Read This Before Acting

We hope our articles help you understand your body a little better. Before you act on anything you read here, though, please keep the following in mind. It is the most important page on the site.

We explain; professionals assess

Rain Urbana is written by a small team of writers using pen names. We are not doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, dietitians or therapists, and nothing on this site should be read as if it came from one. Our job is to explain common health topics clearly. Deciding what is right for your body is a job for someone who can examine you, ask about your history and see the whole picture.

What that means in practice

• Do not use an article to diagnose yourself or someone else.
• Do not start, stop or change a prescribed medicine because of something you read here. A pharmacist or GP can tell you whether a change is safe.
• Check with a professional before trying a supplement, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking other medicines or living with a long-term condition. Our article on ashwagandha for women is a good example of a topic where that check matters.
• Talk to a dentist about tooth pain, swelling or damage rather than relying on home care alone.
• Ask a GP or practice nurse before taking up new exercise if you have heart, lung or joint problems.

Emergencies come first

If you or someone near you has chest pain, severe breathlessness, signs of a stroke, a serious allergic reaction, heavy bleeding, a seizure or thoughts of self-harm, call your local emergency number immediately. Do not search the internet or wait to see whether it passes.

Guidance changes

Health advice is revised as new evidence appears, and what applies in one country may differ in another. We review articles when we can, but there may be a gap between a change in guidance and an update on our pages. Your local health service and the professionals who treat you will always have the most current picture.

Every body is different

General ranges and rules of thumb, such as the sleep guidance in how many hours of sleep you need or the measurements described in our waist-to-height ratio explainer, describe large groups of people. They may not fit you, and that is not necessarily a cause for worry. Use them as a starting point for a conversation rather than as a verdict.

Mentions are not endorsements

Where an article names a type of product, treatment or provider, it is there to explain how something works. It is not a personal recommendation. Make your own checks and ask a professional before spending money on health products or procedures.

Reporting a problem

If you think something on the site is wrong, outdated or could be misread in a harmful way, please tell us through the contact page. We take those messages seriously and correct articles where needed. For the formal side of using the site, see Terms for Readers.