Why Evidence Matters

"These are dangerous times. Never have so many people had access to so much knowledge, and yet been so resistant to learning anything." Tom Nichols - The Death of Expertise. 

Evidence. What is it? Why does it matter? In law, these questions underpin the entire concept of truth-finding. Evidence is the foundation for any finding in a court, tribunal or hearing. Without evidence, there is no finding. No guilt. No civil liability. No misconduct. 

But, in health? Nowadays it seems that anything goes. Some instagrammer peddles a garlic tincture as the cure-all for the common cold. A friend swears by weed gummies to help her sleep. Your social media feed sends you videos of tanned, tiny waisted women saying that keto (or raw milk, or no milk, or caffeine pills, or no carbs,etc etc etc is the only way to lose that stubborn belly fat…) the list goes on. So you think, sure, why not? It worked for them, so why wouldn’t it work for you? What’s the harm? 

But see, there IS harm. It’s the age of the new, dressed up, snake oil. But strip these supplements, tinctures, creams, (etc etc etc) and there it is, oily as ever. 

Best case scenario, you end up spending money and time convinced that a product (or diet) works when it doesn’t and you’re no worse off. Your cold fades. The headache goes away eventually. Maybe your period cramps seem better. The placebo effect is a real and proven thing. So real that every Random Double Blind Placebo Controlled Study (RDBPCS - where you see in every article/ cheat sheet/ supplement page) is built around the placebo actually doing something consequential. Meaning the brain is incredible: I think therefore I am? Or, better yet, I think it works, therefore it does. That’s why research and evidence is so important. 

 Because the worst case scenario? You end up in pain for longer than you should be, spending money you don’t have on something that doesn’t work, and possibly get sick because of bad ingredients, suffering for much longer than is necessary (e.g. migraines - my own personal mountain). 

And why? Why are we so quick to glom on to someone - anyone - who says something has worked for them? Because we want to believe. We want to think that it worked because they say it does. Also - psychology: there’s a resistance against questioning one’s assertions. When someone has a strongly held belief, it’s rude to question that assertion. It’s unfriendly. You come off as a jerk. This is unlike in court where saying “But, where’s the evidence?” is essential. 

In the real world, we are much more likely to simply believe and hope that the person has it right than actually question whether they do. 

Herein lies the problem that is exacerbated by the global internet: everyone becomes an expert, an unwavering advocate for whatever they think will work, regardless of whether it has been tested or not. We are in the age of free-flowing information, regardless of whether it’s misinformation, disinformation or simply wrong information. 

So, how can we know what’s right? What to do?  

Simple. It’s time to expect more. It’s time to demand: Show me the EFFING evidence! 

Experts who have spent their lives researching a topic have no problem showing you the evidence. I follow many evidence-based expedrts who relish it - they’re used to it. They are experts because they’ve done the research, read the articles, published in journals… so asking them to see the evidence behind their assertion isn’t rude. It’s expected. 

If someone can’t or won’t show you evidence to back up their assertion, then it’s high time we start doubting that assertion. The time of gullibility is over. It’s time to say NO to snake oil. 

So, what’s on this website? 

  • No opinions. I’m not a doctor or an expert. Only an avid research nerd who excels at summarizing complicated medical studies in user-friendly ways. Given I’m trained in making complex legal processes and cases digestible - doing the same for medical studies is not overly different. People want the bottom line. I can do that. 

  • Any and all statements made on this site will be backed up by evidence (studies in peer-reviewed reputable journals) that you can click on and review yourself. 

  • Every product and brand has been vetted to ensure that they only contain high quality, evidence-based ingredients that have, ideally, been tested by third-party labs. .

Will the evidence change? Of course it will. Science isn’t static. It grows, changes, adapts. But the products on these pages? The proactive approaches written here? All based on current evidence as of 2025. It will be reviewed regularly and if there is new evidence that shows that a previous finding no longer stands? I’ll happily change the finding. This site isn’t an exercise in narcissism. I’m not stuck on an opinion because nothing here IS an opinion - if the science changes, then the site changes. I’m not tied to anything. If you see something that isn’t right - let me know. This site exists as a reference for people who want evidence-based solutions to common health issues. If the evidence behind something changes, I want to know about it. 

That being said, I can’t capture every study - some supplements/ products have thousands of studies on them, so I focus on the studies that examine the evidence of that supplement/product as part of a solution for a particular problem. Yes, there might be a similar study showing no effect of a particular supplement/product on a particular issue, but the key is replication - if there are 7 studies that show X helps with Y, and 2 other studies that show that X doesn’t have an effect on Y (or little effect), does that negate that other 7? 

Research scientists (and I) agree that it should not. And it should especially not stop you from printing those 7 studies up and bringing them to your doctor and seeing if this product/supplement could be right for you. 

A brief breakdown of the evidence on this site: 

  • All studies are linked - usually through pubmed, the National Library of Medicine, Science Direct or google scholar. 

  • Starting from gold standard, studies can be ranked in terms of levels of significance below where a supplement has been tested to show a causal link (X has been shown to do Y): 

    • Meta-analyses: the gold standard of cause and effect. A study of other studies. 

    • Systemic review: extensive research articles summarizing all the research.

    • Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study (RDBPCS): straight up treatment and control group that looks at causation. Very persuasive. Even better if large sample size (over 25) and replicated in other similar studies. 

    • Randomized clinical trial: similar to RDBPC but possibly no placebo. 

  • Other medical studies that you may find on this site IF provides complementary research to one of the studies referred to above: 

    • Non-randomized- prospective cohort studies 

    • Case controlled studies 

    • Cross-sectional studies 

    • Case studies

    • Expert opinions

    • Textbooks/ encyclopedias 

    • Systematic review on qualitative studies 

This site should serve as your starting point. It will show you products that have been shown to work for a particular health issue in peer-reviewed journals but that doesn’t mean they will work for your particular case. I wouldn’t be a good lawyer if I didn’t have a mountain size caveat that says nothing here is me recommending a product or supplement or endorsing one for any particular issue. I find the evidence and summarize it. That’s my value add. So bring the research to your doc and get the go ahead before trying anything - always.