Balance Your Health

How Reliable is Online Information on Health?

There must be tens of thousands of health-related websites and blogs on the Internet and the list grows daily. Some sites are useful while others may present inaccurate information, misleading interpretation of studies, and out of date information. My recommendation is that you evaluate a website the first time you visit it to determine if it's reliable.

Keep in mind that content on the Internet is not regulated and anyone can publish anything. On the other hand, there is sound medical information on the Internet along with the quackery and dangerous information. You, however, need to be able to tell the difference.

As you search online you're going to find websites for health agencies and other organizations that aren't well known. By answering the following questions you will find out more. Many of these details can be found on the dashboard under the heading About or Contact Us.

One of the first questions you should ask yourself is who sponsors the website? Is the sponsor easily identified?

It costs money to run a Website and the sponsor pays the bills. A good health-related Web site makes it easy for you to find out who is the funding source. For example:

• .gov identifies a government sponsored site;
• .edu indicates an educational institution,
• .org a non commercial or professional site.
• and .com identifies a commercial.

You should also know how the site pays for itself. Does it sell advertising? Is it sponsored by a drug company? This is important because the source of funding affects what content is presented, how the content is presented and what the site owners want to accomplish. For instance, if the site about arthritis is funded by a manufacturer of a supplement that might be used for this condition, that's going to impact the site's content. It certainly will influence how reports and research are interpreted.

If the funding source is unclear or if it's a person or an organization with an interest in the topic but no direct ties to anything commercial or non profit you need to do more homework. Try to confirm the information about that person somewhere else. Use a search engine like Google.

You should also have information about who manages the site? Trustworthy websites have contact information for you to use. This may include a toll-free phone number, an address and an e-mail address. You should be able to reach someone who administers that website.

Knowing he purpose of the site wil help you during the evaluation.The site's purpose is related to who runs and pays for the website. Again, you can usually find out about this by going to the About link on the home page. There you should find a clear statement of purpose which will help you evaluate the trustworthiness of the information. Ask yourself: Why did the person create the page? What's in it for them? Are they trying to sell me something? Do they genuinely want to teach me something?

Above all use your common sense and the information you already know about the health topic before you act on any information about a particular health topic. And if you have questions about the information, ask your physician.

I certainly hope this helps you find out the right kind of health information you're seeking. Do you have other suggestions that help you evaluate how good a website is on health.  Share them us. Scroll down to Comments and type your tip in the blank box.

Thanks for sharing.

To your success at balancing your health and life.

Ruthan Brodsky

New Treatments for Alcoholism

I find brain research so very interesting. I think it’s because I’m one of those who long professed- before it was popular – that there was a mind/body connection. When I learn about new brain research, I often have to adjust my thinking because so much of our behavior is a result of the body, only the body part being discussed is the brain.

Now the research is focusing on the brain and how specific medications direct the brain and the body to reduce the desire for consuming alcohol. (Another word – desire – that I always associated with the mind.)The research for treating alcoholism has changed direction slightly from taking an all or nothing approach of abstinence to some reduction. The research also shows how alcohol damages the brain and gives some insight into how the brain becomes addicted.

I am personally interested in information about addiction because my older sister died from anorexia and I am convinced that too is an addiction.Check out my blog on anorexia. I suspect the new research about addiction will also benefit those with eating disorders.

What specialists have found is that the primary treatment of complete abstinence from alcohol does not work well for many. A lot of family members of alcoholics could have told the scientists that without the research. But they figured it out and directed their thinking to what medications do they know that may reduce the amount of alcohol consumed. The September-October 2008 issue of the Dana Foundation’s publication, Brain Work, reported that topiramate, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat epilepsy and migraine, also reduced the number of "heavy drinking days" and increased the number of days without a drink for patients. Those in the treated group also slept better and had fewer obsessive thoughts related to drinking.

Another candidate for treating alcoholism is one of the growth factors or substances that nourish and protect developing brain cells. Labeled GDNF (glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor) which is also used for treatment of Parkinson’s disease, the results show that this also inhibits alcohol consumption. The researchers were excited about this particular drug because it has the possibility of preventing relapses which is a big problem in treating alcohol dependence.

Although the health consequences of chronic alcoholism – such as brain degeneration and liver disease – are severe, many studies show that moderate drinking has its health benefits, specifically for the heart. The goal of the research is to turn off the intense cravings that produce addiction and help alcoholics become capable of moderate drinking.

Wonder of wonders if that happens.

Any thoughts on all this?

To your health success.

Ruthan

www.balanceyourhealth.com    www.upsideofaging.com

Depression Ends When Exercise Begins

The research is out: Regular exercise helps relieve major depression as well as an antidepressant medication. Anyone who jogs, walks, plays tennis, or works out on a regular basis already knows this but now the first placebo-controlled clinical trial took place that proves it. The study compared different types of treatment with exercise and concluded that exercise improves mood.

The exercise model was the same for those working out at home or at a gym in group. It included a 10-minute walking warm-up, 30 minutes of walking or jogging on a treadmill and a 5-minute cool down. At the end of 16 weeks 45 percent of the participants no longer met the criteria for major depression.

One of the reasons exercise improves mood is that it increases the release of endorphins, brain chemicals that behave as natural opiates. It also impacts neurotransmitters that have a role in mood regulation. What’s more, aerobic exercise boosts the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain which may also have a mood elevating effect.

It was suggested that since exercise was so effective in people diagnosed with sever depression, people with less severe depression may benefit even more or faster. Even so, many doctors recommend combining exercise with antidepressant medication and cognitive behavior therapy

If it helps to motivate you, find a friend and exercise together.

I know when I do my combination walking and jogging in the mornings I’m more positive when I return to the office and don’t drink as much coffee. And on those days when I feel overwhelmed, I make it a point to spend more time exercising. I’ve gotten as far as an hour and 10 minutes on bad days.

Tell us how you work at your mood swings – or down in the dump modes. What you do could be helpful to another reader. Scroll down until you see ‘comments’ and just type your answer in the blank window.

To your well balanced health.

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky helps business owners and health care professionals market their service and products with content marketing.

Resource: Psychosomatic Medicine, September 2007.

www.balanceyourhealth.com

www.upsideofaging.com