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 is a false claim that went viral on the internet, and specifically Tik Tok. It is very dangerous to drink borax. The chemical in it is classified as a poison and can be very toxic to humans. The New South Wales food authority says borax is a toxic substance that "poses unacceptable risk to human health when used in food". There are a lot of bad side effects that can take place if you ingest borax, like headaches, fever, and nausea.

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You do seem to be educated on the topic and pretty certain that borax is bad for you, you showed evidence of how borax got to a national level and why people influenced others to drink it due to its "misleading" positive effects and how the national media shut it down by showing and proving its negative effects on ones health.

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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.

Answer 1

The claim of borax helps with inflammation and joint pain is false. This theory spread all over TikTok in the summer of 2023. The intent of the TikTok video that is attached to this post is meant to be helpful with no intent to cause harm. However, this post could cause harm to the viewers because borax is a chemical substance that is used in cleaning supplies. It has been stated that because borax is a naturally occurring substance people believe that it is safe to ingest. The effects of ingesting borax is stomach irritations, vomiting, seizers, anemia, diarrhea, etc. especially when using long term. In one of the articles that was cited in the post writes about how people took an academic paper that was titled “Essentiality of borax for healthy bones and joints” which was written in 1994. There are a couple of explanations to some of the research that was conducted like populations that took more borax had a 0-10% range of arthritis and their bones were harder to cut into than those who didn’t take borax. Another explanation stated that rats were being used and showed that if they had arthritis, they benefited from taking borax. The overall claim of the research is that further research and experiments are “warranted.” Within the articles there was a different video from TikTok uploaded, from a Doctor in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, that was describing the use of borax would be harmful for the kidneys. This doctor also mentioned that anything can be bad for you in a certain amount of dosage and goes on to mention that borax is great in cleaning supplies, like detergent, but not for the body. 

Sources

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

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

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7889887/

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCy5LLwkSev6OBd-6EnBf_Ow 

Comments

This was a great fact check! I did some research on this topic and some digging around on tiktok because I was so shocked that this was actually being seriously talked about. It's crazy to think that some people truly believe this and are using Borax to "help their joints" even though ti is obviously false. You did a great job at including reliable sources and lots of evidence on why this claim is false.

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I appreciate your rigorous response to this claim. You were thorough in the description of what a person normally uses Borax for and if ingested, the side effects on the human body. I would fix the TikTok sentence, referencing back to the source of the claim. I think that it was more exaggerated than posted as helpful. Anyone uploading something that informs an individual to take a substance that isn't generally known to be consumed is harming you.

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This was a very well done, thorough, fact check that didn't just claim the absurdity, but also backed it up with the facts. You did a great job explaining the scientific and health concerns instead of only saying it was a "trend".

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After fact checking your follow up claim, It was very useful and helpful to debunk the tale. the claim "Borax helps inflammation and joint pain, was a myth pushing into the gen-z around 2020, I found your debunk a perfect explanation to the claim. good job finding real evidence.

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This fact check was very helpful! I appreciated the detail you used to describe all the things borax can cause harm to in the human body, as well as your descriptive source citing, explaining who you quoted and where you got the information. You backed up your claim well with factual evidence and collected 4 strong sources.

Answer 2

Claims that borax can help people with join inflammation and pain are false. According to an article written by Doctor Andrew Weil, it is a false myth, and a dangerous one. He claims that the confusion began with the element boron, which can actually help with inflammation. Borax shouldn't be consumed for any reason, as it is poisonous. The doctor also suggests to not go on TikTok for health advice. 

The Myth About Borax | Andrew Weil, M.D. (drweil.com)

Comments

This is a good fact check. I am curious about the credibility of your source and I think it could be helpful to figure out more about the doctor you are gathering information from. I wonder if he is a trustworthy source on this topic or if he has expertise in the question.

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This a good factcheck, but I think maybe you need another source to back up the doctor you quoted, or proof that he's credible.

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Your response is very agreeable, and I appreciate that you included a qualified doctor's response. I would suggest including other expert opinions though, as generally the only caveat  to an expert opinion is sometimes experts disagree. It may seem redundant to do so with a situation like this, because drinking borax is so outlandish, but it would make your response that much more credible.

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you did great, I think adding more sources to your fact-check could make it more credible and offer more information.

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This is a good fact check. I would dive deeper into your source's credibility, in finding out who he is, what kind of doctor, etc. Discussing more about this would strengthen your claim.

