Health Websites that Deliver

Whether you're researching information for yourself or a loved one, or performing research for writing, you are undoubtedly seeking information that is unbiased, accurate, and dependable. When doing a search in a search engine, you'll likely end up with hundreds of thousands, if not a million or more, responses.

There are many reliable websites that provide comprehensive information for the reader, from the lay person to the health professional.

Biased Health Information

Depending on the health topic you are searching, many of the responses from your query will be from companies or individuals with a purpose, which is either to sway you to their way of thinking or to sell a product or service. It is unlikely that these sites will present more than one side of the coin, and as we know in health care, it's often important to not only examine both sides of the coin, but the edge as well.

Some of the these sites will provide fair information; it will just be important to remember to look further still to ensure you find unbiased information on the topic to enable you to make an objective decision.

Mayo Clinic

I've found myself utilizing the Mayo Clinic website over and over due to the comprehensiveness of the information provided, the ease of using the site itself, and the ready digestibility of the information provided there. The site provides a good starting place to begin to gather the health information you are seeking.

The Mayo Clinic site provides information on diseases and conditions, a symptom checker, info on drugs and supplements, tests and procedures, and healthy living. After reading the information provided, you'll have a good understanding of the basics and more about whatever topic you are researching.

The University of Maryland Medical Center

The University of Maryland Medical Center's website is another site that I've found myself using more than once. The medical center is a teaching hospital and the site has a wealth of information in its health library. Searchable areas within this portion of the website are: medical references, cancer overviews, drug/medication information, health calculators and an audio/video library.

Under the medical references option, you have access to both English and Spanish medical encyclopedias and the pregnancy center; a drug interaction checker; a complementary and alternative medicine guide; care guides and more.

The cancer overview section has listings of every type of cancer imaginable, with information about the disease and treatment options. The audio/video library section lists topics ranging from blood pressure to nutrition to mental health.

Merck Manual Online

The Merck Manual has been a go-to reference for health professionals since it was first published in 1899. It's now available online and provides comprehensive medical information. The manual and the site are written, updated and edited by physicians.

The information provided at the Merck Manual Online site is written using more medical and scientific terminology than the Mayo Clinic or University of Maryland Medical Center sites, but is not so technical that useful information can still be gleaned by the lay person.

The site is sectioned by medical specialties such as geriatrics, infectious diseases, and pediatrics, but is also searchable by terms.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is a part of the National Institutes of Health. The NCCAM web site literally provides information from acupuncture to yoga. The site provides information on the latest research involving complementary and alternative medicine as well as providing information on specifics within these areas such as dietary supplements and herbs.

Additional Reliable Health Information Resources

These sites represent a mere handful of the comprehensive, objective health information that can be found on the web. Many conditions have websites that were created by support groups for people with those conditions. Nearly all medical specialties and sub-specialties have at least one medical website with information pertaining directly to those topics.

The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet are two medical journals published online weekly, containing the most recent research and opinions on myriads of medical topics.

Sources: Mayo Clinic
Merck Manual Online
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
University of Maryland Medical Center