How are you feeling? Our research staff has evaluated hundreds of health and medical Web sites to help you find the best doctors; learn more about specific diseases, treatments and drugs; improve your wellness; diet and weight control; and research home health care alternatives for you or your parents. We've selected the best sites–the most useful and comprehensive of the bunch–and provided concise descriptions of each.
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If you're already getting your health care under the Original Medicare Plan (as opposed to a managed care plan), head here if you need to find a general physician or specialist near you who will take Medicare payment. You can search right down to ZIP code level and delve deeply into subspecialties to find that one doctor nearby who can handle your case. A real timesaver for Medicare participants.
Created to give consumers the tools -- for the first time -- to make intelligent, informed decisions about which doctor to choose. They provide the most thorough information and ratings on doctors of all kinds, in order to arm consumers with everything they need to determine which doctor to go to, as well as the kind of performance they can expect.
690,000. That's the number of doctors listed at this easily searchable site. Find your doctor by name and location, or search by specialty to find the right physician for you. (Doctors do not pay to be listed; they are all included.) Info pages outline the doctor's education, hospital affiliations, specialties, and, in some cases, office hours.
Like other doctor lookup sites, WebMD's directory includes hundreds of thousands of doctors searchable by location and specialty. What's different here is that doctors can pay for a premium listing that may include extra info, a photo, and even an automatic appointment service that lets you request an appointment and have it confirmed via e-mail. While at WebMD, browse around all its other useful medical information as well.
Very useful drug index, tt has an excellent search engine and provides information on both a consumer and professional level. Information on various disease categories is also provided as is Taber's Medical Encyclopedia. An advanced search engine is also available which allows searching by drug name, keyword, imprint code, NDC and medical terminology as well.
The drug information on PDR Health is written in lay terms and is based on the FDA-approved drug information found in the PDR. It gives consumers plain-English explanations for the safe and effective use of prescription and nonprescription drugs—explanations that are consistent with the information professionals are referencing in the PDR. Use this section to read about a drug your doctor may have prescribed to check for side effects, drug interactions, and other important information.
Attempts to bring together programs from the various pharmaceutical manufacturers to assist people who can't afford to purchase their prescriptions. Each company has its own program, special requirements, forms and procedures. To date, no central clearinghouse exists for obtaining information about the information or the drugs themselves. This site is an information source only.
Here's the lowdown not only on the most commonly used and abused illegal narcotics but also legal drugs—which is how it describes tobacco and alcohol—that millions indulge in to excess. An A to Z directory fills you on just about every illicit substance and all the crazy nicknames they go by.
PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 18 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals, to biomedical articles dating back to the 1950s. PubMed includes links to full text articles and other medicine related resources.
They provide free, easy-to-use tools to help you securely manage and make decisions about health care and prescription drug purchases for you and your family. DrX.com—your prescription for smarter health care purchases!
Dr. Doree Lynn’s Fifty & Furthermore
This interesting site is produced by noted psychologist Dr. Dorree Lynn, who writes eloquently on Boomer topics including sex after 50, spirituality, grief, and more, while also hosting expert writers on a wide variety of topics from tech to travel. There's lots of content, and it's fresh and updated regularly. A worthwhile stop in your Web surfing.
Developed and reviewed by Mayo Clinic physicians and scientists, this site hosts a wealth of evidence-based, up-to-date information on various health and disease conditions, as well as specific "Condition Centers", "Healthy Living Centers", and a number of healthy living tools such as a first-aid and self-care guide and a personal health scorecard. Personalization of website information is available via registration, although it is not necessary to register in order to access the site.
National Institutes of Health’s Health Topics A-Z listing is consistently ranked among the most credible in surveys of consumers and medical experts. Comprised of 27 separate Institutes and Centers (the National Cancer Institute, the National Eye Institute, the National Institute for Mental Health, to name a few), NIH concentrates consumer health data in its comprehensive Health Information section. Whether you're curious about drugs you've been prescribed, want to learn about the relationship between stress and heart disease or read the latest on the diabetes therapies, you'll find it here. Information is organized alphabetically by disease or condition.
Fast Stats A-Z (Center for Disease Control (CDC) - government sponsored websites that provides access to reputable disease specific information.
Leading online provider of health, medical, and wellness information. Their Medical Encyclopedia has been licensed by MEDLINEPlus. At this site, after choosing a topic, you can link through to an overview, a list of symptoms, treatments, and prevention. Each section has cross-reference links to other related conditions.
Developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthfinder® directs you to selected online publications, clearinghouses, databases, web sites, and support and self-help groups, as well as the government agencies and not-for-profit organizations that produce reliable information for the public.
