Compared to What? Six Questions for Any Health Claim

"A new study shows." "Doctors recommend." "Clinically proven." We hear these phrases every day, and they all sound equally sure. They aren't. Some claims rest on many careful, fair tests. Others rest on one person's story told with confidence.

You don't need a science degree to tell the difference. You need a few good questions. Here are six you can use on any headline, ad, post or piece of advice, starting today.

Question 1: What exactly is the claim?

Write it down, word for word. Then look closely at the verbs.

- "Cures" and "proven" are big promises.

- "Linked to" or "associated with" usually means researchers saw two things happen together. That isn't the same as one causing the other.

- "May help" means just that. It may, or it may not.

Many of us skim right past these words. Slowing down here clears up half the confusion.

Question 2: Compared to what?

This is the most important question of all. A treatment that "works" has to work better than something.

- Better than doing nothing?

- Better than a stand-in treatment that looks the same but leaves out the active part?

- Better than what we already do?

- Better than time?

If you can't find what it was compared with, hold the claim loosely.

Question 3: One person, or many?

A friend's story is real. So is a testimonial. Stories are often where good questions start. But one person's result can come from many things at once: the treatment, the season, a change in diet, simple time.

- Is this one person's experience?

- A handful of similar cases?

- A study of hundreds or thousands of people?

Question 4: Did people choose it, or was it assigned?

When people choose a treatment themselves, they often differ in other ways too. People who take up a healthy habit may also sleep more, eat better and see their doctor more often. So it's hard to tell which part made the difference.

When a study assigns treatment by chance, like a coin toss, those other differences spread out evenly between the groups. That makes it a fairer test.

Question 5: One study, or many?

Any single study can be a fluke. When many studies, done by different people in different places, point the same way, the claim gets much stronger. Look for words like "review" or "many studies agree."

Question 6: Does it fit me?

Even a strong study tells us what happened to the average person in that group. None of us is the average person.

- Who was studied? Age, sex, health, the problem they had.

- How long did it last?

- What mattered to them, and does it match what matters to me?

This is where your own experience comes in. Your body, your history and your values belong in every health decision.

Sorting what you find

Once you've asked the six questions, put the claim in one of three places.

1. Strong: many fair tests agree, and the people studied are like you.

2. Promising: some good evidence, but not much yet. Worth considering with care, and worth tracking how you respond.

3. Unknown: no good tests yet. Unknown is not the same as useless. It means you go slowly, keep notes and decide with someone you trust.

A practice for today

Copy the six questions onto an index card or into your phone. The next time a health claim catches your attention, pull them out and ask each one. You don't need every answer. Simply asking changes how you hear the claim.

Words to Carry

- I can ask, "Compared to what?"

- A confident voice is not the same as strong evidence.

- Unknown is not the same as useless.

- My experience belongs in my care.

- I keep questioning, and I keep learning.

Tomorrow on Truth in Motion, we take a closer look at studies that look back in time, and what they can and can't tell us.

With you every step of the way,

Dr. Jocelyn