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Thanks to the Internet, we're a nation of experts.

Who wrote "Crime and Punishment"? Fyodor Dostoevsky.

How many pints in a liter? 2.11337642, of course.

And when we're sick, many of us call on Dr. Google to help analyze our symptoms long before we seek a physician's advice.

Today, 37 percent of American adults at least occasionally use the Internet to self-diagnose an illness, says a new survey from The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. Six percent admit they always seek health advice online, where professionals and nonprofessionals dispense advice at will.

Most consumers approach their health with an open mind, says Glenn Whelan, a doctor of pharmacy and assistant professor at the University of South Florida College of Pharmacy. And any guidance can be useful, he says.

"If somebody is being treated for a chronic condition, looking for additional information can be helpful," Whelan says. "Doctors and pharmacists don't have all the answers."

But the Internet's ability to equalize science and speculation makes some health care professionals extremely nervous. Doctors, who spend years identifying reliable, science-based resources, often are skeptical of cyber-advice, says Dr. Steven Merahn, chief medical officer of the PDR Network, a print and online publisher of medical information, including the classic Physicians' Desk Reference.

"The first thing the doctor usually says to the patient is, 'Where did the information come from?'" says Merahn, whose company just launched the "PDR Consumer Guide to Prescription Drugs, ($24.95, PDR Consumer Books), which translates technical terms in the physician's guide into lay language.

Consumers who want to find quality information online can weed out snake oil salesmen and other weak sources by asking a few specific questions. The National Institutes of Health suggests:

* Is it easy to see who pays for and is responsible for the health-related website and its information? What is the website's purpose?

* How current is the information? Science evolves quickly and can change.

* If the health information isn't written by the website creator, is the original source clearly identified? Are the medical credentials of people writing the health-related listed?

* Can you identify medical and scientific evidence that supports the health-related claims, advice or information? Medical facts and figures should have references and citations to published evidence-based studies.

The risks are heightened when the patient is surfing for information concerning prescription medications. When taken improperly, a medication's molecular structure can become altered and therefore ineffective or dangerous, Merhan says.

You can identify a licensed online pharmacy a few ways, the Mayo Clinic says. Some websites will feature a seal of approval from Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites, or VIPPS.

A site also should clearly state privacy and security policies. Remember, you're sharing your personal health information, not just a credit card number. If the site doesn't include a physical address and phone number, avoid it altogether.

Prescription-level drugs never should be purchased if they don't require U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, or if the online pharmacy doesn't ask for proof of a written prescription for an authorized health professional. Doing so is illegal, Mayo experts say.

Your best bet is to have verbal access to a pharmacist working for the site. Online pharmacies such as the massive mail-order company Medco provide one-to-one pharmacy consultations over the phone.

Whelan says whether it's online or in person, communication is key. Patients should always discuss all medications and dietary supplements they take before adding another one to the mix.

"Full disclosure is always the way to go."

Whatever you do, don't try to go it alone, experts say. Medications should make you feel better, not worse.

"There's no reason a patient can't partner in their case," Merhan says. "But at some point there's a knowledge base necessary to understand these chemicals."

Get off to a safe start online

Want to bone up on prescription drugs before a talk with the doc? Here are some consumer websites offering basic information.

www.pdrhealth.com/

http://healthtools.aarp.org/drug-directory

www.consumerreports.org/health/prescription-drugs/index.htm

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html

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Copyright (c) 2011, Tampa Tribune, Fla. 

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