuted by researchers”] The review also describes evidence of possible harms and unresolved questions. It reports that cannabis use can damage young brains, while noting that effects vary with factors including THC amount, frequency and age at first use, and that other influences may contribute to long-term brain outcomes. It also says researchers have not determined whether a reported increase in gray matter among teenagers after smoking marijuana is beneficial or harmful. Together, these qualifications make a categorical claim about brain-cell effects unsupported by the evidence described in the excerpt. [S1: “There is no denying that cannabis use can damage young brains in particular”] [S1: “The data has to be interpreted with caution.”]