Websites can be a useful way of gaining health information.
Care is needed, however, to assess that the material is
reliable. Just because the information is on the world wide web does not mean it
is reliable.
When you visit a doctor practicing in this country you know
that he or she has, at the very least, satisfied some basic approved medical
qualification.
It is wise, therefore, when examining a site to look at
the authorship of the site or articles in the “about us section” . Ask what is
the motive behind the site? Is it produced by an interest group for
example. Ask how is it funded? Are you being ask to purchase a product or
treatment? Look at more than one site and ask—is the advice consistent?
Note that opinions given in American sites may not be in accordance with current
medical practice in this country.
For further information in assessing web resources go
to:-
http://unfccc.int/resource/library/
Below is a personal (Dr V. Masharani) rather than a comprehensive list of a
few useful sites. If you come across sites that merit inclusion in this list
then email me. Dr Masharani can not take liability for the contents, however, so read
the disclaimer using the link below.
And
finally our Disclaimer: If
you haven't read the disclaimer about the information contained within this site
click here
If you are looking for information about a
specific condition and can't find it let Dr V know.
General sites and Portals
A variety of links are available from the sites below. If you want to cover specific conditions then go to the alphabetical section below. The Jargon buster page has several dictionaries and can also be used as a starting point
for your search.
BBC Health
News and chat about all sorts of health issues.
Lots of internal links.
Health on the Net Foundation
A portal for accessing other websites approved by this, not for profit,
organisation. Some of the foreign and US sites will give advice which may not
be current practice in this country.
Healthsites.co.uk
This is a well-organised health portal is written by Dr Trevor Underwood, a GP from Reading.
Leicestershire
care online
A massive site with not only social
care information but also health links, housing information, help for carers,
leisure and even shopping, mostly from a local viewpoint.
Medline Plus
Information collated by the National Library of Medicine, USA. Remember medical practice may be
different here but not necessarily worse
National
Library for Health
A very detailed site for
budding doctors (or qualified ones!)
NHS Direct
Lots of useful information
about deciding whether to call the doctor or dial 999 etc. and good health
links. Brilliant health encyclopaedia.
Patient uk
Ignore the "consult a GP, medical
insurance and your surgery". The rest of the site is very good. We use EMIS
software at the surgery and so the list of patient information leaflets and self
help groups are identical to the ones we may hand out to you to supplement our
consultations
TeenageHealthFreak
DoctorAnn
If you are a teenager and too shy to come to see us, you might find some helpful advice on these two sites.
DirectGov
The cynics would claim that UK online is just a mouthpiece
for the Government but it is a useful portal for accessing government services
and to guide you to more than 900 government websites.
Who named it?
If you wondered who Grave was of
Grave's disease of Hodgkin of Hodgkin's lymphoma then look no further.
Explanation of the
diseases is a bit technical though.
A to Z of other sites
(click letters & use browser button to return to the top):-
A
Abortion
Look under family planning
Acupuncture
British Acupuncture society
Uses of acupuncture and how to find a local
practitioner.
Aids
Terrance Higgins Trust
Do you know the difference between HIV
and AIDs? Want help and support. This site has everything.
Age concern
See under elderly.
Alcohol and drug addiction
Lots of sites under this topic of which I have included a
selection.
Addaction
This drug and alcohol treatment charity
is for users and those affected by drug and alcohol addiction.
Alcoholics Anonymous Great Britain
AA fact sheets and leaflets, and contact information.
Drug Action Team
Web Site for Leicestershire.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's Society
The Alzheimer's Society is a care and research
charity for people with dementia, their families and carers.
Anorexia
See under eating disorder.
Arthritis
Arthritis research campaign
Raises funds to promote medical research into the
cause, treatment and cure of arthritic conditions and to provide information
to people affected by arthritis.
Asthma
National Asthma Campaign
Information and advise about asthma
and its management. Includes kidzone with a couple of downloadable games.
Autism
National Autistic Society
The site includes information about
autism and Asperger syndrome, and about the support and services available in
the UK.
B
Back pain
Backcare
The charity promoting healthier backs. It is dedicated
to educating people on how to avoid preventable back pain, and supporting
those living with back pain.
Bedwetting (Enuresis)
Eric
A common and frustrating problem of
bedwetting dealt with in a good straightforward manner, especially 'ask the
experts' section.
Benefits
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Wasn't this department called the DHSS in
the bad old days? The blurb tells me that this department was created in June
2001 ( I missed the opening ceremony, obviously).
The main problem about claiming for
benefit is working out what you are entitled to. This site should help a lot and it is easy to use and most of
the
application forms are downloadable.