Media company formed as a joint venture between Aetna U.S. HealthcareTM and the Johns Hopkins University Hospital and Harvard Medical School and University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. InteliHealth is a subsidiary of Aetna U.S. Healthcare. The information is drawn from reliable branded sources. All information and products on the site are looked at by a team of top medical experts before inclusion, to ensure reliability.
Geared towards physicians but patients can find an excellent medical library. The Medical Library covers a wide range of areas, from end-of-life care and respiratory conditions to preventative medicine and genetic disorders. Icons rate the depth of each entry, ranging from introductory health information to professional research. The Physical Finder allows you to look up doctors in your area, and those willing to communicate with patients online.
The Online interactive edition of "The Merck Manual of Medical Information—Home Edition", a comprehensive consumer text. The interactive edition takes a faster Internet connection and may not work on all browsers.
This site is also known as Allhealth.com and is part of the health channel of ivillage.com, the Women's Network. Basic health information is available.
Site providing consumers with highly personalized interactive tools, including custom newsletters, personalized health information pages and personalized risk assessments. HealthCentral is one of the few sites to actually feature a medical librarian. Rochelle Schmalz, MLS, answers individual e-mail from people around the world on how to find online health and medical information.
Creation of the American Academy of Family Physicians. This site offers patient education documents for common medical concerns and conditions. All of the information within familydoctor.org has been written and reviewed by physicians and patient education professionals at the American Academy of Family Physicians. The information is regularly reviewed and updated. The sections of the site include Health Info Handouts, AAFP Family Health Facts, Drug Information, Herbal and Alternative Remedies, FP Web Directory, and Self-Care Flowcharts.
Well known general health website with links to sources such as RxList (drug information) and Medscape (clinical articles).
Provides reliable doctor produced health and medical information designed to help you improve your health and well-being.
Former Surgeon General Koop's resources for health information. A wide variety of topics, an encyclopedia, pharmacopoeia, and resources guide.
A panel of unbiased medical and health experts rank the top diet websites. Check out the best sites for weight loss information and advice, diet plans and low calorie food choices. Learn more about the diets that work and the diets to avoid. “Consumer Reports” type methods utilized to objectively examine and rate each website. Find out what you are getting into before you invest time, energy and money into a diet plan. Each diet website evaluated for inclusion of content such as articles diet/weight management tools, calorie calculators and more.
Life Extension Foundation features health news and articles about mainstream and alternative medicine from its monthly publication. Peruse a library of health concerns and consumer health alerts from the FDA. Learn more about the latest anti-aging treatments and therapies, clinical research and funded research. Find health care facilities in your city in The Directory of Innovative Doctors and Health Practioners and The Directory of Innovative Clinics. LEF members can arrange for discounted blood tests, have their blood drawn anywhere in the U.S. and receive the actual results of their tests.
A great place to start when looking for reliable medical information. This site provides links to medical professionals, organizations, associations, institutions, journals, research education and more. Health care articles, liability and insurance coverage updates and patient doctor finder can be accessed on the AMA (American Medical Association) website. Access free medical journals, read about latest medical breakthroughs and clinical trials in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association).
Health and wellness professionals cover a wide variety of topics. Find out if you have a normal BMI, use the guide to cardio exercises, see which diet plans work, tips to maximize your metabolism, learn about the connection between exercise and brain function. Articles on “How to Talk with Your Doctor About Embarrassing Medical Problems”, “Caregiving Tips for Boomers: 5 Tips for Decreasing the Cost of Caring for Elderly Parents”, “Preventing Osteoporosis” and a whole lot more. A to Z medical library, lifestyle issues on sleep, meditation and yoga. Free online offers and coupons.
About.com’s Senior Living–Resources for Seniors. Comprehensive senior resource and guide covering a wild variety of topics, issues and concerns. Current research and latest trends on anti-aging and health care, nutrition and safety. Best strength and balance exercises for older adults, key factors of causes for aging skin and much more.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
You always hear about the FDA "approving" this drug or that medical procedure. Here's the master list, a place to go to find out everything the government knows about protecting your health. Search for the latest in corrective eye surgery, food recalls, cancer drugs, microwave dangers, or food-borne diseases. Luckily the site is easy to search.
One of many health megasites that give you the questionable power to attempt to diagnose your own symptoms, Healthline prides itself on its massive doctor-approved search engine, which leads quickly to any condition, disease, symptom, or term in order to learn more about what ails you. It also features one of the Web's best drug directories.
