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Health / Medicine

In the news
Local resources
Aging
Alternative Health
Diseases
Drugs and supplements

Environmental health
Find a doctor
Health resources in other languages
Kids and Teens
Mental health
Pet health
Social Networks, Blogs and Apps

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There are numerous resources on the Internet for finding reliable and authoritative health information. The purpose of our health page is to point you toward local health resources and to also direct you to some of well-known and trustworthy health web sites. This list is not meant to be comprehensive.

These informational resources are not a substitute for professional health care.

In the News

Food Pyramid Changes

There's a new U.S. symbol for healthful eating: The Agriculture Department unveiled 'My Plate" on Thursday, abandoning the food pyramid that had guided many Americans but merely confused others. Read more about it at the websites below:

For expanded daily health news on any topic, consider visiting the National Library of Medicine's Health News section on their homepage, or use many of the online health news resources available through the Web. CNN Health is updated daily, Yahoo News collects health news from a variety of Web resources and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) publish the CDC Online Newsroom "a one-stop source for journalists seeking public health information". There are also many news feeds, podcasts and blogs for keeping abreast of health news.

Aging

Administration on Aging: http://www.aoa.gov/

You can search for local agencies , check for benefits you might have missed, find statistics on aging, and research long term care options. The site is available in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: http://www.cms.gov/default.asp?

There is a wealth of information for both health care providers and laypersons on this site. For laypersons, the People with Medicare and Medicaid Center offers an array of helpful information and tools. You can compare prescription drug plans, enroll in a prescription drug plan, and learn more about Medicaid. The Medicare Coverage Database is intended for use by Medicare contractors, providers, and other healthcare industry professionals but the public may make comments about coverage through a tool created for that use.
Medicare.gov: http://www.medicare.gov/

This is the primary website about Medicare, offering the latest information on Medicare enrollment, benefits and other useful tools for calculating eligibility and cost comparisons. The Medicare and You 2011 Handbook is now available and you can even apply online from this site.
Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance Program -- Advance Directives: http://egov.oregon.gov/DCBS/SHIBA/advanced_directives.shtml

An advance directive is a set of instructions that explain the specific health care measures a person wants if he or she should have a terminal illness or injury and become incapable of indicating whether to continue curative and life-sustaining treatment, or to remove life support systems. A copy of the most current form is available from this site, with information and a link to the Health Care Decisions Act, (ORS 127.505 - 127.660 and ORS 127.995).

Alternative Health

Dr. Weil: http://www.drweil.com/

Dr.Andrew Weil is a well-known proponent of holistic treatments and nutrition. He has written many books on health and nutrition. His website offers feature articles on a variety of different topics, a question-answer section, and even information for pets.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: http://nccam.nih.gov/

NCCAM is one of the national institutes of health. The site provides an array of information about complementary and alternative medicine including herbs and supplements, treatments and techniques. A special section emphasizes being an informed consumer and offers guidance on choosing an practioner and treatment. Additional sections cover topics, herbs and clinical trials. Information is also available in Spanish.

Information about diseases, symptoms and treatments

Cancer.gov: http://www.cdc.gov/

Search by a specific disease or find it by category. You can also find up to the minute news, a wide variety of health statistics and health advice for travelers. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report is found here. Use CDC Wonder to find a wide variety of reports and public health statistics. The site is available in both English and Spanish.
CAPHIS: http://caphis.mlanet.org/consumer/index.html

The Consumer and Patient Health Information Section of the Medical Library Association provides this Top 100 List: Health Websites You Can Trust. Criteria for selection is based on strict adherence to standards for authoritative health information which include credibility, sponsorship/authorship, content, audience, currency, disclosure, purpose, links, design, interactivity, and caveats.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/

Search by a specific disease or find it by category. You can also find up to the minute news, a wide variety of health statistics and health advice for travelers. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report is found here. Use CDC Wonder to find a wide variety of reports and public health statistics. The site is available in both English and Spanish.
ClinicalTrials.gov: http://clinicaltrials.gov/

