How we research

Health information is only useful if you can trust where it came from. Here's exactly how every Vivonyx article is put together.

Where our information comes from

In rough order of weight:

  1. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses, especially Cochrane reviews, which pool all the good trials on a question.

  2. Large randomized controlled trials, ideally with a placebo or standard-care comparison.

  3. Clinical guidelines from medical societies, such as the American College of Rheumatology.

  4. Regulators, such as the U.S. FDA and the European Medicines Agency, for what is and isn't approved.

  5. Smaller or early trials, clearly labeled as early.

  6. Lab and animal studies, only to explain how something might work, never as evidence that it works in people.

We don't use company marketing, press releases about unpublished results, social media posts, or testimonials as evidence.

How we check citations

  • Every factual claim links to its source, usually a PubMed record or the publisher's page (DOI).

  • We open and read every source we cite (at least the full abstract, and the full text where it's freely available) and check that the numbers in our article match.

  • If we can't verify a claim, we leave it out.

How we describe results

  • Size first. We say how many people were studied.

  • Comparison. We say what the treatment was compared against.

  • The real effect. "1.2 points on a 0–10 pain scale" tells you more than "significantly improved".

  • Certainty. When reviewers rate evidence as low certainty, we say so.

  • Funding and conflicts. When a study was funded by, or written by people employed by, the product's maker, we note it.

  • Negative results count. Trials that found no benefit get the same space as trials that did.

Words we avoid

We don't say a treatment "cures", "heals", "fixes", "reverses", or "prevents" a condition. We describe what a study measured and what it found. We don't publish testimonials, before-and-after stories, prices, or promises about results or timelines.

Regulation, stated plainly

When we mention the FDA or another regulator, we report what they've approved and what they've said, in neutral terms and with a link, so you can read it yourself.

Independence

This site sells nothing, runs no ads, and takes no sponsorships or affiliate payments. Nobody outside Vivonyx reviews or approves articles before they're published.

Updates and corrections

  • Each article shows a "Last reviewed" date. We re-check key facts (especially regulatory status) at least every six months.

  • Found an error? Email hello@vivonyx.com with the article and the source. If we're wrong, we'll fix it and add a dated correction note at the bottom of the article.

About the AI assistant

The Vivonyx AI assistant is an educational tool. It can make mistakes, and it can't give medical advice or know your history. For anything that matters to your health, check the linked sources and talk with a licensed clinician.

Educational content only, not medical advice. Disclaimer