FRAMEWORK: VV CLAIM BOUNDARY MATRIX v1.0
A matrix for making the exact claim visible.
The Claim Boundary Matrix is the public framework behind the Health Claim Ledger. It asks what the claim actually says, what stronger wording would overreach, what weaker wording would still be true, and what evidence would change the judgment.
What this framework is for
VV Claim Boundary Matrix v1.0 is for keeping a reviewed claim bounded by evidence confidence, source quality, applicability, overclaim risk, harm risk, and graph support.
What the score does not mean
It does not decide what a reader should do medically.
It does not make public votes part of evidence confidence.
It does not turn a mechanism, anecdote, or observational association into a clinical outcome claim.
Score bands
The paired VV Claim Integrity Score uses 85-100 Strongly Supported Claim, 70-84 Supported With Boundaries, 55-69 Partly Supported / Context-Dependent, 40-54 Uncertain Claim, and below 40 Unsupported or Overstated.
Gates and caps
Mechanism-to-outcome claims are capped unless clinical outcome evidence exists.
Observational evidence needs association-level wording.
High overclaim and high harm risk require explicit limitations, weakeners, and safety or regulatory context.
What the Matrix Separates
Exact statement
Strongest supportable wording
Weakest still-true wording
What would change the assessment
What supports the claim
What weakens or limits it
Why Claim Boundaries Matter
Most health hype begins when a narrow claim becomes a broad claim. The matrix keeps mechanism separate from outcome, association separate from causation, and source-backed evidence separate from public pressure.
Relationship to Other Frameworks
The Claim Boundary Matrix borrows evidence discipline from VV Evaluation Matrix v1.0, source-lane discipline from VV Source Trust Matrix v1.0, and study-boundary discipline from VV Study Evidence Matrix v1.0. The Claim Integrity Score is the claim-ledger scoring output.
VV Claim Boundary Matrix v1.0
Use the Viral Vitalism framework system to make health claims clearer, more contextual, and easier to evaluate.
Viral Vitalism is an educational publication, not medical advice.