The Internet is one of the largest sources of facts, news, and entertainment today. Anyone with a computer can write away and get published in a matter of minutes. However, with no way to verify every bit of information that gets published online, it is easy for wrong information to proliferate.
If you get health advice from the Internet, you have to get it from the right sources because following wrong information is unsafe and potentially dangerous.
Even popular sources of information such as Wikipedia have errors in omission and incomplete information about health conditions and drugs.
If you really want to make sure that you are getting reliable information from the Internet, here are some tips to help you do just that.
Stick to health sites supported by the government or an educational institution
Government or university sites are perhaps two of the most reliable kinds of websites today. These are websites with end with a .gov or an .edu in their URLs. You will know that information relayed through these sites are true and tested because most of the content on these websites are written by experts or moderated by experts in the field.
A study has shown that along with the website of personal doctors, federal and university websites are among the most trusted for health information on the web today.
Learn more about the people or organization behind the website
Another way to know that you are getting trusted online information is to learn more about the people who are behind the website. Most websites usually have contact pages where you can post your queries to the website management. Sites like Wartsremoval.net for example contains well referenced material, as well as easy to access contact information.
You can also Google the names of authors if there are any, and search for contact information if it is available. Credible authors usually go by their real names, not online aliases, and they usually leave their email addresses or contact information at the end of their articles in case readers want to make comments or suggestions.
Avoid sites with too many ads that promote health products
Health sites that can double as online stores are sites that you should steer clear from. The most likely scenario is that the content in these websites are geared toward getting visitors to buy health products, and you may not get unbiased or true information.
There is also no guarantee that the health information in the sites were reviewed by medical professionals and can be made by anyone such as self-proclaimed experts.