Your #AskForEvidence stories
Tom was refered to a chiropractor after experiencing frequent headaches, after a couple of sessions he decided to ask for evidence. [...]
Tom was refered to a chiropractor after experiencing frequent headaches, after a couple of sessions he decided to ask for evidence. [...]
On his way home from work Alex was handed a flyer claiming private medication cost less than buying it from the NHS. He decided to #AskForEvidence [...]
The current situation is highlighting the influence that conspiracy theories can have on the public consciousness and behaviour. [...]
Every month there are dozens of news reports about medical breakthroughs and wonder drugs. The internet is cluttered with adverts and chat-room conversations testifying to ‘amazing’ benefits. [...]
This guide was produced by Sense About Science in collaboration with the MRC-funded Centre for Drug Safety Science. [...]
Allergy is one of the most frequent subjects in newspapers, magazines and online forums. [...]
Lots of people have asked for evidence and got results - read their stories here. [...]
Politicians like to claim a lot of things, from how they’ve reduced unemployment to how they plan on investing in renewable energy, but how prepared are they to provide the [...]
Have you ever seen those baby simulator dolls on TV? Teenagers are given them to take home to help them understand what being a parent is like. They cry if they [...]
A tool to guide you through a series of questions to help you review health research that you have come across. You will also be given some guidance on how [...]
Some un-cited, conversational ‘science facts’ are like earworms – those catchy songs that run through your head refusing to budge. Here’s one: the idea that playing music before birth somehow [...]
It would be a miracle of modern medicine if a lubricant could prevent sexually transmitted infections including HIV, protect against cervical dysplasia, treat yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis, increase libido [...]
The Ask for Evidence campaign has seen members of the public question the claims made by companies, politicians, journalists, schools, charities and many others. Sometimes people have not been particularly forthcoming [...]
According to an article in the Daily Mirror earlier this year, festival wristbands could act as a health hazard by fostering the growth of harmful bacteria. Although just two bands from one [...]
The menopause typically begins to affect women around the age of 50 and may be accompanied by a range of symptoms, including hot flushes, vaginal dryness, anxiety and depression. A [...]
Here are the facts about asthma in the UK: 5.4 million people are currently receiving treatment for asthma - that’s 1 in 11 children and 1 in 12 adults. Around [...]
To coincide with the launch of Sense About Science’s public guide Making Sense of Allergies, I helped out with Voice of Young Science’s campaign to Ask For Evidence on Allergy [...]
Scare stories about air pollution regularly come across journalists’ desks and we get questions about them. Are diesel cars a danger to our health or should we worry more about [...]
The Mail Online ran a piece on alcohol and violent crime on 12th February. In the article Andrew Brown, Director of policy at the charity DrugScope was quoted as saying [...]
I recently visited my favourite science hangout, the Wellcome Collection. After seeing the new exhibition and doing a light spot of Christmas shopping in the bookshop, I was in need [...]
I saw an article in The Times looking at whether installing blue lights in railway stations would reduce the number of suicides. The article takes you through scientific evidence that [...]
I spotted a flyer in my local leisure centre which made numerous claims about a super food supplement which can help to overcome many medical conditions. This pill can supposedly [...]
Following an eye test at Vision Express, I was informed that although my level of myopia had not changed, there was a very small degree of astigmatism in one eye [...]
Scientific and historical information provided by Understanding Animal Research based on the humane use of animals in biomedical research in the UK, to advance science and medicine. http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/how/ [...]
Information about the practice and evidence for Craniosacral therapy (CST). [...]
A glossary and basic introduction to radiotherapy treatment by the British Institute of Radiology. [...]
You may have seen news stories that stethoscopes have been found to be ‘dirtier’ than doctors’ hands, and contaminated with the ‘superbug’ MRSA. So, should we be worried and if so, [...]
This is a guest blog by Dr Jon Otter, research fellow at the Centre for Clinical Infection and Diagnostics Research at King’s College London. I have recently been looking at [...]
This guide, published in 2006, is an introduction to the study and reporting of the H5N1 flu virus. [...]
Chiropractic treatment involves “adjustment” of the spine via a series of physical manipulations. All chiropractors treat back problems, but many of them believe that spinal manipulation, the hallmark intervention of [...]
This guide explores the worldwide industry trading on people's fears of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), by selling products offering protection from 'bad' radiation. Such products claim to work, for example, by [...]
There has been an unprecedented explosion in the availability of tests for healthy people. These are marketed to diagnose a range of conditions and spot diseases before any symptoms appear. [...]
Public expectations about screening don't match what screening programmes can deliver. This guide addresses misconceptions about how screening works, its limitations and the calculation of benefits and harms. [...]
A guide to help people weigh up claims about ‘miracle cures’ on the web and in advertising. [...]
Homeopathy is marketed as a safe, natural and holis tic treatment for a range of ailments and illnesses, in cluding arthritis, asthma, depression, eczema, diarrhoea, hayfever, headaches, insomnia and toothache. [...]
A booklet of case studies of 15 of the game changers in evidence based medicine. [...]
The multi million pound detox industry sells products with little evidence to support their use. These products trade on claims about the body which are often wrong and can be [...]
This is a full index of asthma and allergy-related materials, mostly focusing on what the disease is and treatment options: http://www.asthma.org.uk/knowledge-bank [...]
