Drinking borax helps inflammation and joint pain

Question

This claim was made due to an internet trend that started up in the summer of 2023. There was in influx of people on social media providing the misinformation that drinking borax could help medical ailments such as inflammation and joint pain. This claim is obviously false, as borax is a chemical toxin, and can be deadly if ingested. The original poster of the account does not seem to be spreading this information with bad intention, but it is a dangerous narrative. I looked this trend up and found that it made its way onto many different news sources to advise people to stop. 

Article from NBC News

Article from Healthline News

Article from Medical News Today 

Comments

This claim is a little jarring at first because of the chemical borax in itself however after seeing your sites etc. I am very impressed by all of the linked material and how credible they are along with your paragraph attached disclaiming how it can be harmful I found that very professional and helpful. Overall great job!

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I knew as soon as I read the claim that people think Borax can help with inflammation and joint pain, that it was false. Obviously Borax is a poison and is classified as such along with it being a chemical. Great use of sources with some of the highest trustworthy and truthful websites.

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I agree with your fact check.  It’s scary how misinformation like this can spread so quickly. Borax is toxic and should never be ingested. It's good you found reliable sources like NBC News and Healthline to back up your findings.

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While your claim was very well done along with strong supportive sources, I do not understand why the title claim is the completely opposite. The claim clearly described the situation, the background story, and the reasoning. The four attached sources each served a different purpose. The two news reports provided the true facts about drinking borax and the negative influences of social media, and the source about the uses and risks of borax helped to point the reader the correct direction to do more research. And the TikTok source represented the false information spread by social media.

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Borax is very toxic and harmful to consume and the trend spread on social media of consuming borax, and people believed it. This statement has good sources to back the evidence of how social media is able to spread misinformation rapidly and get users to believe it.

Answer 1

This article is definitely false due to the fact it comes from TikTok. This woman who also posted this statement has other post talking about other sketchy medicines with no background information.  The author doesn't seem to be intending to harm but just trying to inform people but with no background details or knowledge.

Comments

Do you have any sources or information to back up your fact-check?

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Thank you for your comment. Your research to find out if this claim was false or not is very validated and let's me confidently think that this is a false claim. The fact that the original poster of this claim has other posts about sketchy things tells us that this claim is in fact false.

Answer 2

The claim that adding borax to your beverages could help with joint pain is completely false. After reviewing the TikTok video, I noticed that the creator mentioned that the information she received about the consumption of borax came from another TikTok user, this small exchange of information and not really having credible resources or proof showcases how easy it is to become misinformed about a topic. 

Additionally, according to Poison Control, while borax contains boron which is a commonly prevalent element that we are all exposed to daily through laundry detergents, fertilizers, etc, the use of Borax is not made for human consumption. In fact, they write that “there is minimal evidence supporting the use of borax as an anti-inflammatory agent in humans”. 

Comments

Don't forget to add hyperlinks to all your sources. Thanks!

Answer 3

The claim that drinking Borax can help with health issues like inflammation and joint pain could not be further from true. The agent for this information comes from TikTok and is unofficial, so this claim is already not coming from a legitimate source. However, it is clear that the initial person posting this claim was mislead by a previous source and is simply relaying their claim. According to a multitude of websites including Healthline and NBC, it is strongly advised not to ingest Borax. Each one describes it becoming a trend, and the extent to how dangerous this is.

        Furthermore, After a simple Google search, Poison Control seems to have responded to the increasingly popular trend. In this they state that influencers believe scientists downplay Boron's effect on human health. It should be noted that the element Boron (found in Borax) can help with inflammation and is found in Borax, but is simply an ingredient. They then go on to say that while there has been studies with Boron improving health, the case study was with rats; there is insufficient evidence supporting the link between boron and humans. Boron may be found in nature, but we aren't able to determine that it can be a natural remedy to humans just yet.

https://www.poison.org/articles/can-borax-treat-inflammation

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/drinking-borax-tiktok-trend-medical-authorities-debunk-rcna95526

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/drinking-borax-can-be-deadly-people-are-doing-it-on-tiktok-anyway

Comments

Thank you for your research about this claim on if it's true or not. I think that the sources you found give us a great indication and insight on how false it is. You took time and found viable sources on this claim and hwre it was started, and who started it.

