Criticize the science that supports you
“It’s OK to have an opinion on a topic but still be critical of the research that supports your own opinion. I’d go further and say that you should be even more critical of the things that you promote and believe.”
And I’ll go one step further still: Everyone believes things without adequate or direct evidence, because it’s just impossible not to. The goal is self-awareness and humility, to know which of our beliefs are less certain, and to cling to those ones less tightly.
My own personal best example: I believe that trigger points are an important clinical phenomenon, and that massaging “knots” often seems to ease a lot of otherwise difficult pain. I am well aware that this belief does not rest on firm scientific foundations, and so my grip on it is loose. I definitely can be convinced to let it go… I just haven’t been yet. 😜
Here’s a basic intro to trigger points, and a deep dive into the controversies. (That article makes skeptics think I’m on their team, and trigger point therapists think I’m on theirs. But I haven’t been on anyone’s “team” on this topic for a decade!)