Provides regularly updated information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers. ClinicalTrials.gov gives you information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details. The information provided on ClinicalTrials.gov should be used in conjunction with advice from health care professionals.
Lab Tests Online: http://www.labtestsonline.org/

Explains clearly and concisely the purpose of many blood tests and other laboratory tests. Searchable by specific test, by age category, and by condition or disease.
Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayohealth.org/

A highly reliable resource that includes current medical research news, information about diseases and conditions, a symptom index, a first aid guide and prescription drug information. Information about each disease includes signs and symptoms, causes, risk factors, when to seek medical advice, screening and diagnosis, complications, treatment, prevention and self-care. A handy flu symptoms self assessment helps you determine if you have the flu or a cold.
MEDLINEplus: http://www.medlineplus.gov

One of the best places to start your search for medical information. You can search by a specific disease name, or find information under health topics by body location or body system. The site also includes much more health related information including a medical dictionary, information about drugs and supplements, and health news. The site is available in both English and Spanish.
PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed

PubMed is a database of citations to articles from major clinical, medical and life science journals. PubMed includes some links to full text articles and other related resources when available. A tutorial is provided for searching the database. PubMed Central is the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature.

Drugs and supplements

Cancer Information: About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products: http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm

Sponsored by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, this site provides objective, evidence based information for oncologists and healthcare professionals about agents used in the treatment of cancer. There is a clinical summary of each agent that includes details about constituents, adverse effects, interactions, and potential benefits or problems. The use of these agents as treatments for other diseases is briefly mentioned.
Daily Med: http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/about.cfm

DailyMed provides high quality information about marketed drugs. The information includes content and labeling as found on medication package inserts (FDA approved labels). The National Library of Medicine (NLM) provides this as a public service.
Drugs.com: http://www.drugs.com

This resource provides information about more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. Note the smaller tabs on top that focus on specific information such as side effects, use in pregnancy and dosage. The pill identifier is a handy resource.
Drugs, Supplements and Herbal Information: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html

MEDLINEplus provides information about drugs, herbals and dietary supplements in both English and Spanish.
NeedyMeds: http://www.needymeds.com/

NeedyMeds is a non-profit organization that helps people who cannot afford medicine or healthcare. You can find drug coupons and other services at reduced costs anonymously and free of charge.
Office of Dietary Supplements: http://ods.od.nih.gov/

Fact sheets provide comprehensive information about supplements including historic uses, side effects, interactions with other drugs and clinical studies.
Partnership for Prescription Assistance: http://www.pparx.org/

Patients can use an online wizard to determine for which prescription assistance programs they are eligible. Simply select the orange link to Get Help Now and follow the steps. You can search for resources by state or find a free or low-cost health clinic in your area. Information about Medicaid, Medicare, Patient Assistant Programs, co-pay programs and free or low cost health clinics is available in both English and Spanish,
Pharmacy Checker.com: http://www.pharmacychecker.com/

Collects, rates and compares credentials, prices, and customer feedback regarding pharmacies that operate online and through mail-order and fax. Includes Canadian businesses too.
Rxlist: http://www.rxlist.com/

If you are looking for information about a drug, this is a good resource. For each drug, information is provided about indication and dosage, pharmacology, interactions and side effects, chemical composition and structural formula. There is also a handy pill indentifier.

Find a doctor

American Association of Naturopathic Physicians: http://www.naturopathic.org/

This resource provides a search feature to find a naturopathic physician near you.
American Board of Medical Specialties: http://www.abms.org/login.asp

Medical certification in the United States is voluntary and involves a rigorous process of testing and peer evaluation. Use this resource to determine if a physician is board certified and in which field. You must register to use this site, but registration is free.
Docfinder: http://www.docboard.org/docfinder.html

Search the databases of licensed physicians from the medical boards of participating states. Information includes licensing information, status, graduation date and school, and board disciplinary actions, if any.
Find a Dentist: http://www.ada.org/public/directory/index.asp

The American Dental Association directory lists dentists by name, location or specialty.
Oregon Board of Medical Examiners: http://www.bme.state.or.us/search.html

Provides information on physicians, acupuncturists, and physician assistants practicing in Oregon. As a consumer, you can search for malpractice claims, do a licensee lookup, and find answers to frequently asked questions. If you are a practioner, there is information about applications and licences as well as general information about practicing in Oregon.

