{"id":11902,"date":"2025-11-28T13:38:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T12:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/?p=11902"},"modified":"2025-11-28T13:43:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T12:43:12","slug":"blueberries-dont-cure-cancer-how-health-disinformation-endangers-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/28\/blueberries-dont-cure-cancer-how-health-disinformation-endangers-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Blueberries don\u2019t cure cancer: How health disinformation endangers lives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the Balkans, if you get sick, the doctor is often one of the last places you\u2019ll go. The first stop is usually the cupboard where you keep rakija \u2013 a strong fruit brandy with 40\u201360% alcohol and, according to locals, almost miraculous healing properties.<\/em>

A rag, a bottle of rakija<\/em>, and suddenly you have an obloga<\/em> \u2013 a compress wrapped around your feet to \u201cpull down\u201d a fever. To be fair, rakija<\/em> can offer superficial relief for certain symptoms. But as pharmacist Nikola Bo\u0161kovi\u0107 <\/strong>told N1 Bosnia<\/a> last April, using it to reduce fever can easily backfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe human body naturally maintains a constant temperature. If we have a slightly elevated temperature \u2013 38\u00b0C and above \u2013 the body will try to keep it there. If we suddenly lower the temperature to 36\u00b0C with alcohol compresses, the body will try to raise it back to where it was before, meaning the fever will quickly return and the effect is minimal,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This helps explain why people keep turning to natural remedies: they often appear to work immediately, even if only temporarily. Professor Livia Puljak<\/strong>, head of the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine at the Catholic University of Croatia, says that \u201cnatural cures\u201d feel emotionally familiar to many people: \u201cMany grew up with herbal teas and their grandmothers\u2019 home remedies, so these treatments feel close and comforting\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statistics reflect this trend, and the Balkans are no exception. According to the World Health Organization<\/a>, in many developing countries up to 80% of the population relies on traditional medicines<\/strong>, mostly herbal or local remedies, as one of their primary forms of healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural \u201ccures\u201d also seem safer and healthier to people, Puljak explains, while pharmaceutical products are often dismissed as \u201cchemicals,\u201d a word many associate with something \u201cunhealthy\u201d or \u201cunnatural.\u201d But she stresses that natural and synthetic compounds influence the body in the same biochemical way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNatural substances are still made of chemicals,\u201d Puljak explains. \u201cEvery plant contains a whole range of chemical compounds, so taking an herb doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve \u201cavoided chemicals.\u201d Many of these compounds have been studied and are now used in medications, where they\u2019re given in doses proven to help people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She adds: \u201cWhen we take a tablet, we know exactly what it contains, it\u2019s strictly regulated. But when we pick a plant, we can\u2019t be sure of its chemical composition. It depends on where it grew, how much sun or moisture it was exposed to, and many other factors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cnatural remedy\u201d industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The market for \u201cnatural\u201d cures has grown into a massive industry \u2013 one so unregulated that its true value is impossible to determine. Millions are made through online sales of herbal mixtures, oils, powders, and tinctures, all promoted with claims of miraculous healing properties. Yet these same products often carry disclaimers stating they do not actually treat or cure disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puljak notes that \u201cnatural remedies are usually advertised through simple, catchy messages. People are drawn to straightforward explanations and personal stories, while standard medicine often feels too complicated and full of technical terms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conspiracy theories about \u201cBig Pharma\u201d further fuel this distrust, she adds. \u201cPeople believe there\u2019s so much money in the pharmaceutical industry that things must be hidden from them. But they rarely stop to think that so-called natural medicine is also a huge business. Alternative medicine is an enormous industry as well,\u201d she told SEE Check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Haris Nik\u0161i\u0107<\/strong> from the University of Sarajevo\u2019s Faculty of Pharmacy says this problem is amplified by the limitless availability of information, and disinformation, online<\/strong>. Social networking platforms have become ideal marketplaces for \u201cnatural products,\u201d and people increasingly rely on the internet to diagnose themselves and search for treatments, often accepting what they find without question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople now treat themselves using tools like ChatGPT,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt can give very good answers, but in some cases it can mislead you completely and fail to provide the right information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Puljak emphasizes, the pharmaceutical industry is tightly regulated<\/strong>. Drug manufacturers must use rigorous research to prove that a medicine can prevent or treat a specific condition. By contrast, sellers of alternative remedies can \u201cpackage a bit of herb, put it on the market as a dietary supplement, advertise it as a cure for every possible illness \u2013 and they don\u2019t have to prove to anyone that it actually works the way they claim.