http://asa.ugl.lib.umich.edu/chdocs/womenhealth/womens_health.html
Abundant pointers relating to women's emotional, physical and sexual
health, this site covers a wide range of topics such as partner violence,
shyness, bulimia, dating, contraception and piles.
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http://www.nd.edu/~hhowisen/diabetes.html
Acknowledged as one of the best resources on the Net for those with
diabetes, this is a thoroughly researched and comprehensively put together
piece of work. It's true that most of the listed organisations are either
in Canada or the States, but this shouldn't dissuade anyone from looking
for information on different kinds of diabetes, complications, diet, prevention,
research and treatment. Having searched the pages for relevant information,
head for the Virtual Diabetic Trilogy, a game to test new-found knowledge
in which the player, armed with insulin, glucagon and some sweets, spends
a day babysitting Derwood the Diabetic, attempting to control his diabetes!
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http://www.pulsus.com/plastics/home.htm
Definitely not for the squeamish, this is obviously a professional journal
that also offers a few insights into the subject for those thinking of having
something done. Articles on lightning injuries, malignant melanoma, nerve
surgery and facial pigments are not usually accompanied by images, but they
offer an alternative view of this kind of surgery and describe in detail
the medical, as well as the cosmetic, benefits that may ensue. The editorial
column and other less explicit essays throw up issues you'd never dream
of. For example, have you ever wondered how doctors diagnose breast cancer
when the person in question has had a tit job? Frightening stuff.
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http://uk-commerce.com/bloodservice/
1996 marks the 50th Anniversary of The National Blood Service and their
Web site is a celebration of our friend, the red corpuscle. The first transfusion
happened over three hundred years ago but that involved the blood of a calf
being transfused into a man who subsequently died. There are no records
of the calf's fate but by mutual agreement it was decided not to try the
experiment again. Now, though, the whole process is as easy as a dental
check-up. The site sits you down, holds your hand and takes your pulse as
it guides you through what happens when you volunteer to donate. If the
feel-good factor isn't enough, there are also hot drink and biscuits provided.
Sign me up on the online registration form and make mine a white coffee
with hob-nobs.
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http://www.tampax.com/
Top site! Expect some girl 'n' girl bonding as you and your friends
collapse hysterically whilst viewing and listening to this triumph of teen
sisterhood. Hi, I'm Tina...I'm 14. I got my period last year. Superb! Tina
and her friends are caught in some kind of nightmare slumber party, sharing
their 'first menstrual moments' and talkin' alot about 'guys'. Enough. It's
a good way to tackle something like this: a sort of starter pack using excerpts
from Tina's diary and some RealAudio files to talk through 'on the blob'
basics Ü getting cramps, inserting a tampon, toxic shock syndrome,
embarrassing leaks etc. Ugh! But if this approach makes you feel uncomfortable
then there are no nonsense sections for parents (a special mention for Dads)
and teachers too. A well overdue (!) arena for finding out about 'women's
problems' (don't you just hate that phrase?) and boys, maybe you might be
a bit curious too? It says here 'A place you'll want to visit more than
once a month!'
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http://www.cloud9.net/~thorpy/
There's so much material linked to this exhaustive list on sleeping
disorders, you may find yourself dropping off. There's information on ailments,
newsgroup discussions, medical research projects, sleeping pills, professional
associations and sleep centres around the world. It caters for everyone,
whether they're suffering from narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome or just
share a bed with someone who snores.
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http://pminfo.yrams.nl/
How public-spirited of cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris Ü it's
decided to share 'scientific evidence' with Internet users so they can make
their own minds up about the effects of passive smoking. Judge for yourself
but, to be on the safe side, don't inhale 'til you've read every word.