Environmental health

Haz-Map: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Materials: http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/

Search by agent, disease or job and browse by types of agents, by adverse effects and by types of jobs and diseases. Also includes a section on high risk jobs and the hazards of each type of job.
Household Products Database: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/about.html

This database links over 6,000 consumer brands to health effects from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and allows scientists and consumers to research products based on chemical ingredients. Arranged by category of products and also searchable by keyword or product name.
HazCom, MSDS's & GHS: http://www.ohsu.edu/croetweb/links.cfm?subtopicID=149

A material safety data sheet (MSDS) is a form containing data regarding the properties of a particular substance. Information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill handling procedures are included on the sheets. This resources provides a collection of searchable indexes to MSDS and other information about hazardous substances.
Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site - Health Effects: http://www.scorecard.org/health-effects/

Using information from scientific sources and regulatory agencies, Scorecard provides listings of the chemicals that can cause cancer, harm the immune system, contribute to birth defects, or lead to any of nine other types of health impacts. Lists are available for 12 different adverse health effects.

Local resources

211info: information and referral: http://www.211info.org/

Oregon and Southwest Washington's comprehensive support hub for referrals to food, shelter, housing, foreclosure assistance, health care, and much more. Calls are confidential, anonymous and free. Certified Information and Referral Specialists assess the situation and refer callers using a locally managed database of over 4,200 programs. Telephone interpreters are available for help in more than 150 languages.
African-American Health Coalition: http://www.aahc-portland.org/index.htm

The AAHC promotes wellness for African Americans who live in Portland, Oregon. Their website offers health education, advocacy and research and provides health Information benefiting African-Americans. The site also includes up-to-date listings of health-related classes and events in the Portland area.
Multnomah County Aging & Disability Services: http://web.multco.us/ads

A resource for seniors and people with disabilities, this site offers a 24-hour helpline with information and referral for housing needs, home health care needs, meals and more. The site also links to more resources from the Aging and Disabilities Resources of Oregon, a statewide organization of resources and services.
Center for Health Statistics (Oregon.gov): http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/chs/

Compilations of a wealth of health statistics and reports for Oregon, including vital statistics such as births, deaths and abortions in Oregon. You may also order birth, death, marriage and divorce records from this site.
Coalition of Community Health Clinics: http://www.coalitionclinics.org/

If you are low-income or uninsured and need medical assistance, this website offers health information and contact information for clinics, flu shots, prescription assistance, and other free or low cost medical services in the tri-county area.
Crisis Services: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/crisis.shtml

This is a helpful list of contacts from the Oregon Department of Human Resources for crisis situations including abuse and neglect, alcohol and drug addiction, domestic violence and intimate partner violence, problem gambling, mental health crises, and suicide prevention.
Multnomah County Health Department: http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/health/

Handy links are provided to Health Department Locations and Departments, the Oregon Food Handler's Test and information about food carts. You can also find information about immunizations and schedules, local health news and local food recalls.
Oregon College of Oriental Medicine: http://www.ocom.edu/index.php

You can use the college library to search the catalog, chat online with a librarian and use their excellent selection of Internet resources on allopathic and biomedicine, Chinese and alternative medicine, and herbs and supplements.
Oregon Health Authority: http://public.health.oregon.gov/Pages/Home.aspx

From this site, you can order vital records such as birth and death certificates, obtain forms such as the death with dignity form, get information about medical marijuana and food handler cards , and find statistics on population, chronic disease, injury, and vital statistics and health data in Oregon.
Oregon Health Sciences University: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/

Locate a doctor, visit the library, learn about clinical trials in the area or use Health Services in Oregon to find health services in the state. You may contact a librarian for assistance with a health question through their Ask a Librarian service.
Oregon Helps: http://www.oregonhelps.org

