WHO, The World Health Organization, has advised health officials around the world to give up testing patients for H1N1 swine flu, and just assume that any form of upper respiratory sickness is just that. It seems they are wasting their time and money on proving something that may not matter anyway.

There are a few other pieces of interesting news about swine flu, too:

In total, almost 98,000 cases of swine flu have been confirmed around the world; but officials estimate the actual number of cases is 10 to 100 times that.

Several cases of drug-resistant flu have been reported. That means that patients were given Tamiflu, but it didn't help them. WHO officials aren't too worried about it because the drug-resistant strains aren't spreading.

In the meantime, US health officials haven't decided yet whether there should be a swine flu vaccine developed before fall. They would need to develop 600 million doses. The questions revolve around how they could find enough healthcare workers to actually administer the shots, and how they would measure side-effects, since seasonal flu shots would be given at the same time.

For now it's still best to continue with your hygiene practices (wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands!) or start them if you haven't already. If you get the flu, take care of yourself, and stay home from work.

• Read the Frequently Asked Questions About H1N1 Swine Flu
• Should You Fear the Swine Flu
• Swine Flu Myths: Facts, Fiction or Fraud?

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Many of us believe we're quite savvy when it comes to finding credible Internet health information. We may be surprised.

In the midst of recession when people are desperate to make money or save money, sites are popping up that look incredibly real. They tout anything from make-money-at-home schemes to buying-drugs-for-less scams. They even include well-known personalities like Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Just a warning today. Always be sure to verify that any information you find that you hope to use to improve your health is deemed credible. And be sure to share that health information with your doctor to stay safe, and to keep your money.

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Photo of Dr. Mehmet Oz © Getty Images / Thos Robinson

Kimberly Read, the About.com Guide to Bipolar Disorder sent me a link about ordering one's own medical lab tests.

Yes, do-it-yourself medical testing. From West Nile Virus to STDs to Liver Profile Panels -- all those tests a doctor might send you for. Prices range from $50 to hundreds (maybe thousands?)

My guess is that the people who would want to take advantage of this type of service would be those who either don't have health insurance, or those who don't want a local doctor to know they may have acquired an STD or some other embarrassing problem.

But do-it-yourself testing isn't exactly what you think it would be.

When you arrive at the website, it looks like you'll be able to order tests by mail order. Turns out, that's not it. If you click on one of the tests, you keep clicking until you learn that you are supposed to order a specific test of dozens of tests, and you have to actually find a doctor who will write an order for the test you want. Then you have to go to a lab (locations in many, but not all areas) to have your blood drawn, to leave a urine sample, or provide whatever. Once the results are available they send you an email and you view them online.

But I can guarantee that they DON'T provide a diagnosis -- and that's what you'd be looking for, right? The only reason to order these things is to get results that are useful. But labs don't diagnose anyway. They simply supply results in the forms of numbers -- whatever has been measured.

So why would you bother? You would have to go to the doctor anyway because you would need someone to translate them -- a formal diagnosis and a prescription or treatment protocol. We can't order our own treatments, no matter what kinds of lab work we have done.

Can there be danger to arranging for your own tests? While I suppose there could be some risk (radiation? risk of infection? others...) I think the bigger danger is to your wallet.

Just like the online symptom checkers -- you can't really get the information you need and be confident it is correct. A wise patient leaves that to the professionals, then double checks difficult results with a second opinion.

If you need a diagnosis and treatment for troubling symptoms, do yourself a favor. Don't waste your money by ordering a medical test yourself. Find a doctor you trust who will coordinate testing and interpret the results for you.

The money you save may be your own.

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In these days of difficulty making ends meet, it seems we are becoming more frugal about spending our healthcare dollars, too.

An article in USA Today points out that 20% of women, and 15% of men will take the time to shop around for better prices, comparing the cost of a doctor visit, medical tests and medications.

Good for them!

Healthcare is the one area where most of us consumers just don't take the steps we should to be sure our dollars are going the furthest. There are some great tools out there to help us spend our healthcare dollars wisely, but clearly, most of us are not using them.

Double checking our doctors' bills, using generic drugs, even counting our pills when they arrive -- these are all great tools for controlling our health expenses.

What healthcare money have you saved lately?

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