Ep 19 The Munchausen and The Apple Cider Vinegar: Scamanda, Belle Gibson, Wellness Scams & Factitious Disorder

In this week’s episode of the Medical Media Mixer Podcast, we untangle two of the wildest—and most unsettling—stories at the crossroads of health, fraud, and media:

• Scamanda (Documentary) — the shocking podcast-turned-docuseries about Amanda Riley, a woman who faked cancer online, built a following, and scammed her way into the spotlight.

• Apple Cider Vinegar (TV Series) — a satirical deep-dive into the power of health fads, the blurred line between fact and fiction, and the people who profit from it.

• Belle Gibson (60 Minutes Australia) — the infamous wellness influencer who falsely claimed she cured her brain cancer with diet, wellness tricks, and “natural” remedies.

Together, we explore why people fake illness, how diet gets tied to cancer cures, and why apple cider vinegar has become one of the most overhyped (and misunderstood) remedies in the wellness industry.

🍸 Featured Cocktails: Truth in a Glass

Every episode pairs with a themed cocktail, and this week’s drinks shine a satirical spotlight on the subject:

• The Munchausen Cocktail – a bold and ironic nod to factitious disorder (recipe here).

• Apple Cider Vinegar Cocktail – tart, refreshing, and just a little too on-trend (recipe here).

🔬 Topics We Cover:

• Factitious Disorder (Munchausen Syndrome) — what drives someone to fake illness, and how it differs from hypochondria and malingering.

• Scam culture in health media — from Amanda Riley to Belle Gibson, why scams thrive in the digital age.

• Apple cider vinegar — separating science from hype on claims about digestion, weight loss, and cancer.

• Diet & cancer — what research says about food-based “cures” versus evidence-based treatments.

• Brain tumors & misinformation — how real patients are harmed when health myths spread unchecked.

• Black Salve — a dangerous “natural cure” that resurfaces in wellness communities.

📚 References & Resources:

Factitious Disorder & Faking Cancer

• Mayo Clinic: Factitious Disorder

• Yahoo: Surprising Number of People Who Faked Cancer

• HuffPost: Why Does Someone Fake Cancer?

• The Guardian: Scamanda & Munchausen

Scamanda & Belle Gibson

• Scamanda Documentary Info

• Belle Gibson Story – BBC

• Belle Gibson (Wikipedia)

• Apple Cider Vinegar TV Series

Apple Cider Vinegar & Wellness Myths

• UChicago Medicine: Debunking ACV

• Healthline: ACV Benefits

• NIH: ACV Research

Diet, Cancer & Brain Tumors

• NCI: Diet & Supplements in Cancer

• Mayo Clinic: Brain Tumor Overview

• FDA: Black Salve Warning

✨ From staged illnesses to miracle-cure myths, this episode goes down the rabbit hole of medical scams, factitious disorders, and wellness trends gone wrong.

 

 

 

 

 

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🎶 Music Credits: Music by Vlad Krotov, Sound Effect by Akiva Vita 

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