Think Critically About Health Information

Health information online mixes peer-reviewed science, preprints, press releases, and outright scams. Start with study design: randomized trials beat anecdotes; meta-analyses beat single labs.

Sample size and population matter. A supplement trial on twenty college men may not apply to your grandmother.

Follow conflicts: who funded the study, who employs the talking head, who sells the cure. Disclosure is not guilt—it is context.

Replication crisis exists—exciting findings often shrink on repeat. Wait for consensus on new claims before betting your body.

Mechanism plausibility helps. 'Detox' teas rarely explain biochemistry. Vaccines and antibiotics have measurable mechanisms and surveillance.

Bring questions to clinicians you trust; Dr. Google is a research assistant, not a replacement.

Pair with read-health-claims and skepticism-vs-denial articles.