Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Extension Service

by Barbara A. Holt, Ph.D.

Clark County Extension Agetn -

Family and Consumer Sciences

Cooperative Extension Service

The Internet can provide a wealth of health information: physicians in a specific city, medical conditions, medical treatments, drug interactions and more.

The Internet is a network of computers worldwide linked by high-speed telephone lines nad microwaves. You can subscrive to on-line services, send electronic messages (e-mail), fax information and explore the World Wide Web, a location for Web pages created by individuals, companies and groups.

To access the Internet, you need a computer, a modem (to link your computer to a telephone line), access to the network through a local provider, and software to navigate the Web.

A good place to locate health information is the World Wide Web (www) pages. There are sites set up by medical organizations, universities and hospitals and others that can be accessed by using programs called search engines.

To learn more about breast cancer, for example, log onto the Internet, call up a search engine and type in the words breast and cancer. In seconds your computer will provide a list of sites with information about the disease. Scroll down the list and select the sites you want to visit.

Knowing about a specific condition will enable you to take an active role in your health care. You can ask better questions about your medical condition and treatment options.

Using the Internet also lets you communicate with others with the same medical condition and share their experiences and resources. This linkage can serve as an excellent support group.

Not all the health information on the Internet is reliable. Information may be outdated, misleading or incorrect. Charlotte Mills Fant, health education specialist with the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas, warns that with the speed at which the Net is evolving, it's hard to know what information is available and what is reliable. To get an idea if the information is legitimate, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the source of the information? It is more likely to be legitimaste if it is form an established medical institution such as a hospital, university or gorvernment organization.

• Does the site reflect more than one opinion? Quality sites often feature more than one perspective.

• What is the frequency of the updated information? It should be updated monthly.

• Does the site promote products or procedures? Be cautious of sites that promote specific products, use testimonials as evidence, or dismiss mainstream science. If you have questions about reliability of medical information, ask your doctor.

National Institutes of Health

American Heart Association

American Cancer Society

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Mayo Health Oasis

Learn more about health issues at the Clark County Cooperative Extension office by phone (246-2281), fax (246-7583) or e-mail clark@uaexsun.uaex.edu.