How to Find Reliable Health Info Online

By Stacy Simon When you’re facing a serious illness, the Internet can be a valuable resource. A good online search can help you find answers to your questions and connect you with people and resources to help when you need it most. But a bad search can get you wrong or outdated facts, medical information that may not apply to you, or even worse, an invitation to be scammed when you’re most vulnerable. Here are some ways to stay savvy as you search online: Look for trustworthy and reliable websites as your sources. Sites affiliated with government agencies, hospitals, universities, and major public health and health advocacy organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, are often the best places to find quality information on the disease. These organizations work to provide fact-based articles that are reviewed by noted experts and updated often. Check with the Health On the Net Foundation (HON). HON is an organization based in Switzerland whose mission is to guide people to useful and reliable online medical and health information. Participating websites must agree to abide by an ethical code of conduct, which covers things like authorship, documentation of materials, and sponsorship of the site. Be suspicious of websites that make claims of “miraculous cures” or “secret ingredients” only available from one company, sites that feature stories of people who have had amazing results from a product without showing clear scie...
Source: American Cancer Society :: News and Features - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: General Information Source Type: news