Medline

The Medline website is one of the best resources for medical information on the internet. This gold mine of medical research includes information from the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and other trusted health experts. Here, you’ll find a medical encyclopedia, medical dictionary, local resources for doctors or hospitals and up-to-date research on over 750 medical conditions. Medline is a valuable resource, whether you are a health care professional or someone looking for more information.

Medline offers many unique functions to enhance your understanding and enrich your life. For instance, if you are about to undergo a colonoscopy or hip replacement surgery, a biopsy, a laparoscopy, LASIK eye surgery or another procedure, then you can watch an interactive tutorial that will show you what will be done and alleviate some of the mystery and anxiety. Another resource you may find very useful is the “Health Check Tools” page, which gives you educational quizzes about breast cancer, arthritis or alcoholism, as well as an “alcohol calorie intake counter,” a mental health screening quiz, a cancer risk questionnaire, a diabetic “rate your plate” assessment, a target heart rate calculator, an interactive menu planner and a risk assessment tool for coronary heart disease.

Medline is set up to accommodate all different types of people. Speak Spanish? No problem, as there is a version en Espanol, as well as forty other languages! Is your eye sight failing? Don’t worry, there is a version, located on the lower right-hand corner of the “Health Topics” page, which offers an easier to view page.

Did you hear about a drug on television, from a friend, in the news or from your doctor that you’d like to know more about? Medline has a comprehensive “Drug Information” section. For example, if you were to look up Lunesta, a chronic fatigue drug used to treat sleep disorders, then you can have the following questions answered: Why is this drug prescribed? How should this medication be used? What are other uses for this medication? What special precautions should I follow? What special dietary instructions should I follow? What should I do if I forget a dose? What side effects can this medication cause? What storage conditions are needed for this medication? What should I do in case of an overdose? What other information should I know? What are the brand names for this drug? The answers are presented all on one page with quick, informative, bulleted responses for a quick scan.

As the G.I. Joes said, “Knowing is half the battle.” The more educated you are, the better chance you will have at living efficiently. No one wants to live out the last 20 years of life stuck in a wheelchair with limited mobility. We want to be looking great and feeling great for as long as possible! Whether you’re looking for research to give you renewed optimism for a chronic disease or information on a medical procedure/medication you’ve been prescribed, Medline is a gold mine of medical information, paid for by your tax dollars. So why not take a look and get your money’s worth? Visit Medline at www.Nlm.Nih.gov.