GENERAL HEALTH TOPICS

http://www.healthfinder.gov

If you're looking for a single place to start your search on a disease or condition, begin with this site, which provides access to many government and other databases.

http://www.merck.com

The Merck Manual, a thorough, time-tested consumer guide to medical care and diseases, is online and searchable in its entirety.

http://www.mayohealth.com

Of the many hospital-affiliated sites, Mayo Clinic's Oasis is adept at providing comprehensive information for a lay user (though it also over-promotes the work of its staff in the process).

http://www.healthscout.com

Though a for-profit business, HealthSCOUT is a dogged, middle-of-the-road packager of health news from major sources. Best use: To see if recent news articles may add to the information from the sources above, which are usually more dated.

DRUGS

http://www.pharminfo.com

Though commercial, this site provides solid and varied information sources about pharmaceuticals; it's more updated and reader-friendly than most online drug guides.

http://www.ditonline.com

This commercial site, though rough to navigate, includes powerful tools to help you manage your medications, including an excellent interactions checker that lets you include vitamins, supplements and over-the-counter drugs.

FOOD AND NUTRITION

http://navigator.tufts.edu

There's not one good, comprehensive site on consumer food and nutrition, but this service from Tufts points you to, and describes, many of the most relevant food sites.

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html

See the "Consumer Advice" section for food and nutrition information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

http://www.cyberdiet.com

If you're trying to lose or control weight, this site offers a range of reliable, user-friendly resources with no stupid ads or product-of-the-month hype.

http://www.mealsforyou.com

Click on "Recipes by Nutrition" and this remarkably powerful tool delivers diverse, well-edited, printable recipes based on your nutritional needs or goals.

CANCER

http://www.nci.nih.gov

An excellent starting place, and a deep resource, for cancer information.

http://www.oncolink.com

From the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, a valuable source.

CLINICAL TRIALS

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov

If you're trying to find a clinical trial that you or a loved one might participate in, this site lists current trials conducted under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health. Searchable by condition.

HEART CONDITIONS

http://www.americanheart.org

Both consumer-friendly and medically advanced information on heart disease and stroke.

WELLNESS AND ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS

http://www.berkeleywellness.com

One of the better consumer newsletters, Berkeley puts a lot of material online, including an index of boiled-down analyses of dietary supplements and herbs.

http://altmed.od.nih.gov/

There's plenty of bunk online about alternative medicine; this site, sponsored by the National Institute of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, reports on the government's ongoing efforts to apply principles of science to the field.

http://www.pathfinder.com/drweil

Andrew Weil is a Harvard MD and a knowledgeable enthusiast about alternative care. This for-profit site presents Q&As addressing many questions on nutritional supplements and alternative techniques.

DOCTOR DATA

http://www.certifieddoctor.com

To find out if your doctor is indeed certified by an official specialty board, and in what specialty.

http://www.docboard.org

Among local states, only Maryland participates in this national information database, which reveals whether licensing boards have taken action against specific doctors.

HEALTH PLANS

http://www.ahcpr.gov/consumer/hlthpln1.htm

Good basic explanations and definitions of health care insurance policies.

http://www.ncqa.org

Click here for an online version of "Choosing Quality: Finding the Health Plan That's Right For You," created by the nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance. You'll also find accreditation reports on health maintenance organizations from all over the country.

http://www.mhcc.state.md.us/

Again, Maryland is ahead of others by providing the Maryland Health Care Commission's package of quality and performance reports on HMOs. Some of the information is also relevant to people in Virginia and the District.