When searching the Internet for information on medicines it may be wise to use informational Web sites rather than commercial ones, according to the results of a recent study.
The Internet is a widely used source of information about medicines, however it is unregulated. Researchers set out to determine the quality of medicine information available over the Internet by evaluating 208 English-language Web sites about the herbal medicine St. John’s wort, commonly used to fight depression.
The study found that only two of the Web sites offered a complete list of potential side effects of the drug and only 22 percent of the sites listed, correctly, that depression was the only reason to use St. John’s wort. Further, only 22 percent of the sites listed at least one drug interaction with St. John’s wort.
Researchers noted that while the quality of sites about St. John’s wort was generally poor, Internet users may benefit from visiting non-commercial sites that include references to scientific publications. They also pointed out the importance of finding accurate information about herbal medicines, as these drugs are largely available over-the-counter and are often taken without a doctor’s supervision.
American Journal of Medicine 2002;113:740-745
Finding quality information on the Internet can be a major challenge -- I know because I have been doing it for years.
This is one of the reasons why this site exists. It was initially started to satisfy my desire to keep current on new medical information and understand the truth when it came to health.
The researchers from the study above have concluded that Internet users should prefer non-commercial sites that reference the information to scientific publications when searching for drug information.
Unlike the most popular commercial Web site, Web MD, Mercola.com -- the second-most popular natural health site overall -- is not owned by any drug company. WebMD is owned by Lilly, the same drug company that, through the recently passed Homeland Security Bill, maneuvered their way out of any responsibility for supplying the mercury in the vaccines that injured tens of thousands of children. Would you really trust a Web site that is owned by this company?
If you research my site, you will see it definitely fills these criteria.
Not only are the references listed, but also nearly all of them include a hyperlink to the actual original article or its abstract in Medline. This allows you the opportunity to read the original study and make your own conclusions.
I provide factual medical and health-related articles with my own natural medicine-oriented commentary and let you sort out the truth for yourself.
It seems that many people find this site helpful as it has grown into one of the top health Web sites in the world. Our logs indicate that our site has visitors from virtually every country in the world that has access to the Internet.
Every month we have about 5 million "hits" and over 750,000 visits; the primary reason our numbers are so high and keep growing, I suspect, is the depth and breadth of health information I provide and the integrity with which I present it.
I am not, and will never be, beholden to pharmaceutical companies or any other "health" institution whose true goal is greed. Instead, my goal, my vision, is and will remain providing you with the knowledge to achieve your own true healing and optimal health.
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