The Internet offers an astounding amount of health information available to everyone.  No matter what ails you, someone probably has posted something about it on the Web.  All this information can lead to overload and getting bad advice from the wrong source. 

            February marks the observation of National Wise Health Consumer Month and experts are using this to offer guidance for finding the most trusted health-related Web sites.  One basic piece of advice is to use sites ending in “.edu”, “.gov” or “.org.”   A school, government agency or nonprofit organization runs these sites.  These Web sites are less likely to push a point of view that is biased, unlike some commercial sites or a “.com.” 

            Before you act on anything viewed on the Web, always bring it to your physician to look over.  Here is a quick checklist that can help determine a website’s value and reliability:

• Did a doctor or medical expert review the health-related information?
• Do the statistics come from a reliable source?
• Does something on the Web site appear to be opinion rather than fact?  Is it the opinion of a qualified person or organization?

      Because so many physicians have time constraints now, they can’t spend as much time with their patients.  When patients educate themselves by visiting reliable health-related Web sites, they are better able to discuss their conditions and are better informed.