By Dr. Anne Brewer, Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital
What’s the first thing you do when you encounter a new symptom or medical diagnosis?
Do you go immediately to Google to search for information? If so – use caution!
You can find reliable health information on the internet, but you have to know who you can trust. On some websites, it is not clear who posted the information, if they have appropriate credentials, or how recently the information was updated. Be careful.
Here are a few sources you can consult with complete confidence.
First, I suggest you visit the Vermont Department of Health website (healthvermont.gov). You might be surprised by just how much information is available there, all of it vetted by doctors and researchers who are familiar with Vermonters and their particular circumstances.
For example, the VDH website provides information about symptoms and immunizations for COVID-19 and other diseases, health insurance available to Vermonters, health news alerts, parenting help and pediatric check-up recommendations, tick bites and blue-green algae cautions, vital statistics, and health equity information, as well as a host of information about recognizing and treating a wide range of specific diseases. There is also a translation tool to help those who don’t speak or read English.
Another completely reliable source is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov). You can find easy-to-understand data and information from a national perspective. A few examples: eye health, dealing with bullying, bird flu, Lyme disease, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV), among many other topics.
The CDC site offers several levels of information – for the general public, for health providers, and for public health researchers, so you can dig deeper for information if you want it.
Two other popular and reliable sources are the Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org) and the Cleveland Clinic (my.clevelandclinic.org) websites. While these websites are marketing vehicles for their services, each has a reliable Health Library you can consult, again with information for both the general public and for medical providers.
I hope you will take these suggestions to help you find the most reliable information for your health. Also be sure to consult with your own medical provider about any symptoms you are experiencing or questions about treatments.
