Health Content Policy
Health is where we owe readers the greatest care. This page defines, without ambiguity, what our health-related content is for and what it must never be taken to be.
Key points
- Our health content exists for general information only
- Nothing on this site is a diagnosis, treatment or medication advice
- Health-related tool outputs are rough starting points, not measurements
- If you have symptoms, the right place to go is a health professional, not a website
Purpose: to inform, not to treat
All health-related content on this site is prepared to explain concepts, convey the general scientific picture and support health literacy. It does not replace a medical examination, a diagnostic process or a treatment plan, and it makes no claim to. Nothing you read here should ever be a reason to delay consulting a health professional.
Our firm limits
In health content, we never cross the following lines:
- We do not diagnose, and we do not offer interpretations that lead from symptoms to a diagnosis.
- We do not recommend treatments, medicines, doses or supplements.
- We do not write personalised diet or exercise prescriptions; general information is not a personal programme.
- We do not use promise language such as "miracle", "certain results" or "guaranteed".
- We do not use fear or guilt as marketing devices.
Additional principles specific to nutrition and exercise content are set out in our Nutrition and Body-Language and Exercise Safety policies.
About health outputs from our tools
Values produced by our calculators, such as estimated energy needs, are rough figures based on general formulas; they are not medical measurements or assessments. Real needs vary with age, health status and personal factors. Treat these outputs as starting points, and make decisions about your health together with a professional. The formulas and assumptions behind the tools are described in our Calculator and Tool Methodology.
When to see a professional
For any persistent or worrying symptom, any question about medication, special circumstances such as pregnancy or chronic illness, and before any major change to your diet or exercise routine, the right address is a health professional. In an emergency, the right action is clear: stop reading the internet and contact emergency services. We write these sentences not as boilerplate, but as the heart of this policy.
A working version
This policy is a working version, updated in line with health communication standards and reader feedback. If you ever see wording in our health content that conflicts with these principles, please report it through our Corrections Policy; errors in this area are our highest priority.