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Health & Medicine Fact-Checks

Evidence-focused health fact-checks covering medical myths, child behavior, everyday wellness claims, and common misunderstandings that need more than a quick headline. Each page separates the narrow claim from broader health advice and points readers toward source review.

Home › Fact-Checks › Health & Medicine
63 fact-checks
54 debunked
9 verified true
FALSE
Hair and nails continue to grow after death
99% confidence 568 views
→ FALSE
Humans only use 10% of their brain capacity.
98% confidence 503 views
→ FALSE
Drinking 8 glasses of water daily is scientifically proven to be necessary
91% confidence 496 views
→ FALSE
Sugar makes children hyperactive
96% confidence 494 views
→ FALSE
Coffee stunts your growth
97% confidence 483 views
→ FALSE
Swimming after eating causes dangerous cramps
96% confidence 454 views
→ FALSE
Reading in dim light permanently damages your eyes
95% confidence 446 views
→ TRUE
Vaccines have significantly reduced the prevalence of diseases like polio and measles
99% confidence 436 views
→ FALSE
Shaving makes hair grow back thicker
98% confidence 418 views
→ TRUE
Regular exercise can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety
96% confidence 415 views
→ FALSE
You lose most of your body heat through your head
96% confidence 401 views
→ FALSE
Sugar causes hyperactivity in children
95% confidence 399 views
→ FALSE
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis
97% confidence 386 views
→ FALSE
We only use 10% of our brains
99% confidence 385 views
→ FALSE
MSG is dangerous to your health
94% confidence 383 views
→ FALSE
Brown eggs are healthier than white eggs
99% confidence 381 views
→ FALSE
You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day
92% confidence 369 views
→ FALSE
Microwaving food destroys most of its nutrients
92% confidence 130 views
→ FALSE
Shaving makes hair grow back thicker and darker
98% confidence 124 views
→ FALSE
Vaccines cause autism
99% confidence 106 views
→ FALSE
Humans have a fixed number of taste buds that never regenerate
97% confidence 103 views
→ FALSE
The five-second rule makes food safe to eat if picked up quickly enough
92% confidence 101 views
→ FALSE
MSG is harmful to your health
90% confidence 95 views
→ FALSE
Table salt and sea salt have vastly different nutritional value
85% confidence 93 views
→ FALSE
Cold weather by itself causes the common cold
95% confidence 89 views
→ TRUE
Antibiotic resistance can develop and spread between different species of bacteria
98% confidence 83 views
→ FALSE
Alcohol makes you warmer in cold weather
90% confidence 82 views
→ FALSE
Chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years if swallowed
97% confidence 72 views
→ FALSE
Toads cause warts if you touch them
95% confidence 71 views
→ FALSE
The human appendix serves no function at all in the body
85% confidence 67 views
→ FALSE
It takes seven years to fully digest swallowed gum
95% confidence 62 views
→ FALSE
Cracked or spoiled food always smells bad before it becomes dangerous
95% confidence 53 views
→ FALSE
Fasting diets can 'detoxify' the body of built-up toxins
85% confidence 51 views
→ FALSE
Stress alone can turn your hair gray overnight
85% confidence 47 views
→ FALSE
Vaccines contain microchips used to track people
99% confidence 46 views
→ FALSE
The flu vaccine can give you the flu
90% confidence 44 views
→ TRUE
The human body replaces all its red blood cells roughly every few months
85% confidence 34 views
→ FALSE
Cracking your back releases toxins from your spine
97% confidence 33 views
→ FALSE
You can catch a cold from being outside without a jacket
90% confidence 28 views
→ FALSE
Blood is blue inside the human body before it hits oxygen
98% confidence 26 views
→ FALSE
All bacteria are harmful to human health
99% confidence 25 views
→ TRUE
Video game addiction is officially recognized as a diagnosable disorder by the World Health Organization
90% confidence 24 views
→ FALSE
The human tongue is the strongest muscle in the body
90% confidence 23 views
→ TRUE
Humans can survive longer without food than without sleep
85% confidence 23 views
→ TRUE
The tongue map showing separate taste zones has been scientifically debunked
92% confidence 19 views
→ TRUE
Deep breathing exercises can measurably lower short-term stress and heart rate
92% confidence 18 views
→ FALSE
The human body is naturally immune to all forms of cancer without medical help
99% confidence 18 views
→ FALSE
Cracking open an energy drink gives you the same boost as a full night's sleep
97% confidence 17 views
→ TRUE
Vaccinated populations eliminated smallpox worldwide through a global campaign
92% confidence 17 views
→ FALSE
The immune system can be permanently strengthened by taking daily vitamin C megadoses
90% confidence 16 views
→ FALSE
All calories are metabolized identically by the body regardless of food source
92% confidence 16 views
→ FALSE
Removing your tonsils and appendix has no impact on immune function whatsoever
85% confidence 14 views
→ FALSE
Humans can develop immunity to poison ivy over time so it never affects them again
92% confidence 13 views
→ FALSE
Left-handedness is caused by trauma at birth
90% confidence 8 views
→ FALSE
Plastic bottles all contain a chemical that causes cancer with any use
95% confidence 6 views
→ FALSE
Spinach contains an unusually high amount of iron due to a decimal point error
85% confidence 6 views
→ FALSE
Bottled water is regulated more strictly than tap water in the United States
90% confidence 5 views
→ FALSE
Antibiotics can cure the common cold if taken early enough
99% confidence 5 views
→ FALSE
Adults should never wake a sleepwalker because it can cause a heart attack
92% confidence 5 views
→ FALSE
Mercury's thermometers fever readings show that you must feed a cold and starve a fever.
93% confidence 3 views
→ FALSE
Seasonal flu is caused by bacteria.
99% confidence 2 views
→ FALSE
Reading with insufficient light or sitting close to the TV causes permanent blindness.
97% confidence 1 views
→ FALSE
Eating carrots gives you night vision.
93% confidence 1 views
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