Fergus Brown
@fergusbrownFF
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clinical fact checker @FullFact / occasional junior doctor mostly just shameless retweets of my articles
London
Joined December 2022
Earlier this week, ‘featured snippets’ on Google claimed there are health benefits to eating glass, for example to “aid in weight loss”. There aren’t. It’s dangerous (obviously). Don’t do it. (1/2) https://t.co/WWpAwOtBq0
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Medical grade honey is used in healthcare for skin infections. So is there truth to claims that adding the sweet treat to turmeric and garlic makes “the most powerful antibiotic”? The evidence doesn’t show this. https://t.co/xvXHVkODy9
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A video of banned naturopath Barbara O’Neill has been widely circulated on social media, in which she claims eating cayenne pepper will heal a stomach ulcer. The spice could actually make symptoms worse https://t.co/dMyFc8XreJ
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A video spread on social media contains the claim that sungazing won’t hurt your eyes. As we’ve said before, staring at the sun can cause blindness or serious irreversible damage to your eyes. https://t.co/SuhQbCFRLM
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🚨 NEW JOB ALERT 🚨 @FullFact's recruiting a news and online journalist - help us fact check social media claims and tackle viral misinformation. 💻 Remote-first 💷 £26,700 - £38,535 pa 🗓️ Apply by 21 Sep Full details here:
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Does having bad breath or headaches mean you are ‘loaded’ with worm pee, as claimed on social media? We take a look. (It’s no.) https://t.co/BfI0VhzrFl
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The Daily Star reported that 2.8 billion people die of obesity a year. The actual number is 2.8 million. The Star has corrected the error. https://t.co/7FoK629Xe4
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Model Liz Seibert has posted a video claiming pasteurisation of milk—the process to get rid of dangerous bacteria—is a cause of lactose intolerance. This isn’t true, and unpasteurised milk can be harmful to health. https://t.co/8E67RjS8Fu
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Erectile dysfunction has many different causes, with different potential solutions. But a widely viewed social media video claims it’s all down to blood flow issues.
fullfact.org
A Facebook video claims erectile dysfunction is only caused by blood flow issues. But sexual issues can have many different causes.
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Influencer Ellie Grey made a number of unsupported claims about cancer treatments in a social media post, listing treatments that have not been shown to be cures. Evidence given in a later post does not back up her claims. https://t.co/4olU8xFb50
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False claims that the Covid-19 virus is fake continue to circulate online. The pandemic is ongoing, and while cases and deaths have reduced from previous peaks, Covid continues to circulate and cause harm. https://t.co/UrYK6DjsYo
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We look at a video that’s part of a wider social media trend promoting borax as a health supplement. The cleaning chemical is toxic to reproductive systems, and there’s no good evidence of it helping with diseases like arthritis as claimed. https://t.co/OoDKOMskOI
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A Tweet from Heritage Party leader David Kurten claims Amish people are unvaccinated and don’t use GMOs—and implies that they don’t have autism and some diseases as a result. Amish people do get vaccinated and use GMO seeds, and some are autistic. https://t.co/hFikqsltNP
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A social media post pulls together a number of false claims on HIV/AIDS and vaccines. The smallpox and Covid vaccines don’t cause HIV–and Dr Anthony Fauci wasn’t “the man who gave us AIDS”. https://t.co/wtd1yjN87s
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Widely shared social media posts are claiming herbal weight loss inhalers have been approved for the US market by the FDA. The agency has confirmed with us that this isn’t true. https://t.co/nUo7K2awYN
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Exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer, but a social media post claims protective sunscreens actually increase your risk of the disease, as well as disrupting hormones. We dig into the evidence. https://t.co/1okdXYrb6b
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A social media post claims eating a grapefruit every day will naturally lower blood pressure, meaning you don’t need medication. But any reductions in blood pressure will be very small compared to conventional drugs. https://t.co/oEXxy3wch7
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The health secretary claimed last week that the World Health Organisation has announced the Covid-19 pandemic is “officially over”. That’s not correct. The WHO has said Covid is no longer a global emergency, but that the pandemic is still ongoing. https://t.co/op1SQ1ZBgU
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Viral social media posts are warning people to watch out for ice sinking in drinks as a sign they may have been spiked. This isn’t a reliable way to spot if a drink’s been tampered with though. In most cases, ice will continue to float in a spiked drink. https://t.co/5n2uuHXm8D
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A social media video claims that raw milk cures lactose intolerance. But raw milk contains lactose and there’s no evidence it will prevent the digestive issues this causes. Authorities also advise against drinking it due to the risk of food poisoning. https://t.co/S9uGJQO9Za
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