Medical information found on the Internet may be used to prepare for a visit to a physician or to better understand a diagnosis or treatment. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical care and should not be used to diagnose or manage one's own health concerns. If you have or suspect you have a health problem, and/or wish to commence or modify any medical treatment, consult your health care provider.
Beware of commercially-motivated and poorly focused consumer health resources. Look for a reputable sponsor of the page, uptodatedness, and ease of navigation. Before you begin searching the Internet for health information, be sure to take a look at these sites, which will teach you how to assess consumer health websites' information and products:
Finding the Answers to Your Health Questions (University of Connecticut Health Center)
The purpose of this website is to teach you how to search for medical information, how to evaluate the websites you find, and how to understand the information that you read.
Quackwatch
A guide to quackery, health fraud, and intelligent decisions regarding your health.
Additionally, the Consumer Health Journal is a free, online monthly journal dedicated to providing in-depth health information to consumers. It attempts to publish information that is otherwise difficult to find.
BE SURE TO CHECK THE GENERAL MEDICAL WEBSITES IN ADDITION TO THOSE LISTED UNDER MORE SPECIFIC TOPICS.
This website offers an introduction to medical terminology. The fast-paced and easy-to-use tutorial focuses on word roots and parts, memory shortcuts, and abbreviations to assist users in understanding medical conversation and jargon.
On this site you will find information from Reuters, the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Society, etc. on mental and physical health, news, drug interactions, insurance, clinical trials, prevention, diseases and conditions. drkoop.com also has bibliographies and message boards.
The staff of the Hardin Library at the University of Iowa has put together a wonderful list of websites divided into the following topics: general consumer health resources, alternative/complementary medicine, databases, drug information, medical tests and procedures, clinical trials, quackery/fraud/urban legends. This is one of the top ten consumer health websites.
HealthyPeople 2010 is a statement of national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and to establish national goals to reduce these threats.
Directed by Mayo Clinic physicians and updated daily, this page is divided into centers (allergy to working life); includes a cookbook, a free e-mail bulletin, and a basic textbook on many subjects including explanations of medical tests; tools, slide shows, quizzes.
MedicineNet's information is organized by diseases and conditions, symptoms and signs, procedures and tests, and medications (non-prescription and prescription drugs). You can also look up medical definitions in its medical dictionary. This site is written by physicians.
Covers many health topics and includes dictionaries and glossaries, news items, adam.com medical encyclopedia with an extensive library of medical images, tutorials, information about specific diseases and conditions, and links to other types and sources of information.
The full text of the manual's 2nd home edition explains disorders, who is likely to get them, their symptoms, how they're diagnosed, how they might be prevented, and how they can be treated. It also provides information about prognosis and includes drug tables, illustrations, and anatomical drawings.
(University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, and Case Western Reserve University) Basic health information, including an excellent illustrated health encyclopedia and an African-American health page. The site also includes an explanation of clinical trials.
Disease-specific, high quality full-text health documents for consumers. Information is provided by hospitals, the National Cancer Institute, the NYC Department of Health, etc.
The Reports of the Surgeon General website contains official reports, conference and workshop reports, and proceedings from the Office of the Surgeon General.
Revolution Health offers more than 100 tools to help people stay healthy. These include storage and management of personal health records, telephone services, disease information, articles, forums, calculators, a physician finder, symptom checkers, and much more.
WebMD is one of the most popular consumer websites. On it you can find health and wellness news, support communities, and interactive health management tools. You can also participate in real-time discussions with experts and with other people who share similar health conditions or concerns.
WELL-CONNECTED is a library of reports on common diseases and wellness issues. Each report is an in-depth discussion of the latest information on treatments, risk factors, causes, diagnostic tests, and preventative measures.
Prevline (National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information)
Includes latest research, statistics, news, and a searchable databases of the Clearinhouse's publications.
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)
Resources for people with or at risk for substance abuse and/or mental illness. Explains public policies on, contacts for, advice on, links to programs for substance abuse treatments, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, criminal rehabilitation, etc.
