Health care shmutz, junk, lies and useless misleading garbage is prevalent on countless online e-zines, article sites and websites. Are you tired of it? If you're like most consumers, especially when facing a significant health problem, you probably are. We are not talking about differences in perspective, differences between Eastern and Western medical approach or alternative vs. mainstream. We are talking about garbage, written by completely unqualified people, some of whom feel they are qualified to write about everything from brain surgery to tax preparation. So, how do you know if something is worth reading? Answer: before being amazed by the subject and content, pay attention to who wrote it!!

On health care issues, especially if you are looking for mainstream medical answers, a degree implies a significant level of credibility. This degree may be a MD (physician), DO(osteopathic physician), RN(nurse), DDS (dentist), MPH(masters degree in public health) or a PhD (doctor of philosophy in a health care area). Transitioning to natural or holistic approaches, degrees such as the DC (doctor of chiropractic) or ND(doctor of naturopathy) are also signs of expertise. Of the two, schools of chiropractic are far more standardized as far as accreditation and a clearly delineated curriculum are concerned. To date there are multiple sources of accreditation for naturopathic schools, ranging from rigorous requirements down to the level of diploma mills. Consumer beware! Check to see what the author's credibility claim is based on. What does their biographical sketch say about them? Check the sketch out for accuracy. It pays to do your homework.

Is a degree the end-all regarding quality of information? In this author's opinion, no. There are certainly medical writers who synthesize well researched information very well into articles which contain an accurate message. In this case, the most believable articles will contain references to other articles written by respected credentialed authorities. However, if you have to choose and don't have time to waste, keep in mind that someone who has studied health-care, beyond college, for at least several years must have learned something. Super-specialized physicians have spent four to five years in college, four years in medical school, up to 7 years in residency, and some complete a fellowship which may be 2-4 years long. At the maximum that means 16 years of training beyond college!

You may not agree with mainstream medicine and may be looking for good alternative or natural healthcare information. At your own risk, that's fine. There are certainly practitioners of Eastern medicine who have a lot of experience under their belt and do not necessarily have a degree. In this situation it is important to look for credibility from other sources. Proof for mainstream medicine this is usually from research results, mainly well designed clinical trials which are published with objective statistical analysis. Unfortunately, for much of alternative medicine, the main source of proof put forth is from testimonials rather than research trials. You've seem them. They are usually articles and websites claiming seemingly miraculous cures for incurable diseases, always with a few people claiming that this or that painless treatment cured their condition while saving them from the ravages of modern medicine.

In this author's opinion, in some cases amazing and miraculous results probably occur. The problem is that most of these miraculous cures are not effective in the overwhelming majority of people. You deserve to know what the chances are that a particular treatment will work for you. However, there are always going to be unscrupulous people who will soak you for your last penny, no matter what, promising a cure for most consumers of their product. How do you know truth from fiction in this natural or alternative area? Unfortunately, beyond verifying credentials and doing your homework regarding the relatively small amount of research data that is available, the best you can do is roll the dice and hope.