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Category: Health/Medicine
JULY 18, 2011
It's Hot! Take Care
According to the National Weather Service's Web site "heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States." When temperatures are as high as they have been lately, excessive heat advisories can be issued. These alerts are issued mainly on the Heat Index, which is a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored with the actual air temperature. The current Heat Index can be found online at sites like weather.com or Weather Underground.
Because of the danger excessive heat poses, it is important to not only be aware of the temperature and heat index. but also what steps to take to prevent the heat from affecting your health. Here are some guides that can help.
Already we have highlighted April as National Poetry Month and National Financial Literacy Month, but is also designated as Parkinson's Awareness Month. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects nearly one million people in the United States and seven to 10 million people worldwide. During April, the Parkinson's community makes extensive efforts to increase awareness about the disease and the resources that are available to those individuals living with it.
At one point or another we will all take medicine of one form or another. It is to our benefit that we educate ourselves concerning the medications that we take, so that we take them effectively and safely. Many consumer health Web sites (such as the Mayo Clinic, Medline Plus, and WebMD) offer medication information, but there are sites that specialize in providing this information for consumers.
Anytime you are looking for medical information, especially online, it is important to know that you are dealing with reputable, accurate information. Most of the sites listed here are certified by the Health on the Net Foundation. You can use their specialized search engine to search only sites they have certified.
October is Health Literacy Month and in the spirit of promoting understandable health information, we would like to remind patrons of the variety of online, health-related resources the Library makes available.
All of the following resources can be found on our databases page.
Provides in-depth coverage across the full spectrum of subject areas covered by complementary and alternative medicine dating back to 1990. Includes full-text for many peer-reviewed journals.
Provides scholarly full text journals as well as indexing and abstracts focusing on many medical disciplines with coverage of nursing and allied health being particularly strong.
Provides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more. Created by the National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE indexs over 4800 biomedical journals providing citations with some full text. Most materials indexed are at the research level.
MedlinePlus will direct you to information to help answer health questions. MedlinePlus brings together authoritative information from NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations. Preformulated MEDLINE searches are included in MedlinePlus and give easy access to medical journal articles. MedlinePlus also has extensive information about drugs, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and latest health news.
Improve your health online. This non-profit consumer health Web site provides high quality health information created and evaluated by medical and health professional faculty from several Ohio universities.
This database covers topics such as emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods.
This is the online version of Magill's Medical Guide. The Guide covers diseases, disorders, treatments, procedures, specialties, anatomy, biology, and issues in an A-Z format, with sidebars addressing recent developments in medicine and concise information boxes for all diseases and disorders. Every entry has been evaluated by a panel of medical consultants and then updated by experts or re-edited to ensure currency and accuracy.
Health care reform is a big issue with new legislation proposed in both houses of Congress. A review copy of H.R. 3200 America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, the health care reform bill from the U.S. House of Representatives, is available at Wright Library. Those interested in reading the bill will find it in three binders on the shelf behind the Reference Desk.
UPDATE (10/5/09): Since the date of this post the Senate Finance Committee has released America's Healthy Future Act, it's version of a health care reform bill.
Also currently on the shelf behind the Reference Desk are these new reference books:
Stay Healthy: Information About the H1N1 Virus (Swine Flu)
Concern about the continuing spread of the H1N1 (Swine flu) virus is growing, especially with schools back in session. As in all medical situations, information is key to understanding risks and what preventive steps can be taken. In that spirit we have collected Web sites that contain specific information on the H1N1 virus, including what it is, how to recognize symptoms, what to do if you feel sick, and better yet what to do to help prevent yourself from becoming sick.
Here are a few good starting places to get an overall picture of the situation, as well as specific recommendations. Get started by visiting one of the following Web sites.
Every year Medicare Managed Care Plans and Prescription Drug Plans have open enrollment from November 15 - December 31. The Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) is a good place to start to locate assistance in choosing the best plan for yourself. They are online or you can call 1-800-686-1578.
One of the Library's new databases, Salem Health is the online version of Magill's Medical Guide. The Guide covers diseases, disorders, treatments, procedures, specialties, anatomy, biology, and issues in an A-Z format, with sidebars addressing recent developments in medicine and concise information boxes for all diseases and disorders. Every entry has been evaluated by a panel of medical consultants and then updated by experts or re-edited to ensure currency and accuracy.
NetWellness is a non-profit consumer health web site that provides high quality information created and evaluated by medical and health professional faculty at the University of Cincinnati, Case Western Reserve University, and The Ohio State University. NetWellness is dedicated to improving the health of Ohioans and people worldwide through information that is scientifically sound, high quality, and unbiased. Over 493 health professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, dentists, genetics counselors, optometrists, athletic trainers, and social workers who answer all legitimate questions, usually in two to five days. NetWellness adds new content daily. Check back often for the latest information on virtually any health topic or to ask an expert about the latest health developments. It's confidential, anonymous, and free.
Medicare and the related Prescription Drug Coverage are difficult to understand. Fortunately there are resources to assist. Fall open enrollment is November 15 to December 31, so now is the time to review plans and make changes.
Many people obtain medical information online. The Pew Internet and American Life Project Health Reports support this. Medical information obtained this way must be carefully evaluated and should never replace the advice of a doctor or other medical professional. We encourage you to use following resources to inform yourself, but not as a substitute for seeing your doctor.
In addition to the Library's Health and Medicine databases (your card number or zip code may be required to use them), the following Web resources are known to be reliable and authoritative.
