Searching for health information online? Start with our list of the best medical Web sites and blogs
Some 75 percent of Web searchers fail to determine the source of the medical information they're finding, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project, even though some Web sites are a conduit for selling medicine and herbs. Here are some trustworthy destinations.
Everyday Health
Combined with its new sister site revolutionhealth.com, this is one of the most visited general medical Web sites. Like the other giant in the field, webmd.com, it supplies comprehensive health information and breaking news.
National Women's Health Information Center
This Department of Health and Human Services site is devoted to women. Tools provide guidelines for screening tests, help you figure out your risk of a heart attack in the next 10 years, and let you calculate your BMI.
HealthCentral
The niftiest feature here is a symptom checker. You say you've got a swollen toe; it asks questions (was it recently injured? do you also have a fever?), then offers likely possibilities (infection, gout).
PubMed
This searchable database from the National Institutes of Health allows you to read abstracts of original medical studies. You can often link to the full articles (sometimes for a fee).
BeWell
Anyone can write a blog, but can you trust the advice? For this new site, the answer is a resounding yes. Regular discourses on midlife women's health are written by such luminaries as Nancy L. Snyderman, MD, and JoAnn Manson, MD. A neat feature: BeWell in Color, aimed at people of color.
Patients Like Me
This site features forums on MS, fibromyalgia, and mental health. Other great sites for linking up with fellow patients are diabetes.org and cancer.org. Remember, though, that anything you learn from "sickinseattle" must be vetted by your health professional.
Give Your Doc a Checkup
Scope out potential physicians -- and the hospitals where they practice -- with these helpful Web sites.
Docboard.org
A topnotch and free site where you can find out if your doctor is board-certified (she should be certified in her specialty), where she was trained, and whether she's been disciplined by a medical board.
Whynotthebest.org
How does the hospital where your doctor will treat you compare with others nearby? The nonprofit Commonwealth Fund provides the answer for key measures of safety and quality for nearly 4,500 hospitals around the country. This new, free Web site is designed for healthcare professionals, but it's a boon to consumers as well.
Castleconnolly.com
Want a physician who's highly recommended by her peers? Find top specialists in the 20,000 best docs database, from the folks who put out those "America's Top Doctors" lists ($9.95 for a one-day search; a more limited option is free).
Originally published in MORE magazine, April 2009.