Unit 1 Taking Charge of Your Health and Wellness Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 28 Websites of businesses that earn profits or organizations promoting a particular cause are often not trustworthy. The main goal of a business is to make money by selling the product or service it provides. Information from a business may play up the benefits of the product or service and play down negative information. Organizations promoting a certain cause may only share information that supports its cause. Accessing valid information can help you locate reliable health- related products and services as well. When searching for information, begin with a reliable, general source such as one of the agencies or websites in Figure 1.15. When in doubt, ask your school librarian or doctor about a reliable media source to find information about health and wellness. Librarians specialize in finding and evaluating sources, which means you can rely on their advice should questions arise. Evaluating Health Information “Get six-pack abs in two weeks!” “You will catch a cold if you go outside with wet hair.” “The bumps on your skull reveal your character.” “Cell phones cause brain cancer.” “Caffeinated energy drinks will make you perform better on exams.” These are some examples of the thousands of health claims in magazines, on websites, in the media, and in advertisements. Claims such as these are not supported by science. If you act on these claims, you could waste money and time and harm your health. This is why carefully evaluating health-related information is so important. Health and Safety Information Sources of Information URLs Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics www.eatright.org American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org American Cancer Society www.cancer.org American Heart Association www.heart.org American Red Cross www.redcross.org Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) www.cdc.gov Mayo Clinic www.mayoclinic.org MedlinePlus® (U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health) www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration www.nhtsa.gov National Institute of Mental Health www.nimh.nih.gov National Institute on Drug Abuse www.drugabuse.gov Office of the Surgeon General www.surgeongeneral.gov Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu United States Consumer Products Safety Commission www.cpsc.gov United States Department of Agriculture www.choosemyplate.gov United States Department of Health and Human Services www.healthfinder.gov United States Food and Drug Administration www.fda.gov World Health Organization www.who.int Figure 1.15 These websites from reputable government and health agencies are a great place to start when looking for accurate health-related information. What are three examples of safe or reliable URL stems?