Val Cowan's Web World

I WOULD bet any money that most people with internet access will have at some time used it for health advice.

Whatever your symptoms, a bit of careful searching on the internet will throw up a diagnosis.

How accurate it is, of course, depends on where you look.

In the past, UK-based medical information was restricted to scientific reports, not easily understood by the layman.

But in recent months a rash of user-friendly and reliable UK medical sites have sprung up, following the example of the US, which has had online doctors for several years.

Several are backed by celebrity medics, whose opinions are trusted by millions of television viewers. Most have details of medicines and their side-effects and information on support groups for particular complaints.

Net users can turn to these sites for advice - and then watch their GP's face fall as they say: "I've had a look on the internet, doctor, and I think it's..."

With the official NHS site, NHS Direct (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) you can go through a list of symptoms and you will be advised on whether you can treat them yourself, call the nurse-led NHS Direct telephone line or call 999.

The 999 option came up within two clicks of reporting the symptoms of a heart attack, although one would hope that unless you actually suffered the attack while browsing the web, you would not switch on your computer before calling a doctor or ambulance.

Net Doctor (http://www.netdoctor.

co.uk) has the backing of TV medic Dr Hilary Jones, and it promises that soon you will be able to join him in a weekly health chat. Planet Medica (http://www.planetmedica.co.uk) is one of the more attractive sites, although when I visited there appeared to still be a few bugs in place and the A-Z of medical problems appeared lacking.

But the "top five problems" highlighted on the front page reflected quite well things that affect a lot of people - including stress, breast cancer, and migraine.

Surgery Door (http://www.surgerydoor.co.uk) has the support of another TV doc, Dr Mark Porter.

One of its major selling points is a section devoted to travel health.

Dr Porter said: "If a British traveller is at home or abroad and worried about their health, they can visit the site and be assured that they will receive reliable information, in a language they can understand."

The site also offers information on complementary medicine.

My Pharmacy (http://www.mypharmacy.co.uk) was set up by a pharmacist but offers only limited advice, mainly on coughs and colds and how to treat them.

All these sites provide a useful service to a degree. None recommend that you take the advice given in place of anything your own doctor might tell you.

But the Americans, who seem to be more comfortable than us Brits with online diagnoses, take things a bit further.

The CyberDocs (http://www.cyberdocs.com) are always in and for a fee will give you a consultation - and might even offer a prescription.

All information submitted to the site is encrypted, so no-one other than you and your cyber doctor will be able to read about your ailments. Appointments can be set up with specialists in your condition and prescriptions can be sent almost anywhere in the world.

The problem with this is that the onus is on you to provide an accurate account of your medical history.

The site says it will only prescribe drugs for minor ailments, and there is a long list of drugs which will definitely not be prescribed, including morphine, methadone, temazepam and barbiturates.

But I find the thought of any doctor prescribing anything without having seen the patient's official records, and without ever meeting the patient face to face, extremely worrying.

A little romance

IT'S not romantic, and it probably won't win you the heart of the one you desire, but it is possible to send a Valentine's Day card by e-mail.

Try the following sites:

http://www.bluemountain.com/eng/valentine/

http://www.marlo.com/holiday/v/vale.htm

World walk to raise cash

POLLY Letofsky is walking round the world to raise money for breast cancer research and raise awareness of the disease.

She started on August 1 last year but has another three and a half years of walking to go.

Follow her progress on the World Walk for Breast Cancer website. http://www.worldwalkfoundation.com/

Page for 'Newbies'

NEW to the net? Visit the Newbies page for some advice on how to find your way around.

http://newbies.rvx.net/

Sporty quiz

THINK you know a lot about sport? Test your knowledge in the February quiz on our website, This is Lancashire.

http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk

SEEN something interesting on the web? Send an e-mail to vcowan@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk

Check out our website - http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.