Health experts rubbish decades-old claim that soundwaves can 'safely kill parasites'

"1150Hz Rife Frequency this sound can kill PARASITES," read a Facebook post shared on May 31, 2024. 

"Royal Rife discovered that this frequency could destroy parasites on a cellular level," it added. 

The post showed advertisements for a supplement not registered with Malaysia's National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency and a cleaning product (archived link).

It also shared a 16-second clip of a microorganism seen under a microscope, alongside additional text that claims the frequency can be used for "cellular detox" and "clearing brain fog that comes from parasitic infections".

"Listen on headphones for at least 5 minutes a day. And drink plenty of water afterwards," the video advises.

Image

Screenshot of the false post captured on November 19, 2024.

The video spread across Facebook and X in several countries and languages, including Bangladesh, Nepal and New Zealand, as well as in Chinese and Japanese.

Rife was an American scientist who invented a high-powered microscope in the 1930s (archived link). He later said he could destroy bacteria made visible by the microscope by blasting them with electromagnetic waves oscillating at specific frequencies (archived link).

Rife died in 1971 but he remains a hero in holistic healing communities, with many companies still marketing treatments and devices using his name.

But his work has been widely discredited -- AFP has debunked claims that a "Rife machine" can cure cancer.

Health experts told AFP there is no evidence to support the claim that soundwaves of any frequencies can safely kill parasites, or cure brain fog stemming from a parasite infection.

Hearing damage risk

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia parasitologist Dr Syamsa Rizal Abdullah told AFP on November 18 that parasites such as helminths or protozoa have "complex biological structures that are not affected by sound frequencies in the range that would be safe for human hearing" (archived link). 

He warned that listening to loud sounds, especially through headphones, could cause hearing damage without affecting any parasites. 

The concept of using sound waves to physically disrupt or destroy cells is more applicable to certain medical treatments like tumour ablation and not parasites, he added.

Dr Malina Osman from Universiti Putra Malaysia's Department of Community Health also told AFP on November 18 that sound frequency has been used to guide diagnostic procedures and documented to improve joint pain (archived link). 

"But not to detox or kill parasites," she said.

Malina said treatment for parasitic infections was simple, a patient only needed to be screened by a medical lab.

This diagnostic process was important to identify the type of medication required to treat each different infection, Syamsa said.

"The effective medical treatment for parasitic infections includes antiparasitic medications, depending on the specific type of parasite," he said. 

AFP has also debunked social media posts sharing a homemade treatment for parasitic worms here.