Controlled trial
Participants are randomly divided into groups, and outcomes are compared between those who received a method and those who did not.
Topics
Topics
This reference does not cover individual diseases or suggest how to treat them. Its topics are skills that are useful with any diagnosis: working out where a health claim came from, how far it can be trusted and how to raise your doubts with a doctor. Below, the topics are arranged in four groups, and the article catalogue is at the end of the page.
Knowing the right question to ask about a source is more useful than any list of "proven" remedies: it never goes out of date and works for any illness.
How this section works: it includes topics that help you judge medical claims, not choose a treatment. We give specifics only where official assessments back them up and describe everything else in general terms.
How evidence works
Medicine relies not on the opinion of a single authority but on results that can be checked and repeated.
Placebo and the placebo effect
Why expecting a benefit can by itself make people feel better, and why researchers account for this in every trial.
Systematic review
How many studies on one question are brought together so that the conclusion does not hinge on a single lucky or unlucky paper.
Levels of evidence
Why a friend's testimonial, a doctor's observation and a large trial carry different weight, even though each tells us something.
History of medical doctrines
Many methods of the past seemed logical to people at the time. Their history explains why medicine came to need rigorous testing.
Humoral theory
The ancient idea of illness as an imbalance of the body's fluids, which persisted in medicine for many centuries.
Bloodletting
A procedure long thought helpful for all kinds of illness, until comparative observations showed the opposite.
Hahnemann and homeopathy
How the German physician Samuel Hahnemann created his doctrine and how scientific and medical bodies have assessed it in our time.
The birth of evidence-based medicine
How the term "evidence-based medicine" took hold in the early 1990s and why the Cochrane Collaboration was founded.
News and advertising
Medical information reaches us through headlines and banners, where simplification and exaggeration are constant.
The "breakthrough" headline
How a laboratory discovery differs from a method that has already been tested in people and approved for use.
Ads for a "miracle cure"
Typical signs: a promise to help with everything, healing stories instead of data, pressure to buy now and appeals to "hidden" knowledge.
Testimonials and personal stories
Why a sincere account of someone's recovery cannot replace a comparison with a control group.
Conflict of interest
How the funding behind a study can shape the way its results are presented, and why it is normally disclosed.
Talking to your doctor
Even the most detailed reference does not know your medical history. Decisions are made together with a professional.
Asking how reliable a method is
Wording that helps you find out what research a recommendation rests on, without sounding as if you distrust the doctor.
Mentioning an alternative practice
Why your doctor needs to know about everything you are trying, and how to start that conversation calmly.
A second opinion
When it makes sense to see another specialist and how to prepare so the consultation is useful.
Prevention as advised
Vaccinations and screening follow your national schedule and your doctor's advice — we only explain the general idea.
Catalogue of articles in English
This is where standalone articles for English-speaking readers will appear: practical guides to checking health claims you meet in the news, on social media and in podcasts, and essays on the history of medicine. Every article is reviewed by the editors against official assessments.
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How gaming assistance services follow seasons, leagues and ranked splits across genres, how to find current information, and criteria for comparing them calmly.
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An overview of GTA 6 beginner resources: what Rockstar has confirmed, which guide topics are still guesswork, and how to judge a guide before trusting it.
- Aion 2 sealed dungeons: Player Guide and Key Considerations
What players mean by sealed dungeons in Aion 2, how to prepare a group run, where paid assistance differs from in-game play, and how to keep your account safe.
What the editors are working on
- How to judge a health claim you heard on a podcast or saw in a social media video
- Why "not proven to work" is not the same as "proven to be harmful"
- From leeches to clinical trials: how bloodletting was finally put to the test
- What "statistically significant" in a headline does and does not tell you
Editorial rules
- Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
- Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
- We do not publish advertising for medicines, clinics or alternative remedies, rankings, prices or reviews.
Related sections
- Research
How to read research: control groups, placebo, systematic reviews and levels of evidence.
- Methods
Evidence-based medicine, historical doctrines and alternative practices: what is known about them and how they are assessed.
- Questions
Questions that help you discuss the benefits, risks and reliability of a particular method with your doctor.
Sources
- Cochrane Library
- WHO — information for patients
- Russian Academy of Sciences Commission against Pseudoscience — memorandum on homeopathy (2017)
This page reflects the state of knowledge on the date it was prepared. Scientific assessments and official guidance are revised as new research appears, so make decisions about your health together with your doctor.