How you get health information on the Web

From e-mails to CNN

We asked and you answered. Here is a sampling of the ways CNN viewers and CNN.com readers use the Internet to get health information.

• I look up prescribed medications to check for side effects, or if I have a prescription from some time back that is still in date, I can determine what it was used for.
Ed Forbes
Hendersonville, TN

• When a member of our family had to make the decision whether or not to go on dialysis, the Internet provided me with in-depth information that a visit to the library or a doctor's office couldn't. I can't imagine having a serious illness and NOT using the Internet.
Deirdre E. O'Connor
Los Altos, CA

• In August 2000, my mother was hospitalized for kidney failure and congestive heart disease. It was sudden and overwhelming. The doctors used medical terms and asked us to make decisions literally the next day. I went on the Internet in the evening, printed out various articles and discussed our options with family members. The doctors are rushed and assume that you know what they are talking about and expect you to make a medical decision. I feel 100 percent better that I read up on the diseases and felt confident with the choices we made for my mother.
Shirley
Los Angeles, CA

• When I have a health question, the Internet is the first place I go to find answers. It's easier and quicker than contacting a doctor. It also helps when I'm deciding whether or not to contact a physician.
Melissa Mozden
Pittsburgh, PA

• If I'm sick and I'm not sure what's wrong, I use the Internet to research physical symptoms and their possible causes. I also use the Internet to research a specific condition if I've been diagnosed by a physician, and I always look up a drug if a physician has prescribed one for me.
Richard Wolosz
Boston, MA

• I have looked up general medical terms, such as symptoms and treatments. But for actual diagnosis or solid medical knowledge, I still go to my doctor.
Tom Burke
Houston, TX

• I work with computers. I'm also an RN. I use the net to get information on all sorts of health issues: what's latest and new, diseases my friends and family have or are wondering about, advances in treatment, etc. I think while a lot of it is good, a lot of it is trash. Everybody is selling something and it's sometimes difficult to separate those which have good information from the charlatans who are just trying to sell something. Anyway, I use it, I think it is good for exactly this kind of topic.
Pamela Marksbary
Austin, TX