How we score

Evidence (0–10)

Evidence scores the strength and directness of the clinical research for the product as it is actually sold. A high score means replicated randomised trials for the specific device and use; a low score means the evidence is observational, extrapolated from a different product, or simply marketing.

When the studied thing and the buyable thing diverge – a 2.0 ATA clinical hyperbaric protocol versus a 1.3 ATA home chamber, or traditional Finnish sauna data applied to infrared – we score the buyable thing, and say so.

Value (0–10)

Value weighs the total installed or owned cost against the benefit the evidence actually supports, including the parts buyers forget: wiring, oxygen concentrators, subscriptions, and resale. A great product at a price most people will never recover scores low on Value even when Evidence is fair.

IN REVIEW and what we will not score

A category reads IN REVIEW, with no number, until we have done the research. We would rather publish nothing than a score we cannot defend. Peptides and clinical protocols we deliberately do not score at all – they are medical decisions, not checkout decisions.

Sourcing and freshness

Scores trace to cited primary research and independent testing – institutional guidance (CDC, NIH, Mayo, Harvard, FDA), peer-reviewed studies, and independent measurement where it exists. Claims are document-grade: we write "advertised X; independently measured Y", never a measurement we did not take.

Scores are re-issued quarterly, and a reference number (EQ-05) is stable even as a category moves up or down the ranking. Spotted something wrong? Tell us at hi@agewell.guide and we will fix and date it.