Scepticism can be defined as a studied attitude of questioning and doubt. A healthy degree of scepticism is an important tool to have in all aspects of your life and health is no exception. It used to be that a man in a white coat would tell us what we needed to do and we would just blindly follow the leader, but not any more. Now we have access to a wealth of information from a wide variety of sources - some reliable, some not so much - and it up to each of us to find what works for you. It also used to be the case that we could trust our media (to a reasonable extent) to report the facts. Now it seems that we are more concerned with a good story than a truthful one.

Recently I have come across a number of people who define themselves as sceptics. When I investigated further, though, these people weren't being sceptical at all. They were rigidly defending one side of an argument by only looking at one side of the facts.

So how can you exercise a healthy degree of scepticism when it comes to healthcare?

• 1. Actively search for information. This is perhaps the easiest thing to do with all of our modern technology, but perhaps also the hardest thing to do well - there is such a wealth of information out there!
• 2. Get your info from more than one source. If you want to show a healthy scepticism, it is really important that you know the whole story. Otherwise it would be a bit like voting based purely on the voting card of one political party - despite their obvious political nous and intelligence, you will not get the whole story.
• 3. Give all healthcare the same degree of scepticism. Some people will often be highly sceptical of what they consider to be alternative healthcare, but do you critique all of the information presented to you in the same fashion?
• 4. Understand the limitations of research. Research is only as good as the questions that are asked. When researchers asked ‘Is Vioxx good for arthritis?', the answer was yes. However when they altered the question later on (after many deaths) to, ‘Is Vioxx good for you?', the answer came back a resounding NO. Research is also only as good as the integrity and independence of the researchers. Often research will not be independently funded and there is no requirement to publish all of the research (you can do 10 studies, only one of which has a favourable result, and then only publish the favourable one). Research is also dependent on the amount of funding available. It can cost a lot of time and money to do high quality research... meaning that sometimes the best research is done where the most money can be made, not where the best results can be found. Don't get me wrong, research is very important, but it too needs to be read with a healthy dose of scepticism.
• 5. Take charge of your health. Remember that the only person in charge of your health is you. You are the one who ultimately makes every decision about your healthcare and therefore your health outcomes. Make all of your choices with a healthy degree of scepticism and you will go a long way to finding good health.