A service of the National Council on Aging, BenfitsCheckUp is a must-visit site for anyone over 50. Why? Because it takes you by the hand and guides you step by step through a series of questionnaires to lead you to benefits you didn't know you were entitled to. Dig deep into disaster recovery, Medicare, or prescription drug plans, or take the comprehensive survey to see what else is out there. You may be amazed.
Does the federal government have any money it can give you to take care of health or disability costs? Does your state? This official government front door into the world of available benefits is a good first step in scoping out what you may have coming to you when you need all kinds of assistance, not only for health issues but also for education, disaster recovery, and more.
At some point you're going to have to sit down and figure out what Medicare is all about and what you can expect from it. This official site is the place to start. It's a bit disorganized and intimidating, but spend an hour or two looking around, take a quiz or two, and you'll get a good feel for what's going on. Already a Medicare user? Sign up here to view and manage your account online.
So this is what America Online founder Steve Case has been up to lately. A huge health magazine/directory/search site/community, there's a lot going on here, from the typical "look up your disease" pages to personal pages where you can store health records, track symptoms and conditions that interest you, and connect with friends and family while you or a loved one recovers from an illness. Have more time? Try any of 125 tools to assess your health.
One of the few health sites that focuses mainly on mental health, Helpguide covers everything from anxiety and grief to bipolar disorders and insomnia. A special section devoted entirely to aging issues tackles really difficult questions with pragmatism and sensitivity. Learn about caregiving options, loss of mental faculties, and even end-of-life options. Tough stuff, but necessary to ponder.
International Longevity Center
Want to live forever? This academic site, based at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, collects research on all sorts of medical issues surrounding aging and specializes in topics such as ageism, sleep, and caregiving. Type your topic into the search box, and you'll get back links to hard core research reports. The info is dense, but you may turn up something useful.
Health and Age covers just that in a comprehensive and well-organized way, guiding you to any of almost 30 areas of interest from Alzheimer's to strokes, with the latest news stories attached to the basic information about the disease. Don't miss the aging primer, a tour of your body that describes precisely what happens to each system as it grows older. Fascinating, if a bit scary.
Government sponsored site providing leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people.
deCODEme is a genetic test that reveals what lies within your DNA. A simple cheek swab allows you to discover your genetic propensity for developing specific diseases and conditions, enabling you to make more informed decisions about your health. Regular updates as new genetic discoveries are made.
Web-based service that helps you read and understand your DNA. After providing a saliva sample using an at-home kit, you can use our interactive tools to shed new light on your distant ancestors, your close family and most of all, yourself.
Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services
An extension of the U.S. Department of Health, this highly useful site has tools and resources you need to understand Medicare & Medicaid Services. Tons of information on enrollment, coverage (including prescription drug coverage), guidelines, forms, statistics, trends and much more. Browse by Provider Type. Browse by Special Topics.
Health resources and personalized health tools. Information and news on depression, digestive health, diabetes, breast cancer, cardiovascular health and much more. Browse their online health and medical glossary, containing definitions for hundreds of terms. Find all the information you need at EverydayHealth.com!
Johns Hopkins Executive Health
The Johns Hopkins Executive Health Program provides comprehensive medical assessment and personalized preventive strategies for busy individuals. They recognize that your time is valuable, so they schedule your examinations, testing, and summation in a single day, with a possible second day if additional studies are required. From pre-arrival assistance to the closing physician conference at the end of your day, the Executive Health Program is designed to bring you the best of Johns Hopkins medical expertise.
The Duke Executive Health Program's unique design takes your Comprehensive Health Assessment a step further with the development of a personalized fitness, nutrition, and stress management regimen. Spend a day with their caring, competent and efficient staff and they’ll provide you with the knowledge and tools to promote a healthy and productive lifestyle. Their supporting role continues throughout the year to ensure you achieve the goals developed during your visit. And if the need arises, take comfort that Duke Executive Health is able to provide streamlined access to world renowned specialists located at the prestigious Duke University Medical Center.
HealthVideo.com offers consumers a rich video library on health topics ranging from healthy aging to diseases, to a variety of conditions.
A great reference for healthy living, sponsored by the Discovery Channel and its affiliates. Browse a wealth of knowledge on various diseases and how to best treat them. Already healthy? Find a number of special weight loss and fitness programs to help you maintain your health. This site also touches on a bunch of other health-related topics, like infertility, pregnancy and parenting, and much more.
NY Times sponsored site. This great resource features free articles on all the latest health news & issues, spanning disease, symptoms, surgical procedures, mental health, medicine, fitness, nutrition & dieting, pregnancy, babies and more. Get with the times!
