Wellness

[AngelPuppy1]

I am constantly on-line looking up things.  But there is so much garbage out there.  How do you know that what you are reading is accurate or credible??  I never know which site to believe.  I feel like back in the older days, places on-line felt more reliable or trustworthy.  Now --- I don't know!  Is there a key to knowing what is real and believable and what isn't?  Do you have certain ones that you go to and feel are good?  

[shaggygirl]

Your post reminds me of back in the fall when I was having a devil of a time with a diverticulitis flare up and was researching what foods to avoid and what was good for you during and after a flare-up. Some medical sites listed things to avoid because they can contribute to the problem, yet others said it was once believed certain things, the ones listed as bad for you on some sites, are no longer believed to contribute to the flare-ups and might in fact be good for you. WHAT?

[lolakimono]

@AngelPuppy1

I always read the sources from teaching hospitals, or ones that are nationally recognized in that field.

If there is a professional organization, I start there (AMA).  

Avoid information that comes from places that are selling things, or "remedies" for what you're searching.

[151949]

This is an issue with the internet. Anyone selling any kind of sham cure or product creates a website and people unwittingly fall for the false information. You are on your own out there in cyberspace as there is no regulation of it at all. It is so difficult to get some people to understand that everything they read on the internet is not true or based on facts or research.

[KYToby]

[151949]

You should ask your doctor if there is an organization that supports your disease in research - like the American Diabetes Assoc. or The National kidney Foundation . He would know this and would refer you to the proper place to get information on your condition. Doctors are happy when their patients desire to become knowledgeable about their condition from a reliable source.

[willdob3]

It is not easy. Backed by current studies can be helpful but it depends on the study and who paid for it, etc. 

To be honest, much of the info that medical doctors and organizations pass as fact is simply not true, some being old, outdated info, some simply never was true. 

I never, ever take a doctor's word as fact. Most, in my experience, do not stay up to date on medical research. I do my own research to verify what a doctor tells me.

[151949]

When a lay person makes a statement that they think they know more than a doctor about medical conditions - honestly, I just have to SMH.  And there is no telling them any different because if you look you can find somewhere on the internet that will support almost any stupid opinion anyone may have. 

This is why t may be OK to come to a board like this to vent about something - everyone needs to vent sometimes, but it is not a good idea to look to the internet- unless you know your source is 100% reliable or to a board like this one as a source of information. So much that is said here is not correct.

[novamc1]

I would start my research with websites run by the Mayo Clinic and/or The National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov) and/or The Cleveland Clinic , as well as any other well-known reputable medical research institution.

[AngelPuppy1]

Thank you, everyone!  Good advice and information!

I have started to read things, thinking, well, this sounds great, only to find later as I progress, that the "information" is really just an advertisement for a product that someone is selling.  

I know that there are some good doctors out there who will take the time to give you information or guide you but my experience has been that they usually do not, and it's like pulling teeth to get anything from them.  I have asked quite a few times and been told -- oh, just go on line -- there is a wealth of information out there.  

I have a hard time just getting test results from all my doctors --- or at least most of them!  Progress --- ha!