First Check

First Check A unique health information platform, that is safeguarding public health against misinformation- one fact check at a time. Because Health Matters. Facts Matter.

HealthLEADS is now First Check- your trusted one stop shop for all things health! First Check is a unique global health information initiative, which is safeguarding public health against misinformation, one fact-check at a time. As a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), First Check has been actively creating collaborations to unite the different stakeholders in the healthcare landscape with the public and facilitating easy access to evidence-based health information. Our global network of domain experts currently has 53 members- from doctors and healthcare practitioners, to journalists and scientists- from 24 countries. This one-of-a-kind, ever-growing community is at the forefront of battling health related misinformation.

22/10/2025

ASHA workers were the frontline warriors during the COVID-19 pandemic, often praised for their role in managing the pandemic.

But, they often worked while putting themselves at risk...and for a little in return.

Meet Reeta Bhardwaj, an ASHA worker at the Sangam Vihar L2 Dispensary. She opens up about the challenges she faced during the pandemic:
"Humari itni salary nahi thi, fir bhi hum khud se sanitizer lete the. Log hume hi aise bolte the…tum bahar se aate ho, tumhare andar hi (COVID) ho sakta hai. Fir bhi (kaam) karte the," she recalls.

Like countless ASHA workers across India, Reeta tirelessly promotes health awareness, delivers basic healthcare services, and connects people to vital government programs.

🔍 Read the full story: https://firstcheck.in/asha-workers-demands-remain-unheard/

𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀While psychiatric help is also pivotal for the treatment of certain men...
17/10/2025

𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀
While psychiatric help is also pivotal for the treatment of certain mental disorders, therapy plays an essential role in maintaining mental health. Therapy is not just about treating diagnosed conditions; it’s about creating space to understand one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviours before they escalate into larger problems.

🔗Read More Here: https://firstcheck.in/world-mental-health-day-how-therapy-helps/

30/09/2025

Are cotton swabs dangerous for your ear health and eardrum?
Experts discourage internal ear cleaning, especially with cotton swabs, due to the risk of pushing wax deeper, causing impaction, injury, or infection, and recommend only cleaning the outer ear.

Dr Shweta Gogia, Senior Consultant, Department of ENT, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, with 21 years of experience, explained that "one should not touch your ear, because God has designed the ear in such a manner that the part where the wax is being produced will eventually self-cleanse itself.”

Read More Here- https://firstcheck.in/are-cotton-swabs-dangerous-for-your-ear-health/

Can mindless scrolling shrink your brain?🔗Read Here- https://firstcheck.in/can-mindless-scrolling-shrink-your-brain/Brai...
23/09/2025

Can mindless scrolling shrink your brain?
🔗Read Here- https://firstcheck.in/can-mindless-scrolling-shrink-your-brain/

Brain rot, once internet slang, is now recognized as a cognitive fatigue caused by endless online content, with emerging research suggesting it may lead to reduced grey matter and impaired brain functions like memory and focus

CLAIM:
Mindless scrolling is shrinking your brain.

FACT:

Experts say mindless scrolling can harm focus, memory, and mood, with some early studies suggesting possible thinning of the cerebral cortex and grey matter loss. But evidence is still limited, and more large-scale research is needed before confirming that it shrinks the brain.

Which diseases will you face in 20 years? AI tool offers early forecasts.🔗https://firstcheck.in/which-diseases-will-you-...
19/09/2025

Which diseases will you face in 20 years? AI tool offers early forecasts.

🔗https://firstcheck.in/which-diseases-will-you-face-in-20-years-ai-tool-offers-early-forecasts/

A new artificial intelligence (Delphi-2M) tool can peer two decades into a person’s medical future, predicting their risk of developing more than 1,000 diseases.

According to a study published in Nature on Wednesday, it can “forecast a person’s likelihood of developing 1,258 diseases on the basis of their past medical history” while factoring in age, s*x, body mass index, to***co use and alcohol consumption.

Researchers say what sets Delphi-2M apart is its ability to model multiple diseases at once, a feat rarely seen in existing prediction tools. “It can generate entire future health trajectories,” said Stefan Feuerriegel, a computer scientist at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, who was not involved in the study. He described the tool’s capacity as “astonishing.”

