Chapter 3 · Guided tool

Receipts Ladder

Not every health claim deserves the same amount of your attention. Score one claim against the five-rung evidence ladder and let the receipts (or the lack of them) decide your next move.

On-device only. The claim, source, and notes you type here never leave your browser. Nothing is emailed, tagged, or logged.

01The claim

Write the health claim you want to weigh — exactly as it was made to you. Do not soften it or clean it up. If the claim isn't specific, the receipts can't be either.

The claim in one sentence

Who is making the claim

What are they selling or promoting

02Pick the honest rung

Where does the best evidence actually live — not what the salesperson said existed, but what a fair librarian could hand you today? Pick the highest rung you can honestly reach.

Rung 5 — Systematic review or meta-analysis.A published review synthesized multiple human trials and drew a specific conclusion on this outcome. Rung 4 — Randomized controlled trial in humans.At least one properly randomized trial in the population and outcome the claim is about. Rung 3 — Observational or non-randomized human study.Cohort, case-control, or open-label human data — useful, but easy to fool. Rung 2 — Animal, in-vitro, or mechanism-only data."Rats got better" or "in a petri dish" is not the same as "you will get better." Rung 1 — Marketing, anecdote, or influencer testimony.Before/after photos, a personal story, a paid post — that is not evidence, that is advertising.

03The 30-second test

Check any that apply. These are the smell-test questions — most of a claim's honesty lives here.

The claim is specific.A specific population, dose, and measurable outcome — not "supports wellness." The source is nameable.A study, author, or database I could open — not "studies show" with no citation. The person making the claim is not the only one selling the answer.Money to be made ≠ automatic dishonesty, but it earns a second look. Someone independent has reproduced it.A second team, in a different room, ideally in humans.

04Check the receipts

If you found a source, answer these six honestly. Skip any you cannot answer — that itself is a receipt.

Who funded the study?

Was it done in humans?

How many people, and who?

What was the comparator?

How big was the effect?

What harms or dropouts were reported?

Receipts verdict

Fill in the sections above

Evidence rung

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The highest rung you could honestly reach.

30-second test

0 of 4

Specific, sourced, independent, reproduced.

Verdict

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Not a rating of the product — of the claim.

What the receipts say

Score the rung and the 30-second test above. Your verdict updates here.

Your next move

Save these notes with the source link so you don't have to re-litigate the same claim next quarter.

Saved on this device

Educational use only. The Receipts Ladder scores claims, not products or personal risk. It does not diagnose, prescribe, establish safety, or replace an appropriately licensed professional.

Show me the receipts. Or shut up and sit down.