The evidence check
Ask what backs the treatment
Name the claim before opening the study
Ask the doctor to write down the change they expect. Then ask for the source that supports that change.
- ClaimName the promised change
- SourceAsk who was studied
- LimitAsk what is still unknown
Ask who was studied and what changed
Ask whether people received the treatment in the study, or whether it was tested only in animals or a lab. Ask whether the people studied had a problem like yours.
What did the study measure? Did it measure the change you want? Ask what did not improve, what problems were reported, and what is still unknown.
Keep a research note
- Exact treatment studied
- Who took part
- Change the study measured
- Problems reported
- What does this tell us about my goal?
Separate a product code from approval
The US drug regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), keeps a directory of product codes called National Drug Codes (NDCs).
The FDA says a code in that directory does not show product approval, as of September 26, 2026.
Read the FDA note on product codes
If someone gives you a code, ask for the approval record as well. Keep the code and that answer on separate lines.
Ask about medicine made to order
Compounded medicine is prepared to order, instead of being supplied as a finished product from a factory.
Before compounded medicines are sold, the FDA does not review their safety, results, or quality, as of September 26, 2026.
Read the FDA note on compounded medicines
Ask why this medicine needs to be made to order. Ask for research on a medicine with the same ingredients and the same amount of the part that does the work. Ask whether it was taken in the same way.