This screening tool and resource helps you determine eligibility for thirty-three different assistance programs, including the Oregon Oregon Prescription Durg Program and the Medical Assistance for Children, Adults and Families program. The site can be viewed in Spanish, Vietnamese and Russion.
Oregon Medical Association: http://www.theoma.org/

In general, this site is most helpful to members of the OMA. You can find information and obtain copies of the advance directive form and POLST (physician orders for life-sustaining treatment) form on this page.
Oregon Medical Board: http://www.oregon.gov/OMB/

This portal page provides helpful links to direct you to information about physicians in Oregon. As a consumer, you can search for a physician , find malpractice claims, report a physician to the Board, and look at some frequently asked questions. As a professional, you can research licensing requirements for medical doctors, as well as acupunturists and physicians assistants, obtain forms and check the status of applications.
Portland Monthly Magazine Top Doctors: http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/health-and-fitness/articles/top-doctors-2011-december-2010/

This is an annual listing of doctors by specialty in the metro area which is searchable by specialty, by disease or condition or by geographic location. Doctors on this list have been nominated by their peers.
Returning Veterans Project: http://www.returningveterans.org/

This local resource offers free counseling and other health services for returning veterans and their families. You can search a database of local providers to find someone for your specific needs. There is also a list of links and resources for additional services targeted specifically to veterans and their families.
Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance Program: hhttp://www.oregon.gov/DCBS/SHIBA/shiba_guide.shtml

The State of Oregon provides access to the Oregon Guide to Medigap, Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans. This guide includes comparative information on each of the plans, identifying which plans are available in each county.
University of Western States (Formerly Western States Chiropractic College): http://www.uws.edu/default.aspx

The library offers access to the catalog, databases and websites in chiropractice and alternative health.

Kids and Teens

Kids Health: http://kidshealth.org/

Produced by the Nemours Foundation, this is the best resource for health information geared for children and adolescents. There is even a section for parents. Material is practical and age appropriate. You can find articles about feelings, physical and mental development, specific diseases and conditions as well as information for youngsters about the health problems of grown-ups. Games, movies, interactive quizzes and multiple formats make this "kid friendly".
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: http://www.aacap.org/

Facts for Families sheets are available in English, Spanish, German, Malaysian, Polish, Arabic, Icelandic and Urdu. Topics include everything from when a pet dies, to helping teenagers deal with stress, to children's sleep problems.

Mental health

APA Help Center: from the American Psychological Association: http://helping.apa.org/

Online resource for brochures, tips and articles on the psychological issues that affect physical and emotional well-being.
Cascadia Mental Health and Addictions Treatment Services: http://www.cascadiabhc.org/

Cascadia provides mental health counseling, crisis intervention, addictions treatment, and transitional, residential, and permanent housing for people with psychiatric and substance use challenges, most of whom are very low income. Their website includes contact information as well as links to national resources for people seeking assistance.
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness: http://www.nami.org/

Nami was organized to reduce the stigma of mental illness. Here you can find definitions and explanations of a variety of mental disorders as well as support, programs and research. Also available in Spanish.
National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov

Provides information about mental illness and mental conditions as well as the latest research on treatment. Find specific studies being conducted across the U.S. that are currently recruiting participants.
Noah (New York Online Access to Health) Mental Health: http://www.noah-health.org/en/mental/

This award winning site provides high quality consumer mental health information in both English and Spanish suitable for the layperson.
Publications - Easy to Read: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/easy-to-read.shtml

The National Institute of Mental Health sponsors this page of resources written in easy to understand English.

Health resources in other languages

These resources have been created to provide health information for diverse cultural groups, and for people whose native language is not English.

