WebMD has never let me down.

Here is a link that might be useful: webmd.com

I agree with you about Dr. Oz, Mercola and the rest. I used to be a devoted Dr. Dean Edell radio listener, but sadly he is off the air now. I second WebMD, and also check out Science Based Medicine.

Well, one physician who I do like is Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He has products that he does sell and he believes passionately in his message. But, what I appreciate is how he always documents what he says with scientific studies. When something does work, he says so, and if a claim on supplements is not documented, he does not support it. I do not follow his dietary regimen all of the time but it is in the back of my mind and influences many of my decisions. He recently published a book called Super Immunity where he reviews what supplements, etc, have been proven to be beneficial.

I talk to my own doctor.

I second Dr. Fuhrman. Dr Campbell too, the china study is a good book. Dr. F overall though. I really like that he updates his recommendations continuously. For example, I saw him speak one summer and he gave very specific info on mushrooms based on the studies he (and his staff) had read/ reviewed. A new study came out and he updated his findings/recommendations. I belong to his paid forums, but I do read the blog too.

I must be out of the loop, I just noticed th e box to receive updates to a thread. HOw long have we been asking for that? like 10 years I think. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Disease proof

My own professional network for the most part. I work in health-related research and teaching. I have to really keep up with this information for my job.

I get a daily email of headlines in health from Healthfinder.gov, from the Dept of Health and Human Services. They oversee Healthy People 2020.

You also may want to check out the website for the National Physical Activity Plan, AmericaWalks.org, Dr. Dean Ornish and Preventive Medicine Research Institute though he does have his own plan but publishes in well-respected peer-reviewed journals like JAMA.

Other than Drs. Oz and Edell, I am not familiar with any of the other physicians mentioned. They definitely do not speak at any of my conferences, so in a brief visit to their websites, I doubt their credibility. Interesting, when I Googled Mercola, Burzynski (see other thread) and a lot of other dubious physicians came up, like Andrew Wakefield the autism "researcher".

Here is a link that might be useful: Healthfinder.gov

For nutrition information, the Berkeley Wellness Letter from Univ. of California at Berkeley is an excellent & reliable evidence-based source. Our library subscribed to it, which is how I found out about it. The Wellness Letter writes about the latest in nutrition science, which trends are worthless & which are worth pursuing, & offers health & exercise info as well. It is several steps up from main stream media health reporting, yet is understandable for the average person without a science background.

Tara Parker-Pope's Well blog for the New York Times is also excellent. She's been my favorite health writer for many years.

Melinda Beck for the Wall Street Journal is excellent too. The WSJ's Personal Living section spotlights health news on Tuesdays.

And I love Anahad O'Connor's Really? column. It analyzes old health myths & conventional wisdom to see if they are really true. Examples: You do NOT lose more heat through your head than the rest of your body, and pickle juice really does help stop muscle cramps.

The mayo clinic site has the best info and you can absolutely count on it.
I also like Dr. fuhrman (and follow the veg diet) but he is more helpful on general health issues, not disease processes.

I put no credence at all in anybody's promotion of "super foods", vitamins, diets, or supplements as a means to health.

I don't think our bodies are that biologically simplistic.

I also think we have become overly preoccupied with health/illness issues. You can hardly get away these days from prompts to think about sickness and I don't believe it makes us any healthier, although it may serve to defend against anxiety about about our inevitable mortality. But paradoxically I think it makes people feel even more anxious about the possibility of sickness during life.

Medical providers (legitimate and illegitimate) and the media all pander to this paradox because it makes money for them.

Real advances in medical knowledge are news, but the endless recycling of that info into promotional programs, menus, diet and health advice and regimens, etc. are just out to capitalize (literally) on our media-fanned fears.

Except for personally-specific advice provided by your doctor (and in these days of BigPharma and medical device-promoted influence on MDs, even that should be weighed carefully, I guess), don't read or listen to too much else about health. It's all intended to support one revenue-stream or another. Even "newsletters" from seemingly reliable sources (like Mayo, WebMD, etc,) while not selling you a specific product are still selling your attention to advertisers or promoting themselves. That's how the business models work. Newspapers and TV reports are the same: they are attracting your attention in a time-honored and effective way to expose you to their advertisers' pitches. Even if the information is accurate, you are "paying" by having your attention drawn to sickness or poor health possibilities, even for a short span. And cumulatively it all adds up to a pervasive mind-set of ill-health-consciousness.

L.

Lirio, I certainly see your point. I am however very pleased that there is some much nutritional research going on right now. i feel that this is necessary information so that more people can understand that there is a major difference between the processed foods many eat and say, kale. I also am grateful for the research into understanding how what we eat impacts our bodies and healthy.