Bereavement
Cruse
Offers information and advice to
anyone who has been affected by a death.
Winston's wish
Supports children who are bereaved. Good information
for parents and families. Dedicated pages for children.
Blind
Royal national
institute of the blind
RNIB offers practical support and advice to anyone
with a sight problem.
Blood Donation
The National Blood Service
Information about how to give blood bone marrow and tissues. Don't forget you can't get deadly diseases such as hepatitis or AIDs by giving blood. It is a completely safe procedure.
The fun zone is quite informative for kids.
Breast Cancer
Breast
Cancer Campaign
Charity funding breast cancer research.
All about breast cancer and how to check your breasts.
Bulimia
See under eating disorders.
Bullying
Bullying online
Now this is a miserable business that
worries many parents. Hopefully most schools take this very seriously now.
Some helpful advice and support here for children and parents.
C
Cancer
Cancerbacup
Provides information, practical advice and
support for cancer patients and their families
Cancer Research UK
A fund raising organisation which also provides information
about specific cancers and how they are treated.
Macmillan Cancer Relief
A UK charity that works to improve the quality of life for people
living with cancer.
Leicestershire,
Northamptonshirea and Rutland Cancer Network
NHS website that offers information, help and
support.
Carers support
Princess Royal Trust for Carers
Help and support for carers
Childcare
Parentlineplus
UKParents
Both the above two sites cover child
care. Some useful
articles and fun to read.
Children
Childline
Free 24hr helpline for children in trouble
or danger.
Bullying - see under Bullying
Child Accident Prevention Trust
Exactly about the title
Childlessness
See under infertility
Claiming Benefits
Look under benefits
Coeliacs Disease
Coeliac UK
Got fed up of waiting for site to load. More time and money
on content rather than appearance would have helped. On the other hand their publications are good.
Best gluten-free
recipes
Written by Allan Gardyne. He lives in Queensland,
Australia. A real enthusiast in spreading the word about cooking for Coeliacs.
The recipes all sound yummy. He likes his puddings!
More gluten -
free recipes
Another far flung author who likes his food.
Counselling
General counselling is available in house within the
practice but for marital and relationship issues try Relate:
Relate
Cystic fibrosis
The Cystic fibrosis trust
Information, care and support for those affected and their families as
well as supporting research. Beautiful looking site.
D
Deafness
British Deaf Association
Support group run by deaf people promoting amongst other
things British sign language.
RNID
Deafness and tinnitus. Lots of information for those
affected including advice about buying private hearing aids. Although it is easiest to find information on this site using the site search box, I could not see the search box on the home page but it is on all the other pages.
British Sign Language
Promotes the use of British sign language. The spelling machine is really clever. You write in a phrase in the dialog box and the graphic illustrates it in sign language -cute.
Depression
Look under mental health.
Diabetes
Diabetes UK
Formally called the British diabetic
association. I advise all diabetics to become a member of this organisation for
all the help and support you will get from them. Their publications are good but
the list is hidden in the " how we help" section of the site.
Diets
bbc.co.uk/health/nutrition/
The BBC link above is especially for those wanting general information but there are links to other sources of information about particular diets from this site:
Vegetarian Society of the UK for vegetarians ( including children)
The Vegan Society - for vegans ( including children)
The food standards agency also produces some good information:-
The food standards agency
Disability
Disability Information and advice line
(DIAL)
A portal for accessing other sites
Mosaic
For Leicester based information
Drivers
DVLA
By law it is the duty of the driver to inform the
DVLA about change in circumstances such as medical conditions you could get into
serious trouble if you get caught out so don't ignore this advice. Contact
information and lots of useful information on this site.
Drug addiction
Look under alcohol and drug addiction.
E
Eating disorders
Eating Disorders Association
Covers anorexia nervosa, bulimia and other eating
disorders. Information and help together with some touching personal stories and
poems.
Eczema
The National Eczema Society
Help and information about eczema and dermatitis
but site front page is dominated by membership and fundraising stuff. The "about
eczema" section is more useful. The product section is sponsored and shows bias.
Elderly
Age Concern
Lots of positive images of and information
for older people. I am not sure how old you have to be to qualify.
Help the Aged
A bit more political than the age concern site but in
there the pdf information booklets deserve a mention.
Epilepsy
National
Society for Epilepsy
Good solid information about different
types of epilepsy and their management.
Epilepsy
Action
Another good site for epileptic. I liked the straightforward
advice about employment and driving. Links to DVLA. Mandatory game in Kidzone
F
Family planning - sexual health
Brook
Free and confidential sexual health advice and
services specifically for young people under 25. Brook is a registered charity.
