Health Evidence
Map
Arrows point from what you learn first to what it opens. Point at a concept to light up its chain and where it comes back deeper. Right-click a concept (or press and hold it) for its lessons and stories.
- Proven to depth123
- Open
- Locked
- Comes back deeper
Learning path
In the order the concepts build on each other.
- Clinical trialReadyA fair test of a treatment in people: groups chosen by chance, one getting the treatment and one not, then compared. It grew from early fair comparisons like James Lind's test of six scurvy treatments in 1747.
- Dose and safetyReadyNatural doesn't mean safe. Almost anything can harm in a big enough amount - the dose makes the poison - plants contain strong chemicals, some vitamins harm in big amounts over time, and a herbal remedy like St John's wort can stop medicines from working.
- Health anecdotesReadyA personal story that a remedy worked can be true and still not show the remedy did it: many illnesses get better on their own, people try remedies at their worst, other things change too, and the hits are remembered while the misses are forgotten.
- Placebo effectLockedA placebo is a dummy treatment, like a sugar pill, made to look like the real one. People sometimes feel better after one, mostly in pain and nausea, but it doesn't heal illness; much of 'getting better on a placebo' is natural recovery. Trials give one to the control group and keep everyone from knowing who got which.Opens after: Clinical trial