Web Source Of Health Information
Shelia Lewis
The Internet is a valuable resource for you and your family to assess your health, to make sure you are staying up to date on screenings, and learn about the latest recommendations for living a healthy lifestyle.
If you know where to look, the Internet is full of great and reliable resources for you to consult, in addition to your family doctor. Checklists, surveys and easy-to-understand information sheets are all designed to help you and your family keep up with your healthy practices.
A good place to start when doing some "healthy Web searches" is at the Harvard School of Public Health's Disease Risk website: www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu. They have developed a disease-risk site that allows you to calculate your risk for a disease. Calculations can be made for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and specific forms of cancer.
ESTIMATING RISKS
The risk estimator asks you questions about your lifestyle, family history, and other factors that pertain to the condition for which you want to know your risk. It then tells you where your risk falls compared to the average person's risk for the condition. The answer, for example, does not mean you will get colon cancer if the Web site tells you that you are at increased risk; it is merely an estimate that your odds of getting colon cancer may be higher than the average person's odds.
After your risk is calculated, it gives you tips on what you can do to lower your risk, as well as good habits you should maintain to keep your risk low. You can even click on a recommended lifestyle change to see what effect implementing it would have on your estimated risk. While anyone can use the risk calculator, it is most accurate for those age 40 and older who have never had any type of cancer.
Another great feature of this Web site is the recommendations on the nine ways to prevent disease. It is a page with lifestyle practices, such as protecting yourself from the sun and eating a healthy diet. You can click on each prevention practice to get tips on how to follow them, as well as information on why you should follow their recommendations.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has recently developed checklists for both men and women to know what tests they should be getting from their doctor. Not only do they have important checklists that you can print to take with you to your doctor visits, but they also have information such as daily steps to health and prevention measures you could consider taking. The checklists are a valuable resource to not only make sure you are getting all of the tests you need (taking into consideration your age and other risk factors), but they also help remind you to keep all of these tests up to date. Early detection is often the best protection, which is why it is important to stay up to date on all recommended screening tests. The website has a page specifically for men at www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthmen.htm as well as a site devoted specifically to women at http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.-htm.
While the web can be a valuable tool for you to get ideas for a healthy lifestyle, your doctor is your ultimate source for this type of information. The information on the web is general enough so that everyone can use it; therefore, it may not be very specific for you and your own needs. Your doctor knows you and can make recommendations tailored just for you! Use Internet resources as a guide, but always consult with your doctor for any questions you may have.
'HOLIDAY EASY'
Smith County Extension Education Association will present a recipe and craft program called "Holiday Easy" from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Smith County Extension Auditorium located at the Smith County Cotton Belt Building, 1517 W. Front St., Tyler. Admission will be $3. For more information call 903-590-2980.
Health Specialist Courtney Schoessow contributed to this column. Shelia Lewis is a Smith County Extension agent in family and consumer sciences. She can be reached at sk-lewis@tamu.edu. This column on family and consumer education news appears in the Thursday Community section of the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
If you know where to look, the Internet is full of great and reliable resources for you to consult, in addition to your family doctor. Checklists, surveys and easy-to-understand information sheets are all designed to help you and your family keep up with your healthy practices.
A good place to start when doing some "healthy Web searches" is at the Harvard School of Public Health's Disease Risk website: www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu. They have developed a disease-risk site that allows you to calculate your risk for a disease. Calculations can be made for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and specific forms of cancer.
ESTIMATING RISKS
The risk estimator asks you questions about your lifestyle, family history, and other factors that pertain to the condition for which you want to know your risk. It then tells you where your risk falls compared to the average person's risk for the condition. The answer, for example, does not mean you will get colon cancer if the Web site tells you that you are at increased risk; it is merely an estimate that your odds of getting colon cancer may be higher than the average person's odds.
After your risk is calculated, it gives you tips on what you can do to lower your risk, as well as good habits you should maintain to keep your risk low. You can even click on a recommended lifestyle change to see what effect implementing it would have on your estimated risk. While anyone can use the risk calculator, it is most accurate for those age 40 and older who have never had any type of cancer.
Another great feature of this Web site is the recommendations on the nine ways to prevent disease. It is a page with lifestyle practices, such as protecting yourself from the sun and eating a healthy diet. You can click on each prevention practice to get tips on how to follow them, as well as information on why you should follow their recommendations.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has recently developed checklists for both men and women to know what tests they should be getting from their doctor. Not only do they have important checklists that you can print to take with you to your doctor visits, but they also have information such as daily steps to health and prevention measures you could consider taking. The checklists are a valuable resource to not only make sure you are getting all of the tests you need (taking into consideration your age and other risk factors), but they also help remind you to keep all of these tests up to date. Early detection is often the best protection, which is why it is important to stay up to date on all recommended screening tests. The website has a page specifically for men at www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthmen.htm as well as a site devoted specifically to women at http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthywom.-htm.
While the web can be a valuable tool for you to get ideas for a healthy lifestyle, your doctor is your ultimate source for this type of information. The information on the web is general enough so that everyone can use it; therefore, it may not be very specific for you and your own needs. Your doctor knows you and can make recommendations tailored just for you! Use Internet resources as a guide, but always consult with your doctor for any questions you may have.
'HOLIDAY EASY'
Smith County Extension Education Association will present a recipe and craft program called "Holiday Easy" from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Smith County Extension Auditorium located at the Smith County Cotton Belt Building, 1517 W. Front St., Tyler. Admission will be $3. For more information call 903-590-2980.
Health Specialist Courtney Schoessow contributed to this column. Shelia Lewis is a Smith County Extension agent in family and consumer sciences. She can be reached at sk-lewis@tamu.edu. This column on family and consumer education news appears in the Thursday Community section of the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
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