NIAAA's website provides pamphlets, brochures, and answers to frequently asked questions dealing with alcohol use and abuse. Also includes referral information and clinical trials data.
You'll find here a wealth of information for parents, teachers, and students on news, research, common drugs of abuse, and mental health and substance abuse disorders that often occur together. Includes a list of related websites.
AARP is a United States non-profit organization dedicated to the interests of older persons (aged 50 and up). Among its many activities, it advances the interests of aging populations through lobbying. It also negotiates reduced rates vacations, and medical and automobile insurance.
Information for older persons and their families regarding AOA programs and services; also includes information about legislation, and help for caregivers.
A service of the National Institute on Aging, this organization gives you access to research updates, fact sheets, research and technical reports, a clinical trials database, and resources for information and referrals.
Depression in Older Adults: There are several excellent websites, listed below:
This award-winning website offers a regional directory of assistance organizations, very helpful legal and financial information, and information on diseases and conditions, statistics, medication, caregiving, and a multitude of other topics. This site is in compliance with accessibility guidelines.
A truly incredible website offering links to other sites dealing with health; consumer protection; education, jobs, and volunteerism; laws and regulations; retirement and money; taxes, travel and leisure. It also provides a list of links to federal and state agencies. This site is a must if you are looking for helpful information for seniors.
On this website you can find simple explanations of conditions from Alzheimers to Stroke. Added features include the ability to change text size and screen contrast, and to turn on the speech function so that the text is read to you.
The National Sleep Foundation explains problems as they relate to hot flashes, snoring, medical problems, and dementia, and makes some suggestions for resolution of those problems.
Contains a tremendous number of links to asthma, allergy, and intolerance information on the web. In addition, you will find links to organizations, publications, events, and products.
On this website, you can search by condition, or read about the topic of the month or current health headlines. The site also contains information specific to kids and seniors.
This well-known institution offers information for consumers on bronchitis, hay fever, chronic obstructive lung disease, smoking cessation, sleep disorders, parenting the asthmatic child, croup. Offers free booklets on a variety of topics such as allergy, asthma, chronic bronchitis.
Information on herbs, dietary supplements, vitamins and minerals, interactions and toxicity; contains in-depth monographs, clinical information summaries, and patient fact sheets.
General information about alternative and complementary therapies, links to research centers currently conducting studies on alternative therapies for addiction, aging, AIDS, cancer, asthma, stroke, and neurologic conditions.
You might want to check this website before buying certain alternative medicine products, believing certain alternative medicine "gurus" or using certain alternative medicine methods.
Medical news related to cancer research. Information about this organization's counseling and educational programs. Help in dealing with financial needs. The site contains many links to other sites.
Research and clinical updates, information on specific types of cancer and their risk factors, diagnoses, staging, prognoses, treatment options, clinical trials, supportive resources, and social issues.
Many links to excellent sites with information on all types of cancers. The links include websites dealing with genetics, emotional support, treatments, advocacy and legislation, alternative medicine; insurance;and more.
Inside Cancer, created by Cold Spring Harbor's Dolan DNA Learning Center, is an interactive, animated, and textual introduction to cancer biology. Brief audiovisual clips of scientists add insidghts and interest to beautifully presented and easily understood information.
An online resource of the University of California-San Francisco, the Library and Center for Knowledge Management contains more than twenty million previously classified pages from tobacco industry files.
Learn about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments for mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lung, which is caused
by exposure to asbestos.
Inside Cancer, created by Cold Spring Harbor's Dolan DNA Learning Center, is an interactive, animated, and textual introduction to cancer biology. Brief audiovisual clips of scientists add insidghts and interest to beautifully presented and easily understood information.
An online resource of the University of California-San Francisco, the Library and Center for Knowledge Management contains more than twenty million previously classified pages from tobacco industry files.