I think there is another reality that some people do need to think about health as it does have a very real impact on their quality of life and it can also be somewhat of a luxury to not have to focus on this. In my family, we are battling many autoimmune problems. My daughter is a type 1 diabetic also with high cholesterol and celiacl disease, I have an autoimmune disorder with celiac disease, DH has very high cholesterol, one son has autism. By focusing on health and wellness we are increasing our ability to enjoy a fuller life.

Don't overlook Medline Plus which is a product of the National Library of Medicine. This is aimed at the public & supplies authoritative, easy to understand information on diseases, conditions, drugs, and includes a medical dictionary and videos. You might also want to consider the various newsletters published by Harvard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Medline Plus

Wow, this forum has exceeded my expectations!! Many thanks to everyone for their great suggestions.
Terriks, I loved Dr. Dean Edell also. Sad to hear he's off the air. Retired, I assume? Makes me feel ollllddddd.
I've checked out Dr. Fuhrman and am impressed with what I've seen so far. I'm a vegan wannabe (I cheat here and there with chicken/fish), so I love that he advocates a vegan diet.
Liriodendron, it is precisely bc I am sick of the media-driven "health info" out there that I posted here. I wanted some better, fact-based sources for health info. I hate to admit it, but I get caught up in the hype sometimes. But, as I age, it's become even more important to stay informed and work on my health. For example, I've had potbelly pigs as pets, and years ago, there were the hoof and mouth, and mad cow disease threats. It was because I read and read about those two issues that I became informed about how terribly unhealthy meat is. My main reasons for not eating meat are ethical, but I had no idea how unhealthy it is. And, while I love my doc, my high deductible insurance means a huge out-of-pocket expense every time I see her, so I have to keep those visits to a minimum. And pharmaceuticals? Don't get me started - only if I absolutely have to, as I have zero trust of drug companies. I want my quality of life to be the best it can be, and the healthcare field is ever-changing.
As a side question, for those of you reading the Times, do you read it online, get the hard copy, or have an IPad subscription? I've read, off and on, reviews on Amazon of the electronic versions, and they're pretty negative.
I can't wait to dig into all of the above and thx again everyone.
Betsy

I read the NYT daily.

We have a Sunday home delivery of the actual newspaper. Being a print subscriber allows unlimited reading online of all content. I have NYT as my home page at the office, and read every day at lunch.

I get on and read via their web page on a computer. Not through a web subscription. It keeps you logged in with your user name, and lets you link to all articles.

I use the web on my iPad, but think I use an app on my phone.

I also like the Mayo clinic website for information search, as I feel they are research oriented, and not trying to sell a bunch of side times.

I do subscribe to the real age emails, and find them somewhat simplistic and commercial. But I have some specific allergy issues and do find their tips useful from time to time.

I have an excellent, excellent internal med doctor who keeps very up to date on the latest research and recommendations So by the time I read things in the common press, I have usually been advised by him about the subject matter. I will go to an annual visit, and usually not again unless I am sick and need a RX. And he is so good that he and his office can do the standard physical, pap, and breast screen and mammogram all on the same visit. This has saved me missing work 3 times to go to 3 different appointments like I had to do in the past when I had a general Dr, OB, and then was sent to the Mamogram office.

I asked a similar question in a thread on the Cooking Forum. I got some very good responses. I'll link to it here so you can read them, too.

Like you , I am leery of anyone who gives advice on health and is also selling something. I like sensible advice with research from a legitimate source to back it up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Health sources

I pretty much agree with Lirio and those who mentioned the Mayo website.

I've said many times here how important it is to do your homework and find a doctor you can depend on and trust!!! If you find that doctor, do not let him/her go! I went against my own advice recently and boy did I regret it. Have a wonderful internist who I can absolutely trust to do his best for me and what did I do? I decide because there is a female in the group that is in an office much closer to my work location, that I will switch to her. Well, after a week agonizing over a test result where she did not give me information, nor try to calm my fears at all, I had worked myself into a frenzy! Had more lab work, the nurse suggested I needed to come back in for an office visit and THANKFULLY female doc was out of the office for a week. I asked if I could see my original doc instead. What a difference. He had test results printed out for me - over last several years, immediately calmed my fears. After I thought about it I was furious that female doc had disregarded how her actions might worry me. Never again. Back to doc number 1. Thankful to have found him!!

tina

i 2nd the mayo site and my dad always subscribed to harvard health newsletters that i would look through and thought were well done and easy to understand- i imagine they have an online site, tho i haven't checked...

Dedtired,
the thread you linked is great! I was using another online calorie counting site, but have now switched to caloriecount.com, which provides great nutritional info.

Here is a link that might be useful: caloriecount.com

I think you would get a lot from this book, Deep Nutrition. It has changed my way of thinking about food and what our body needs. I wished it had changed what I eat as much, but I do agree with the ideas! I never use canola oil anymore, among many changes I've made. And I casually keep up with the authors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon, Deep Nutrition