Questions tagged [alternative-medicine]
Use this tag for claims regarding cures and health practices which fall outside the boundaries of scientifically validated medicine.
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Did herbalist Maria Treben really systematically confuse inulin with insulin?
The widely read Austrian herbalist Maria Treben is frequently said to have fundamentally confused a number of biochemical concepts, theories, or at least names of substances.
As seen with the always ...
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Can Ayurvedic treatment reduce symptoms and needed anti-inflammatory medication in ulcerative colitis patients by more than 75%
I found a study on Research Gate titled
Effects of Ayurvedic treatment on forty-three patients of ulcerative
colitis
This paper was originally published in An international quarterly journal of ...
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Is seemingly bare-hands surgery (with no instruments) fake?
I have seen a video about surgery without surgical instruments, which can be seen here:
I found nothing about that Brazilian surgery (link), so I asked here to have some answer or comment about the ...
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Is this study evidence that a fly falling into one's drink should be dipped?
About 9 years ago, a user inquired about a medical claim from an islamic text, a claim that a fly falling into your drink should be dipped in then thrown away (the claimed explanation being that ...
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Does Steve G. Jones have the title "Dr"?
My friend posted a screenshot of this cooky ad on his Facebook feed:
(larger version)
When someone uses phrases like "astral projection", "astral planes", "transcendence&...
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Is thyme antiviral?
Lots of sources claim that thyme has antiviral properties, kills off viruses, "should be taken at first sign of a cough or cold" etc.
How supported by evidence are these claims?
https://www....
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Can heat cure COVID-19, the common flu and the common cold?
The following video is quickly making rounds via social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-011iO4esA
The video claims Dr. Dan Lee Dimke has found that raising the temperature of the sinuses to ...
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Do "Rife machines" cure cancer?
The book The Cancer Cure That Worked: 50 Years of Suppression (ISBN 978-0982513866), by Barry Lynes, claims that:
there are Rife instruments which, combined with dedicated practitioners and ...
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Has shea butter been clinically proven to help?
Shea butter has been claimed to help with dozens of skin issues. These benefits include, but are not limited to:
anti-aging properties
mitigating acne
healing wounds/scars/strech marks
healing skin ...
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Is this cow urine study published in NCBI valid? [duplicate]
The cow is regarded as a sacred animal in Hinduism, and as expected, there are a lot of people in India (including very prominent religious leaders and politicians) who want to show that even its ...
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Do coca leaves help relieve symptoms of altitude sickness?
Coca leaves are widely used to relieve symptoms of altitude sickness in some South American countries, either chewed or brewed into a tea. Wikipedia says that no study has studied their effectiveness ...
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Does aluminium in deodorants cause cancer? [duplicate]
I have read that the claim that deodorants with aluminium cause breast-cancer is false. But here is an article talking about the dangers
Your antiperspirant probably contains aluminum, and that ...
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Do lipid droplets in our skin create a laser?
The home page of Dr Jack Kruse, who claims to be a neurosurgeon and "optimal health educator" contains the following paragraph:
There is a deep connection between thermodynamics in biology and the ...
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Does too much deuterium clog up our mitochondria?
I recently came across a strange idea that appears to be popular in the biohacking and alternative health community. The essence of it is that many of the ills of modern life are cased by a buildup to ...
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Healing Tooth Decay via Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced Remineralisation?
According to The Guardian scientists from the UK have developed a tool to repair cavities without filling or injections.
The new treatment, called Electrically Accelerated and Enhanced
...
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Did Otto Warburg make this claim about diseases in an alkaline environment?
I came across the following quote, alledgedly by the biochemist Otto Warburg:
No disease, including cancer, can exist in an alkaline environment
or its German counterpart:
Keine Krankheit kann in ...
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Are there diseases that correlate with an “endocannabinoid deficiency”? [closed]
There was a study published in Neuro Endocrinology Letters by Dr. Ethan Russo in 2004 that says many diseases being treated with cannabis correlate with an “endocannabinoid deficiency”, but I cannot ...