Answer 4

This fact check was straight to the point, professional, and well written. Well done! I like that you put in that it was not a bad intention but a dangerous narrative. You also linked good sources

Comments

Going forward, you can make a comment by using the "comment" button rather than answering the fact-check with a comment (if that makes sense). Thanks!

Answer 5

This is completely false. There was an internet trend in the summer of 2023 where people on social media, particularly on TikTok, spread misinformation suggesting that borax could be consumed to help with inflammation and joint pain. However, this claim is false and dangerous, as borax is a toxic substance and can cause harm if ingested, inhaled, or applied to the skin.

Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, a toxicology physician, has actively debunked such viral trends, including the one involving borax. She has talked about the dangers of ingesting borax, which can cause stomach irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, seizures, skin rashes, and other adverse effects.

While some studies have explored potential benefits of boron, there is minimal evidence supporting its efficacy as an anti-inflammatory agent in humans. Borax and boron-containing compounds are toxic and can lead to serious health issues if ingested or exposed to the skin.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/drinking-borax-tiktok-trend-medical-authorities-debunk-rcna95526

https://www.poison.org/articles/can-borax-treat-inflammation#:~:text=Borax%20and%20other%20boron%2Dcontaining,green%20color%20after%20eating%20borax.

Answer 6

The claim that borax can help people with joint and inflammation pain are false. This claim originated from a tiktok video which is already a very unreliable source to gather information from. According to doctor Andrew Weil, in an article he wrote on his own website, he claims that this is extremely false and actually very dangerous. He goes on to state "The myth may have started with confusion between the element boron (a mineral that may have some anti-inflammatory properties) and naturally occurring boric acid and its salts, including borax (which have been used as cleaning agents and pesticides)."

https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/bone-joint/the-myth-about-borax/ 

Answer 7

This claim is false. According to NBC News, people on TikTok have falsely reported that drinking a pinch of borax with water can reduce joint pain and inflammation. Johnson-Arbor, a toxicology physician said that Borax can "cause stomach irritation and potentially result in blue-green vomit or diarrhea if ingested." It can also cause rashes all over the body and seizures over time. 

Medical News Today

Answer 8

This claim is completely false. According to NBC News, this claim started to surface on TikTok, where there were claims that adding a pinch of borax in your drink would help reduce inflammation and ease joint pains. There were also claims that soaking in a bath with borax would be body detox. According to Poison Control, Borax is a powder laundry detergent, a mineral-based compound that contains boron, which is an element we are exposed to quite often. This is where the thought that borax can be useful stems from, because boron is necessary for plant growth. Boron is found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts which are known for being good dietary food sources, however boron can also be found in laundry detergents, such as Borax. Borax, like other compounds that may contain boron, can be poisonous, especially when it is eaten, inhaled, or applied to your skin. So, while borax does contain boron, its overall chemical compound is toxic when consumed. 

Sources:

https://www.poison.org/articles/can-borax-treat-inflammation 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/drinking-borax-tiktok-trend-medical-authorities-debunk-rcna95526# 

 

Answer 9

Great job on your fact check. I really liked how you added the origin of the claim at the begining of your answer. This response feels very lighthearted and realistic. This is obviously an outrageous claim. Awesome job bringing this answer all together.

Comments

Going forward, you can make a comment by using the "comment" button rather than answering the fact-check with a comment (if that makes sense). Thanks!

Answer 10

This comes from an internet trend from the summer of 2023 claiming that drinking borax could help with inflammation and joint pain. Influencers and stars are suggesting drinking borax on their platforms which have been taken down. 

Johnson-Arbor, toxicology physician and co-medical director at the National Capital Poison Center says, "Borax can cause stomach irritation and potentially result in blue-green vomit or diarrhea if ingested. Over time, it can cause anemia and seizures, and soaking in borax could cause rashes that make the skin appear as bright pink as a boiled lobster and start to fall off".

This claim is false and borax has been proven to be harmful to humans and using borax for health benefits is health misinformation. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/drinking-borax-tiktok-trend-medical-authorities-debunk-rcna95526

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/borax-sodium-tetraborate

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/drinking-borax-can-be-deadly-people-are-doing-it-on-tiktok-anyway#:~:text=There%27s%20a%20new%20TikTok%20trend,toxic%20amounts%20of%20this%20substance.