Children's National Medical Center (CMNC)
The Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. -- affiliated with the George Washington University -- offers health tips about childhood illness and common health concerns like colds, fever, insect bites and teething. The site also features articles on parenting, from bed-wetting to first aid basics for the outdoors. There's a surprising amount of practical health education material here, written in a very simple style. The entire family can regularly refer to the valuable health tips area, although we wish the material were referenced and dated.
Family Village
A Global Community of Disability-Related Resources - Developed by the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin, Family Village provides answers to questions about mental retardation, genetic disorders and developmental disabilities. The site includes an alphabetical list of disabling childhood conditions, from Aaarskog syndrome to Xeroderma pigmentosa. This virtual village is divided into "buildings," including a coffee house, community center and house of worship. The hospital is a very broadly defined health center -- including topics like alternative medicine, ethics, cooking ... even charitable transportation. The alternative medicine page links to several sites that describe nonscientific therapies, although only a small few have a balanced view. This site should include position papers to help families sort through the morass of suggested therapies from the "alternative" world.
InteliHealth: Adult Health Advisor
If you're looking for practical, accurate, easy-to-read health information, this is the place to start. This joint effort with Johns Hopkins University and Clinical Reference Systems covers hundreds of adult health topics, including their prevention, diagnosis, treatment and risk factors. Every article is peer-reviewed and well referenced. There are few graphics, bells or whistles here, just accurate information from some of the best sources available. These articles, like this one about maintaining a healthy diet, will help you and your doctor discuss your medical care and general well being.
NetWellness
NetWellness, developed by the faculties of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, and Case Western Reserve University, is a wide-ranging consumer health reference. Its Ask an Expert feature lets you ask a question of one of 200 health professionals from the three schools. This huge, yet selective site is among the more ambitious Internet health education offerings, linking three of the best medical schools in Ohio.
Gastro Net
Maintained by Dr. Mark Bassett of the Canberra Clinical School at University of Sydney in Australia, Gastro Net offers diagrams and information about the digestive system, nutrition and diet, and various gastrointestinal diseases. The site also includes, primarily for Australians, a database of patient-support organizations. This is the place to visit for insight into your insides. The graphics are appealing and useful, and the content is well written and easy to understand. The sponsoring physician is open and honest in describing various conditions and possible complications during treatment. And we thought the cereal checker , which compares the nutritional values of various breakfast cereals, was a sweet bonus.
Health Central
This site features a collection of health centers that focus on a single medical condition or topic. Each center provides information from various online news services, syndicated columns by professionals including Dr. Dean Edell, health encyclopedias, and selected Web sites. Health Central also includes a tool for calculating your millennium life expectancy. This is a large, well-designed site. Most of the content is accurate and much of it is referenced. Many of the authors have great senses of humor, especially Dr. Oscar London. Be sure to read his story about Las Vegas. The site falters somewhat with its "recommended from the Internet" links at the end of some articles. These links include sites that peddle and promote unproven homeopathic cure-alls.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
The NICHD, one of the National Institutes of Health, conducts and supports research into the reproductive, developmental and behavioral factors that influence the health of children and families. The site focuses on health topics from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to the importance of drinking milk.
Early Childhood Research Institute on Inclusion (ECRII)
A five-year national research project funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education to study the inclusion of preschool children with disabilities in typical preschool, day care and community settings.
Alternative Therapies for Children with Brain Injury and Developmental Disorder
WebMD - Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Finding a Diagnosis
UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute
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