Where do you get your health information? ‹ Reader — WordPress.com.
From a June 2015 post at drgladstone
Recently there was something in the news about roughly half of the information in the shows “the doctors” and the Dr. Oz show was correct (actually it was 63% of the time in “the doctors: and correct about 49% on the Dr. Oz show). See an article reporting on this here. Often times people will have looked things up on the internet when they come into the office.
Now I’m not bringing this up to knock Dr. Oz or the doctors who appear on “The Doctors”, nor looking things up the internet. However it’s important to ask several questions.
1) Does the claim have any scientific basis?
2) Has the study (if a study is being quoted) been replicated with the same or similar results obtained?
2a) who funded the study? was it reported in a reputable journal? If it is a product being touted, did the company making the product fund the study?
3) Does the person ‘reporting’ the results, or pushing the product have a connection with the company? Just because someone is employed or funded doesn’t necessarily mean they’re biased, but it is something to take into account
…
Read the entire post here
Related Resources

Latest information for improving your health, including podcasts and videos
The CDC is the US government’s primary way to communicate information on diseases, conditions, and safety. Information may be found in areas as ….
Most articles include causes, symptoms, treatment options, prevention, prognosis, and more. Information may also be browsed by topic (Topics A-Z). Additional features include picture slideshows, etools, and more.
Healthfinder.gov is a US government Web site with information and tools that can help you stay healthy.
KidsHealth provides information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years.Material is written by doctors in understandable language at three levels: parents, kids, and teens. KidsHealth also provides families with perspective, advice, and comfort about a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues that affect children and teens
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Topics help one to learn more about a medical condition, better understand management and treatment options, and have a better dialogue with health care providers.
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Even more….
Health Resources for All Edited by Janice Flahiff
Consumer Health Library Guide – University of Toledo
mostly link to free reputable Web sites
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July 21, 2015
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Consumer Health, Educational Resources (High School/Early College(, Health Education (General Public) | consumer health information, health information, health information evaluation |
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This is one noble cause! However, I think that education should go hand in hand with this.
It is one thing to have access to healthcare information. Another thing to understand and be able to use information.
Still, I am hoping that telecoms get on board, and give back to their communities.
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July 31, 2013
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Consumer Health, health care | cell phones, consumer health information, health information, mobile health, mobile phones, mobile technology, Social media |
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Includes areas as nutrition, healthcare, health communication, and health/medical resources
SurroundHealth Blog
With tons of health blogs out there today, it can be overwhelming trying to find solid ones to follow that are a good fit for your topic of interest. At SurroundHealth, we look for bloggers that align with our goals of sharing resources and best practices in areas such as: health education/communication, professional development and health careers, health and education technology, and current health events.
While this isn’t a FULL list of the blogs we follow, we thought it would be nice to share with our members and readers some of our favorite (in no specific order) health blogs out there!
Our ‘favorites’ blog roll:
Health ECareers Network– HeCN is a really informative blog providing access to everything healthcare careers- news, information, events, career resources and employment opportunities – all specific to individual career paths. Definitely a good one to check out if you are looking to learn…
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July 20, 2013
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Educational Resources (Elementary School/High School), Educational Resources (Health Professionals), Educational Resources (High School/Early College(, Finding Aids/Directories, Health Education (General Public), Librarian Resources | consumer health information, health communication, health information, online resources |
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Great links to resources as
–High Value Care resources intended to help patients understand the benefits, harms and costs of tests and treatments for common clinical issues.
–Case Management Society of America’s has a consumer page that describes Case Management as a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual’s health needs
–Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a resource for food, nutrition, and health information. Consumers can find tip sheets, videos, brochures, and health & nutrition guides for women, men, and children.
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July 17, 2013
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Educational Resources (High School/Early College(, Finding Aids/Directories, health care, Health Education (General Public) | consumer health information, doctor visits, Health informatics, nutrition, Web_directories |
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From the 8 July 2013 JAMA Internal Medicine article
Patients increasingly use the Internet to access health-related information for which they are not charged.1In turn, websites gather information from those who browse their sites and target advertisements to them. Yet this business model masks a more complicated picture.
