Top Health Websites
Here’s a comprehensive list of the top websites for all your health and wellness questions:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov
The CDC, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, deals with preventing and controlling disease, injury and disability and its website ably reflects this mission. One of the best government websites on the Internet, its coverage is broad. Its “Diseases and Conditions” section covers major chronic and many infectious diseases including AIDS, bird flu, common childhood diseases like measles and more exotic diseases like Ebola. Birth defects, traveler’s health, emergency preparedness, vaccine and immunization information, accidents and injury information, infectious diseases and workplace safety and health are all covered. Rich in information and colorfully illustrated, it also provides information in Spanish.
The Cleveland Clinic Health Information Center
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/default.aspx
Produced by the Cleveland Clinic to benefit patients, the general public, and healthcare professionals, this site offers nearly 5,000 articles, videos, podcasts and tools for managing your health. A Health Information Search Specialist can answer questions via a live chat service Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 1:30 pm EST (except holidays).
Familydoctor.org
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en.html
The content on FamilyDoctor.org is intended for all individuals who are seeking reliable health information and is written at a 6th to 8th grade reading level. Content specifically for children and teens is also available on the site. All information has been written and reviewed by physicians and patient education professionals at the American Academy of Family Physicians. Conditions and diseases can be searched by name, symptom, or age most commonly affected.
Hardin M.D.
http://hardinmd.lib.uiowa.edu/
This subject directory of health website links is maintained by the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa. A special focus on medical pictures makes this site unique.
Healthfinder
http://www.healthfinder.gov/
Managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, healthfinder.gov provides reliable information culled from approximately 1,400 health-related organizations. Features of note include tools for finding health services and support, National Health Observances toolkits, and information about what is covered under health care reform.
Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
MayoClinic.com offers a wealth of easy-to-understand health and medical information. In addition to comprehensive disease and condition guides the site includes descriptions of drugs, supplements, tests, and procedures; healthy living guides; a symptom checker; and expert blogs.
MedlinePlus
http://www.medlineplus.gov
The National Library of Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health, created and maintains MedlinePlus to assist consumers in locating authoritative health information. The first place to go when seeking information MedlinePlus pages offer carefully selected links to web resources with health information on more than 900 topics. The A.D.A.M. medical encyclopedia includes images, videos, and over 4,000 brief articles. Drug and supplement information, a medical dictionary, patient education interactive tutorials, and links to health information in multiple languages are also provided.
NetWellness
http://www.netwellness.org
NetWellness, a nonprofit consumer health website, provides more than 55,000 pages of high quality information created and evaluated by medical and health professional faculty at the University of Cincinnati, Case Western Reserve University and the Ohio State University. Its “Ask An Expert” feature is a question and answer service provided by numerous health care professionals of the three universities.
HealthyWomen
http://www.healthywomen.org/
HealthyWomen (formerly the National Women’s Health Resource Center) is a nonprofit, national clearinghouse for women’s health information. It develops original health materials and content for women and provides links to related news. Features: Ask the Expert column, womenTALK blogs, discussion groups, free newsletters, videos and podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, and apps.
National Institutes of Health: Women’s Health
http://health.nih.gov/category/WomensHealth
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is “the nation’s medical research agency.” Its Women’s Health webpage provides links to articles, guides, factsheets, and other resources on women’s health as well as related topics, by various institutes within the agency. A search can be done within the Women’s Health category as well as of all NIH health topics. NIH Health Topics A-Z browsing feature is also available.
American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.healthychildren.org
The American Academy of Pediatrics provides information about health topics, diseases and conditions, child development, and child safety.
Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alternative-medicine/SA00078
This site offers basic information about various alternative therapies and tips for evaluating them and making informed decisions.
MedlinePlus
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/complementaryandalternativemedicine.html
This MedlinePlus page has information on alternative therapies, including videos about acupuncture and information about herbs and supplements in the Drug Information section.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Integrative Medicinehttp://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer center provides information for patients interested in adding alternative therapies to their treatment regimens. The site includes information for pediatric and senior patients.
Information provided by CAPHIS, the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section, is a section of the Medical Library Association, an association of health information professionals with more than 5,000 individual and institution members. MLA fosters excellence in the professional achievement and leadership of health sciences library and information professionals to enhance the quality of health care, education, and research.