Why We Trade Marketing Labels For Evidence

A label on a clinic's website is a claim, and a claim is only as strong as the details behind it. That idea decides what appears here and how it is worded.

Why labels give way to evidence

Advertised labels hold up only where the details back them. For that reason we trade marketing copy for independent standards and documented evidence. A word such as "advanced" or "proven" gets looked at, and the answer says what it can be tied to.

Broad background comes from sources like the Hospital for Special Surgery, which publishes a page on foot pain conditions, causes, symptoms and treatments.

How a claim is checked

Every answer follows the same four steps.

1. Name the claim exactly as readers meet it.
2. Look for an independent source, such as a public health agency, a medical library or a published study.
3. Write only what that source supports, and name its publisher in the sentence.
4. Leave out any point that no source backs.

Local public bodies are part of that reading list. The Mt. Prospect Park District and the Cook County Department of Public Health are examples. The department's About Us page is a further reference.

What the answers cannot decide

The answers on this site are general. They cannot tell a reader in Mount Prospect what is causing their pain, whether they need treatment, or which treatment fits their health history. That takes someone who can examine the foot.