I constantly come across posts claiming to inform on signs of cancer. Many of the cancer they mention are symptomless until the very end. These posts are made to scare naive people into clicking on them. Many of the information found in these websites is made-up and false. They do nothing more than incite panic in prone minds.
My professional suggestion: for the sake of your health, keep away from these posts!
Claim: Cancer feeds on acid, so buy our alkaline products to cure your cancer!
Browsing through Pinterest, it is easy to find pins suggesting miraculous natural treatments for cancer. For example, drinking alkaline water kills cancer cells (1,2). Clicking on the pin does not take you to evidence backing this claim, instead it directly opens a website selling water alkaline ionizers (3). Another pin claims pharmaceutical companies keep homemade remedies secret to keep their profits high (4). The truth is, most cancer researches are backed by government funds (e.g. NIH) and not pharmaceutical companies.
There are multiple studies on herbal extracts and those products are on their way to reach the market. I personally published an article on a shrub extract and showed that it slowed bladder cancer cell growth in the lab. It is crucial to look for the words “in the lab” when reading about a medical discovery. There is no guarantee that a product showing good results in the lab will have similar results on the human body. This has been proven by thousands of medical discoveries that were miraculous in the lab but failed in the human body.
Boosting a product sale by making up false medical claims is unethical, and also illegal. Avoid blogs like (6), were a primary lab discovery is used to boost site traffic or sell their product.
- https://pin.it/426qy7zc6ijixm
- https://pin.it/tamvqorpgyzf4p
- http://kangenalkalineionizers.com/
- http://hussis.com/104-year-old-japanese-retired-chief-of-a-pharmacy-said-the-world-needs-to-know-that-alkaline-water-kills-cancer-here-is-how-to-prepare-it/
- Zheng Y, Ishiguro H, Ide H, Inoue S, Kashiwagi E, Kawahara T, Jalalizadeh M, Reis LO, Miyamoto H. Compound A Inhibits Bladder Cancer Growth Predominantly via Glucocorticoid Receptor Transrepression. Mol Endocrinol. 2015 Oct;29(10):1486-97. doi: 10.1210/me.2015-1128. Epub 2015 Aug 31.
- https://hapinews.xyz/104-year-old-japanese-oncologist-accidental-discovery-the-juice-that-kills-cancer-in-48-hours/
Natural ways to control blood pressure or blood sugar
Unfortunately, blood pressure or diabetes control is way more complicated than “use this recipe and stop taking your medication”. Websites like this (1,2) oversimplify problems that should never be oversimplified. Doctors constantly have patients who had their chronic disease under control using medications, but then decided to change to unproven “herbal” or “natural” remedies. These patients usually come back later with years of uncontrolled blood pressure or high blood sugar that have permanently damaged their organs.
Most websites that claim to provide “natural” or “herbal” remedies for high blood pressure, use garlic as their main ingredient. Garlic is a known blood pressure reducer (3). However, doctor don’t prescribe raw or powdered garlic because it is hard to adjust the dose. There is currently not enough scientific evidence on how to control blood pressure using garlic.
Herbal remedies for diabetes can be extremely dangerous. Blood sugar should not be controlled by unprofessionals because there are many ways that it could go wrong. As an ER physician I have had experience with patients on the verge of death because they decided to treat their diabetes using unproven herbal medicine.
- http://healthyload.com/not-spend-money-medication-high-blood-pressure-cholesterol-try-old-recipe/
- http://naturegenerator.com/2018/08/04/cure-for-the-whole-body-recipe-of-the-old-monks-makes-miracles/
- Xiong XJ, Wang PQ, Li SJ, Li XK, Zhang YQ, Wang J. Garlic for hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytomedicine. 2015 Mar 15;22(3):352-61. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2014.12.013. Epub 2015 Feb 4.
Is anti-vaccination movement exaggerated?
The claim that the anti-vaccination movement is too small to be important is misleading(1). Only 2% of the population is not vaccinated and this small size of people ,theoretically, should be protected through herd immunity. However, the US has seen a rise in measles outbreak since 2003, when the anti-vaccination movement got stronger (2). So what are we missing?
Truth is, anti-vaccine parents tend to live in their own communities. Anti-vaccination is an unfunded belief and it is more easily spread through religious like patterns in close communities. A 2017 article by The Washington Post reported that up to 40% of students in some private schools were not vaccinated (2)! This is extremely dangerous and explains the recent rise in measles outbreak in the United States. Keep in mind that non-vaccinated children don’t just pose threat to their own health. Babies under 12 months old are too young to be vaccinated and they are at risk if they live in a largely non-vaccinated community. Read this JAMA article for more proof that anti-vaccination movement is, in fact, causing public health concerns (3).
- http://theconversation.com/anti-vaxxer-effect-on-vaccination-rates-is-exaggerated-92630
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-energizes-the-anti-vaccine-movement-in-texas/2017/02/20/795bd3ae-ef08-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html?utm_term=.ed40826eac74
- Phadke VK, Bednarczyk RA, Salmon DA, Omer SB, Association Between Vaccine Refusal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States: A Review of Measles and Pertussis. JAMA. 2016 Mar 15;315(11):1149-58. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.1353.
Natural pain medication from your garden
It is a common misconception that herbal remedies cannot be dangerous. This is false simply because some of the most dangerous medicines are derived from plant (e.g. digoxin, atropine). A website claims that a natural pain medication can be extracted from wild lettuce from your backyard. Interestingly the website bashes the addictive nature of pain pills at the same time it claims wild lettuce has opium like properties (1). Keep in mind that opium is an extremely addictive and dangerous substance; morphine and heroin are both opium derivatives and their danger is no secret.
A thorough literature review on wild lettuce revealed very few reliable studies. WebMD.com has a whole page on this herb using legitimate references: wild lettuce can be deadly if used in high doses. This is particularly dangerous if the herb is used for pain management; a patient in pain may increase the dose to a dangerous level if the analgesic effect is not strong enough.
Fact check: is colon cleansing scientifically proven?
Most “colon cleansing” remedies on the internet are benign treatments of constipation. These remedies become dangerous when they claim they can help you “lose 30 pounds in one month” (1). Colon cleansing is not an effective weight loss methods; furthermore, they could even result in severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and possibly death.
Overusing laxatives to lose weight is commonly seen in patients with bulimia nervosa, a condition diagnosed by binge eating followed by attempts at inducing vomiting or diarrhea. Keep in mind that bulimia nervosa is a serious condition that should be treated by trained psychiatrists and nutritionists.