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If you or a family member must cope with a chronic or life-threatening disease, the Internet is a wonderful place to search for health resources. Health-Minder has organized a whole database of them which you can access and add to from the menu item PHONE|Resources. How do we decide which resources to include? How should you decide whether or not to add a resource? Here are some guidelines we at Health-Minder use to screen sites to eliminate those that might give health disinformation.
· Consider the source: Universities, medical centers, and government agencies host the majority of dependable sites. If the site's author claims medical expertise, what are his or her credentials? Does the author have an advanced degree in a medically-related subject from a university accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)?
· Consider the motive: Does the author of the site stand to benefit financially from sales of products--brand-name dietary supplements, meal-replacements bars, a newsletter--related to his/her recommendations? Be cautious about any site used to market herbs or dietary supplements. Although some are useful, many of these sites (a)fail to disclose all relevant facts, (b) sell products that lack a rational use, and/or (c) fail to provide advice indicating who should not use the products. Be wary of sites that sell homeopathic substances or promote "alternative" medicine or "natural" or "holistic" treatments. There are some helpful therapies that fall into this category, but many are worthless. Often such sites will claim that the American Medical Association is against their "discovery" because their cures would cut into the incomes that doctors make by keeping people sick.
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