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Frequently asked questions.

Plain answers to the questions we hear most. If something is missing, ask us through contact.

Identity and trust: the first 60 seconds

What is Ēnel Health, in plain terms?: A platform that runs real-world, observational health studies with everyday people, so claims about fasting, supplements, peptides, devices, and traditions can be tested against what actually happens in real lives. In short: crowdsourced health validation, the trusted arbiter for health claims.
Is this a clinical trial? Am I being experimented on?: No. Ēnel runs observational studies. Nobody assigns you a treatment or gives you a substance. You follow a protocol you chose, and the platform measures carefully what happens. Findings are association-grade, not RCT-grade, and we say so explicitly.
Who is behind this, and are there real doctors involved?: Yes. A named clinical and scientific team holds authority over every study. Board-certified physicians (Dr. Phillip Dickinson and colleagues) approve protocols, own safety, and hold veto power over medical content. The full advisory roster is one click away.
Who pays for this, and what are you selling?: No industry sponsors. Ēnel takes no money from the companies whose products or protocols get studied, which is the whole point of "uninfluenced." We are transparent about the eventual business model, and your data is never sold.
How is this different from reading studies on PubMed, or from PatientsLikeMe?: Traditional trials describe population averages in controlled settings. Ēnel measures how things behave in real, messy lives, and it triangulates across several kinds of evidence rather than relying on self-report alone. That is the evidence gap we exist to close.

How it actually works

What does "Triangulation of Truth" mean, and why do I need an Observer?: Every outcome is measured three ways: what you report, what someone who knows you observes, and what objective data (labs, wearables) shows. When all three align, you have truth; when they diverge, you have insight. Your Primary Observer can be anyone who knows you well, they confirm what they can see from the outside, and the time commitment is light.
What is the Ēnel Validated badge and what does it take to earn it?: Five data types are reliability-weighted into a single Bayesian effect index, with findings gated by sample size (nothing beyond descriptive statistics under 30 participants). In plain terms: a claim earns the badge only when enough independent evidence lines up.
How do I join a study, and what does a day in a study look like?: Browse open studies, screen for eligibility, give informed consent, and choose a protocol. From there it is short daily check-ins (mood, energy, sleep, hunger) plus periodic labs, with a study guide that walks you through each step.
How long does a study last, and can I quit whenever I want?: Length is set per study and shown up front. You can withdraw at any time, for any reason, with no penalty.
What if I don't have a smartwatch or CGM? Do I need any devices?: It depends on the study, which states what is required, what is optional, and what Ēnel helps with. Wearables are one of five data types, not the price of entry.

Money

Does it cost me anything to participate? Do I get paid?: Some launch studies are zero-cost. Lab work uses a coupon model: you buy and own your own panel, and Ēnel subsidizes it (up to about $500 in lab cost per contributor). Secondary observers are compensated ($50 to $100). We keep this precise, so it is neither a scam nor pay-to-play.
Why do I buy my own lab tests? Why doesn't Ēnel just order them?: So you own your results outright, and because Ēnel deliberately does not order tests or direct dosing. That keeps the studies observational and keeps you the owner of your data. The regulatory design choice is, in practice, a participant benefit.

Data and privacy

Who can see my health data?: Consent is modeled on UK Biobank. Your identity data is sealed inside your study and never crossed to another, using a two-database hashed architecture overseen by a Data Access Committee. Insurers and law enforcement are explicitly banned from access.
Will my data be sold, or used to train AI?: No. Your identity never leaves your study. Only de-identified lessons about how to run better studies travel across the portfolio, and you can opt out of even that and still participate.
What is the AI actually doing, and is an AI making medical decisions about me?: The AI guides your study journey and helps the clinical team design better protocols. It never approves a protocol, never diagnoses, and every study is human-approved before anyone enrolls. AI is the instrument; humans lead.

Safety and medical boundaries

Is this medical advice? Should I talk to my doctor first?: No, and yes. Ēnel provides study protocols and evidence libraries for information; it does not diagnose or treat. Anyone with a medical condition should involve their own clinician, and in an emergency, contact emergency services.
Is it safe for me to do a fasting (or peptide) study? What if something goes wrong?: Hard screening at enrollment excludes people for whom a protocol is contraindicated (for example, a history of eating disorders, type 1 diabetes, or pregnancy for fasting). Every check-in includes an adverse-event pathway, and serious signals escalate to physicians who can halt a study. Some people will be screened out, and that is a feature, not a flaw.
Wait, you run studies on peptides like BPC-157? Isn’t that unregulated?: Ēnel never supplies substances, directs dosing, or orders labs. It observes what people who have independently chosen to use something actually experience, under documented ethics review and informed consent. The framing is a registry, not a pharmacy.

Results and the method's honesty

Can I see the results? What happens if a study shows something doesn't work?: Yes. 100 percent of results are published, including null and negative findings, with pre-registered analysis plans so the questions are locked before the data comes in. What happens when the answer is "no" is exactly what we publish.
If this isn't a randomized controlled trial, why should I believe the findings?: We do not claim RCT-grade proof, and every finding states its limits. What we offer instead is a transparent method: pre-registration, target-trial framing, E-values, and sample-size gating, so you can see exactly how strong each claim is. The strongest study is the best argument.
What are the effect index and the credible interval?: The effect index is the central estimate of how much an intervention helps, drawn from real-world evidence. The 95 percent credible interval is the range the true effect most plausibly falls within. We report the number with its uncertainty, every time, and never round the uncertainty away.
What is "the record"?: The record is the append-only public ledger of every publication, correction, and badge. Nothing is quietly edited. When new evidence changes the picture, a correction is appended with the date and the reason, and the original entry remains.
Why peptides first?: The questions there are urgent and the noise is loud, so we measure them first. The same method extends to fasting and nutrition science, sleep health, and more. Peptides are the first portal, not the last.