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Are most humans infected with parasites that water fasting can eliminate?
So this is a new one for me... I came across a jaw dropping niche of health-woo today. Apparently tens of thousands of people (if not more) believe that almost all humans are infected with parasites ...
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Does carrying or consuming onions help to prevent heatstroke and/or reduce your body temperature?
Will consuming onions help to reduce your body temperature, or prevent heatstroke? Some common variations of this claim include applying onion juice to your skin, or even just carrying an onion in ...
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Is the skeptical movement an offshoot of the Communist Party?
Found on
EXTRAORDINARY MEDICINE The truth about homeopathy is the following claim:
Media Skeptics: A Popcorn Gallery
The skeptical movement is an offshoot of the Communist Party. (Really: see ...
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Does drinking cattle urine have health benefits?
Recently, a provincial government in India has decided to promote cattle urine as a health drink:
Cow urine to be promoted as health drink in Uttar Pradesh
BJP government in UP prepares proposal ...
user42178
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What is the actual position of WHO regarding alternative medicine
I was sent a chain message over WhatsApp talking about how WHO supports alternative medicine and how it is a shame that it is being censored by some political parties in Spain. I would like to know ...
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Can Elderberries "beat the flu, prevent colds, and strengthen your immunity"?
According to http://realfarmacy.com/diy-flu-syrup/, "Elderberry Beats the Flu, Prevents Colds, and Strengthens Your Immunity." As with all dietary advice I find on the internet, I'm hesitant to ...
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Are fish oil capsules beneficial?
Page 28 of the February 2018 edition of Which? magazine says,
(You don't need...)
Fish oils such as Omega 3 capsules
Unless you are advised to take these, you don't need to. Studies show that ...
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Can 'resonant frequencies' kill cancer cells?
According to some guy called Anthony Holland, you can kill cancer cells with resonant frequencies:
"Cancer Research", Novobiotronics;
"Shattering cancer with resonant frequencies: Anthony Holland at ...
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Were the reference ranges of liver function tests set three times higher than their usual values during the research on the use of statins?
I am now holding a book called "The Hidden Therapies - What your doctor won't tell you" authored by Jerzy Zięba, who is widely considered to be a quack by medical authorities in my country. ...
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Was there any scientic research backing up the setting of the reference range of cholesterol up to 200 mg/dl?
I am now holding the original, Polish edition of a book called "The Hidden Therapies - What your doctor won't tell you" authored by Jerzy Zięba, who is widely considered to be a quack by medical ...
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Did Gary Taubes prove that cholesterol levels between 200 mg/dl and 240 mg/dl are normal and healthy?
I am now holding the original, Polish edition book called "The Hidden Therapies - What your doctor won't tell you" authored by Jerzy Zięba, who is widely considered to be a quack by medical ...
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Was the cholesterol reference range set up to 200 mg/dl in order to to allow the research on statins on a wide range of population?
I am now holding the original, Polish edition of a book called "The Hidden Therapies - What your doctor won't tell you" authored by Jerzy Zięba, who is widely considered to be a quack by ...
- 2,635
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Can honey help heal wounds?
Many sources claim that honey help healing wounds. Consider for example
DermNet New Zealand
consultant360
webmd
TF1 telejournal (in french)
From DermNet New Zealand, it seems that honey is most ...
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Does Ginkgo Biloba "promote memory"?
Most Ginkgo Biloba supplements are sold with the following claims:
Studied and Shown to promote memory and provide healthy circulation to the body's extremities. (src)
Helps support your memory ...
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Is Kambo frog poison dangerous and/or useful?
According to How Amazonian Tree Frog Poison Became the Latest Treatment for Addiction
The use of kambo—the poison of a bright green frog—is on the rise as an alternative treatment for depression ...
