Sources of Information-Health And Wellness
- By:Robert Baird Baird
Valid and reliable health information comes from respected journals, magazines, and newsletters. Such publications have health or medical editors and subject their articles to peer review and criticism by other scientists. In the consumption of information even from reputable, peer-reviewed sources, it is important to remember the advice of the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine.
What medical journals publish is not received wisdom but rather working papers. Each study becomes a piece of a puzzle ... No matter how important the conclusions, they should usually be considered tentative until a body of evidence accumulates pointing in the same direction.
Another source of health information and medical advice growing in popularity is the telephone. S Several telephone service businesses are now available that offer live interaction with health-care professionals . These services, which are available through toll-free 800 and/or moderately expensive 900 numbers, provide consumers with a private and convenient option for getting answers to questions ranging from the side effects of a medicine to the need for a second opinion regarding a particular diagnosis.
There are obvious limitations to what medical and pharmaceutical advice telephone services can provide because a telephone practitioner does not know a caller's medical history and cannot perform a physical examination. They are not a substitute for having a physician. Instead, they should be viewed as informational, advisory, and possibly helpful in deciding whether a medical procedure, test, or treatment is warranted.
Pharmacists are an excellent yet often overlooked source of information when a health product or medicine is called for. They can advise you on the value and benefit of over-the-counter and prescription medicines. And they can help assure that you get the right treatment and that you avoid treatments that could worsen your condition. To inform you about possible medications, the pharmacist will need answers to the following questions:
Is the medicine for you or someone else?
What symptoms are you trying to relieve?
What treatments have you tried? How well have they worked?
Do you have another disease that might affect this condition?
Are you taking other medications-prescription or nonprescription?
What have been the effects of similar medications used in the past?
You should be on guard for information that appears to be motivated by commercial interests and beware of the influence of advertising. Sometimes businesses invest more money in advertising than in the actual product it is promoting. One brand-name cereal, for example, costs $3.29. Only $.83 cents pays for the materials in the cereal; $1.24 pays for advertising. The rest goes to distribution and profits. The same cereal (comparable generic brand) without the advertising comes to consumers at a substantial savings. Also, claims based on anecdotes, case studies, testimonials, and personal observations may reflect personal bias or serve a hidden agenda.About the author:
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