90% of Americans have trouble processing health information. It doesn’t matter how educated you are or aren’t, or what your background is. The reality is that medicine and healthcare is complicated and you deserve clear answers. Research also shows that patients feel more satisfied and experience less fear when they understand what’s happening with their health.
Here at Dr. Hessel MD, we want to make sure you know exactly what information to trust. Of course the internet is a huge source of information for many of you today and we know that—but it only takes a moment to find a lot of sketchy information. Try one of those symptom checkers, and your simple leg pain has been diagnosed as everything from a cancerous tumor of the bone to a permanent neurologic disease.
This is not the way we want you to gather information about your health.
If you are looking for reliable, easy-to-follow information, try these 5 sources for better health know-how.
1) Medline Plus: This one-stop shop offers a variety of videos, graphics and topics broken down by age, gender, and disease or illness type, body system and more. Find reliable drug information and healthy lifestyle tips too.
2) The National Institutes of Health Visit the NIH for updates on health news, general health information, and details on disease-specific clinical trials.
3) Drugs.com Over 30 million Americans take 5 or more prescription drugs. Do you know their risk for interaction with your other medications or side effects? Drugs.com offers answers to these questions for over the counter and natural medications as well.
4) Women’s Health.gov Women’s health can be a complicated matter. For up-to-date news, health information, breastfeeding tips and more, check out this source created just for women.
5) Hopkins Medicine.org Visit this world-renowned website for health information A-Z, plus news and research the facility is involved in.
Taking time to build your health knowledge is an investment in your total well being. And remember to use the resources you have around you—ask your pharmacist, talk to your doctor or provider. And above all, speak up when you don’t understand and ask for more information. We don’t all learn the same way. Some people prefer a video or hands-on learning and others may want to read their information. Make sure you feel comfortable with your provider’s health plan and protect your health with understanding.