Even this site has a "space invader type game" but I suspect that visitors to
the site have other things on their mind.
BPAS
BPAS supports reproductive
choice by advocating and providing high-quality, affordable services to prevent
or end unwanted pregnancy with contraception or by abortion. Information about how to
book an appointment.
FPA
Formally the family planning association,
this site is particularly strong on different contraceptive methods and how to
avoid sexually transmitted infections. We use their leaflets in the surgery
Fear of Flying
A couple of links dealing with the subject with some very helpful information and contact numbers are provided here.
travellershealth.co.uk
airfraid
Food
Food
standards agency
Although one might be cynical about the government's motive about
promoting health eating and whether it is in the pocket of the foods
industry, there is some really good information about healthy eating here.
All good stuff for GCSE projects about food and health.
G
Gluten free diets
Look under Coeliac
Group B Strep
Group B Strep Support (GBSS)
This is a charity website dedicated to supporting pregnant women affected by the strepotoccal infection which can life a threatening infections in the newborn.
H
HIV
Look under Aids
Health and Safety
Health and safety
executive
Good reading for employer and employee alike. Better to get wise before you get sick at work. Look at the workers web page if you are
an employee worried about something at work. For general information I find that
it is easier to find a topic using the search box but you can sometimes get too
many hits.
Heart Disease
British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation is Britain's leading charity
fighting heart and circulatory diseases - the UK's biggest killer. The BHF funds
research, education and a life-saving equipment and helps heart patients return
to a full and active way of life. The charity relies on donations to continue
its vital work.
Housing
Harborough home search
From this web page you can download an application form to register with
Harborough home search. You will then receive a regular news letter telling you
about the housing coming up for rental.
I
Impotence
Male health
This site covers all aspects of male health as well as erectile dysfuntion
Infertility
Infertility Network UK
CHILD and ISSUE merged on 1st December 2003 to work under the new name of
Infertility network UK aimed at couples undergoing infertility treatments, or
those who have faced infertility in the past. The charity also supports those
who remain childless
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)
The Human Fertilisation and
Embryology Authority (HFEA) was set up in the UK in 1991. It ensures that
all UK treatment clinics offering in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or donor
insemination (DI), or storing eggs, sperm or embryos, conform to high medical
and professional standards and are inspected regularly.
Good information section (explaining
the technology) for couples heading towards IVF
Immunisation (for travel
vaccinations look under travel)
Department of Health -Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR)
The practice supports the DoH view that MMR
offers the best option for children but we can provide contact information about
doctors offering separate immunisations. Have a look at the evidence and you
decide.
Immunisations.nhs.uk
Immunisations and immunisation programmes
for children.
J
K
L
Legal advice
Legal
services
Some good leaflets on stuff like employment, human
rights and personal injury.
The full
lists shown here. All are downloadable from the site or ordered by snail mail.
Leukaemia
Leukaemia Research Fund
All about leukaemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma & other lymphomas,
myeloma, myelodysplasia, myeloproliferative disorders and aplastic anaemia.
Information section and links to current research is great but the front page is
rather dominated by fundraising features. Booklets to order or downloadable as pdf files.
Lupus
Lupus or SLE is a very disabling condition affecting tissues such as skin,
kidneys, nerves, the heart and joints.
M
Marital problems
Look under concelling.
ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis)
The ME Association
The pdf document about diagnosis and
current treatment is good but quite technical and takes ages to download.
Support for people affected and their carers
Meningitis
Meningitis Trust
Similar mission as
meningitis research foundation but the Trust also offer financial support grants
to enhance quality of life of those affected or their carers.
Meningitis Research Foundation
Not only for those who have been affected
by the trauma of meningitis or meningococcal septicaemia but also information
for health care workers and support for further research.
Mental health
The Samaritans
If you feel low just ring the Samaritans on Tel
08457 90 90 90 - 24hr. You can also email them or go to their local office - all
the info is on this site
They answered a staggering 3,800,000 calls
in England in 2000 - and very helpful they are too.
Changing minds
A pdf format link to campaign by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to reduce the stigma of mental illness as well as resources about different mental illnesss. Very good information here.
Depression Alliance
Information about signs and symptoms of depression and its treatment.
Good article by Dr Chris Manning,
a GP who suffered depression, about how to get the best out of a consultation
with one of us GPs.
Manic
Depression Fellowship
For those who suffer from manic depression / "bipolar" disorder. Information about self help groups, information and
publications, benefits and legal advise. Not much on
diagnosis and treatment but the publications which you can buy cover this
aspect.