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Can drinking "harmonized" water prevent sunburn
Osmosis Skin Care offers what they call "Harmonized H2O" This product is a UV Neutralizer-Tan Enhancing[sic]: Boost your body’s defenses with this innovative new technology utilizing frequencies that ...
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Can Master Kanzawa make animals sleep at a distance?
As seen here and other places, like Stan Lee’s Superhumans, Master Kanzawa claims to be able to put animals to sleep at a distance by exchanging "chi energy".
I am doubful this is true, since Chi ...
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Electro sensitivity - is it a thing? [duplicate]
Recently, a coworker brought up electro sensitivity as something to consider when developing new communications technology.
What little I have researched so far
The WHO claims that the majority of ...
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Can the size and shape of penis be enhanced permanently?
A very good friend of mine went to the UK for his master's two years ago. After his breakup and several hookups (via online dating sites), he told me that he is very depressed, especially after one of ...
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Do homemade pregnancy tests with sugar work?
There are a lot of claims on the internet (like this one) that it is possible to test for pregnancy by just putting sugar in a glass and urinating on it. The hormones in the urine supposedly cause the ...
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How can a skeptic benefit from placebo effect? [closed]
Gullible people believe in every new alternative medicine miraculous treatment procedures. For every one of then, you don't need to go too far to learn that the efficacy is not different from placebo ...
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Does Melatonin help support sleep? [duplicate]
This question brought to you courtesy of a trip to a local supermarket.
Browsing vitamins/supplements shelf, saw a bottle of Melatonin, on the bottle it said "Helps support sleep"
Is this something ...
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Does inhaling steam from fresh-boiled potatoes help with a cold/flu cough or congestion?
Growing up in Russia, almost everyone I knew used this remedy. Here's Internet example.
Fortunately, half an hour is just enough time for you to boil a big pot of potatoes. Remove them from the ...
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Does the Assisi loop heal injuries?
The Assisi loop uses "Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy" to treat inflammation in animals. This seems like a bunch of woo.
Does this work?
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Does cupping have medical benefits?
Recently, in the Rio Olympics 2016, quite a few sportsmen and sportswomen have been seen with cupping marks, which allegedly result from the traditional Chinese/Oriental medicine treatment Hijama or ...
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What is the relationship between Chirimoya fruit and cancer? [duplicate]
In the whole andes, there is a claim that chirimoya cures cancer.
This claim is supported long across the andes community, and in dubious sites like this one.
My question is: What is the actual ...
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Does supplementation of garlic/allicin reduce the risk of catching the common cold significantly? [duplicate]
The study Preventing the common cold with a garlic supplement: a double-blind, placebo-controlled survey shows a reduction of days challenged virally by about 70% just by taking 180mg allicin every ...
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Does the See Clearly Method of vision improvement work?
I found a product called the See Clearly Method on Amazon.
The program claims:
The best personal vision improvement system currently available. The results of years of study and clinical ...
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Is Reiki scientifically valid/proven?
Reiki is a form of alternative medicine which has its origins in Japan. Palm healing and auras are central aspects of Reiki.
The practice of Reiki is getting more common, however, I was not able to ...
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Is Colloidal Silver an effective medical treatment? [closed]
I have had multiple people recommend to me that I should use colloidal silver to treat not only treat active infections, but as a preventative measure against future disease. One person even claimed ...
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Can bee stings be treated with onions?
Someone told me that when you have a bee sting you should cut an onion in half and apply it to the sting for 30min - or even better make onion puree and apply it.
This sounds a bit like folk-medicine ...
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Do crystals have healing powers?
Crystal Healing is a common alternative medicine.
For example:
Crystal Well-Being
Crystals have a long tradition of being used for crystal healing. Each variety of crystal has a unique internal ...
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Do "Studies Show Ginger to be More Powerful than Chemotherapy?"
Recently got this from Facebook:
STUDIES SHOW GINGER IS MORE POWERFUL THAN CHEMOTHERAPY
Cancer is one of the greatest scourges for the humankind today. People are subjected to toxic treatments to try ...
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