A patient who searches on a “free” health-related website for information related to “herpes” should be able to assume that the inquiry is anonymous. If not anonymous, the information knowingly or unknowingly disclosed by the patient should not be divulged to others.

The full text is not available online.
However, it might be available at a local public, academic, or medical library. Call ahead and ask for a reference librarian.
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July 14, 2013
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Consumer Health | consumer health information, health information, online health information, privacy |
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Those of you who follow my blog notice that from time to time I highlight multilingual health information Web sites as Healthy Roads Media.
Recently (via a US govt listserv- PHPartners) I ‘ve come across a wonderful list of general health information resources in multiple languages. This resource list is a subset of the larger Multi-Cultural Resources for Health Information. Multi-Cultural Resources includes links in the following areas
Oh, I haven’t forgotten. Here is the list of Health Resources in Multiple Languages.
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Documents in Other Languages
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Consumer Health Information in Many Languages
Multilingual online health resources, organized by specific
languages, including glossaries
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, National Library of Medicine
- EurasiaHealth Knowledge Network
Clearinghouse of free resources on Central & Eastern Europe and
the New Independent States
American International Health Alliance
United States Agency for International Development
- Facts for Families
In English, Spanish, German, Malaysian, Polish, and Icelandic
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Health Access Project
Translated Hospital Instructions
- Health Information Translations
Information for limited English proficiency patients translated into various languages
The Ohio State University Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health System
OhioHealth
- Health on the Net Select
Searchable database of medical and health queries
Available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese
- Health Translations Directory
From Australia. Contains links to online multi-lingual resources
Department of Human Services
State Government of Victoria, Australia
- Healthy Roads Media
Site contains free health education materials in a number of languages
and a variety of formats
Healthy Roads Media
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Material available in English and French. French link found at bottom of page
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
- Multilingual Health and Safety Resource Guide
Labor Occupational Health Program, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
University of California at Berkeley
- Multilingual Health Information
Stanford Health Library, Stanford University
- Free Publications for Women
Easy-to-read pamphlets, available multiple languages
Office of Women’s Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Patient Information Brochures for Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgery
Material available in English, French, Polish, Spanish, and Vietnamese
The Society of Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
- Resources by Language
Health topics in 50 languages
NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service
New South Wales, Australia
- Translated British Columbia Health Files
Fact sheets translated into Chinese, French, Punjabi, Spanish, and Vietnamese
Ministry of Health, British Columbia, Canada
- Urban Health Partners
Spotlight on Arabic language health materials and Arab American health.
Additional materials on Culturally Responsive Health Care
Vera P. Shiffman Medical Library, Wayne State University
- Vaccine Information in Other Languages
Vaccine information in over 30 languages
Immunization Action Coalition
- West Nile Virus Multilingual Fact Sheets
Patient education materials about West Nile Virus in 22 languages
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Government of Ontario, Canada
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October 27, 2012
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Educational Resources (High School/Early College(, Health Education (General Public), Librarian Resources, Tutorials/Finding aids | consumer health information, health information, multilingual_health_information, multiple_language_health_information, patient education |
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As you regular followers of this blog realize, I champion critical thinking and hope at least some of these blog posts have fostered this approach to selecting what is best for one’s health.
Many of my posts caution against quick fixes, be it fad diets, supplement dependence, or use of potentially harmful complementary medicine substances. To be fair, I have also posted items questioning “Western medicine” practices as when robotic surgery is appropriate.
Gary Schwitzer at HealthNewsReview.org has posted yet another item on how journalists can help us all in healthcare decisions..
Excerpts
Marya Zilberberg posted, “Fast science: No time for uncertainty.” Excerpt:
“…my anxiety about how we do clinical science overall is not new; this blog is overrun with it. However, the new branch of that anxiety relates to something I have termed “fast science.” Like fast food it fills us up, but the calories are at best empty and at worst detrimental. What I mean is that science is a process more than it is a result, and this process cannot and should not be microwaved….
