Medieval times? You’re living in them

Krdo · Aug 16, 2026 · 1472 words · By CNN Newssource

Public Health Misinformation Medical History vs. Modern Wellness Institutional Trust

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Brown, CNN (CNN) — In 12th-century Italy, physicians at a medical school in Salerno described the symptoms of plethora, or an excess of blood in the balance of the body’s fluids: “Plethora’s face is of a florid shade, Her eyeballs large and very glaring made;…

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 4

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center89%

Right11%

9 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Kennedy Jr., said he was “looking at kids while I walk through the airports today, as I walk down the street, and I see these kids that are just overburdened with mitochondrial challenges, inflammation, you can tell it from their faces, from their body…

Common ground

But the 21st century seems to have taken a turn toward the pre-rational past, with people returning to a model of wellness that can feel like one right out of the Middle Ages, an era where bloodletting, cupping and purging were commonly used to treat ailments.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Public Health Misinformation story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that in the 14th century following the Black Death... European medical practitioners claimed they knew how to treat the disease when they did not?
How does this story connect Public Health Misinformation with Medical History vs. Modern Wellness over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2026/08/16/medieval-times-your…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Oversimplification 60% confidence

Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.

Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

schedule Pending 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

help

Claim 1: “in the 14th century following the Black Death... European medical practitioners claimed they knew how to treat the disease when they did not”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

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Claim 2: “August 2025 when the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said he was “looking at kids while I walk through the airports today... and I see these kids that are just overburdened with mitochondrial challenges, inflammation”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the HHS Secretary and specifically reference his comments regarding children being 'overburdened by mitochondrial challenges' based on his observations.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a senior U.S. government official within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who serves as the primary advisor to the secretary of health…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistant_Secretary_for_Health

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Healthcare in the United States is largely provided by private sector healthcare facilities, and paid for by a combination of public programs, county indigent health care programs, private insurance, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_the_United_State…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United St…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Hea…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Eric Berg, a Florida-based chiropractor who claims that colloidal silver can help with a phlegmy throat”

CORROBORATED

Multiple YouTube and web results confirm Dr. Eric Berg (DC) produces content specifically addressing how to get rid of phlegm in the throat.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Milton was an extremely powerful and destructive tropical cyclone which caused major damage and fatalities in Florida in October 2024. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Rita for the most inte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Milton

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the 21st century, 80 tropical and subtropical cyclones, their remnants, and their precursors have affected the U.S. state of Florida. Collectively, cyclones in Florida during the time period result…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Florida_hurricanes_(20…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Harvey was the costliest tropical cyclone on record (tied with Hurricane Katrina of 2005), and the costliest tropical cyclone on record in the state of Texas, inflicting roughly $125 billion…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorological_history_of_Hurr…

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 4: “people thought that “bad air” coming from rotting corpses or stagnant water was the cause of many diseases”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 5: “Websites for ayahuasca retreats highlight the emotional and spiritual benefits of the nonstop vomiting that comes from ingesting the plant mixture”

SINGLE SOURCE

Evidence confirms Ayahuasca is a psychoactive decoction used in traditional medicine, but the provided search results do not specifically mention retreat websites highlighting the 'spiritual benefits of nonstop vomiting'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ayahuasca[note 1] is a South American psychoactive decoction prepared from Banisteriopsis caapi vine and a dimethyltryptamine (DMT)-containing plant, used by Indigenous cultures in the Amazon and Orin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — El texto está disponible bajo la Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-CompartirIgual 4.0; pueden aplicarse cláusulas adicionales. Al usar este sitio aceptas nuestros términos de usoy nuestra política …
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 4, 2024 · Ayahuasca is a psychedelic tea that contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT). While illegal in many countries, it has religious and ritual significance to several cultures and communities in th…
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/ayahuasca

schedule

Claim 6: “The study of a patient’s urine was an extremely popular practice in the Middle Ages”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 7: “a “body transformation” spell on Etsy promises “rapid weight loss” and a “dream body” for about $10”