In addition to a lot of basic information regarding different types of cancers, this website lists clinical trials, and provides statistics and news about cancer research.
This website provides information on clinical trials and cancer drugs. It includes patient guidelines, a physician directory; news about cancer research, and a long list of links to cancer resources on the Internet.
An award winning site, Oncolink provides information on specific types of cancer, support, screening and prevention, clinical trials, global resources. It also answers frequently asked questions, and lists recommended reading material.
For professionals and consumers, information on child and adult congenital heart disease, links to Internet resources, book reviews, and support services and resources for parents.
Articles on pregnancy, breastfeeding, baby care, adolescence, children's health and education, family activities, a pregnancy calendar that explains what to expect throughout pregnancy, and more. Chat rooms for parents and personalized advice from a doctor, midwife, teacher, and nutritionist.
In addition to providing information on clinical trials and new treatments, this site has a kids online section that includes pen pals, polls, and stories.
Brought to you by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, this website helps to prevent unreasonable risks of injuries to children associated with consumer products.
Search for information on 1,500 current research studies on cancer. Includes information defining clinical trials, how to search for studies, and how to participate.
Matching and referral service for clinical trials at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
With detailed information on nearly 12,000 community resources on Long Island, the CRD is a comprehensive online directory of health, education, social, and human service agencies and programs on Long Island.
Brought to you by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, this website helps to prevent unreasonable risks of injuries to children associated with consumer products.
This consumer advocacy organization, partnered with The Health Research Group, "uses research and public education to promote system-wide changes in health care policy." Look here for "questionable doctors," medical devices, information on drug and food safety, and many other health topics.
Translating diabetes research into daily practice, the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion's website offers answers to frequently asked questions, statistics, and summaries of CDC projects. The website inludes news about diabetes,and links to relevant websites, publications, and products.
Information on the types and causes of diabetes, medications and alternative therapies, tips for control, tools such as a body mass indicator calculator, and many useful products that can be purchased from the website.
Provides news and information on health, federal programs, and research; has links to other organizations, clinical trials, federal programs, and advocacy.
An excellent website that provides links to government agencies, organizations, support groups, legal information, directories, information on employment, and much more.
This website integrates information about specific disabilities, support groups, publications, research programs, recreational activities, and much, much more.
A compilation of disability resources by state; research summaries; and information on various topics such as autism, relevant US education laws, and learning disabilities. The site has an interesting newsletter that provides information on particular disabilities and offers many links to other helpful website.
This is an online gateway to an abundance of disability- and rehabilitation-oriented information. There are three searchable databases: REHABDATA has publication abstracts; NIDRR Project Database has information on all projects funded by NIDRR; and the NARIC Knowledgebase is a collection of resources for information and referral. On this site you will also find publications of the Center, descriptions of services it offers, and a Did You Know column.
Consumer Drug Information Sheets posted on this site give general information about newly approved prescription drugs. This government site also provides information on prescription, generic, and over-the-counter drug products, including advice on buying drugs on the Internet and outside the United States.
You will find more than 7000 drugs, with product information that includes conditions for which you should take the drug, proper dosage, information for women who are breast feeding, potential side effects, pharmacology, and warnings.
PDRhealth.com provides prescription drug information for consumers as well as information on diseases, conditions, clinical trials, a drug interaction checker, and more.
Profiles of 300 drugs currently approved by the FDA; RxList's drug monographs are more complete than those at other similar sites. The website has a search engine that allows searching by drug name, keyword, imprint code, NDC, pill ID, side effects, or drug interactions.
Public Citizen's Health Research Group provides reliable information on more than 600 top selling drugs including 185 that they recommend you not use; an online searchable database; recommendations on safer alternatives to harmful drugs; alerts about newly discovered drug dangers, and more. A year's subscription costs $15.
"In our central position in the genetics community, we are able to empower individuals and advocacy organizations to help better the lives of their constituents: individuals and families living with genetic conditions."
