Be mindful of the information source

“As advertised!”

Companies or individuals may exaggerate positive features and minimise negative features if they are going to benefit from the recommendation or use of the treatment.

Many people who recommend the use of treatment do so because they genuinely believe it to be useful but some individuals or companies may have other reasons, such as financial incentives. These other incentives can lead them to exaggerate the positive features of the treatments and downplay the negative features. It is also important to consider who funded the studies you are reading and whether this could have biased the interpretation of the findings.
The same applies to individuals who discourage the use of particular treatments.

BEWARE of claims about the effects of a treatment when they are made by individuals with a vested interest in that treatment’s promotion.

REMEMBER: People can sometimes have an investment in the use of a product which can influence how they present information about it. Ensure that their claims are balanced (i.e., they also report the negative features) and are supported by the evidence.