Education, not medical advice.

The short version

Everything on Footnote Health is general health education. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a substitute for the judgment of a qualified healthcare professional who knows your history.

Why we cannot advise you

Useful medical advice depends on things we do not have: your history, your medications, your test results, your examination, your circumstances. An article is written for a general reader and cannot account for any of that. The same finding can mean entirely different things in two people, and the right action for one can be the wrong action for the other.

What to do instead

Take questions raised by anything you read here to a clinician who can assess you. Bringing a question — including "I read that this distinction matters; which one is it in my case?" — is a good use of an appointment. Never delay seeking care, and never disregard advice you have been given, because of something you read on this site.

Do not change treatment on our account

Do not start, stop, or alter any medication, supplement, therapy, or treatment plan on the basis of an article here. Discuss changes with the person who prescribed or recommended it.

Emergencies

If you think you may be experiencing a medical emergency, contact your local emergency number or go to an emergency department immediately. In the United States that is 911; in much of Europe, 112; in the United Kingdom, 999. Do not use this website, our email addresses, or our newsletter for anything urgent — nobody is monitoring them in real time.

No professional relationship

Reading this site, subscribing to the newsletter, or emailing us does not create a doctor–patient or any other professional relationship. We cannot interpret your results, comment on your symptoms, or tell you what to do.

Accuracy and change

We research carefully, cite sources, and review articles — see ourmethodology — but medical understanding changes, guidance is revised, and errors happen. Content is provided without any warranty of accuracy or completeness. If you spot a problem, please write tocorrections@footnotehealth.com.

External links

We link to studies, guidelines, and other resources for reference. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content or their recommendations.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Footnote Health and its contributors accept no liability for any loss, injury, or damage arising from reliance on material published here. Your use of the site is governed by ourterms of use.