Health anxiety

Marian
Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:58:52 +0000

I write public education materials for a health-related government agency (as a contractor – and we won’t get into the effects of the government shutdown on my life because that’s off topic).

There’s so much incorrect health information online that it’s amazing that the Internet doesn’t collapse under its weight.

If you must search online for information on a health topic (and I know you must – I do it too), you can greatly increase the facts-to-nonsense ratio by NOT GOOGLING. Instead, go to the site of an organization you trust and search within that site.

The best place to start for most health topics is MedlinePlus https://medlineplus.gov, which is maintained by the National Library of Medicine. It’s a curated collection of health resources that can serve as at least a starting point on most topics. Then, after that, you might go to the Web sites of relevant trustworthy organizations (like the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society) or professional associations (like the American Academy of Pediatrics). They have their agendas, but they don’t spew out nonsense.