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http://www.rnib.org.uk/
One Web site that makes you take a long hard look at yourself is the
Royal National Institute for the Blind site. I'm not joking. It's as much
about exploding myths to do with blindness as it is supporting the partially
sighted and the blind. It's great for general information, the latest press
releases and Parliamentary updates, details of the RNIB's research, services
and campaigns and links to other useful sites, but it also rubbishes a few
misconceptions as what blindness means such as blind people see nothing,
blind people have special gifts, blind people feel other people's faces
and so on. Also, it goes to some length to explain that the site is designed
to be accessible to people with impaired vision and outlines the ways in
which the visually impaired access the Internet. But, rather surprisingly,
most of the type is small dense black letters on a grey background and therefore
not particularly easy to read. Perhaps it's just me!
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http://users.aol.com/jdisaia
Fancy a tummy tuck, lipo-suck, rhinoplasty or blepharoplasty? Want to
give yourself more bumps, or smooth out the unwanted ones ? If the answer
is yes, or if you are in a state of utter confusion, pay a visit to this
site for a resident synopsis of plastic surgery. The home page displays
obligatory sexy lady with swimming pool prop. Ahh, if only we could look
like that - but of course we can! Half way to booking myself in to scalpel
city I found that the uber babe is not a plastic patient, but a former photographic
subject. Despite this shortcoming, the site is well-crafted and offers some
useful insights into the differences between plastic and cosmetic surgery
and gives photographic before and after shots.
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http://www.meningitis.org/
This site isn't just for people whose lives have been affected by meningitis;
its also designed to increase public awareness of the disease, help those
who are involved in health education or undertaking scientific research
and generally inform anyone who is worried about meningitis. One of the
most useful sections is a list of symptoms of both meningitis and meningococcal
septicaemia, together with all the names and addresses you'll need, plus
details on a 24-hour helpline. Invaluable.
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http://hyperreal.com/drugs/politics/needle.exchange/index.html
A couple of chemists have put together a load of articles about recreational
drug use. This is a serious archive of information, much of it culled from
alt.drugs, aimed at keeping people informed more than anything else! There
are, of course, published results from several 'chemical experiments' in
the accompanying FAQ. Stuff on anything from marijuana, morphine, MDMA etc
to ingesting nutmeg or morning glory seeds and the myth of the LSD tattoo.
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http://www.nethealthgirl.com.au/
Health Girl, sweet as is she is, must be making a bundle in product
placement deals as most of her happy-go-lucky, girl-next-door, hair, health
and make-up tips hook straight up to Medibank, Clairol, Shiseido or Berlei.
Kind of fun and cutsie in a spunky sort of way, there's some all right stuff
on finding a correctly fitting bra and general rules about staying in the
sun.
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http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/ac140/index.html
David Denton's diverse set of environmentally unfriendly links hooks
up an unusually wide selection of resources on such things as air quality
screening, deadly microwave emissions, mad cow encephalopathy and the unpronouncable
bacteria that might be lurking in your kitchen. Apparently aimed at environmental
health officers. Good work fella!
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http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/SElis
Dr Stuart Ellis is what you might call a sensitive dentist Ü teeth
and sympathy as opposed to Marathon Man Ü and if the thought of opening
wide sends you into screaming paroxysms, then Dr Ellis' most appealing suggestion
is to take lots of drugs. To qualify that, what he outlines is some of the
options that are available Ü intravenous sedation, hypnosis, psychotherapy.
If you're still in trepidation, remember, talking about it won't hurt.
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http://www.cfoc.org
Every 26 seconds a US teenager becomes pregnant. That's a shocking statistic
and one that this Web site wants to help tackle. The site is well designed
and is packed full of facts and figures, information and, more importantly,
help. But perhaps the best thing about the site is its tone. It doesn't
blame or criticise, it just tries to help.
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http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/society.of.iridologists/
James and Sheelagh Colton are trying desperately to up the 31 hits to
their page-o-links about all matters iridological (that's the study of the
iris for the uninitiated). But if everyone has the same trouble accessing
the page as I did they'll have only their own eyes to see with.
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http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/projects/der/bda/bda1.html
Official site of the British Dental Association, The one body able to
speak on behalf of UK dentistry as a whole. Or as a hole... Open wide and
say ahhh for handy links to latest tooth news and BDA and BMA member services.
