Internet Health Websites

[Guest guest]

How to Beat A Scary Diagnosis

by Carol Krucoff

For every good Internet health site, there are dozens of bad ones that

will give you wrong information or send you on a wild-goose chase. Below

are some of the good guys.

If you aren't wired, check your local library, or ask a friend with a

computer to help you. Numbers are listed for the few that provide

information over the phone.

1. Best Doctors, Inc., is a pioneering, independent physician-referral

service based in Arlington, VA. It offers free health information and

charges fees to help patients connect with the best medical care for

their specific concern. (www.bestdoctors.com)

2. National Women's Health Resource Center is a nonprofit organization

based in New Brunswick, NJ, that is dedicated to educating women about

health and wellness. Call toll-free (877) 98-NWHRC (986-9472) or go to

their web site www.healthywomen.org.

3. Healthfinder is a free gateway to reliable consumer health and human

services information developed by the US Department of Health and Human

Services. Refer to their web site at www.healthfinder.gov.

4. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, provides

publications and fact sheets about a host of health concerns, plus

information on clinical trials and activities at the various institutes

(www.nih.gov).

5. MEDLINE and MEDLINEplus offer up-to-date, quality health care

information from the world's largest medical library, the National

Library of Medicine at the NIH. MEDLINE is geared to health care

professionals, while MEDLINEplus is for anyone with a medical question.

You can find MEDLINE at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi and

MEDLINEplus at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus.

6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta offers a

variety of information about public health concerns, from the latest on

flu shots to protecting yourself when you're traveling. (www.cdc.gov)

7. The Mayo Clinic Web site provides health information with material

developed or reviewed by physicians and researchers from the Mayo Clinic,

which is based in Rochester, MN. (www.mayoclinic.com)