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While I do think this is a good fact-check but I do think it would be better to have multiple sources rather than just one because it helps to establish that it is false. Another suggestion would be to dig deeper into the credibility of the source as well.

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I would be interested in knowing more about why this myth was spread in the first place. Was it entirely malevolent, or is there a reason people would think it would be healthy?

Answer 3

The main claim in the post that Borax helps with joint pain is false. The source is TikTok which is largely unregulated when it comes to misinformation. The author is not a legitimate expert on the issue. All of her posts are about some sketchy alternative medicine to help with various issues. The content in the post is from about eight months ago. Media outlet NBC News reported that this trend is false and can be harmful to people who take part. There are lots of medical implications that come from ingesting borax. Nothing presented in the post is backed up with evidence. I believe that the woman who created this post believes this works and is unknowingly spreading this harmful information.

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

Comments

With the size and speed of TikTok and its videos, misinformation is more likely to spread on this platform compared to other social media platforms. In this article, PhD student from the University of Illinois Urbana-champaign Morgan Lundy, studies the way in which misinformation about Covid-19 was able to spread faster. I think this relates to the original article to show how TikTok's algorithm and features feed naturally into spreading more misinformation.

Source: https://ischool.illinois.edu/news-events/news/2023/06/new-study-reveals-tiktoks-spread-covid-19-misinformation

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Your fact check was well done. I liked how much information you gave regarding where the claim came from and the credibility. I like the comparison of what the TikTok post says versus a credible source.

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Information coming from TikTok is always fishy. The fact check was well done! the deep dive into the author was a great thing to add as it shows that person who posted that cannot be trusted for valuable information

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This factcheck was very helpful to shine light onto the blindsides of the internet and why we should not believe every "trend" we see. Good Job.

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Good fact check! Personally I found your wording a little bit harsh to read and in the future I would recommend combining some of your sentences so it flows easier as well as shortens the length into something more concise. In addition, you mention the author of the original TikTok and I think it would be cool to add in who that person was and what their username is, as well as adding more sources to boost the credibility of your claims.

Answer 4

The claim that borax can aid with joint pains and inflammation is false. Borax is a poisonous powder used to clean clothing and kill pests. This claim stems from a TikTok trend, not a reliable source. According to Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor and NBC, this claim is a dangerous piece of misinformation. 

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

Comments

I like that you used a quote from an expert in the field addressing the claim. I would try to elaborate on the idea and incorporate more sources in your work next time, but you directly addressed the claim which works

Answer 5

The claim that drinking borax helps inflammation and joint pain is false. A lot of health-related trends on TikTok are usually met with an influx of health professionals clearing the air. According to the National Capital Poison Center, "there is minimal evidence supporting the use of borax as an anti-inflammatory agent in humans." Although borax is used as an industrial chemical, food preservative, and household cleaning product, it is not intended for human consumption. Additionally, it may even cause toxic effects when ingested or in contact with skin.

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

Comments

This is a good fact check because it adds context to the trustworthiness the social media platform the information was distributed on. It also adds a source that is more reliable in the context of this information.

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The context you give that there is many claims, which are more similar to a trend on Tiktok fueled by false information is significant. Arguably, people are too quick to believe claims, especially bold, potentially harmful ones due to overexposure of information. In order to improve your claim I think you should choose the category "false" for organization. Also, I like how you added the intended use of borax to show the contrast of the incorrect claim, but I think you should have added another source solidifying your claim with evidence of harm (in cases where people have consumed borax), or referenced other instances of fact-checking against these claims.

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This fact check is useful since it provides context for the reliability of the social media site where the item was shared. Additionally, it includes an additional source that, given the facts, is more trustworthy.

Answer 6

This is false. From what I've been able to research and asking my mother who is a Medical Doctor directly, Borax is very toxic to the body and doesn't have any medical benefit. The Associated Press did a good article about this, and it along with my previously mentioned question, was my research.

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-borax-cleaning-health-447072931634

Comments

Before today I had never even heard of Borax so I could have been tricked into false ideas of what it does. Thank you for providing evidence to help me verify the truth about the substance.

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I agree with your fact check, but I think that it is a bit vague. Adding the AP link as a source is good, but you didn't go into any depth of what the article stated, and instead used your mom as your main source, and while she may be right, there is no way to verify her knowledge in the sense of a fact check.

Answer 7

The claim that borax helps with inflammation and joint pain is false without a doubt.

