How to create a health disclaimer for your blog

In this information age, blogs are being used as a source of information (reliable or not) and for that reason a disclaimer is needed. The disclaimer is essentially a note to cover your you know what. It informs your readers that you are not advocating that he or she use your information in place of medical advice. It essentially says, “Hey, you there, don’t go thinking that this information is the end all. It is just here for informational purposes and you really should look to medical sources for your advice and not me.”

You can consult an attorney to have a disclaimer written but in most cases you can write your own. Health disclaimers need not be long and drawn out. However, it should cover the basis and make clear to your readers your intent.

What Should Your Health Disclaimer Include

• It should express to your audience that the content is your opinion or based on your own experiences if that applies and that it doesn’t in any way replace medical advice.
• If you aren’t a medical practitioner it should be clearly stated in your disclaimer. You should make clear that you are not giving medical or professional advice of any kind and that the information provided is for informational purposes and may not be up to date and any use of the information is at the reader’s risk.
• If you are a medical practitioner, you should still advise readers to seek advice from his or her primary physician to make medical decisions based on his or her unique medical condition.
• There should also be a line or two stating that comments made on the site is not a reflection of the blog owner’s opinion.

Example of Health Disclaimers

Health Disclaimer

The information offered in [insert blog name] and related emails are not intended to replace sound advice from your doctor nor should it be anticipated as treatment of any specific medical condition. Information is intended to be general, not detailed, and not complete. It is for informational purposes only. The information provided may be useful to some and not to others as it depends on the person’s unique circumstances.

As the owner of [insert blog name] I will not be held responsible for any loss or damage resulting from the use of this blog, any content posted on the blog by or transmitted to, or any interactions between, any users of the blog.

Readers are advised to consult with a healthcare professional before making any diet and exercise changes.

Some bloggers don’t include a disclaimer and really should because you never know what a person is thinking, especially if your blog is health related. It is good practice to have a disclaimer page and to link to that page from every page on your site.