Each genetic condition page links to summaries for genes that are related to that condition. You'll also find a glossary to help you understand the technical terms found in each summary. In addition, for each condition, there are multiple links to other sites that provide information for that condition.
Nursing home contact information, immunization schedules, and how to obtain birth and death records, and free HIV testing and counseling, and much, much more.
The Health Information Resource Database includes 1,100 organizations and government offices that provide health information upon request, list of publications and telephone numbers, and Healthy People 2010.
A gateway to the extensive resources of federal agencies, publications, health hotlines, clinical trials, health literature references, and to other sites.
An incredible source of information from the federal government, including dictionaries, statistics, health policies, and guidelines. There is also a wealth of information on topics such as disasters and emergencies, diseases, drugs, vaccines, Medicaid, and domestic violence.
Some general information on headache as it relates to women and to children; information on prevention, help in finding physicians and support groups. The site also offers a discussion forum and a glossary.
For professionals and consumers groups, this webiste provides information, support services, and resources to families of children with congenital heart defects and acquired heart disease, and to adults with congenital heart defects.
A searchable database of hospices with websites. The site also has many links to caregiving and advocacy resources; useful articles; various publications including videos and manuals; and grief workshops.
A great site for kids that explains the work of the FDA, food and drug news, and select special topics such as "All About Vaccines" and "What to Do About Flu." It also includes games and Yorick, a skeleton that explains medical devices.
Attractive and fun site that offers information on protection against and emergency action during disasters (floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, thunderstorms, volcanoes, earthquakes, wild fires, winter storms, AND national security emergencies). It prepares the reader to put together a home supply kit and to protect pets and other animals. The site also includes games and quizzes.
Directed at a teenage/college-age audience, Go Ask Alice! Is the world's leading health question and answer service with an archive of over 2500 straightforward and in-depth responses to questions sent anonymously to Alice!'s e-mail box.
In addition to providing information on clinical trials and new treatments, this site has a kids online section that includes pen pals, polls, and stories.
This wonderfully illustrated site from Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri, provides easy to understand explanations of what to expect from same-day surgery, exam room visits, and overnight hospital stays.
APA's Help Center offers facts on mental health and disorders, including work related issues, teen violence, family relationships, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, and schizophrenia. It also has guides on choosing a therapist and what to expect from therapy.
This is the site of the nation's largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons affected by serious mental illness. Here you will find information on policy, research, books, meetings, and news concerning psychological disorders.
This site provides good, basic information on many psychological disorders; and information on advocacy, prevention, referral, public education, and legislative alerts on public policies affecting people with mental illness.
Top medical news stories of the week with links to related CNN stories and to other websites. The webiste allows for keyword searching of its entire database.
Healthcare 411 is a news series produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Using the latest podcasting technology, these weekly audio and video programs feature AHRQ’s latest research findings as news and informational stories on current health care topics. Healthcare 411 gives consumers information they can use to improve the quality of their health care and help them navigate the health care system..
NIH News in Health is a free monthly newsletter bringing you practical health information based on research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the nation's medical research agency.
"The Pyramid illustrates the research-based food guidance system developed by the USDA and supported by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It goes beyond the Ôbasic four food groupsÕ to help you put the Dietary Guidelines into action."
Searchable by name or specialty of licensed MDs and DOs, the site provides address, phone number, specialty, confirmation of board certification, AMA membership, education, training, and type of practice.
This free service enables a patient to contact his or her physician for non-emergencies without annoying telephone calls. It is not intended for medical advice, consultations, or replacement of office visits.
This office investigates complaints about physicians, physician assistants, and specialist assistants. You can search individuals to see whether there have been complaints made or actions taken against them.
You can browse or search for ingredients in and dangers of common household items including personal and pet care products, pesticides, household cleaners, and auto products.
This is a resource center that serves to inform and educate the public and professionals on drugs and substances related to poisonings. It also offers drug and herbal product information. It is not an emergency service.
