According to a story from Buzzfeed News, Facebook has been receiving more negative press than ever lately, and so far it often seems justified. From the Cambridge Analytica scandal to the spread of misinformation on the platform triggering a genocidal campaign in Myanmar, the social media platform has routinely failed to control fake news and responsibly moderate content on the site. This doesn’t even begin to touch on continued concerns about user privacy. To heap one more problem onto the pile, there’s black salve. It’s a snake oil treatment for the 21st century that has a active community on Facebook.
Black Salve: Online and Dangerous
Groups promoting the use of black salve as a treatment for cancer apparently do not violate Facebook’s guidelines. Black salve is typically applied to the skin and is commonly believed to only target cancer cells. In fact, it is corrosive to tissue of any kind, leaving foul, gaping wounds where it has been applied that are vulnerable to infection and necrosis. Facebook announced an initiative to address content that promotes fake treatments or exaggerated health claims, but its rules as always appear to be intentionally vague and it isn’t clear what Facebook considers to be a fake treatment or exaggerated claim.
When Buzzfeed News asked YouTube if videos promoting the use of black salve were violating its guidelines, representatives said yes and promptly took them down. Scientists and medical research have widely refuted the use of black salve and the FDA has banned its sale in the US. However, it is still regularly imported. It may seem like you would have to be foolish to try disproven treatments like black salve, but the truth is that many of these cancer patients are simply desperate.
Out of Options
There are some good reasons to seek alternative treatments when you consider the pathetic state of the US health system. After all, seeking conventional treatment is extremely expensive, with one in four cancer survivors being forced into debt or bankruptcy. There are also the cases when conventional treatments fail and patients feel like they have no other alternative.
Black salve is harmful, painful and destroys tissue whether it is cancerous or not. There are multiple reports of users dying as a result of extensive treatment. A rare cancer diagnosis is frightening but it is important to place trust in science and your doctors. Don’t be deceived by snake oil cancer “cures” like black salve; it won’t save you.