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, fact-checking outlets Raskrinkavanje.ba<\/strong> and Fake News Traga\u010d<\/strong> uncovered<\/a> a sprawling network of companies promoting various products with absurd \u201chealing\u201d claims, active in a wide range of countries in the broader South East Europe region. Their investigations revealed multiple deceptive techniques, including the false use of well-known public figures who had never endorsed these products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of regulation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nik\u0161i\u0107 also stresses the importance of regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crucial to consult a qualified professional and to buy medicines from a pharmacy, to buy products that are registered, that have passed official quality control, and are on the list of approved substances,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, natural remedies are often sold informally or online, without any oversight<\/strong>. \u201cNo one checks whether a bottle labeled to contain blueberry extract actually does. It might indeed be a medicinal plant and it might even be listed as an ingredient, but whether it\u2019s actually inside the product is a completely different matter,\u201d Nik\u0161i\u0107 said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puljak adds that many people simply do not understand how medications are developed, how strict the regulatory process is for getting a drug approved, how medicines work, what side effects are, or why the benefits and risks of every drug must always be carefully evaluated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This lack of understanding is paired with a deep distrust of the healthcare system<\/strong>. A 2022 study<\/a> found that citizens in the Western Balkans have consistently low levels of trust in their medical institutions<\/strong>. Natural remedies, on the other hand, are easily accessible, and so are the people who sell them, and, as Puljak notes, they often give patients more time and attention than a doctor can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puljak illustrates this with an example: \u201cA friend of mine injured her knee and went straight to an herbalist, because the herbalist was available immediately, while she would have had to wait months for an appointment with an orthopedist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amar Kara\u0111uz<\/strong>, a fact-checker at Bosnia\u2019s Raskrinkavanje, who helped uncover the network of companies, says sellers of \u201cnatural remedies\u201d actively exploit this distrust of conventional medicine<\/strong>. \u201cIn the texts we\u2019ve analyzed, we often encounter claims that standard, prescribed therapy doesn\u2019t work, along with suggestions that the advertised product should be taken instead \u2013 as if it ultimately cures the illness,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But does it work? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Peruvian strawberries cure colorectal and prostate cancer. Burdock root tea heals psoriasis. Oregano is a universal panacea capable of treating everything from the common cold to cancer. These are claims we would all like<\/em><\/strong> to be true. The idea that nature alone holds simple, side-effect-free cures for devastating illnesses is comforting, hopeful, and appealing. But these claims don\u2019t hold up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many popular natural \u201ccures\u201d do contain ingredients with genuine health benefits, the same pattern appears again and again: a compound with useful nutritional or biochemical properties is exaggerated into a claim that it can treat or cure disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take blueberries, for example. They are nutritious, rich in antioxidants, and contain vitamin C<\/a> \u2013 which is essential for immunity, collagen synthesis, and healthy blood vessels. But the leap from \u201chealthy fruit\u201d to \u201cprevents cancer\u201d is scientifically unfounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Kara\u0111uz explains<\/a> in a Raskrinkavanje analysis, this kernel of truth is then inflated into a \u201cmagical cure,\u201d with viral posts claiming blueberries can \u201cprevent\u201d cancer. While some studies may identify certain beneficial compounds, these findings typically come from laboratory conditions that cannot be replicated in everyday life, and often involve concentrations far higher than any normal diet could provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These studies are not meant to encourage people to consume extraordinary amounts of blueberries. Instead, they help researchers determine whether a specific compound might<\/em> one day be used in a pharmaceutical context, after years of testing, regulation, and clinical trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are not evidence that eating fruit, however healthy, can cure complex diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, these so-called \u201ccures\u201d can also have harmful effects. Puljak notes that natural remedies can damage the liver or kidneys, or even be toxic. \u201cThey can also interact with prescribed medications, weakening their effect or, in some cases, dangerously amplifying it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People often assume that \u201cif it doesn\u2019t help, it can\u2019t hurt,\u201d Nik\u0161i\u0107 adds, \u201cbut that is often completely wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Puljak, the greatest danger is that a serious illness can quietly progress, or worsen, while a person believes a natural product will help them<\/strong>. \u201cNatural preparations generally cannot treat pneumonia, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or other serious diagnoses. When proper treatment is delayed, the illness continues to advance. By the time a person finally sees a doctor, it is often too late for the best outcomes, or the therapy becomes much more difficult and risky,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nik\u0161i\u0107 points out that desperation makes people especially vulnerable. \u201cIt\u2019s easiest to manipulate someone who is sick. Give them anything, and they will try it. When people are facing serious illness, they often lead themselves down the wrong path simply because they desperately want to help themselves,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And rakija<\/em>? We regret to inform you that it\u2019s useless against diabetes, cancer, and most diagnoses, but for heartbreak, the Balkan nonclinical trials remain optimistic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Balkans, if you get sick, the doctor is often one of the last places you\u2019ll go. The first stop is usually the cupboard where you keep rakija \u2013 a strong fruit brandy with 40\u201360% alcohol and, according to locals, almost miraculous healing properties. A rag, a bottle of rakija, and suddenly you have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[673,670,37,266,29,672,205,671,669,28,288],"class_list":["post-11902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-balkans","tag-blueberries","tag-bosnia-and-herzegovina","tag-cancer","tag-croatia","tag-health-disinformation","tag-istaknuto","tag-natural-cure","tag-natural-remedies","tag-serbia","tag-southeast-europe"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11902"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11903,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11902\/revisions\/11903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecheck.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}