Trusera is an online health network where you can share your story, ask a question, provide an answer—and pay it forward. Help others benefit from your experience. Find and share real-world experiences. Come experience the Power of Been There.™
Caregiving Project for Older Americans
An initiative of the International Longevity Center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the Caregiving Project for Older Americans is a research and advocacy program targeted at issues of in-home health care. The most useful thing here is a list of related newspaper articles with chilling titles such as "Rough Times Ahead for Boomers as They Age." A good place to orient yourself as you start to investigate home health care options for you or your parents.
This important corner of the vast Medicare website is a searchable listing of all Medicare-approved home health care operators with detailed information about the types of care they can provide. Search by location and specific need, and you'll get a targeted list of providers to research. You can even sort the result list by number of Medicare patients served in order to determine which are the most popular.
One of several free home health care referral services online, ElderCarelink is useful for helping you quickly locate providers in your city or town. Assisted living facilities, home care services, adult daycare, nursing homes and medical assistance devices. Describe your needs in a questionnaire, and you'll get back a list of possible providers. Note that the providers will also get your name, and they may choose to contact you. You're under no obligation, of course, but it's important to understand that the contact in this case is two-way.
Cancer—American Cancer Society
Website for the American Cancer Society that includes statistics on various cancers, along with data on treatment.
Diabetes - American Diabetes Association
Leading consumer website on diabetes provided by the American Diabetes Association. General diabetes information such as prevention, treatment and nutrition are available in a consumer-friendly format.
Diabetes—National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
A technical, data packed website devoted specially to diabetes. The website is sponsored by the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.
Heart Disease—American Heart Association
The American Heart Association site is devoted to heart health. Contains detailed statistics on heart diseases.
There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, and this helpful site, which also serves as a fundraiser for research, describes them all and gives you a few basic quizzes to assess your joint health and your risk for arthritis. You'll also find nutrition guides for joint health and a rundown of common arthritis drugs and what they do.
Because this site is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, it may point you toward certain products and treatments, but that fact doesn’t take away from the very good information provided, including personal stories of battling the disease and tips for living well no matter what type of arthritis you may have. There's even a useful section for arthritis caregivers.
Built around a ZIP code-based directory of hearing specialists, Healthy Hearing is full of articles about the latest hearing enhancement technologies and more than 20 articles about how to buy and use the best possible hearing aids for your condition. There's even an "online hearing test," but there aren't any beeps or buzzes. It's regular multiple choice.
EarInfo.com says that "15% of baby boomers have hearing loss". If you think you may be among them, read the frequently asked questions here and then decide if you want to consult one of the professionals, listed in a state-by-state directory. The site also lists a number of other good online resources for more research.
Siemens sells hearing aids, and many of these pages promote its latest models. You can skip past all that, however, and go to the "read all about hearing loss" section to get the basics on how hearing works, what can go wrong, and what can be done about it.
Are you seeing things clearly? This branch of the U.S. National Institutes of Health focuses on your eyes, outlining all the changes age can bring. Be sure to check out the animated video showing how age-related macular degeneration can affect your sight as you age. It's not fun to think about, but why not arm yourself with information so you can have more productive appointments with your ophthalmologist?
Gives patients, friends, and family of patients a forum to find all their answers and solutions in one place. With that concept in mind, LowVision.com is the one stop shop for all low vision needs. Whether it is information, news, discussion groups, or products, LowVision.com is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with visual impairments.
Association Of Cancer Online Research
Association of Cancer Online Research. Access up-to-date and in-depth news and information about all types of cancer and related disorders—from common to rare—in children and adults. ACOR has a unique collection of online communities designed to provide timely and accurate information in a supportive environment. Explore the frontier of cancer medicine: New drugs, new treatments and new approaches. Browse credible websites and cancer-related resources created by patients, caregivers, advocates and professionals. From symptoms and side-effects to coping and caregiving, ACOR surveys the best cancer books for patients and their families.
Learn to count the carb content of everything that passes your lips; carry monitor, glucose tabs, insulin pump/pen and needles at all times; learn to inject yourself throughout the day; navigate the American healthcare system; and ward off the feeling that you’re somehow being punished. Everyone can—according to site founder Amy Tenderich. She’s learned a ton since her diagnosis 5 years ago—and with diabetes, you really do learn something new every day. So she started this blog as a place to sort out and share some “diabetes smarts” (pardon the pun)––a gold mine of diabetes informational nuggets.
YourDiseaseRisk, “the” source on disease prevention. Here, you can find out your risk of developing five of the most important diseases in the United States and get personalized tips for preventing them. Developed over the past ten years by world-renowned experts, Your Disease Risk collects the latest scientific evidence on disease risk factors into one easy-to-use tool.
