The good thing about the internet: It’s a wealth of information at your fingertips. The bad thing about the internet: There’s a lot of misleading — and, sometimes, completely wrong — stuff out there.
Here are a few tips to help you sift through the noise and find the information you need.
- Find out who runs the site. A quick glance at the letters at the end of the website address will give you some clues. If you see .gov, it’s run by the government. Others are .edu for colleges, schools and universities, .org for non-profits and .com for businesses or blogs.
- Follow the money. Not all websites with advertising are unreliable. If a site is sponsored by a company selling a product, check what it says against unsponsored sites.
- Look for the evidence. Reliable sites should link to research or describe the evidence the information is based on. Opinions should be clearly marked. And don’t rely on stories from individual people, blogs or social media. Everyone’s bodies and medical history are different, so what happened to or worked for one person may not happen to or work for you.
- Keep an eye out for fake sites. If everything on a site is a glowing review of a product or treatment, be skeptical. Read the fine print to find out if the site is an advertisement. Reliable sites should offer both sides of the story and shouldn’t link to a sales site. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Check the date. Medical information is updated regularly as new evidence and treatments become available. The date of the post or the last time it was reviewed should be clear.
But, no matter how much research you do, you should discuss your medical condition or concern with your doctor. They know the details of your medical history and are best qualified to diagnose or recommend treatments.