Existing AI-based systems can already predict risks for specific conditions such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. But, as study co-author Moritz Gerstung, a data scientist at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, pointed out: “A health-care professional would have to run dozens of them to deliver a comprehensive answer.”

Bollywood’s silent battles: Actors who spoke about their struggles with depression🔗Read Here- https://firstcheck.in/boll...
16/09/2025

Bollywood’s silent battles: Actors who spoke about their struggles with depression

🔗Read Here- https://firstcheck.in/bollywood-actors-who-spoke-about-their-struggles-with-depression/

Behind the Bollywodd’s bright lights, several leading actors have been confronting private battles that few could imagine. In recent years, stars like Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Manisha Koirala, Bobby Deol, and Nushrat Bharucha have opened up about their struggles with depression and setbacks, conversations that are slowly reshaping the way mental health is viewed in India.

15/09/2025

🍫 Dark Chocolate Cures Everything?
Did you fall for that too?

Here’s the truth you need 👇
https://firstcheck.in/fact-check-is-dark-chocolate-truly-a-medicine/

Dark chocolate isn’t a miracle medicine.
But yes, when it’s 70% cocoa or more and eaten in moderation, it can give your heart, skin, and even brain a little boost.

The catch? Doctors caution that too much can backfire—thanks to its sugar, fat, caffeine, calories, and even traces of heavy metals.

Curious to know more? Watch the full video for the facts.

The pressure cooker effect: Student mental health under siege in India’s education systemEvery year, millions of student...
11/09/2025

The pressure cooker effect: Student mental health under siege in India’s education system

Every year, millions of students across India appear for high-stakes entrance exams, yet only a fraction succeed.

In 2025, 1,80,422 candidates appeared for both Paper 1 and Paper 2 of JEE (Advanced), with just 54,378 qualifying. Similarly, around 22.09 lakh students took the NEET UG exam this year, slightly fewer than the 23.33 lakh who appeared last year, with only 12.37 lakh clearing the test.

Coaching hubs like Kota have become grim symbols of the pressures faced by students.

As per a Lok Sabha answer in August 2023, a total of 91 student suicides were reported across premier institutes between 2018 and 2022. Of these, IITs accounted for 32 cases, NITs 21, Central Universities 20, AIIMS 11, IIMs 4, and IISERs 3. The numbers reveal troubling fluctuations—21 suicides in 2018, 20 in 2019, 13 in 2020, 10 in 2021, and then a sharp jump to 27 in 2022.

11/09/2025

Is dancing during pregnancy safe?
Earlier this year, the Duchess of Suss*x, Meghan Markle, broke the internet when she shared a video of herself and her husband, Prince Harry, dancing while pregnant with their second child. The Duke and Duchess appeared to be recreating a TikTok Challenge in the video that has had over 7 crore views. However, it also raised questions that reflected the anxieties that plague many pregnant individuals: should you move less, sit still, avoid stairs, or stop exercising altogether while pregnant?

A reel posted by fitness creator Nitin Kumar (412,000 followers on Instagram) pushes back against the old-school caution. “In our country, there is this weird belief that if you’re pregnant, then don’t move a lot, don’t walk a lot, don’t use stairs, don’t exercise at all,” says Nitin Kumar. “But let’s be honest, all of this advice is outdated.”

🔗Read Here- https://firstcheck.in/is-dancing-during-pregnancy-safe/

Fact Check: Can longer toilet breaks lead to piles and infection risks?If you have a habit of sitting on the toilet for ...
10/09/2025

Fact Check: Can longer toilet breaks lead to piles and infection risks?
If you have a habit of sitting on the toilet for too long, this is for you!

Various medical studies have found that sitting on longer toilet breaks can lead to piles (medically known as hemorrhoids) and infection risks.
Experts also advise limiting toilet time to 2–3 minutes, avoiding straining, and skipping phone use.

🔗Read to know more- https://firstcheck.in/fact-check-can-longer-toilet-breaks-lead-to-piles/

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