The colder weather often brings with it coughing, sniffling, aches and fevers. Avoiding germs or getting a flu shot may offer some protection. But if sickness strikes and you turn to the Internet for self-diagnosis or remedies, choose your Web sites wisely.
WebMD, one of the most popular health Web sites, is a good place to start. It offers the latest health news, authoritative information on diseases, topical health guides, a family health center and more.
MedlinePlus helps you sort out the good from the bad health information reported by the media. The site also instructs you how to evaluate health sources to find information that is unbiased and up-to-date. Along similar lines is Quackwatch, a nonprofit whose mission is to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct."
Although the Web is a treasure trove of health information, it is always a smart idea to get offline and visit a medical professional. But once you return home, use the MedTerms medical dictionary to decipher those long words the doctor used to diagnose your ailments. The site provides easy definitions for more than 16,000 medical terms.
Soojung Chang
Senior Writer
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