The Web is awash in medical advice, which can range from solid and authoritative to sloppy and frightening. The following sites provide good starting points for health and wellness, not to mention the motivation to make some tough lifestyle changes. Read them for practical tips on becoming and staying as healthy as you can.
Tara Parker-Pope and others write accessible articles on topics
such as exercise, diet and preventive medicine. Topics include avoiding
ski injuries, how to start training for a marathon or other run,
healthy holiday eating, causes of arthritis, and more.
Follow along as a 49-year-old journeys from multiply chinned
couch potato to CrossFit enthusiast. (CrossFit is high-intensity,
competitive calisthenics for people who are already in really good
shape.) Inspirational; as blogger Cindy Handler writes, if she can do
it, anyone can.
Andrew Weil, M.D.’s focus on prevention was ahead of its time,
and his well-organized blog offers tons of articles and daily tips on
aging well, getting motivated, eating healthy and otherwise staying in
good form.
The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl
The first-hand account of a Scotland-dwelling Aussie who’s half the woman she used to be – and how she stays that way.
Dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield discusses better living through
better nutrition. Change what you eat and you’ll change your health,
she seems to say, and backs it up with stories of eating
smarter–whether for Wednesday’s lunch or in extraordinary situations
such as 50-km runs.
Chicago Tribune columnist Julie Deardorff delivers
medical news and advice with a sense of humor; a list of “9 foods worth
choking down” lists sardines, Brussels sprouts and grasshoppers (if you
can’t find crickets, which are even better for you). Accessible and
wide-ranging.
When you need to know what’s true and what’s BS about
health-and-wellness fads, it pays to ask actual scientists–and here
they are. M.D.s, Ph.D.s and the occasional DVM discuss the top threats
to science in medicine, debunk conspiracy theories about healthcare and
disease, and generally provide a rational alternative to getting your
health news from Oprah.
Dr. Rahul Parikh hosts Salon‘s health-and-wellness site,
which emphasizes news and analysis on healthcare reform, personal (and
especially children’s) health, and medical quackery.
If an employee wellness program isn’t simple and easy to
understand, no one will pay attention to it–which means the tips in
this employee-wellness company’s blog are accessible and doable.
Articles concern exercise, nutrition, weight loss, second-hand smoke,
stress and more.
Hearst Digital Media’s site provides a wealth of articles,
tools, and advice on staying healthy as you age. Covers aspects of
pregnancy, diet and weight loss, keeping your brain sharp by
challenging it, and more.
