PlaneTree Health Library

Previously Featured "Website of the Week"

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) website: "Seasonal Flu" page: has three main sections: Flu Basics, Preventing the Flu and What To Do If You Get Sick. It also links to the CDC's 2008-2009 Flu Season page which includes links to:

The site provides information and advice, to health professionals, parents, schools, adults with asthma, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS as well as for the workplace. Information is also available in Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Links to Avian Flu, Canine Flu, Swine Flu, and Pandemic Flu sites are also provided.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts

"This page includes the most significant product actions of the last 60 days, based on the extent of distribution and the degree of health risk. The recalls on the list are mainly Class I. A record of all recalls (Class I, II, and III) can be found in the FDA Enforcement Report. Definitions of Class I, II, and III recalls." The site offers the choice of receiving recall updates through e-mail or RSS feed. It also includes links to:

as well as links to rercalls by topic.

The National Library of Medicine: Drug Information Portal

provides “a gateway to selected drug information from the National Library of Medicine and other key government agencies.” Resources include, but are not limited to, selected topics from NLM’s MedlinePlus, PubMed, Toxnet, and from other sources such as, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH)and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Sources of information can be searched by "intended audience" or "drug class". Drugs can be searched by generic or trade names.

MedlinePlus: Health Information in Multiple Languages

"... a new multilingual feature, providing access to high quality health information in languages other than English and Spanish. This service benefits people who prefer to read consumer health information in their native language, and also helps the information professionals and health care providers who serve them. Over the years, many MedlinePlus users have requested this enhancement, which helped lead to the development of this important service. The new collection contains over 2,500 links to information in more than 40 languages and covers nearly 250 Health Topics. Continuous growth is expected..."

The Dietary Supplements Labels Database of the National Library of Medicine

"offers information about ingredients in more than two thousand selected brands of dietary supplements. It enables users to determine what ingredients are in specific brands and to compare ingredients in different brands. Information is also provided on the health benefits claimed by manufacturers." The site can be searched by brand name or active ingredients as well as by manufacturer's name. For better understanding of supplements use and adverse effects, relevant links to PubMed and MedlinePlus are provided. Links to the FDA "Recalls" and "Warnings" are found at the bottom of the home page.

Want to decipher the results of your lab tests?

Lab Tests Online is very complete in addressing questions people have about almost any lab test. The site is non-commercial and peer-reviewed, and "is the product of a collaboration of professional societies representing the lab community." In addition to explaining hundreds of common and uncommon lab tests, it also includes "topics in the news" as well as "conditions and diseases" and a section on "screening tests." Languages other than English are under construction.

Do you want to live a "greener" life, but aren't sure how to do so?

What, exactly, is a "free range chicken?" How can you donate your old cell phone to a worthy cause without worrying about all the personal data you've stored in it? What are the real-life (not the EPA's hypothetical) gas mileages, plus the passenger and load capacities, for all new cars, vans, SUVs and light trucks? Visit greenerchoices.org, a free website offered by Consumer Reports, for answers to these and many other perplexing environmental questions.