Online medical resources can help find what's bugging you

June 15, 1997

By JIM BROOKS

Medical terminology and medicine are probably fields that most often create confusion among consumers.

I certainly have been guilty of walking out of the doctor's office wondering just what -- in plain English -- I had been told was making my sinuses throb.

Fortunately, there are a number of excellent sources of information available on the Internet. A Web site can't replace your family doctor, but you have a world of information available at your fingertips.

-- America's Housecall Network, at www.housecall.com, offers comprehensive information on prescription drugs and their side effects, as well as an actual online diagnosis library.

Input your symptoms, say, for a headache, and you'll get some sound advice on possible treatments and remedies that may help you feel better. A wide range of symptoms are treated, though not intended as a replacement for your doctor or the hospital emergency room.

-- The Mayo Health O@sis Library offers some quick and easy-to-find information from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic.

A really neat First Aid section offers tips for minor injuries, including summer-related insect bites and stings and minor burns.

You'll find lots of additional health-related information here as well.

Point your browser to www.mayo.ivi.com/ivi/mayo/commmon/htm/library.htm.

-- If you're a medical professional, you'll probably want to bookmark the Merck Manual online, available at www.merck.com.

The Merck Manual is an online version of the Merck textbook, and is a great reference work on prescription drugs and disease.

The online version is searchable, though you need to be up-to-snuff on your medical jargon if you use this Web site.

-- If you're just looking for national health statistics, the place you'll want to look first is the Center for Disease Control's Web site at www.cdc.gov.

It won't help your headache, but if you're interested in just what's ailing the U.S. lately, you'll find the most up-to-date information there, including flu outbreaks and other maladies.

NETSCAPE'S E-MAIL BLACKMAIL. The day after the official debut of Netscape Communicator, the company revealed it is investigating a possible security bug reported in its Web-browsing software.

Netscape Navigator is the most popular software used to surf the Internet's World Wide Web, with an estimated 70 percent share of the market.

On Thursday, it was revealed that a Danish computer consultant reported a security bug in Navigator -- going back to version 2.0 -- that could allow Web sites to copy files from the hard disk of someone visiting the Web page.

The consultant, Christian Orellana, has refused to provide details on the bug to Netscape, the company said, until he was paid several thousand dollars for the information.

Orellana first contacted Netscape on Monday, the company said, asking for payment for his information, with instructions on how to wire the money to his bank account.

Netscape does offer a "bug bounty" to developers who report problems with its software; the top amount is usually $1,000 for the most serious problems.

Orellana refused the offer of $1,000 for the information.

In an e-mail message sent to Netscape and reported on ZD Net News' Web site, Orellana stated that the "information is certainly worth a bit on the free market, and I am currently awaiting responses from other parties."

After Netscape's refusal, Orellana turned the information over the CNN, who then passed it to PC Magazine, which confirmed the security hole.

Netscape isn't calling it blackmail, though the company's switchboard reported was besieged with upset users when the report of the bug was broadcast on CNN on Thursday.

"This is making us look like we weren't trying to fix it and that's wrong," said Rosanne Siino, Netscape's director of communications. "People here have been worrying about this night and day since we got the first call. But you can't fix something you don't know about."

TIP O' THE WEEK. Search engines are the next most useful part of the Internet besides e-mail.

My two top choices are the Yahoo! directory, and AltaVista.

Folks who I recommend AltaVista to are often overwhelmed by the number of sites that it returns when you start a search.

A search for a common term will give you literally thousands of listed Web sites. You can't visit them all, and chances are, the one most useful Web site is number 3,659 on the list -- and chances are you'll never find it.

I have improved my luck when searching using two techniques you might try yourself sometime.

First, try typing in a phrase or series of words about the topic.

For example, try "1955 Chevy Bel-Air hard top" instead of "1955 Chevrolet." The more specific you can be with your search terms the better.

However, AltaVista's search engine will usually give you links to all the pages that have any one of the search terms, which adds to the clutter you'll have to sift through.

Narrow your search down some more by using the plus sign (+) in front of every search term. This tells AltaVista that you only want Web pages that contain the search words you have designated.

Don't overlook AltaVista's ability to search Usenet, or newsgroups, for information. Just remember that the information you'll find via Usenet may not be as reliable or as useful as what you'll find on the Web.

AltaVista and other search engines all have their own help sections that can help you improve your chances of finding just what you need on the Web.

Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web.

| HOME |