Rethink
New name for National Schizophrenia Fellowship. Information and support.
SaneLine
1 in 4 of us are affected by mental illness
is the statistic quoted. Information about depression, schizophrenia, phobias,
obsession, anxiety, drugs and alcohol
Young minds
Information for parents, kids and
professionals about mental health of children -e.g. depression, eating disorders
and attention deficit disorders.
Migraine
Migraine Action Association
Formally the British Migraine Association. A smallish site. I would have thought that the drug treatment would be covered in more depth.
Motor Neurone disease
Motor Neurone Disease association
Help and support for patients with this deadly disease as well as fundraising for research.
Multiple Sclerosis
The MS Society
An MS diagnosis is always scary stuff for
patients, but patients and carers will glean a lot of positive information from
this site . I particularly like the "what is MS" leaflet in pdf format.
N
Nutrition - look under diets
O
Osteoporosis
National Osteoporosis Society
Osteoporosis affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 12 men.
Information on how to prevent osteoporosis fractures. Good calcium diet sheet
as well as treatment options
P
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's Disease Society
Solid information about the disease and its
management as well as support information for affected individuals and their
families
Plastic Surgery
From time to time we are approached about plastic surgery. We advise serious thought before undergoing any form of cosmetic surgical procedure. Weigh up all the risks of something going wrong against any benefit. We are
happy to discuss these issues with our patients.Information about the different procedures and a list of approved surgeons is available from the site which represents the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.
Phobia
Fear of flying - look under Fear
Pregnancy
National childbirth trust
Information about pregnancy, labour and early
childcare
Psoriasis
The psoriasis association
Informative site about this difficult condition
Unwanted pregnancy
Look under family
planning
Q
R
Relationship difficulties
Look under
counselling
S
Sexual health
Young Adults (16-24) Sexual Health Advice
An NHS guide to sexually transmitted
infections. Flashy pics make the site slow to load and a bit gimmicky but
perhaps I am getting too old!
Look also at the sites
under family planning which cover topics including sexually transmitted diseases.
SLE
Look under lupus
Smoking
ASH - Action on Smoking and Health
- good statistics for teachers etc. if you have already quit - how to make
your work environment smoke free.
NHS - Give Up Smoking Campaign
Quit
Lets face it there is so much help out
there for smokers that it is daft not to try and quit. Undertakers might not be
pleased.
Statistics
National Statistics online
Ah, where would politicians be without
statistics. 9 out of 10 people would prefer it that way. If you want some
numbers to back up your arguments about health, wealth or anything else then you
could do worse than start off at the National Statistics online site. The
neighbourhood link will give you local numbers including info about local school
performance. The department of work and pensions site has some good numbers as
well (see the link above under benefits and click onto resources).... by the way
my statistic above is made up!
Stillbirth
Sands
Provides
support for parents and families whose baby is stillborn or dies soon after
birth.
A small site very much about
supporting each other
Stress
This topic was covered on May 28th 2003 on the news page. If you want to read the article go to the archive page. For the references from the articles by
health and safety executive and doctor patient partnership use the hyperlinks here. The BMA book on
stress is very good and is available from our patient library
Stroke
The Stroke Association
The publications look good but pity that
only one is available online. I agree with their sentiment that to get good
quality results all patients need to be treated in specialist stroke units.
T
Teenage Health Issues
Have a look at the general category of sites at
the top of this page
Travel advice and vaccinations
Click here to download our practice vaccination request
form in .pdf format (requires
Acrobat reader downloadable from the home page)
Note Charges for vaccinations have gone up since the publication of this
document.
Health Advice for
Travellers
The online version of the booklet you may have seen at the Post Office. Includes vaccination and
other advice. There is also a link here for getting
The European Health
Insurance Card (EHIC) enables you to get reduce cost or free emergency treatment in EU countries. Quite often you have to claim for refund after your treatment has been undertaken so it is wise to make some financial provision
for emergencies. You might find yourself too ill to be messing about with bureaucracy in a different language.
Please note that the E111 form is no longer valid
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
We really like our patients to come home
from holiday well and in one piece. Check the country specific warning
information and take advise about risks and how to behave.
Lonely Planet Online
See this site and dream about how it would
it is to be young
free and single with cash in ones pocket to do a bit of travelling to far flung
places. Health info is good as
well.
The Scottish travel vaccination
page
Country specific advice about jabs etc. as
well as general advice to all travellers
U
V
Vegetarian and vegan diets - look under diets
W
X
Y
Z
