4 home 'health' remedies that can turn deadly fast
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Industry Buzz
"Black salve is NOT a cancer cure ... This substance doesn’t kill cancer but instead melts away skin indiscriminately, leaving horrific wounds." — @drmichaelsays, MBChB, FRACGP, MSc
In June, a Minnesota father was sentenced to 4 years in prison after he and his wife used a steam bath to treat their daughter’s asthma attack. Instead of calling for medical help, he opted for an at-home remedy he believed would open her airways.[]
It’s an unsettling case that underscores a familiar frustration for many doctors: when patients rely on home remedies that ultimately do more harm than good.
An unnamed person intervened and demanded that the girl be taken to a hospital, where she remained for 8 days before being pronounced dead due to loss of oxygen to her brain from the asthma attack.
This case is far from unique. Many home remedies—while popularized on social media or passed down in families—pose lethal risks, particularly when used in place of evidence-based care.
Black salve (or 'cancer salve')
A 55-year-old man applied a “black salve” ointment to a neck cyst.[] After 7 days, the salve caused extensive ulceration and necrosis. He required oral antibiotics and specialized wound care, leaving a concave scar on his neck despite healing without further complications.
More seriously, multiple case reports show black salve destroying healthy tissue, leaving patients with facial deformities, including the loss of a nostril.[][]
"Black salve is NOT a cancer cure … This substance doesn’t kill cancer but instead melts away skin indiscriminately, leaving horrific wounds ... Don’t fall for the misinformation—trust real medical science!" wrote Michael Mrozinski (@drmichaelsays), MBChB, FRACGP, MSc, in an Instagram caption.
Related: 7 clinically proven natural remediesHydrogen peroxide nebulization
A COVID-era case involved a patient mixing hydrogen peroxide with water in his CPAP humidifier daily for a week.[]
He was hospitalized with bilateral lung consolidations and pleural effusions—diagnosed as acute chemical pneumonitis. The toxic inhalation responded only after systemic steroids.
Actresses like Samantha Ruth Prabhu even promoted peroxide inhalation for COVID, prompting public health warnings.[]
Turpentine and sugar 'dewormer'
Other celebs and social media influencers have touted drinking turpentine mixed with sugar for stomach or intestinal issues like yeast infections or parasites. Actress Tiffany Haddish once said about the mixture: "Everything felt so much better, clarity wise."[]
In reality, turpentine is a toxic solvent that can cause renal failure, loss of vision, chest pain, vomiting, severe coughing, hypotension, gastroesophageal hemorrhage, throat swelling, and even death when ingested.[]
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