So, let’s celebrate uncertainty. Let’s take time to question, answer and question again. Slow down, take a deep breath, cook a slow meal and think.”
That’s similar to how I ended my talk at the University of Wisconsin’s event, “Science Writing in the Age of Denial” this week. I said that:
“Journalists could help people grasp uncertainty and help them apply critical thinking to health care decision-making issues…rather than promote false certainty, shibboleths and non-evidence-based, cheerleading advocacy.”
Related Resources (from my Health/Medical News & Resources Web site)
- The Penn State Medical Center Library has a great guide to evaluate health information on the Internet.
The tips include
- Remember, anyone can publish information on the internet!
- If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If the Web site is primarily about selling a product, the information may be worth checking from another source.
- Look for who is publishing the information and their education, credentials, and if they are connected with a trusted coporation, university or agency.
- Check to see how current the information is.
- Check for accuracy. Does the Web site refer to specific studies or organizations?
- The Family Caregiver Alliance has a Web page entitled Evaluating Medical Research Findings and Clinical Trials
Topics include
- General Guidelines for Evaluating Medical Research
- Getting Information from the Web
- Talking with your Health Care Provider
…And a Rumor Control site of Note (in addition to Quackwatch)
National Council Against Health Fraud
National Council Against Health Fraud is a nonprofit health agency fousing on health misinformation, fruad, and quackery as public health problems. Links to publications, position papers and more.
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May 1, 2012
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Consumer Health, Health Education (General Public) | consumer health information, Critical thinking, fraud, health information, health information evaluation, journalism, Medical journalism, Science journalism |
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Quite a few of my blog postings encourage folks to be well informed in making health care decisions.
However, I do agree with the author of this post – use your information to consult with a health care provider. (I believe even e-patient Dave believes in discussing what he has researched with his physicians) These professionals at the very least are to be viewed as consultants. Please meet with them when considering taking strong actions, as discontinuing a medication based on what you read on the Internet (even trusted resources I quote !)
From the 2 February 2012 article by Stewart Segal, MD at KevinMD.com
Lately, I get the feeling that I’m doing something wrong. I’m supposed to form a partnership with my patients. My patients are supposed to be the working partner and I’m supposed to be the consulting partner.
My job as the consulting partner is to offer sagely medical advice to the boss (working partner). As a consultant, I’m supposed to help in the making of key decisions, find the appropriate tools to help make the boss healthy and happy, and instruct the boss in how to implement those tools should he decide to follow my advice.
As the boss and working partner, my patient is supposed to weigh his options, institute those procedures and treatments as prescribed and to keep me updated on how he is doing. His job should also entail reviewing key health decisions with me prior to making changes in his overall healthcare.
Lately, my patients have been making unilateral decisions. In other words, they have not been consulting with me, their doc, prior to changing or stopping their medications or other treatments. While it is well within their rights to institute or stop any medical intervention on their own, it is often wiser to utilize the services of a trained consultant/doc……
- Who is Biz Stone and What is Twitter? (by Fred Trotter at the Health Care Blog)
Excerpt
HIMSS, and in many cases traditional health IT along with it, is experiencing something of a whirlwind. One force adding wind has been the fact that President Obama has funded EHR systems with meaningful use, and made it clear that the future of healthcare funding will take place at Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) that are paid to keep people healthy rather than to cover procedures when they are sick. It is hard to understate the importance of this. Meaningful Use and ACOs will do more to computerize medicine in five years than the previous 50 years without these incentive changes.
But in the same breath, we must admit that the healthcare system as a whole is strained and unable to meet the needs of millions of its patients. The new force in healthcare is peer to peer medicine. There are really only a few things that doctors provide to patients. They either provide treatment, or they provide facts, or perhaps, they provide context for those facts. More and more, patients are seeking facts and context for that information, from the Internet generally and other patients specifically. This can be dangerous, but when done correctly it can be revolutionary .
It’s not rocket science really; our culture has changed. Baby boomers still wonder if it is OK to discuss sexual issues in polite company. Their kids blog about their vasectomies. It’s not just that we blog about vasectomies. We read blogs about vasectomies and consider it normal….
