In a world where we’re increasingly health-conscious, the internet has been an excellent tool. It’s easier than ever for anybody to gain an understanding of their general health and wellbeing, and to make decisions that boost their quality of life. If you simply lack time to visit your doctor as much as you’d like, the web can be a great way to source advice.
There’s just one issue with the online healthcare approach; for too long, the internet has been akin to the Wild West, with little regulation to the content posted.
Knowing who to trust can be a minefield, and incorrect information can be dangerous. That’s why our policy is to provide evidence-based guides, with all our data backed up by science.
What is an Evidence-Based Guide?
Put simply, when you take a look at our content, you’ll find our claims backed up by scientific papers that are published in respected journals.
This means that you can place your trust in the information that we provide, and we will never make unsubstantiated claims based on spurious evidence or personal, anecdotal experience.
You can put this to the test yourself. Simply click on any of the links found in our evidence-based guides, you’ll be taken to a formal scientific paper.
This will have been printed in such luminary journals as The Lancet, ensuring that all content has been peer-reviewed and approved.
Essentially, an evidence-based guide is summarizing the information gathered and tested by the finest minds across the globe, re-writing the content into plain English to aid anybody that may otherwise be blinded by science.
This does mean that we need to make something clear, though. Our team work tirelessly to fact-check and confirm the integrity of these guides to provide you with the best and most accurate data possible.
However, we are not healthcare professionals ourselves and do not wish to give the impression that we are impersonating doctors online. If you have concerns about your health, you should always look to seek the advice of a registered healthcare professional.
An evidence-based guide provides just that; guidance on a particular topic, not a diagnosis.
What if the Evidence is Contradictory?
Of course, even the most reputable minds sometimes disagree. It’s rare to find a unified opinion, even in the comparatively black-and-white world of science.
Also, new advancements and discoveries are made each and every day. Sometimes, a peer-reviewed paper is contradicted by another, equally reputable source.
In such instances, we will ensure that any and all contrasting viewpoints are also provided. Our policy is straightforward; if two opposing views that carry equal authority are both available, we will direct our readers to both. From there, it’s the choice of the individual as to which source they consider to carry the most weight.
To remain abreast of advances in science and discovery, we periodically review and update our articles with relevant new information.
We apply the same strict criteria for updates, as do original sources. Rumor and gossip have no place on this site. We will only take action when the scientific community has an appropriate revelation to share with our readers.
How Do We Choose Our Sources?
We do not have established relationships or pre-conceived bias toward one publication or another. Nobody affiliated with this website has a financial interest in any of the journals that we use as a source, and we do not accept advertising revenue from any medical source or publisher.
If we use a particular paper as a source in one of our evidence-based guides, it’s because we consider the science to be sound, the evidence to be reliable, and the journal to be respected among the scientific community. Economic or personal factors or preferences will never influence our decision.
So Our Evidence-Based Sources Can Be Trusted?
As we have already discussed, we are not healthcare professionals and are not intended to replace such individuals in your life. We can, however, provide guidance and information based upon data that is available to the public.
We promise that our evidence-based articles will always be checked for integrity, and copy produced based on information provided by respected, professional, and reputable sources.
With this in mind, yes, our data can be considered trustworthy. We will never make any claim that is not substantiated by at least one critical source.
You can always contact us if something concerns you.