24 Languages Project: http://library.med.utah.edu/24languages/

Electronic access to over 200 health education brochures in 24 different languages. Information is available in print and audio format.
Consumer Health Materials in Spanish: http://nnlm.gov/outreach/consumer/chspanish.html

Organizations, associations, foundations and state and regional agencies that provide health information in both English and Spanish.
Ethnomed: http://ethnomed.org/ethnomed/

The EthnoMed site contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and other related issues pertinent to the health care of recent immigrants to Seattle or the US, many of whom are refugees fleeing war-torn parts of the world.
MedlinePlus Easy to Read: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/easytoread/easytoread_a.html

Health and medical topics written for a fourth to sixth grade reading level. Topics are arranged alphabetically. MedlinePlus also contains a page of resources to Health Information in Multiple Languages and the site itself can be viewed in a Spanish version.
Multicultural Health Clearinghouse: http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/multiculturalhealth/index.htm

Health information for African Americans, Asians, Asian Pacific Islander, Latino, Native Americans, gay/lesbian and students with disabilities.
Salud-Biblioteca del Condado de Multnomah: http://www.multcolib.org/libros/ref/salud.html

Multnomah County Library's health resource page in Spanish.
ToxTown en espanol: http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/

An introduction to toxic chemicals and environmental health risks you might encounter in everyday life, in everyday places.
World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/

Information is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Pet Health

MedlinePlus Pet Health: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pethealth.html

A comprehensive pet health resource that includes information about specific conditions, nutrition, first aid, medications, food safety, and more. Also contains journal articles and information about veterinary clinical trials.
ASPCA - Pet Care: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/

Up-to-date pet care information from ASPCA experts in behavior, nutrition, poison control, veterinary medicine and the human-animal bond. Includes access to pet behavior advice and an Animal Poison control hotline.
American Animal Hospital Association: http://www.healthypet.com

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accredits animal hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada. AAHA-accredited hospitals voluntarily choose to be evaluated on over 800 standards. The site contains an AAHA-accredited animal hospital locator, articles about dogs, cats and exotic pets, information about pet diseases, and more.
Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital: http://dovelewis.org/

DoveLewis, located in Portland, OR, is the only non-profit animal hospital in the nation devoted to emergency and critical care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. DoveLewis also offers an Animal Assisted Therapy & Education program, pet loss support, and pet health & first aid workshops.
Oregon Humane Society: http://www.oregonhumane.org/

Established in 1868, OHS is the largest and oldest humane society in the Pacific Northwest. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization funded by voluntary contributions. The OHS web site provides information about pets available for adoption, training classes and resources, how to report animal abuse, spay and neuter assistance, and humane education
Portland Pooch: http://www.portlandpooch.com/index.htm

A comprehensive online guide to all of the wonderful doggy resources the Portland area has to offer. From doggy daycares to dog washes to descriptions of every dog park in the region, you can find it on this web site. It also includes information on local dog-friendly lodging and housing, a business directory, and links to local animal rescue and welfare organizations.

Social Networks, Blogs and Apps for Health

DailyBurn.com: http://dailyburn.com

An iPhone app that tracks calories you have eaten and burned and helps you calculate portion, sizes and food choices.
FatSecret.com: http://fatsecret.com

This site, for people interested in food and diet, has downloadable apps that track calories for Droid and Blackberry users and other cool tools as well.
Medsy: http://medsyapp.com/

An iPhone app that stores schedules for multiple medications and sends you discreet take-me-now reminders with instructions.
PatientsLikeMe.com: http://www.patientslikeme.com/

Join people just like you with conditions just like yours and share information and experiences.
The "New" Prostate Cancer InfoLink Social Network: http://prostatecancerinfolink.ning.com/

This is just one example of a social network site dedicated to a specific disease. Anyone with an interest in prostate cancer is welcome to share information; to seek, receive, and offer support; or just to monitor discussion and progress on Planet Prostate Cancer.
RealAge.com: http://realage.com

Mehmet C. Oz and Michael F. Roizen's website offers an online video walking program , the You: On a Diet 20-Minute Workout and other apps with exercise routines.
Steady Health: http://www.steadyhealth.com/

This is an example of a social networking site for many kinds of health conditions and issues. Be sure to read the information for first time visitors.

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