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Library cardholders can access online databases
for articles on specific subjects!

 

 

 

 

Health links are made available for educational purposes only. This information should not be interpreted as health advice.
This health information should be discussed with your health care provider.



Good Starting Points
  • Comprehensive Sites

    For additional resources, see the library's list of online Health Databases.

    • Family Doctor
      The American Academy of Family Physicians provides medical and health information for the whole family. Some information is available in Spanish.

    • Healthcare 411
      A weekly series of current health care-related news programs offered in multiple formats. Produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

    • Healthfinder
      A gateway to consumer health information developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Information is also available in Spanish.

    • Mayo Clinic
      Provides a comprehensive site for finding information about diseases and conditions, drugs, treatment decisions and healthy living topics.

    • Medem
      Medem is a library of patient information created by some of the major professional medical societies.

    • MedlinePlus Health Information
      The National Library of Medicine's resource for "accurate, current, commercial free and totally private health information." Included are health topics, news, a medical encyclopedia, drug information, clinical trials, medical dictionaries, directories of doctors and hospitals, interactive health tutorials and other resources. Access to abstracts of the professional medical literature is available through PubMed. Portions of the MedlinePlus Health Information site are also available in Spanish.

    • The Merck Manual of Medical Information — Home Edition
      This resource provides information about diseases, diagnosis, prevention and treatment in everyday language which can be understood by the consumer. The site includes a pronunciation guide for medical terminology.

    • National Institutes of Health
      Provides access to medical information, health resources and scientific advances in the field of medicine.

    • NOAH — New York Online Access to Health
      Information on general health topics in both English and Spanish. The site is sponsored by the New York Public Library, the New York Academy of Medicine and other organizations.



Age-/Gender-Specific Health Information

  • Children's Health

    See also Comprehensive Sites.

    • GirlsHealth.gov
      This Department of Health and Human Services Web site focuses on health topics that are applicable to adolescent girls' health concerns.

    • Health Topics: Infants and Children
      Health resources for infants and toddlers and children from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    • KidsHealth
      This site, created by The Nemours Foundation, provides information on young people's health for parents and children. Information is also available in Spanish.

    • Safe Kids USA
      Here you will find the latest news, product recalls and invaluable tips on how to keep infants and children safe whether at home, on the playground or in the car. Also available in Spanish.

  • Men's Health

    See also Comprehensive Sites.

    • Erectile Dysfunction
      Provided by the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, this site covers the causes, diagnoses and treatment of erectile dysfunction.

    • MedlinePlus: Men's Health Topics
      This site, provided by National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, is a directory of compilations of links on topics relating to men's health. Also available in Spanish.

    • Men's Health
      From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this Web site provides information on men's health issues.

  • Older Adult Health

    See also Comprehensive Sites and the library's list of links on Caregiving.

    • Merck Manual of Geriatrics
      A comprehensive review of geriatric medicine and care of the elderly, written for the health care professional.

    • Merck Manual of Health and Aging
      Prepared for the lay reader, this site provides information on aging and the care of older people.

    • NIHSeniorHealth
      Produced by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, this site includes diagrams, video and text to explain problems of special concern to older adults. To assist users with vision disabilities, the size and contrast of the text can be changed, or the user can choose to hear the text read aloud.

  • Teen Health

    See also Comprehensive Sites.

    • Adolescent Health
      From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; provides links to health, alcohol and drug use, sexual behavior, nutrition, fitness and more.

    • GirlsHealth.gov
      This Department of Health and Human Services Web site focuses on health concerns of adolescent girls' between the ages of 10 and 16.

    • TeensHealth
      This site created by the Nemours Foundation, provides teens with current information on issues such as puberty, fitness, sex, nutrition, body image and more. Information is also available in Spanish.

  • Women's Health

    See also Comprehensive Sites.

    • Infertility

      • American Society for Reproductive Medicine
        The American Society for Reproductive Medicine offers information to patients to encourage greater understanding and involvement in decision-making. The site includes answers to frequently asked questions, fact sheets and information about clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health.

      • Resolve
        Resolve is a nonprofit organization that helps people resolve infertility problems by providing information, support and advocacy. Articles on infertility-related topics are available on the site.

    • MedlinePlus: Women's Health Topics
      This site, provided by National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, is a directory of compilations of links on topics relating to women's health. Also available in Spanish.

    • National Women's Health Information Center
      This Web site is a service of the Office on Women's Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The site provides reliable and current information on women's health topics.



Alternative Medicine
For additional resources in this subject area, see the library's online Health and Medicine Databases.


Clinical Trials


Dentistry
See also Doctors, Dentists, Etc.


Diseases and Conditions
For additional information on these and other topics, see also Comprehensive Sites.

  • AIDS/HIV

    • AIDSinfo
      Information on treatment guidelines, drugs, vaccines and clinical trials from the Department of Health and Human Services. Information is also available in Spanish.

    • HIV InSite
      Information at this comprehensive site is provided by the provided by the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Clinical, prevention, social issues and other key topics are all covered. Information is also available in Spanish.

  • Cancer

    • Cancer.gov
      Information for patients and health professionals from the National Cancer Institute. The site provides access to information on cancer treatment, screening, supportive care, ongoing clinical trials and links to other Web sites. Information is also available in Spanish.

    • Oncolink
      A comprehensive site providing information about cancer in all its aspects, including treatment, clinical trials and news about research advances. Offered by the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center.

  • Diabetes

  • Genetic Conditions

    • Genetics Home Reference
      The National Library of Medicine provides this extensive guide to understanding genetic conditions. Also included are links to information about genetics, genetic testing and gene therapy, and a glossary of genetic terminology.

  • Heart Disease

    • American Heart Association
      Information about all aspects of cardiovascular disease.

