Drugs Nutrition Diagnoses and More
12 Sites that you can trust!
The
Facts
www.merckhomeedition.com
The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy is considered a bible for physicians. Its sister book, The Merck Manual of Medical Info0rmation - Second Home Edition is now on the Web, and its the most comprehensive source of medical information for consumers. This site should be especially beneficial for people who have just been diagnosed with an ailment and want to know more about it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is a good starting point when you want the lowdown on children's health and disease. Go to "You and Your Family" page for links to info about topics like car seats, immunizations, and sports injuries.
The National Women's Health Information Center site covers more than 200 topics and includes special sections on issues such as body image, heart health, and pregnancy. This site is a project of the Department of Health Human Services' Office on Woman's Health, and includes links to sites run by medical associations and support groups. This is a smart first destination, although its not as deep and helpful as some might like.
Testing
1,2,3
www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm
Certain medical procedures, like a mammogram or Pap smear, may detect potentially serious problems that are treatable in their early stages. The US Preventive Services Task Force site is the place to get the consensus of public health officials and hundreds of other experts on test and treatments for more than 80 potentially preventable diseases and conditions.
Is My Bug
Contagious?
www.cdc.gov
The Web site of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a public health clearinghouse. The searchable "CDC Recommends" link (on the left side of the home page) contains both current and archived guidlines for preventing and treating diseases, injuries, and disabilities.
What
Good To Eat?
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/
The US Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Information Center is an intelligent place to find dietary guidelines and details about the food pyramid. The "Food Consumption" link leads to a searchable database where you can learn the nutrient content of just about any food. It'll tell you a chocolate milkshake is packed with calcium and potassium for example, but has no vitamin C.
Is
Your Prescription Safe?
www.familydoctor.org/druginfo.xml
The Drug Information Database at the American Academy of Family Physicians site will tell you what a drug can do, how to take it, when not to take it, and what adverse effects it might have. More than 7,000 prescription and nonprescription drugs are covered. Also, you can check whether drugs you're taking or considering interfere with other substances.
Heart
Smarts
www.americanheart.org
The American Heart Association (AHA) site offers a wide array of practical information. Its "Heart and Stroke Encyclopedia" covers hundreds of topics - like "Alcohol, Wine, and Cardiovascular Disease, Fad Diets, and Target Heart Rates.
Clarity on
Cancer
www.cancer.org
The American Cancer Society (ACS) site, which has more than than 17,000 pages, is even more comprehensive that the AHA site.
Natural
Remedies
www.naturaldatabase.com
With the exception of what you'll find at the American Cancer Society site, most of the infromation on the Internet about comnplementary and alternative medicine is not accurate. But fortunately, there are a few reliable sites. For credible information about dietary and supplements and herbs try the National Medicines Comprehensice Database. The catch: You have to pay
Herb
Search for Free
www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm
For a no-cost,unbiased look at herbs, dietary supplements, and alternative cancer tretments, try this Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center site. Its not as deep as the Natural Medicines Comprehensive DataBase.