According to the National Library of Medicine, although Borax is a low-toxicity mineral even naturally occurring in evaporate deposits, it is still harmful to humans depending on dosage with effects of reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity. Based on these findings and more, Healthline agrees that Borax, while mostly safe to handle, should never be ingested for the sake of your health, with fatalities occurring in some cases, especially with small children. A study on the toxicity of Borax by Niels Hadrup, Marie Frederiksen, and Anoop K. Sharma, funded by the Danish Working Environment Research Fund, found that boron is indeed toxic, with toxicity after skin exposure including fatalities, as well as abdominal and local effects. They also found that "Oral toxicity endpoints in animals are weight loss and reproductive toxicity," but that their studies did not indicate a link between boron-containing compounds, like Borax, and genotoxicity/cancer. 

Overall, it appears that most sources are in agreement between the toxicity of Borax and other boron-containing compounds, but cannot yet conclude that it is carcinogenic. I would never recommend ingesting Borax willingly and would also pay attention to food substances or other products containing Borax in the future. 

Sources in order of reference:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2776007/#:~:text=Borax%20causes%20irritation%20of%20skin,unconsciousness%2C%20depression%20and%20renal%20failure.

https://www.healthline.com/health/is-borax-safe#safe-uses

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273230021000131

Answer 8

The claim from Tik Tok is false. This claim stems from the fact that borax contains boron. Avccording to poison control, "In humans, boron deficiency is associated with reduced brain function and may also affect bone density. Because of this, some people take dietary supplements that contain boron, although sufficient amounts of boron can also be easily obtained through food intake. There are limited published studies that demonstrate beneficial effects of boron supplementation in humans. In one study involving postmenopausal women, boron supplementation was linked to changes in calcium, estrogen, and testosterone levels, suggesting that it may also prevent the development of osteoporosis. However, the exact dose and duration of use of boron needed to affect bone health have not been determined."

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

Answer 9

Borax is a toxic chemical and should not be ingested. The National Capital Poison center says, "Borax and other boron-containing compounds can be poisonous when eaten, inhaled, or applied to the skin. Short-term consumption of borax can result in stomach irritation, vomiting, and diarrhea. Vomit and stool may turn a blue-green color after eating borax. Skin redness, rashes, and peeling skin can also occur in people who eat borax. People who eat borax for weeks or longer may develop anemia and seizures. When borax comes into contact with human skin, it can cause skin rashes, itching, and allergic reactions in susceptible individuals." The claim is false and can be physically harmful to anyone that believes it to be true. Borax should not be ingested. The trend originated on TikTok and while I'm not sure how most audiences took it but it's harmful misinformation.

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

Comments

Great fact-check! I really appreciate how you go into detail as to why Borax should not be ingested. I also like how you found the origin of this claim and how it is an example of disinformation that turned into a trend on TikTok.

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Great use of direct quotes from the National Capital Poison Center! One interesting angle you might want to consider is why this misinformation spread - the article mentions people were confusing boron (a natural nutrient) with borax (the toxic cleaner). Also, regarding audience response, TikTok's spokesperson actually noted they only had to remove a few videos, suggesting most content was actually warning against the practice rather than promoting it. These details add some helpful context to the story.

Answer 10

The claim that drinking borax helps inflammation and joint pain lacks credible scientific evidence and is dangerous. According to Full Fact, an independent fact-checking organization, the US National Capital Poison Center states there is minimal evidence for borax having an anti-inflammatory effect in humans. The evidence base is very small and primarily consists of test tube and animal studies in specific conditions​​. Reputable health experts, including Andrew Weil, M.D., have debunked this claim as a dangerous myth. Drinking a solution with borax or using it in bathwater for purported health benefits like reducing inflammation or easing arthritis pain is not only untrue but also hazardous​.

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

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324167#:~:text=Borax%20is%20not%20safe%20to,and%20organ%20damage%20can%20result.

Comments

I like how you included the fact that ther is minimal evidence of borax being anti-inflammatory, perhaps also adding why people came up with this thought would be helpful.

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I appreciate that you pointed out that there isn't much proof that borax reduces inflammation; perhaps you could also explain how individuals arrived at this conclusion.

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I appreciate your focus on the dangers of borax, but I noticed you relied heavily on Full Fact rather than the direct medical experts quoted in the NBC article. For instance, Dr. Johnson-Arbor from the National Capital Poison Center provides some really specific and compelling evidence about the dangers. Also, when you mention Dr. Andrew Weil, adding a quick note about his background and maybe a direct quote would make that reference more impactful. Those kinds of specific details really help drive home why this trend is so concerning.