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Mayo Clinic Website Recognized by the New York Times

Health information websites have a great deal of influence in shaping ideas about illnesses, conditions and treatment options. In February, a New York Times column by Virginia Heffernan (A Prescription for Fear) compared WebMD and MayoClinic.com, two well-known health information websites, and declared MayoClinic.com the better of the two in terms of layout, credibility, and useful information.

Assessing the site from Mayo Clinic (which also hosts the EmbodyHealth website for the Carpenters Wellness Program), the author marveled at MayoClinic.com's credible content and integrity.

"No hysteria. No drug peddling. Good medicine. Good ideas," Heffernan wrote. "This is very, very rare in the medical Web."

In contrast, the author criticized WebMD for the "pseudomedicine and subtle misinformation" of its paid content, noting that the ad-cluttered site shows obvious connections to pharmaceutical companies and other commercial entities.

"It's not only a waste of time, but it's also a disorder in and of itself –- one that preys on the fear and vulnerability of its users to sell them half-truths and, eventually, pills," Heffernan wrote.

Conventional wisdom reminds us not to believe everything we read, but with the astounding number of sources available on the Internet (more than 644 million active websites and growing), it's quite challenging for the average consumer to appraise the credibility of a website and its content. That's why carpenters, spouses and dependents covered by the Carpenters Health and Security Plan have free access to Mayo Clinic's EmbodyHealth website. It eliminates the guesswork, the ads, and the hype. It delivers credible, research-based articles, information and advice, as well as programs, tools, and incentives to help carpenters and family members improve and maintain their health.