Half of all diseases have a skin or pattern clue, and 10-20% of a general health practitioner's diagnosis is visually based—therefore, visual clues are essential to accurate diagnosis. As a result, Logical Images has developed the most comprehensive digital medical image library in the world, with over 50,000 images including all age ranges and skin types. This extensive collection is designed to speed disease recognition for faster, more accurate decision-making and patient understanding. Seeing is believing!
This one-trick tool asks for your height, weight, age, and gender, and then tells you how your weight compares to what other people think the ideal weight for your frame size should be, what the insurance companies say, and what doctors say. The idea is to use all this info to plan your weight loss goals realistically, keeping in mind, by the way, that women tend to be much harder on themselves than men.
WebMD boils down dieting to 12 basic tips and then expands on each of them with interesting articles that coach you toward healthier eating. You'll also find dozens of short articles about dieting strategies and even some videos about food preparation and presentation tactics designed to trick yourself into thinking you're eating more than you actually are. Lots of great information.
Bombarded by all those fast weight loss ads and commercials? eDiets will help you sort through the noise by assessing your needs and desires via questionnaires and then directing you toward one of many well-known diet plans, everything from Atkins to Suzanne Somers. Countless magazine-style articles will inspire you, and take note of the family section that helps you integrate your own diet into your family's overall eating plan.
All the skinny about health, nutrition, diet plans, and weight loss products. Search alphabetical index of diets. Reliable, objective reviews and advice written by specialists in the field of nutrition and fitness. The latest fad diets and crazes, what you need to know about protein, sugar, fat and carbs nutrition. Articles on diet and disease for healthy lifestyles. See “the biggest loser diet plans”.
All the skinny about health, nutrition, diet plans, and weight loss products. Search alphabetical index of diets. Reliable, objective reviews and advice written by specialists in the field of nutrition and fitness. The latest fad diets and crazes, what you need to know about protein, sugar, fat and carbs nutrition. Articles on diet and disease for healthy lifestyles. See “the biggest loser diet plans”.
A great place to start for diet and calorie counting tips, trends and tools. Know what you are eating, see what’s in your favorite foods. Helpful online calorie counting tools—keep track of your calorie and fat intake with the calorie calculator or use the exercise calculator to find out how to burn off extra pounds. Check out the monthly feature section for diet and health information and read the latest research from the FDA on calorie cutting foods.
Provides tips on alternative therapies, the latest studies on asthma and stress, personalized healing paths to wellness and healthy recipes—all brought to you by board certified MDs. Look up an ailment in the Healing Center and find news, studies and recommended supplements.
Dr. Weil, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, is one of the most widely known and respected alternative medicine gurus. For five years, he has offered straightforward tips and advice on achieving wellness through natural means and educating the public on alternative therapies.
Rated as the number one natural health website that touts more than 600,000 subscribers—including tens of thousands of health professionals. The advantage of this site is that the newsletter synthesizes published data on the natural health market, which eliminates the need for consumers and health professionals to read hundreds of articles.
The online site for Prevention magazine, one of the premier consumer journals on wellness. Website is organized into general categories such as health, fitness, food/nutrition, weight loss and beauty.
Website is geared towards men who are seeking a healthily lifestyle and are concerned with their health. Focus is on health, fitness and sex.
Center for Disease Control & Prevention
Government sponsored website that provides links to key resources for women’s health. Links and data tend to be more technical in nature and are organized by major diseases or illnesses that effect women.
The online website for the publication Alternative Medicine. Provides discussions on major alternative medicine topics as well as links to providers, products and health topics.
This non-profit organization set up in 1994 by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop outlines steps to healthier living, 10,000 steps a day to be precise. Get a pedometer, the site urges, and start walking. Visit the "cyberkitchen" to determine the correct daily calorie count for your body type and then get some good recipes to match your fitness goals.
The first question is: do you really want to know? RealAge offers a short test (you must give an e-mail address to participate) that evaluates all your good and bad fitness and nutrition habits and then comes back with your body's current actual, rather than chronological age. Closer to death than you thought? Don't worry. The site is also full of advice on how to turn back your body clock. It's a great way to set fitness goals.
A log of federally and privately supported clinical trials, both biomedical and health-related research, conducted in the U.S. and around the world. ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details. This information should be used in conjunction with advice from health care professionals.
National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine
The mission of NCCAM (National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine) is to explore complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science. Train complementary and alternative medicine researchers. Disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals. The list of what is considered to be CAM changes continually, as those therapies that are proven to be safe and effective become adopted into conventional health care.
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