…
For whatever reason, the epatient community centers around Twitter. More than likely this is because of the fundamentally open nature of this network. Although it is possible to “protect” tweets, most account holders tend to tweet to the whole world. If you are interested in a particular health-related issue, you can use Twitter to find the group of people who are discussing that issue. Twitter is a natural way for people who are connected by a common thought or issue to organize. Facebook, on the other hand, is about connecting with people you already know. The famous quote applies: “Facebook is about people you used to know; Twitter is about people you’d like to know better.” You could change that quote to read “Twitter is about people you’d like to know who have had vasectomies.”..
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February 23, 2012
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Consumer Health, Consumer Safety | Consultant, consumer health information, Health care, Information seeking, Medical advice, Patient |
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The Internet has a wealth of health information from trusted, reliable sites.
(I’ve noted quite a few in this blog and at my Google site – Health and Medical News and Resources)
However, it is not always easy to locate health information, especially on specific topics.
Your local public or academic library just may have the online sources you need.
Although quite a few online resources require paid subscriptions, your library may have included them at their Web site.
All you have to do is register for borrowing privileges (get a library card) at your local library.
Alternatively, you may be able to just go to the library and get access through their computers.
At my local library, I discovered the following…some or all just might be at your library also…ask a reference librarian or check the library’s Web site
- Alt Health Watch
Offers information about Alternative Health issues, including complementary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. Provides full text articles form a number of sources, including: journals, reports, consumer newsletters, pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research and book excerpts. This database is provided by OPLIN, the Ohio Public Library Information Network.
- ConsumerReports.org
Ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice for thousands of products and services. Users will also find in-depth advice, tips and trends written by Consumer Reports experts. Frequently updated articles, blogs and video content allow consumers to peruse the latest consumer news — whether they’re looking to learn more about budget-friendly home improvement plans, understanding the benefits and risks of retirement options, or searching for the latest recalls of baby products. This database provided by the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.
- Health & Wellness Resource Center
Provides up-to-date reference material as well as full-text magazines, journals, and pamphlets from a wide variety of authoritative medical sources. Includes streaming videos featuring medical experts plus links to key health websites.
- Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
Provides scholarly full text journals focusing on many medical disciplines and featuring the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide, which covers 1,300 generic drug patient education sheets with more than 4,700 brand names. This database is provided by OPLIN, the Ohio Public Library Information Network.
- MEDLINE
Offers medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system and pre-clinical sciences among many subjects. This database is provided by OPLIN, the Ohio Public Library Information Network.
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection
Covers many psychological topics, including emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry and psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods. This database is provided by OPLIN, the Ohio Public Library Information Network.
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December 29, 2011
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Educational Resources (High School/Early College(, Finding Aids/Directories, Health Education (General Public), Librarian Resources | consumer health information, Free Government Information, health information, library resources, online health information, online_resources, reference materials |
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Posted on December 19, 2011 at
Health Information Literacy – for health and well being
Reflections on the importance of health information literacy awareness and how it impacts the public health of our citizens. Low health literacy affects nearly 50% of the US population.
The following was posted to several listservs by Mary Alice Gillispie, M.D.; Healthy Roads Media. “Healthy Roads Media has several new free patient education resources. There is now a Spanish version of Advance Directives in multiple formats. There is also an English version of A Quick Look at Medicare in multiple formats. The link iswww.healthyroadsmedia.org/topics/personalhealth.htm We hope to have materials on both Medicare and Medicaid in English, Spanish and Russian in the next couple of months.
If you work for one of the hundreds of organizations who uses Healthy Roads Media materials but have not provided any support, please consider making an end of the year tax deductible donation (www.healthyroadsmedia.org/donate.htm). Keeping these materials free and adding new resources is an increasing challenge!
– Mary Alice Gillispie, M.D.
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December 20, 2011
Posted by Janice Flahiff |
Health Education (General Public), Tutorials/Finding aids | consumer health information, consumer information, health literacy, Information literacy, Medicare, patient health informaiton, patient information |
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