Medical Information USEFUL to Almost Everyone
Compiled by Harry Hoffman, MD

This is a convenient collection of documents and pointers to pages that contain relevant and useful medical information of interest to almost everyone.

I've attempted to pare down the vast selection available on the World Wide Web to some of the many that are well-written and of practical use to the average person (rather than include a confusing array of "scholarly" references).

Just click on the links listed below for the information:

Lab Reports FAQ:   Almost everyone has questions about those confusing, cryptic lab reports.  Dr. Uthman has written one of the most informative summaries available anywhere. It does, however, require a basic awareness of medical terms. His monograph includes an explanation of the (total) Cholesterol/HDL Ratio, another index of cardiac risk.

The Heart Surgery Forum - Seattle, WA:  Just about everything you ever wanted to know about Heart Surgery (a little heavy, but still worthwhile for laymen).

Shuteye Online:  A useful online resource about sleeplessness (insomnia) with resources and solutions from G. D. Searle & Co. Unique in that this page does not "push" any particular Searle drug therapy, and offers practical approaches that seem objective.

QuackWatch Home Page:  An interesting page by Stephen Barrett, MD - keeps close watch on medical gadgets and fakery that are questionable and/or proven to be ineffective or harmful.

Young Docs Speak Out:  A probing and enlightening article in California Physician, a publication of the California Medical Association (CMA). If you want to know how the up-and-coming generation of Physicians feels about HMO's and Managed Care Medicine, you should read this.

National Institute of Health's Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM):  A valuable resource aimed at evaluation of treatment modalities sometimes considered to be "Alternative" or "Complementary". The theme: "Bringing together the best of healing....."

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