MedlinePlus - Trusted Health Information for You

Hi All,

Medline Plus is a government sponsored health website. Specifically the site is sponsored by the venerable U.S. National Library of Medicine and the NIH (National Institute of Health). 

The site has an amazing wealth of information, but for today's blog entry I'd like to discuss the section of the site that covers drugs, herbs, and supplements.

Users can learn about prescription drugs and OTC (over-the-counter) medicines, including side effects, dosage, special precautions, and more.

Users can browse by generic or brand name. 

Users can browse dietary supplements and herbal remedies to learn about their effectiveness, usual dosage and drug interactions. 

When a user locates a particular drug they want to research - in this case Lipitor - you get the following information: 
- Why is this medication prescribed?
- How should this medicine be used?
- Other uses for this medicine
- 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 should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?
- What do do in case of emergency or overdose?
- What other information should I know about this medication?
- Brand names of the medication
- Brand names of combination products?


At the bottom of the page is a notation of when the particular page was last revised - which is essential information for someone who is trying to learn more about a particular medication!

Enjoy the site and learning about the medication(s) you might be taking!

Regards,
Stu

Surgery Videos!

 

Hi All,

Yesterday I posted about the field of biology and the various directions that this college major can take you...well, today's post is an extension of that post.

Today I'm linking to surgery videos online from MedlinePlus - a service of the National Institute of Health and the National Library of Medicine.  Trust me when I say that these videos are the tip of the iceberg for surgery videos.  Amazing material can be found online.  But first, the link to the surgery videos from MedlinePlus can be found by clicking on this link.

Videos are organized by topic: specifically by 'Blood-Heart-Circulation', 'Bones-Joints-Muscles', 'Brain-Nerves', 'Cancers', 'Children-Teenagers', 'Diabetes', 'Digestive System', 'Ear-Nose-Throat', 'Endocrine System', 'Eye-Vision', 'Female Reproductive System', 'Fitness-Exercise', 'Genetics-Birth Defects', 'Immune System', 'Injuries-Wounds', 'Kidneys-Urinary System', 'Lungs-Breathing', 'Male Reproductive System', 'Metabolic Problems', 'Mouth-Teeth', 'Pregnancy-Reproduction', 'Seniors', 'Sexual Health Issues', 'Surgery-Rehabilitation', 'Transplantation-Donation', 'Wellness-Lifestyle' and 'Women'.  What an amazing array of material available - for free - on this website.

For other surgery websites click on the following links:
ORLive and Contemporary Surgery Online

Stu