Alternative and Complementary Medicine -- Resources and Opinions
Among the controversies in modern medicine are alternative and complementary medical approaches to diagnosis and healing. While some say these therapies have been in use for thousands of years and would not have lasted so long if they didn't work, others believe only quacks, phony doctors, would ever recommend them.
Complementary and alternative medicine is enjoying a new popularity in the United States. Wise patients spend time learning about how to judge them against the evidence to make good choices for their own medical care.
Be sure to review the guidelines for finding credible and reliable information on the Internet before you judge these various approaches considered to be alternative or complementary.
Health and Medical Blogs and Wikis
Although we can't be sure about the credentials of the people who write and share their thoughts in blogs and wikis, sometimes they can be a good source of information, in surprising ways.
Social Networking Websites
Social networking can help you learn plenty about all aspects of your health care, from prevention, through symptoms and diagnosis, treatment options and disease management. It creates an opportunity to carry on conversations with other patients or professionals, much like online support groups.Healthcare Costs and Consumerism
In the United States, we are mostly removed from the real costs of our medical care. This presents a unique set of challenges ranging from those who have no insurance or healthcare payers, to people who choose to pay out of their pockets for their care.
As healthcare reform becomes a bigger part of the national conversation, you'll find the most changes taking place in this area.
Additional, Miscellaneous Health Information on the Web
From learning about healthcare quackery, to researching the possibilities of misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis, there are sites worth reviewing that will surprise you.