    • Inova Health System
      Information on all aspects of cardiovascular disease including an overview of the cardiovascular system, disease prevention, diagnostic methods and treatment procedures. While the Web site is targeted at patients at the Inova Heart Center, it will be of interest to others looking for information on heart disease.

  • Influenza (Flu)

  • See also Flu Shots

    • Fairfax County Department of Health

      • Pandemic Flu Information
        A description of the county's pandemic flu planning efforts and links to the county's latest pandemic flu-related news releases. Checklists and resources for residents, businesses, schools and organizations, and links to useful Web sites are also included.

      • Swine Flu (H1N1 Virus) Information
        Links to county, state and federal government information on swine flu.

    • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

    • Virginia Department of Health

      • Pandemic Influenza Information
        The department defines what pandemic influenza is and provides information regarding risks, prevention, treatment and Virginia's planned response to such a threat.

      • H1N1 Flu
        Find out what you can do to avoid contracting H1N1, locate vaccination sites and ask questions via the department's online- and telephone-based FAQ service.

  • Obesity

    • American Obesity Association
      Comprehensive site on obesity and overweight provided by the American Obesity Association.

    • Overweight and Obesity
      Provides information on all aspects of obesity including trends, contributing factors, and health and economic consequences. This site is provided by the Centers for Disease Control.

  • Symptom Checkers



Doctors, Dentists, Etc.
See also Alternative Medicine and Mental Health. For additional resources in this subject area, see the library's online database, Consumers' Checkbook, available in library branches only.

  • Good Starting Points

  • Dentists

    • Best Dentists
      Washingtonian magazine's list of area dentists recommended by other dentists in response to the magazine's questionnaire. The accompanying article describes how the dentists were chosen and some of the limitations of the lists.

    • Find a Dentist
      The American Dental Association offers a directory of ADA members searchable by specialty and location, or by specialty, location and name.

    • Find a Pediatric Dentist
      The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry offers a directory of AAPD members searchable by name, location or zip code.

  • Doctors

    • About Physician Specialties
      This feature of the American Board of Medical Specialties' Web site describes each of the medical specialties and subspecialties, including information about the training required for certification.

    • Find a Doctor
      Inova Health System presents this directory of physicians with privileges at Inova hospitals. The database allows you to search for physicians by name, medical specialty, gender and location. Information provided varies but includes certification, training and specifics about the practice.

    • Medicare Participating Physician Directory
      Search for providers of health care or services, in Fairfax County or other jurisdictions around the metropolitan area, who have agreed to accept assignment on all Medicare claims for covered items and services.

    • Talking with Your Doctor
      This guide prepared by the National Institutes of Health for older people, provides tips of interest to everyone on choosing a physician, developing good communication with your doctor and how to raise sensitive topics.

    • Top Doctors
      Washingtonian magazine's list of area doctors recommended by other doctors in response to the magazine's questionnaire. The accompanying article describes how the doctors were chosen and some of the limitations of the list.

    • Virginia Board of Medicine's Practitioner Information Web Site
      The site provides information about doctors of medicine, podiatry and osteopathy who are licensed in Virginia, including hospital affiliations, Medicare/Medicaid participation, certification, education, academic appointments, actions and paid claims.

    • Who's Certified
      Verify a physician's board certification status or search for board-certified physicians by geographical area and specialty or sub-specialty. The site is developed and maintained by the American Board of Medical Specialists.   Note: Free registration is required.



Drugs
For additional resources in this subject area, see the library's online Health and Medicine Databases.
  • Best Buy Drugs
    This Consumer Reports Web site compares effectiveness, safety and cost for drugs prescribed to treat several medical conditions.

    Note: Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files on this site.
    To obtain a free Reader, follow this link:

  • Buying Drugs Online
    The Food and Drug Administration offers tips and warnings about buying drugs, diagnostic tests, medical devices and contact lenses online. This site also provides a way to report fraudulent sites.

  • DailyMed
    Provides current prescription drug information from the U.S. Department of Food and Drug Administration. This site is maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

  • Drug Digest
    Provides consumer health information about drugs, vitamins and supplements. Includes a drug interactions database and a pill images database to help users verify medications.

  • Drug Information Portal
    This database, from the National Library of Medicine, provides information on more than 12,000 drugs, including prescription and nonprescription drugs, dietary supplements and investigational drugs. Searchable by generic or brand name.

  • Drugs, Supplements and Herbal Information
    From the MedlinePlus Web site, this site provides information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines as well as herbs and supplements.

  • Electronic Orange Book
    Provides information about federally approved generic equivalents of drugs.

  • Patient Assistance Programs
    PAPs are programs offered by pharmaceutical companies and provide free or low-cost prescription medicines for low-income individuals who meet certain eligibility requirements. The drug companies may have different application and eligibility requirements; however, most programs require that individuals do not have prescription coverage, have incomes under 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, and must be U.S. citizens or residents.

    • NeedyMeds
      NeedyMeds is a nonprofit organization that helps individuals find low-cost patient assistance programs for prescription medicines. You can view the lists of drugs by brand or generic name, or see if a pharmaceutical company is currently offering a PAP.

    • RXAssist
      This information center, created by Volunteers in Healthcare, offers a database of pharmaceutical company PAPs. Creating a free account lets you search the database to find out if you qualify for an assistance program. Application forms may be available online, and the site has additional information on resources to assist low-income patients with medical care. Free registration is required.

  • Recently Approved Drug Therapies
    A listing of drugs recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The site is maintained by a publishing company that focuses on the clinical trials industry.

  • VIPPS — Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites
    This site lists online pharmacies that meet the certification requirements of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Links to qualified pharmacies are provided.



End of Life Care
See also the library's links to Caregiving.


More Links
From the library's list of Health and Medicine Web sites.

 



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