Claim: A man widely acclaimed in the media as Dr Gabby has advised women to use lime on their breasts to prevent breast cancer. He claims that the fruit’s juice is alkaline and can neutralise cancer.
Verdict: DUBAWA Ghana has found the claim to be false. The foundation of his argument about lime juice being alkaline is not correct. Again, no research has established the use of lime in treating the disease.
Full Text
One Dr Gabby from GraceGift Herbal Clinic has encouraged women to wash their breasts with lime juice to prevent breast cancer.
He adds that the juice from the lime is potent to neutralise cancer cells because it contains Vitamin C, which he said was “an alkaline.”
He made the claim when he appeared on Kumasi-based Oyerepa Radio on the Oyerepa Afutuo show on December 7, 2022. The program was broadcast on-air and streamed online. The claim can be found between minutes 1:41:00 to 1:42:55
Dr Gabby directed women who have developed lumps in their breasts to “tie slices of lime to their breasts,” explaining that since the skin has pores, it can suck the alkaline juice found in the lime and then have cancer neutralised.
“If you develop (cancer) lumps in your breast and every evening and morning, you place a lime on your breast consecutively for four months, the cancer situation will be reversed, and the lumps will be lost,” he said.
“This happens because the skin has pores, and as you place the lime on your breast, it sucks the vitamin C, and you will become alright,” he explained.
He emphasised that women should “always wash their breasts with lime for about 30 minutes before bathing to prevent breast cancer.”
“Vitamin C is alkaline, and cells become cancerous because of acidity in the body. Acid can be neutralised by alkaline, so when there’s an acid in your system, and you frequently use lime, it is likely that the acid will be neutralised,” he asserted.
In our verification, we consulted the US National Library of Medicine and WebMD. Again, we spoke to Dr Josephine Nsaful, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Medical School and a general surgeon at the Breast Surgery Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra.
Meanwhile, it must be noted that the quotes from ‘Dr Gabby’ were originally in the Akan language but were translated into English for the sake of this report.
Verification
It is textbook knowledge that citrus fruits, of which limes are a part, contain citric acid and are not alkaline, as claimed by ‘Dr Gabby’.
Again, we did not come across any study that mainly looked at the relationship between the use of lime and the extent to which it prevents breast cancer.
We found a publication in the US National Library of Medicine that examined citrus fruits’ ability to reduce breast cancer risks. Even with that, the fruit was to be consumed and not used to wash the breast, as suggested by the claimant.
When we contacted Dr Josephine Nsaful, she told us that no research supports using fruits in treating cancer.
“This is never true. Cancer starts within a cell, inside the nucleus of a cell. There is no tropical medication or fruit that can soak into your breast. For that, it is completely false,” she told us.
“It is nothing new that fruits and vegetables contain vitamins and beneficial elements which help reduce your risk of cancer, not that it prevents you from getting cancer.… As for using fruit to treat cancer, there is no evidence to support that,” Dr Nsaful continued.
Conclusion
No research backs the claim that washing breasts with lime juice can prevent or treat breast cancer. Medical practitioners primarily recommend the consumption/intake of fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of getting cancer and other diseases.
Anyone with symptoms of breast cancer, such as the presence of lumps in the breast is to consult a doctor for examination immediately.
