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Fake News Exists in the Beauty World, Too. Don't Believe These Viral HeadlinesWe sort fact from fake in eight eyebrow-raising headlines |
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Fake or fact: Irresponsibly, savagely fake
Why: Dr. Scott Caroll, a psychiatrist who specializes in psychosomatic medicine at the Ayni Neuroscience Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, calls this news story "an excellent example of borderline hucksterism." He notes that although it is "legal to make claims about 'supporting the health of (insert organ system)' without citing any research or scientific evidence ... such claims are vague and meaningless from a medical and scientific prospective."
Carroll is careful not to knock alternative medicine as a whole, noting that he has used ingredients like frankincense oil and peppermint oil in his household. "The real problem is when people cite these completely nonscientific claims and refuse medical treatments where I can scientifically state the odds of success and the risks of side effects," he says.
"The claim doesn't specify the effectiveness of the ingredient, and there is little research proving such a claim," confirms Dr. Jared Heathman, a psychiatrist based in Houston, Texas. "The actual oil may not be beneficial at all."
Strangely, the article makes no mention of the headline's sensational promise that frankincense will "cure" migraines, depression or cancer. This is probably for the best, since no such evidence exists.
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