Finding Truthful Health Information Online

Having the Internet is a wonderful information source that did not exist many years ago. There is information there that was only in medical libraries a decade ago. The problem is which information is accurate and up to date? That's the dilemma we face as we look up our illness and health questions on the web. How do we safely get the health information we need?

It seems to be an automatic response when looking for information on the Internet. We go to our favorite search engine be it Google, Yahoo, AOL, or MSN. And why not, you say to yourself, since they have been so successful in locating the information you've been seeking. The problem is they can return both good information and bad information. The search engine does not discriminate between good info and bad info. They only supply information. The data you get may be outdated, harmful, or deliberately misleading.

There's an interesting initiative being started by the American College of Physicians Foundation and the National Library of Medicine. They are encouraging doctors to give their patients prescriptions that list credible websites and terms for the patient to use when they search. See if you doctor is aware of this program the next time you visit.

Wherever you go for your health information, don't be mislead by a glamorous looking website. The address ending can give you clues. A ".gov" ending means a government site; an ".edu" ending means an educational site; and an ".org" ending means a nonprofit site (most do but not all). These three letter address endings are usually credible since they have no commercial product to push.

There are also two organizations that have set standards for the way medical information is presented online. The websites that have their seal of approval have met high standards for privacy, security, and responsibility. While not every good health website is accredited by these two organizations, those that are can be trusted. The two organizations are Health of the Net (HON) at www.hon.ch, a Swiss nonprofit and URAC at www.urac.org, headquartered in Washington, DC.

Health information and news online is a huge business. The free site WebMD at www.webmd.com is probably the largest provider of health information. You can bet there are lots of commercial interests who want to advertise on this site. To the credit of WebMD, they keep a strict separation between the news they provide and the advertising they accept. To be a good, smart consumer, however, it's best to always ask yourself who would gain money for the information you read online. Look for the words "advertisement" or "sponsored by" on the section you are reading.

Many of the sites you visit looking for health information will ask you for your email address. One way these sites make money is to sell your email address to other companies. There's nothing wrong with this as long as you know they are doing it. When registering for a site, look for a statement that says they do not share your personal information with other companies. Somewhere on the website there will be a privacy policy displayed. If you don't find it, be wary. You should think seriously about searching elsewhere.

Here is a list of credible health information websites. Treat this list as a great beginning to your search. There are lots of good, trustworthy sites out there.

American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org)
American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org)
American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org)
Family Doctor (www.familydoctor.org)
Healthfinder (www.healthfinder.gov)
National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov)
WebMD (www.webmd.com)