Apparently, Free dental check-ups would increase dental visits says new
poll. I could've told 'em that. Less painful than a mouth fulla drills.
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http://www.nbs.nhs.uk/
It's not very often that you come across a government site that touches
your heart. To mark 50 years of the National Blood service, the NHS has
pooled its resources with big companies such as Sainsburys and Asda to mount
a road show - the Big Birthday Campaign. This campaign has now been imaginatively
transformed onto the Internet. You click on the heart and see several buttons
as wrapped gift boxes. Each box contains vital blood facts such as its constituent
parts. At the bottom of the page an animated heart beats incessantly persuading
you to donate blood.The recurring message is that everyone can save a life.
An excellent Web site, we extend our compliments to its designers, Clear
Communication and Think Electric.
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http://BioMedNet.com
World Wide Club for the Biological and Medical Community seeks members
through this potentially interesting, but wholly US-biased site. Lots on
offer for biology bods including free membership and three months access
to reference materials. But there are two problems - the interface is dull
and the links are unreliable. Guess they could tell I wasn't wearing my
lab coat.
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http://psych.hanover.edu/APS/
The American Psychological Society is dedicated to, Advancing the scientific
discipline and the giving away of psychology in the public interest, and
Webmaster Dr John Krantz provides notes on the APS, handy local and Net
searches and an interactive feedback form. There are pretty good resource
links for child behaviour, mental health et al, but best of all are the
tutorials. Lots of psycho-babble on Fourier analysis, but a fascinating
section on visual perception.
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http://www.podi.com/health/aanma
The number of people suffering from allergies and asthma is ever increasing,
but unaffected people are still pretty ignorant of the causes and cures.
This page is full of useful information about all manner of allergies and
the roots of asthma. It also has plenty of research news to keep you up-to-date
on what the scientists are doing to help. The only problem with this site
is that it's US-based but then again asthma knows no boundaries.
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http://www.alz.org/Welcome.html
Excellent source of advice and information on this most scary and debilitating
of degenerative diseases. Forget your car keys? Then read the ten warning
signs of Alzheimer's and, more reassuringly, the calmly written fact sheet.
As this is the American branch, the list of self-help and support groups
is somewhat redundant but relevant articles regularly discuss causes and
cures, studies and new theories. Dementia is just as tough to deal with
for family and friends, so there's advice for care givers and a few home
truths. A very solid site.
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http://www.xxlink.nl/health
Operating under something of a misnomer, the Health Development Club
is actually an online chemist for non-prescription products. Smart drugs,
treatments for hair regrowth, cellulite, impotency, insomnia and weight
loss. They are all currently legal in the EC, it says here, but whether
they work or not is a matter of personal opinion. Comments welcome.
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http://www.open.gov.uk/doh/dhhome.htm
There's some interesting stuff here if you know what to do with it Ü
press releases on teenage smoking or the prescribing of Temazepam, numbers
for the National AIDS Helpline and the organ donor telephone service. But
how useful are 'selected statistics' from the NHS Executive? And will the
Patient's Charter, in full, really make the wait shorter?
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http://www.calyx.com/~olsen/MEDICAL/medical.html
If you're looking for ammunition in the 'pot on prescription' debate,
this document lists articles, court rulings and research data from organisations
like the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics and the National Center for
Toxicological Research. Putting it bluntly, scientists say skin up!
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http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu/
Cancer is one of those words, one of those dread diseases, that people
find it so hard to talk about. Oncolink has sound, reassuring information
that calmly tries to put a perspective on your illness. It talks to patients
and professional alike and provides access to relevant journals. It has
a keyword search for individuals to find specialist hospitals, clinical
trials and explore particular kinds of cancer, and its first person accounts
are as much about coping, about support, and most of all about survival,
as anything else. For families too.
