Have you ever tried to search for health information on the Web and found yourself frustrated and confused?  That is highly likely if you didn’t know where to search.  The problem is that you might retrieve dangerous or inaccurate information from some sites. It is important to know that not all health information on the Web is credible.

This article includes a few helpful tips to get you started.  To find credible health  information, you might begin by visiting general health information sites such as: The National Library of Medicine which produces MedlinePlus www.medlineplus.gov and the US Department of Health and Human Services site called Healthfinder www.healthfinder.gov. Both of these are highly respected ites.

When searching on the Web, you can also look at the address itself as this is a valuable tool.  For example: A government agency has .gov in the address and an educational institution has .edu in the address. A professional organization, such as the American Cancer Society, will be identified by .org. Other sites have .com in the address and this generally identifies the sponsor as a company. The sites may represent a particular company or sponsor that sells products. It is important to understand that many of these Websites are worthwhile, however, the sponsor and all commercial and noncommercial organizations that have contributed services, funding or information to the site should be listed.

When viewing a site, be sure that the information is current. The site should be updated regularly and the latest revision date should be indicated.  The information should be factual and should be verifiable through professional literature or other Websites.

If you are looking for information pertaining to a specific surgery procedure, try  www.yoursurgery.com. This site provides information for common and specific surgical procedures and is a great place to check out if you are anticipating surgery in the future. The site lists that it covers the following topics: Anatomy of the operative site, pathology of the illness, symptoms associated with the condition, methods of diagnosis, concise description of each surgery, alternative surgical solutions, possible complications of surgery, post operative care and innovations in surgical techniques. There is a fee of $5 per visit or $100 for a one year membership. Recently, the site was recognized by Forbes Magazines as one of the “Best of the Web”.