Investigating the science of side effects [...]
I was intrigued to see an advert in my local paper here in Grenada that claimed to be able to cure 'many diseases like Dengue and Chikungunya' simply by drinking a [...]
Health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are frequently reported in consumer products. This article focused on one form of omega-3 fatty acid – DHA – citing its properties in brain [...]
“We have been touch with Osmosis Skincare as we are very keen to see any evidence to support its claims regarding Harmonised H20 UV protection. At this stage the claims [...]
Many of you have sent in questions about the 5 a day message and what the evidence is to back it up. Public Health England has been kind enough to [...]
Over the last week a number of people have asked Sense About Science to clarify what the Cancer Act is and how it relates to claims of ‘miracle’ cancer cures. [...]
Sadly, there are still many conditions that medicine can treat only very imperfectly. For example, low back pain, and some forms of cancer cannot be cured at the moment. A [...]
Ridiculous remedies for baldness, snoring and everyday ailments are met with much eye-rolling here at NHS Choices, with the latest vaginal steaming as a cure for many ills really taking [...]
A friend pointed out to me an article in The Sun that linked a number of foods as being effective at treating cancer, gout, stress and other health issues [...]
After Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy announcement I was passed an issue of a magazine called ‘What Doctor’s Don’t Tell You’ (WDDTY). For those that are unaware this is a magazine [...]
At Cancer Research UK, we’re often asked about alternative cancer cures. These are usually circulated on the internet and end up plastered onto our Facebook page (often accompanied by the [...]
When a friend told me that Marks & Spencer had started to sell ‘MRSA resistant’ pyjamas, I decided to look into the claims and find out whether there was any [...]
Tom Sheldon found the evidence for a software program claiming to modulate the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation to be anecdotal, subjective, and unreliable. I came across a software program [...]
A recent article in the Daily Mail claimed that Protexo, a machine that filters out allergens in the air, could improve the quality of life of asthma sufferers by 15%. [...]
I recently came across a mention in the Daily Express about a new product to enhance breast volume called Nip+Fab Bust Fix. The product claims to work by “stimulating the [...]
I have Crohn’s disease, amongst other chronic health problems, and am sick of people telling me of the supposed efficacy of the numerous quack remedies being sold and touted as [...]
Margaret Heslin gets the evidence for Viagra prescription guidelines from the Department of Health. I read an article in the Daily Mail on 8th December 2011 reporting that managers at several [...]
The manufacturer Valkee has recently released an in-ear product to ease symptoms associated with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The product is a similar size and shape to an MP3 player with [...]
I asked to see the evidence for Nanoblur, a cream that claims to make you look 10 years younger in 40 seconds, after seeing adverts for it in several newspapers. [...]
A company called LifeLine Screening ran a full page advert in The Guardian, which stated that they offered an ultrasound examination which could help prevent abdominal aneurysm formation. An abdominal [...]
Recently I have come across several articles in the tabloids describing a painful condition called ‘text neck’, caused by the neck being flexed for a prolonged period. It is claimed [...]
I recently bought a Breo watch for £10 on a plane, because my regular watch broke on holiday. The advertising for the Breo Black Watch in British Airways and other [...]
I saw a Facebook ad for the "The OSMO Patch™ which provides Fast & Effective relief from swelling, pain and inflammation from bursitis" (bursitis is inflammation of the fluid-filled sac [...]
On London underground advertisements, Vitabiotics claimed that taking their supplements (Wellwoman/Wellman) helped to improve athletic performance to gold-winning standard. I asked Vitabiotics for evidence to back this up. They responded by [...]
I had seen advertisements on the London underground towards the end of 2011 for Rescue Night remedy made by Bach which claimed to “help switch off the mind from unwanted, repetitive [...]
Looking for evidence about Finitro Forte Plus? Peter asked the company for the evidence behind their claim - here's his story. Want resources to understand evidence? Visit here. Want to [...]
I received a promotional email from Wowcher advertising a bracelet containing germanium, which could supposedly improve circulation and immunity by emitting negative ions. I did not think this was possible, [...]
"Do chocolate and cheese cause migraine? Is it true that taking painkillers makes migraine worse? Would many years of severe migraine attacks cause brain damage in later life? There are [...]
Superfoods to boost your chances of conceiving, relaxation CDs, home-made energy bars to ward off infertility, exercise regimes to boost your sperm count and even fertility astrologers. Fertility is a [...]
If you have a question about radiation being used in a medical setting then get in touch via Twitter (@senseaboutsci) or email enquiries@senseaboutscience.org and we'll put your questions to the [...]
Lab Tests Online UK offers education and information on blood and urine tests to help patients better understand their health care. [...]
The British Dietetic Association has produced Food Fact Sheets to help you learn the best ways to eat and drink to keep your body fit and healthy. [...]
Antibiotic resistance and ‘superbugs’ have in the last few years become a focus of research efforts and public health campaigns. When there’s a focus on an issue like this we [...]
This is an overview of clinical trials, including testimonies of people taking part in clinical trials [...]
This is a collection of factsheets covering a wide selection of dementia-related topics [...]
Tabitha from Sense About Science wrote an article on the Which? Conversation blog about why you might want to think again if you're tempted by untested claims and miracle cures. You [...]