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence confirms Etsy sells witchcraft services ('Etsy witches') and there are 'dream body' subliminals on YouTube, there is no specific evidence in the provided search results confirming a $10 'body transformation' spell on Etsy specifically promising rapid weight loss.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Depop Limited is a social e-commerce company headquartered in London, with offices in Milan and New York City. The company operates an online marketplace that allows users to buy and sell primarily s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depop

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Etsy, Inc. is an American e-commerce company focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. Its marketplace includes categories such as jewelry, apparel, home decor, furniture, toys, and art…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etsy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Etsy witches is a colloquial term used to describe people who provide internet witchcraft services, particularly through online marketplaces such as Etsy or TikTok. Rooted in spiritualism, and similar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etsy_witches

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Trump compared the vaccine amount given to children as equivalent to “a bottle of soda,” when in reality, vaccine doses are far smaller than a teaspoon”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (CNN/Daniel Dale, AP) confirm that Donald Trump compared childhood vaccine doses to the size of a bottle of soda and that this is factually incorrect as doses are much smaller.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Standard vaccine doses are generally measured in fractions of a milliliter, with many administered at roughly 0.5 milliliters. CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale highlighted that reality following Trump’s r…
https://thesource.com/2026/08/10/trump-compares-childhood-va…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Donald Trump claimed children receive vaccine doses 'the size of a bottle of soda' while signing an executive order changing childhood vaccine recommendations (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin).
https://news.meaww.com/fact-check-did-trump-say-a-soda-bottl…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — He also repeated a comparison between the volume of vaccines given to children and a bottle of soda. Decades of scientific research involving millions of children have found no causal link between vac…
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-zapper-aide-theory-viral-fre…

verified

Claim 9: “Thousands have attended Energy Healing Conference events in Utah, Montana and Idaho”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The search results provided general information about the number 1,000, faith healing, and Utah, but no specific mention of 'Energy Healing Conference' events in Utah, Montana, and Idaho.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 pandemic in Utah was part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) The first case of COVID-19 in Utah was reported on March 6, 2020. The patient was believed to ha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Utah

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Faith healing is the superstitious practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_healing

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 10: “modern urinalysis treatments were developed in the 19th century”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “The Islamic world knew to quarantine because the memory of the previous plague pandemic was baked into the Hadith”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

verified

Claim 12: “an era where bloodletting, cupping and purging were commonly used to treat ailments”

VERIFIED

Web search results confirm that bloodletting was practiced from antiquity until the 19th century to rid the body of impure fluids, which encompasses the Middle Ages.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — f Useand Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 6, 2026 · Bloodletting is the removal of blood from a person with the intent to manage health and disease. Believed to help rid the body of impure fluids, it was practiced from antiquity until the…
https://www.britannica.com/science/bloodletting

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Bloodletting isn’t just ancient history. It’s still a legitimate medical treatment for certain blood disorders, and leeches still show up in modern surgery.
https://biologyinsights.com/what-is-bloodletting-and-why-is-…

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Claim 13: “Miasma theory, which dates all the way back to Ancient Greece and was a popular contagious disease model throughout the Middle Ages”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 14: “In 12th-century Italy, physicians at a medical school in Salerno described the symptoms of plethora, or an excess of blood in the balance of the body’s fluids”

CORROBORATED

The claim is directly quoted in a Yahoo News Singapore article and supported by general historical context regarding the Schola Medica Salernitana peaking in the 11th and 12th centuries.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno (August 15, 1911 – July 27, 1992) was an American mobster who served as underboss and front boss of the Genovese crime family in New York City from 1981 until his conviction…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Salerno

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sabrina Debora Salerno (Italian pronunciation: [saˈbriːna ˈdɛːbora saˈlɛrno]; born 15 March 1968), known mononymously as Sabrina, is an Italian singer, songwriter, model, actress and television presen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabrina_Salerno

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Salerno (UK: , US: ; Italian: [saˈlɛrno] ; Neapolitan: Salierno [saˈljernə]) is a city and comune in Campania, southern Italy, and the capital of the province of the same name. With 125,958 inhabitant…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salerno

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.