Have a Question About Your Health? Visit MayoClinic.com for the Answers

Thursday, October 27, 2005

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Your mom just called, telling you she's been diagnosed with a condition you've never even heard of. Your spouse notices a mole that's changed color. The bathroom scale is stuck — 20 pounds higher than it probably should be. You're confused by the latest news on drugs and supplements.

Seems like almost every day you need reliable, accurate and easy-to-find health information. MayoClinic.com can answer your simplest to more complicated health questions in a way that's easy to understand and can help you make an informed decision. Here are 10 reasons to start your search for information at MayoClinic.com.

At MayoClinic.com, you can:

1. Look up hundreds of diseases and conditions: From acid reflux to herpes zoster, you'll find comprehensive information on hundreds of diseases and conditions. Explore symptoms, treatments, causes, when to seek medical care, screening and diagnosis, treatment and coping skills. Browse diseases and health conditions in an alphabetical directory or do a simple search.

2. Watch demonstrations: Slide shows and videos convey important information when words don't tell the whole story. See what melanoma looks like. Watch video demos of weight lifting, core exercises and more.

3. Find first aid fast: How do you remove the bee's stinger? Are cat bites serious? What if a nosebleed won't stop? The First-Aid Guide covers more than 50 conditions, from minor to life threatening.

4. Monitor your health: Use quizzes to test your health knowledge. Use a self-assessment or calculator to check your Body Mass Index (BMI), due date, or risk for heart disease.

5. Have health tips and updates delivered to your e-mail: Go to Mayoclinic.com to sign up for Housecall — a free, weekly e-newsletter with the latest highlights from the Web site.

6. Select recipes for tasty foods that are good for you: The Healthy Recipes Center includes hundreds of recipes, from appetizers to desserts, developed to promote your health and nutrition. No fads here, just recipes that are appealing and easy to prepare. Special collections include heart-healthy, healthy carb and low-sodium.

7. Ask a Mayo Clinic specialist: Mayo Clinic physicians answer reader questions every weekday. The field of specialists who respond include more than 2,000 Mayo Clinic doctors and scientists representing virtually every medical specialty. These same specialists review all of the information on MayoClinic.com for medical accuracy.

8. Weigh the pros and cons for treatment decisions: Treatment decision guides take you through pros and cons of various treatment approaches for several health conditions, including middle ear infection, breast cancer and enlarged prostate.

9. Discover new ways to stay well: Stress management, relaxation, exercise, yoga, even meditation can be part of staying well. MayoClinic.com includes healthy living centers, providing information to help you reduce the risk of illness.

10. Read about drugs and supplements: Comprehensive information on thousands of drugs, herbs, vitamins and supplements is provided to help make you a better consumer.

MayoClinic.com strives to empower people to manage their health by providing useful and up-to-date information and tools that reflect the expertise of the physicians and scientists at Mayo Clinic.

Specialty physician editors oversee content for MayoClinic.com. All content is reviewed and approved by no fewer than three Mayo Clinic physicians. Articles are dated, so you know exactly when it was last reviewed.

MayoClinic.com has been recognized for its excellence and trustworthiness by a leading consumer Web site. About 2.5 million people visit MayoClinic.com every month. MayoClinic.com is owned by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

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To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.