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http://www.wimsey.ca/~igregson/index.html
One of the most exciting aspects of Internet communication is that information
and support are immediately available. One-to-one advice can make you feel
less isolated and you need no longer rely on a self-help group setting up
in the local area. Ian Gregson is responsible for this very practical yet
sensitive site. It covers general information, medical coverage of prosthesis
(by country), sport and recreation, prosthetic components and phantom pain
management. Excellent.
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http://www.calypte.com/
Everyone from patients to researchers to the general public gets the
opportunity to learn rather more than they already knew about chronical
illnesses like AIDS, cancer, Gulf War syndrome, autoimmune disease, chronic
fatigue syndrome, heart disease and neurological conditions.
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http://medicus.marshall.edu/medicus.htm
Determine whether you're really cut out for the quackhood with this
doctor/patient simulation. You get to fire a lot of questions, make an examination,
X-ray, diagnose and finally prescribe a remedy. It's just a shame you can't
send a hefty bill and then take the afternoon off to get blotto on the golf
course.
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http://www.demon.co.uk/herniaInfo/mcd.html
Debunks a few myths and misconceptions and reassuringly puts the whole
in issue in perspective.
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http://www.bmj.com/bmj/
Selected highlights from the current issue and details of back copies
are now online. Essentially a professional journal but with more accessible
links for docs and hypochondriacs alike.
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http://world-health.net/
Not to be confused with the World Health Organisation, World Health
Net is concerned with disseminating information on longetivity, medical
breakthroughs, sports medicine and alternative therapies. Although certain
aspects such as the commercial mall emit a distinct whiff of snake lubricant,
it's links are worth the visit.
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http://www.damicon.fi/sd/
Some ask, that if nootropics really make you smarter, how can we not
afford to take them? Both sides of the argument are presented here, as well
as mail order catalogues, government regulations, case studies and information
on smart drugs.
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http://cad.ucla.edu:8001/biorhythm
The Skeptic's Dictionary says biorythms are bunkum. Generate your own
and put it to the test.
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http://biomed.nus.sg:80/PID/PID.html
Imagine, you're somewhere between Gooloogaba and Giligulgul with your
hand halfway up your swag when Joe Blake slithers between you and your corned
beef sandwiches. No worries, just patch your notebook into the Net through
your trusty cellular phone, log into the Poisons Information Database in
Singapore, identify the snake, prescribe the antivenom, book a hospital
bed, rip open a tinny, and wait for the flying doctor to arrive. Ahh, the
future, it's finally here!
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http://www.sig.net/~allergy/welcome.html
Online advice, news and diagnosis for allergy sufferers.
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http://www.who.ch/Welcome.html
As well as press releases, newsletters, programmes and international
travel and health advice, this site contains contact directories from the
World Health Organisation in Geneva. It's not a bad source of other health
links, either.
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http://siesta.packet.net/med_illustrator/Welcome.html
Shopping for raw, fleshy graphics? Look no further. This site acts as
an Internet hub for medical illustrators to showcase their craft.
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http://cyborganic.com/drugz/
Links to information, ezines, FAQs and experiences relating to drugs
of all sorts.
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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/extramural_research.dir/visible_human.html
This project generated a lot of publicity, not just for itself but for
the Internet's use as a visual teaching aid. What really caused the stir,
and what isn't mentioned here, is that the pictures are of the thinly sliced
frozen body of an executed serial killer. The image database contains 1,878
CT scans, obtained by sectioning the body into 1mm thick fillets and capturing
a digital colour image at every level. This is intended to be used for teaching
applications such as identifying anatomical structures on the cross-sections
and visualising the motion of the human form using supercomputer modelling.
It's gruesome, but all in the name of science.
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http://www.dentalnet.com:80/dentalnet/
An online dentist complete with assurances that it won't hurt.
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http://indy.radiology.uiowa.edu/VirtualHospital.html
The Virtual Hospital is a continuously updated medical multimedia database
intended to provide patient care support and distance learning to practising
physicians. This is a great resource with links to many online health books,
medical journals, newsletters, surgery simulations and multimedia textbooks.
The virtual patients area has case studies accompanied by graphically illustrated
surgical walkthroughs.
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