Asking a few key questions can help cancer patients evaluate the quality of information they find on the Internet.

Many people with cancer turn to complementary medicine and use the Internet for help and information. But some of the information they come across could be inaccurate or misleading. How can they extract what's helpful and reject the rest?

Researchers at the University of California have devised a check list that may help identify dubious sites. They reviewed 194 sites dealing with three complementary approaches to cancer: floressence and amalaki, both herbal products, and selenium, a food supplement. They asked the following questions about the sites. Were products for sale on-line? Were 'patient testimonials' offered? Was the treatment said to be a 'cancer cure'? And, finally, did the site claim the treatment had no side effects?

A 'yes' answer to any of these questions raised a 'red flag' to the researchers, putting the accuracy of the information on the site into question. More than 90 per cent of the floressence and amalaki sites had at least one 'red flag'. But only 23 per cent of the sites on selenium had one or more 'red flags'. Sites without 'red flags' were more likely to point to hard scientific evidence. Selenium has been the topic of quite a bit of research, mostly published in reputable journals. The questions could be a useful guide to those searching the mass of information on cancer on the Internet.

Source

Psychosomatics March/April 2003