Find answers to your medical questions with these five sites

I am, sadly, well-acquainted with medical research sites. (I broke my back years ago, and am still dealing with the recovery.) But while everyone knows WebMD and probably uses the site to find out about medical conditions, you mightiness be surpris ed to know there are a slew of sites that offer similar service, providing outstanding medical information. I've found these sites to be intellectual resources.

HealthiNation While some sites deliver articles of medical information, HealthNation uses videos to inform you about what a condition is all about.

Coverall, HealthiNation is designed quite surface and its light to search for videos. The site doesn't boast articles like those you'll find on site s like WebMD, but its videos are extremely informatory and I found that when I searched for simple issues like "back pain," the clips were just as useful as when I searched for more complex topics like diabetes.

HealthiNation's videos are split in to general health, men's health, women's health, and "true life stories," which detail how one person faced medical conditions in their lives. Each section features information that's worth perusing through, regardless of the topic.

The videos on HealthiNation were outstanding. Each is understandably defined and once you fire them up, you'll be presented with a wealth of knowledge by eudaemonia care professionals. But because HealthiNation relies on videos, the scope of its medical coverage i sn't nearly as great as I would have liked and it only covers general topics. A specific condition, such as spondylolysis, isn't included on the position, though it is on competing services, like WebMD. Realizing that, it's best to use HealthiNation w hen you requirement information on general health topics.

Livestrong

Although Livestrong, which is co-founded by bicyclist Lance Armstrong, is touted as a "lifestyle" site that helps you achieve greater heal th and suitability, it's also a great resource for health research.

The forward thing that will strike you about Livestrong is its almost intolerable design. It's yellow, black, and cluttered. It's a mess.

That said, the site is rich in fe atures and its activity tool is outstanding. Instead of trying to find information on the home page, immediately enter your query into the search box and you'll be brought to a results page featuring information on a wide array of topics. From back pa in to diabetes, the site not only features videos like HealthNation, which are narrated by health care professionals, but it also boasts informative articles on all the topics. I was impressed by how much information the site actually has on any given topic.

But such like HealthiNation, Livestrong doesn't support obscure ailments and I was a little disappointed that in the entire discussion on back pain, the site failed to address individual issues that might affect different areas of the spine . Regardless, Livestrong is a unique destination that makes using it every day worthwhile if you want to be healthier.

MedpediaThe Medpedia Project is a joint effort on the part of Harvard Medical School, Stanf ord School of Medication, Metropolis Building of Public Health, and other global health organizations that hope the site will change "how the man will assemble, maintain, critique and access medical knowledge." It delivers.

The site features a re pository of up-to-date medical information, contributed and maintained by health professionals from around the world. The site also boasts a professional system and directory for visitors to find health professionals and organizations, a communities of interest section where medical experts and patients can share conditions and treatments, and a growing knowledge base featuring information on health issues ranging from back pain to diabetes.

I was generally impressed by the plane of detail Medpe dia offered. The site's knowledge base is a wiki that allows you to hunt for specific ailments or ask general questions that might already bed been answered by the community of doctors. At first glance, the idea that a health tract is a Wiki may turn some off, but to ensure all the information on the site is accurate, Medpedia only allows physicians and those with a Ph.D. to edit the articles, and only erst their credentials are certified. That cuts hair on the confine of erroneous bits of info tha t crop up on the site and, in my opinion, makes the site more reliable than a resource like Wikipedia, which anyone can modify.

When I entered "back pain" into the site's search field, I was brought to a results page that not only featured a Wiki containing general information about the ailment and links to other, related Medpedia Wikis, but also a series of answers provided by doctors to questions asked by the site's users. And although some weren't directly targeted at my query, I could acquir e easily asked my own set of questions, which would have been answered directly by a medical professional.

Q. should note, though, that Medpedia is still in beta and was launched Tues. Because of that, the site doesn't offer every conceivable hea lth topic and a few obscure conditions are still missing. But many Wiki pages are being supplementary each day and the community of doctors and patients is maturation. It strength not be WebMD yet, but it's off to a good start. Read more on Medpedia.

WebMD

WebMD is the individual in the health research space and it boasts more features and options than any added site in this roundup. WebMD is simply the best eudaimonia resea rch tool on the market.

My biggest complaint with WebMD has nothing to do with its info and everything to do with its design: it's ugly. I was felicitous to perceive that the site features a prominent search box at the top of the page, but its ho me page is cluttered with blogs, articles, and other information that I ignore because there's simply also much collection packed into a soft page.

The existent value of WebMD is seen in its search. From something simple same "back pain" to somet hing complex like "spondylolysis," the site has it all. I was impressed by the wealth of information WebMD provides and its simple articles actually provided me with more information that the videos on HealthiNation or the articles on Livestrong. It w as outstanding.

Beyond its information service, WebMD's drug observer is an outstanding ride that helps you learn all about a particular medicament medicine you're using. It comes in handy when you need to find out if you're experiencing sickness or a side effect from a medication and it's an ideal tool when you want to determine if a generic brand of a particular ingest is suitable in place of the name brand. It's easily one of my favorite tools and one that shouldn't be unmarked when you're using WebMD.

WebMD is a great service that will provide you with all the health information you're looking for in as little time as possible. And although its design is downright awful and it should be addressed, its articles make up for that lac kluster design and make it the best health research service in this roundup.

WellsphereWellsphere is a nice health research position that aims at making you healthier through education. It works--the site's articles deliver essential information equal symptoms and treatment, and its prevention information is the best on the market.

Wellsphere looks like a simple site when you surf to the home page, but erst you dig deeper and start searching for medical condi tions, you'll be shocked to judge that it's actually a complex site featuring basic information on an ailment, question and answers between doctors and patients, news, pictures, videos, and a communities tab that allows you to compare notes with other u sers.

Although Wellsphere doesn't offer as many articles as WebMD, the site and its writers, which are health experts from University and other spectacular institutions around the U.S., provide a well amount of information. From the simple overvi ew to the ability to ask a specific question to the "health maven," the site's possibilities are endless.

On a simple search like back pain, I was astonished at the level of detail Wellsphere provided. Not only did it provide articles detailing b ack nuisance and how to address it, but I was able to ask questions which were answered promptly by a professional and its videos were unpaid, providing more information than comparable clips on HealthiNation.

Wellsphere is an spectacular service. Tho it doesn't have the same reportage as WebMD, it's just as informative and its "health maven" tool is spectacular. If you don't want to deal with the clutter and ugliness of WebMD, check out Wellsphere. Q. think you'll like it.

Cheers~