If you’ve found yourself rejecting aspects of traditional medicine or believing in public health conspiracies, you’re not the only one. According to one survey published on NPR, half of Americans believe in conspiracy theories related to medicine and public health.
A conspiracy theory is a belief or theory that a secret plot from a powerful or influential organization can explain a certain event. Public health and medical conspiracy theories typically involve specific medical treatments, diseases, and large organizations such as the CDC and FDA.
More often than not, these theories involve pharmaceutical companies, known by some as Big Pharma, and make claims about the effects of vaccines and other medications. Some of the biggest public health conspiracies have been about food ingredients and manufacturing, cancer, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
While at least half of Americans believe at least one medical conspiracy theory, some theories are more widely believed than others. It’s tough to avoid information about conspiracy theories due to the prominence of social media. Most of the conspiracy theories that become popular are rooted in a distrust of the government and large corporations.
New conspiracy theories circulate online all the time, but not all theories become notable enough to gain the media’s attention. We’ve created a list of the biggest public health conspiracies.
To create this list of the most notable medical conspiracy theories, we used information from Nature Medicine, Reuters, NPR, and Frontiers. We also reviewed information about medical conspiracies from the JAMA Network, a medical journal published by the American Medical Association. Here are the 12 biggest public health conspiracies. (When you’re finished with this article, check out Conspiracy Theories That Are Beyond Belief.)
The FDA is withholding the cure for cancer
This conspiracy theory states that there’s already a cure for cancer but government agencies and pharmaceutical companies, such as the FDA, are withholding the cure.
This theory has circulated for at least 100 years and has become more popular with the rise of the internet and social media. Many experts have stated that cancer is a complex disease and the FDA has warned against any company that advertises a “miracle cure.”
The government knows cell phones cause cancer
The safety of frequent cell phone use has been questioned many times due to the radio-frequency waves emitted by this type of technology. This theory states that cell phones do in fact cause cancer and the government is aware of this effect.
While numerous studies have been done to address the potential side effects of long-term cell phone usage, the results have been mixed and mostly inconclusive. The waves from this type of technology don’t have enough energy to heat the tissue in the body, which can happen at higher levels.
The CIA infected African Americans with HIV
The CDC first brought attention to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1981, which is when the rumors started. This conspiracy theory states that the CIA created the virus to wipe out African Americans.
A survey conducted in 2019 showed that most people don’t believe this theory, but a portion of people still do. 53% of people said they strongly disbelieve this conspiracy theory while 5% said they strongly believe it and 9% said they somewhat believe it.
Genetically modified foods are part of a secret program by Monsanto
GMOs, or genetically modified foods, have been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories. One of the biggest theories related to GMOs involved Monsanto, an agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation.
This theory claims that Monsanto is hiding information that proves GMOs are harmful and that the corporation has infiltrated the FDA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. While there is support from scientific communities about the safety of GMOs, the prevalence of these theories has led to distrust of any genetically modified ingredients.
The government is hiding proof that vaccines cause disorders
There have been many conspiracy theories and misinformation surrounding vaccines with the most prominent theory being that vaccines cause autism.
One of the first claims of this theory came from Andrew Wakefield, a physician in London, who claimed in the 1990s that the measles vaccine caused autism. These claims have been discredited many times but this theory is still prominent, especially in online communities.
Public water fluoridation is a way for companies to undermine public health
Water fluoridation is another hot topic that has varying opinions on both sides of the argument. One side states that fluoride is safe, effective, and beneficial for your health. The other side argues that water fluoridation violates individual rights and medical ethics.
The conspiracy theory related to fluoridation is a belief that it is intended to undermine public health. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was believed that fluoridation was also a communist plot.
The government is leaving chemtrails that cause health issues
The chemtrail conspiracy states that the government is intentionally adding toxic chemicals to the air through aircraft. Certain aircraft leave lingering condensation trails in the air. According to those who believe this theory, they’re actually chemtrails meant to control the population, modify the weather, or manage solar radiation.
Despite the various theories about why the government would release toxic chemicals into the air, there is no solid evidence that this theory is true.
The elite wants people to eat bugs to save the planet
This bug-related conspiracy theory states that the elite want to control the population and force them to eat insects. The theory likely originated on 4Chan before making the rounds on Twitter.
After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bug theory morphed into something greater. Believers of this theory stated that COVID was being used by the elite as a cover-up to control the population and make them eat insects.
The CIA developed the polio vaccine to sterilize men
There are numerous conspiracy theories surrounding the polio vaccine as well. One of the theories claimed that the vaccine was created by the CIA in an attempt to sterilize men.
Some versions of this theory also include Bill Gates and state that he funded a polio vaccine that disabled thousands of children. Conspiracy theories about the polio vaccine are prominent in the Middle East, mainly due to an immunization campaign created by the CIA in 2011 to find Osama bin Laden.
The US military imported COVID into China
In recent years, many of the medical conspiracy theories that have circulated were related to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the theories stated that the U.S. military was responsible for importing COVID into China.
Many of the theories surrounding the virus made China responsible. However, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, initially spread this theory blaming the U.S.
COVID-19 doesn’t actually exist
Another conspiracy theory that went around during the pandemic was the theory that COVID-19 didn’t actually exist.
This theory stated that it was a secret plot by the elite to take away individual freedoms and control citizens. While this theory started circulating at the beginning of the pandemic, many still believed it after the virus had spread extensively.
Wealthy elites intentionally spread COVID-19 to win power
Other COVID-19 conspiracy theories were circulating during the pandemic as well. One of these theories claimed that the wealthy elites were manipulating the pandemic.
Some believed that there was a secret plot to undermine the president. Additionally, they believed that Dr. Fauci, former medical advisor to the president, was a part of this secret plot. During a press meeting, Dr. Fauci denied this connection, but it didn’t convince those who bought into this theory. (Don’t miss 10 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out to Be Real.)