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Healthcare Hoaxes
A
hundred years ago, traveling medicine shows passed through town
after town peddling magic elixirs to cure what ails you. Today’s
sellers of snake oil travel the Internet promoting their "miracle
cures" for everything from arthritis to weight loss.
Maryellen
Sievert, a retired University of Missouri faculty member and an
expert on medical information, warned consumers to beware of Internet
charlatans making grandiose claims. “There are some very scary
things out there,” said Sievert, professor emerita in the MU School
of Information Science and Learning Technologies. “If there really
were a cure for arthritis, nobody would be walking around limping.”
Sievert
offered advice for sorting health facts from fiction on the Internet
as part of the medical update series offered by the MU Extension
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Knowing where to look for information
is the key, she said. When surfing the Web for health information,
Sievert recommended using trusted sources, including government
agencies, national associations and foundations, and universities
with medical schools. Look for Web addresses that contain “.gov,” “.org” or “.edu.” Web sites should contain a date indicating when
the information was posted or revised and include contact information.
“Reliable
sites will tell you where their information comes from,” she said,
for example, where a study was published. Another way to identify
reliable information is to look for site accredited by HoN — Health
on the Net — an international non-profit foundation that evaluates
health sites. The Medical Library Association also provides a
guide to Internet health information. Sievert said consumers should
question Web sites that sell products or services, as well as
sites that contain advertising. Testimonials, including those
from doctors, are another red flag.
“The
more there are of those, the more you should question it,” she
said. Be leery of Web sites that present information as scientific
data using generic statements, like “studies have shown,” she
said. “That’s a sign that they’re trying to sell you
something, and they’re more interested in the sale than
providing you with information.” Reputable sites also have privacy
policies and disclose how they are funded. “These are only clues,” Sievert said, noting that there are some exceptions. For instance,
MedLine Plus, the National Library of Medicine Web site, which
is not accredited by HoN, is considered the “gold standard” for
health Web sites. “Everything
I’ve ever found there is very reliable,” she said. Another
exception is the Mayo Clinic, a dot-com Web site that sells products.
“I don’t have any trouble when an organization sells its
own publications,” Sievert said, explaining that advertisements
on the site contain a link to their advertising policy.
Even reliable information on the Internet is no substitute for
the local library, Sievert said. Reference desks at most public
libraries, as well as medical school libraries, such as MU’s
J. Otto Lottes Health Sciences Library in Columbia, remain the
leading source. “If you are looking for something reliable, you
have people specially trained to find it for you,” said Sievert.
“Professional librarians really do like to answer questions. They
like digging to find the answers.” To learn more call (573) 882-2585 or visit the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Web site. Spring classes began in March.
Recommended
Sources for Consumer Health Information
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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