368,379 people killed, 306,096 injured and over $2,815,931,000 in economic damages

What's the harm in folk remedies?

Folk remedies are traditional cures for common illnesses that are handed down by oral tradition. Read more about folk remedies

Here are 95 people who were harmed by someone not thinking critically.

Makeisha Dantus Age: 3 months Fort Lauderdale, Florida	Died February 14, 2004
She was given a mixture of alcohol, salt, water and sugar (a Haitian folk remedy) for fever and diarrhea. She died. Her parents were convicted of child abuse, spent three years in jail, and were ordered to speak to fellow Haitian-Americans about it. Read more

G. Fowden Sandy, Utah	Died
A lifelong believer in natural cures, she shunned conventional medicine. When she got sick she saw nearly every form of alternative practitioner. When she finally allowed herself to be taken to a hospital, it was far too late to help. Read more

1 Cambodian woman Age: 33 Connecticut	Lead poisoning February 19, 1997
Asian folk remedy Read more & more

41 children Age: 8 months - 5 years California	Lead poisoning 1991-1992
Traditional ethnic folk remedies Read more

51 African patients Johannesburg, South Africa	32 died, 19 hospitalized 2005
This study of 78 patients in a South African hospital suffering from kidney failure who had recently used folk remedies, found that in the majority of cases the folk remedy itself was the most likely cause. Read more

Makeisha Dantus