Evidence-Check Card

Grade any treatment claim in under a minute, before you spend money on it. “No strong evidence” doesn't mean “proven not to work” — often it just means nobody's run a good enough trial yet. Those are different situations, and it's easy to lose that distinction in a forum thread promising a cure.

What's inside

• The four-category evidence scale — guideline-supported, mixed trial support, under-researched, or guidance advises against.
• A quick-reference table of where the things people actually ask about land on it — magnesium and vitamin D, acupuncture, tai chi and yoga, herbal supplements generally, CBD alone, and THC:CBD combined.
• The three-question checklist to run before you try something new: what's the evidence category, is there a real dose or protocol behind the claim, and could it interact with anything you're already taking.

How to use it

Keep it to hand for the next time a supplement, oil or “I cured myself” story crosses your feed. Find the closest match on the table, or use the scale to place something new, then run it through the three questions before you commit any money.

Where it fits

This card puts chapter 7 of Treating Fibromyalgia: A Compassionate Guide to Medication — “The Alternative and Complementary Landscape” — into a format you can actually use in the moment, rather than trying to remember it from the page. It's one of four practical tools in the Managing Treatment collection — if something passes the check, log it in your Medication & Treatment Tracker so you actually know whether it helped.

Information and organisational support only. This is not medical advice and does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition. Evidence gradings summarise the trial evidence discussed in the companion book at time of writing and can change as new research emerges. Always discuss anything you're considering trying with your GP or pharmacist, especially alongside existing medication.