theHword.com

One of the great things about living in this internet age is there is so much health information right at our fingertips. One of the bad things about living in this internet age is there is so much health information right at our fingertips.

Here is an example of conversations I’ve had with people about nutrition.

Person A: So I read about this great diet that everyone is doing and losing a ton of weight with.

Me: Really, what’s that?

Person A: It’s so simple. You eat boiled cabbage four times a day, then face the evening sun and turn in a circle three times while hopping on one foot with a blindfold on and sing Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Me: Really. So where did you hear about this amazing diet?

Person A: The internet.

Of course. The internet. If it’s on the internet, it must be true. Right? Wrong! There is so much bogus health information out there and it is our job as consumers to wade through all the hooey and find reputable, reliable sources for our information.

Fortunately, there is also a lot of really good information out there that helps us become better consumers and take responsibility for our own health.

MLMH has a medical library (the only one between Lincoln and Denver) in the lower level of the Medical Services building. In that library is a wonderful librarian named Ella Rathod who is fabulous at helping you find information that is useful and accurate. Ella has a Top 10 list of websites that she likes to refer people to for general health information that are recommended by the Medical Library Association. Here is the list

Cancer.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

familydoctor.org

healthfinder®

HIV InSite

Kidshealth®

Mayo Clinic

MEDEM: an information partnership of medical societies

MedlinePlus (English | Spanish)

NOAH: New York Online Access to Health

These sites have the latest health information and are checked regularly for accuracy. These are also great sites to check research studies that have been done. Health magazines are notorious for printing small studies as gospel truth, when in reality many of them were not large enough to be applied to the population in general, or had design flaws or limitations that require further research.

Ella is more than happy to help medical professionals or the general public find the information they need. Books from the library may be checked out for two weeks. The library is open M-F from 8:00-5:00 p.m. Ella can be reached at 461-5291 or erathod@mlmh.org. There is also wireless internet available in the MLMH library.

Our public library is also a great resource for finding consumer health information. Librarians are available and willing to help find books and assist with identifying credible web resources. The Hastings Public Library is open M-Th 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Fri –9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sun. 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. The website address is http://www.hastings.lib.ne.us/.

I encourage you to use some of these websites for educational purposes and check out the great resources that are also available in our community. Now go hop on one foot and eat your cabbage.

About the author: Becky Sullivan

Becky Sullivan is the Business Health Coordinator at Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital. She earned a Master of Science Degree in Health Promotion from Nebraska Methodist College. In her role at the hospital she works with local businesses in setting up wellness programs and activities, coordinates community health education programs and directs the MLMH employee wellness program. She is also co-chair of the Hastings Chamber of Commerce Wellforce committee, member of the Hastings Health Ministry Network and member of the Healthy Hastings coalition.