The "Dermatology A-Z" section has brief explanations of dermatological vocabulary and conditions; and a Kids section for simplified explanations and advice.
From the American Association of Clinical Chemistry comes this website that explains what particular tests are, why and when to get tested, and what the results mean.
Overview of transplantation of specific organs, legal and ethical issues of transplantation, news, many references, an index with links to related sites, support, and personal stories.
The Registry monitors and evaluates advances in transplant surgery techniques and organ preservation, improvements in matching donor organs with recipients, and developments in immunosuppressive therapies in order to reduce the size of the waiting list and to improve transplant outcomes.
Detection and prevention, sentinel node biopsies, explanation of several types of reconstructive surgery; support groups, services, products (such as wigs); and information for Breast cancer patients.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Women's Health (OWH) serves as a champion for women's health both within and outside the agency. On its website, it offers much free material on health topics as they relate specifically to women, such as: menopausal hormone therapies and progress in treating uterine fibroids. It also has a number of one-page brochures on topics from accidents to whole-body CT scanning.
An interesting website that provides the Women's Health USA Databooks, which "selectively include emerging issues and trends in women's health. Data and information on health care quality, women in clinical trials, organ donation, and hormone therapy are a few of the new topics included."
The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition has been committed to fighting the breast cancer epidemic through education, outreach, advocacy, spearheading changes to legislation affecting cancer issues, and continuously raising money to support innovative epidemiological cancer research projects at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories.
Sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services, this site links you to reliable and timely government and non-government resources on women's health.
"Facts for Families" provides easy to understand fact sheets describing psychiatric disorders. They are in English and Spanish. Link to similar items in Dutch, French Polish, and Icelandic are offered.
Many links to excellent sites with information on all types of cancers. The links include websites dealing with genetics, emotional support, treatments, advocacy and legislation, alternative medicine; insurance;and more.
The purpose of this website is to educate consumers about the proper use of nonprescription and prescription medicines, dietary supplements, home safety and personal health. It contains some information in Spanish.
Health Road Media, a partnership of organizations in North Dakota and Minnesota, offers free audio, written, and multimedia materials in plain, easy-to-read language. Health information is available in: Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, English, Farsi, French, Khmer, Korean, Kurdish, Kurundi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
Healthfinder
(US Dept. of Health and Human Services)
Government-sponsored fact sheets on healthcare and diseases; includes links to other websites, self-help groups, and clearinghouses.
Covers many health topics and includes dictionaries and glossaries; news items; adam.com medical encyclopedia with an extensive library of medical images; and links to other types and sources of information.
In addition to much basic information regarding different types of cancers, this website lists clinical trials, and provides statistics and news about cancer research.
NIAAA's website provides pamphlets, brochures, and answers to frequently asked questions dealing with alcohol use and abuse. It also includes referral information and clinical trials data.>
This is an online gateway to an abundance of disability- and rehabilitation-oriented information. There are three searchable databases: REHABDATA has publication abstracts; NIDRR Project Database has information on all projects funded by NIDRR; and the NARIC Knowledgebase is a collection of resources for information and referral. There are also lists of publications, descriptions of services offered by the center, and a "Did You Know" column.
Disease-specific, high quality full-text health documents. Information is provided by hospitals, the National Cancer Institute, the NYC Department of Health, etc.
Consumer @ction is an non-profit organization that publishes educational materials in Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese and other languages.
"The EthnoMed site contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and other related issues pertinent to the health care of recent immigrants, many of whom are refugees fleeing war-torn parts of the world."
This site provides links to information in Russian on over 100 medical topics, information on childhood medical topics such as diaper rash and coughs; and vaccine information sheets.
This easy-to-read pamphlet and medicine-tracking chart can be used to learn more about taking medicines correctly. It is written in many languages including: Cambodian, Chinese, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Polish, Samoan, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
This website provides answers to many common questions regarding aging, including Medicare, Medicaid, and long term care, and includes some articles in Asian languages.
