Can I use Corpus Atlas to work out what is wrong with me?

No. Symptom pages list what a symptom can be associated with, which is not the same as identifying which of those applies to you. Many serious and trivial conditions present almost identically, and telling them apart requires examination, history and often tests. Use the site to understand the possibilities and to recognise the signs that warrant urgent assessment, then take that to a clinician.

Is it safe to start a supplement described here without asking anyone?

Not necessarily. Supplements are pharmacologically active and interact with prescription medicines — vitamin K with warfarin, St John's wort with a long list of drugs, high-dose fish oil with anticoagulants, among many others. Doses that are safe for most people can be unsafe in pregnancy, in kidney or liver impairment, or alongside an existing prescription. Check with a pharmacist or doctor before starting anything new.

What should I do if a page contradicts my doctor?

Follow your doctor. They have information about you that this site does not and cannot have. If the discrepancy still concerns you, raise it with them directly — and if you believe a page here is factually wrong, report it so it can be corrected.

Important

Medical Disclaimer

Corpus Atlas is an educational reference. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and nothing on this site should be used as a substitute for the judgement of a qualified healthcare professional who can assess you directly. If you have concerning symptoms — or before starting or stopping any supplement, medication or exercise programme — speak to a clinician. If your symptoms are severe or rapidly worsening, seek emergency care.

This is not a diagnosis

Nothing on Corpus Atlas identifies what is wrong with you. Symptom and condition pages describe what a presentation can be associated with, in general, across a population. They cannot weigh those possibilities against your age, history, medication, examination findings or test results, which is precisely the work a diagnosis consists of.

Reading a list of possible causes and recognising yourself in one of them is a well-documented way to reach the wrong conclusion in both directions — alarming yourself about something benign, or reassuring yourself about something that needs attention. Use these pages to become a better-informed patient, not to avoid becoming one.

In an emergency, do not use this site

If you or someone else may be seriously unwell, call your local emergency number immediately — 999 in the UK, 112 across the EU, 911 in the US and Canada — or go to your nearest emergency department. Do not spend time reading first.

Call without hesitating for chest pain or pressure, sudden weakness or drooping on one side of the face or body, difficulty speaking, difficulty breathing, severe or uncontrolled bleeding, a sudden and severe headache unlike any before, loss of consciousness, a seizure in someone who does not have epilepsy, signs of anaphylaxis, or thoughts of harming yourself. Delays in these situations cost far more than a false alarm does.

Red-flag boxes on individual guides exist to prompt professional assessment, not to substitute for it. They are not exhaustive, and the absence of a listed red flag never means a symptom is safe to ignore.

Medications, supplements and interactions

Corpus Atlas discusses nutrients, supplements and exercise because the evidence around them is genuinely useful. That discussion is descriptive, not a prescription, and it is written for a general adult population.

Supplements are not inert. Many interact with prescription medicines, and some have a narrow margin between a useful and a harmful dose.
Never start, stop or change the dose of a prescribed medication on the basis of anything read here. Stopping some medicines abruptly is more dangerous than the condition being treated.
Intake reference values quoted on nutrient pages apply to healthy adults. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood, older age, kidney or liver impairment and many chronic conditions all change them.
Speak to a pharmacist or doctor before adding a supplement if you take any regular medication. Pharmacists are freely accessible and are the right people to check an interaction.
Exercise guidance assumes you are well enough to exercise. Get clearance first if you have a cardiac, respiratory or musculoskeletal condition, or if you are returning from injury.

General information, not personalised advice

Everything here is written for a general audience and reflects what is true on average. Averages are a poor guide to individuals: the same intervention can be clearly beneficial for most people and clearly wrong for you. Calculators on this site apply published population formulae to the numbers you type in — they produce an estimate, not an assessment, and they know nothing about you beyond those inputs.

Reading this site creates no clinician-patient relationship, and no correspondence with the editorial team can create one. See the terms of use for the full position, the editorial policy for how content is sourced, and the medical review process for who checks it.

Common questions

Can I use Corpus Atlas to work out what is wrong with me?: No. Symptom pages list what a symptom can be associated with, which is not the same as identifying which of those applies to you. Many serious and trivial conditions present almost identically, and telling them apart requires examination, history and often tests. Use the site to understand the possibilities and to recognise the signs that warrant urgent assessment, then take that to a clinician.
Is it safe to start a supplement described here without asking anyone?: Not necessarily. Supplements are pharmacologically active and interact with prescription medicines — vitamin K with warfarin, St John's wort with a long list of drugs, high-dose fish oil with anticoagulants, among many others. Doses that are safe for most people can be unsafe in pregnancy, in kidney or liver impairment, or alongside an existing prescription. Check with a pharmacist or doctor before starting anything new.
What should I do if a page contradicts my doctor?: Follow your doctor. They have information about you that this site does not and cannot have. If the discrepancy still concerns you, raise it with them directly — and if you believe a page here is factually wrong, report it so it can be corrected.