Review It Before you Buy It

 I try and make it a habit never to buy anything that received less than 4 or 5 stars on a rating list in order to save hassle and my wallet. Before you buy anything of value you should read reviews from as many people as possible about the product. Here are some great websites that provide great reviews and advice on various products and services.

Books
http://www.amazon.com - has ton of products with reviews and you can also purchase new or used versions of the item

http://www.goodreads.com -

Childcare

Consumer Products


http://www.amazon.com - has ton of products with reviews and you can also purchase new or used versions of the item

 http://www.consumersearch.com - this site has expert and regular users review products and they put the best products on the first page for you to see

http://www.consumerreports.org - there is always consumer reports; however for most of the best information you have to pay a subscription to gain access - I think it's like $30 a year or $10 a month for just the online subscription. The great thing is they are unbiased.

 http://www.toptenreviews.com/ - has reviews and side by side comparison on many electronics, software, video-games, and web services

http://www.viewpoints.com - is a review social network type website where people make their own profiles and then review tons of items anywhere from makeup, cleaning products, kitty litter, to fitness equipment. The more reviews they post the more they are highly regarded as a reviewer - just for fun.


Hotels & Travel

http://www.tripadvisor.com - don't forget to look at reviews and real traveler's photos of hotels before you book there

http://www.frommers.com/ -


Services (like Plumbers, Roofers )

 http://www.angieslist.com/ -

Health or Medical Resources on the Web - Which ones to use?

 Which medical resource to choose? What are the best health websites out there? Which Medical website is best? We all want trusted web-sites to help us with any health issues that have been bothering us.  The problem is that many medical experts still do not know a lot about the complex human body. Another problem is that many health care professionals do not take the time to get to know you thoroughly and conduct thorough background research before diagnosing. "Oh, you seem sad and anxious, here take an anti-depressant in the meantime". Quick fixes and prescription drugs are not always the right answer to fix your problem in the long run. Many people nowadays even take antacids when they don't need to.

The key is to find a really good doctor who is thorough - lets you ask questions and takes your own research into consideration....  and who is a specialist in the area you need. Keep trying...don't give up on finding a doctor you like. Always be an active listener to your body!!! If you are getting weird reactions to your environment or something you eat - take the trial and error method seriously. Sometimes we really don't pay attention or we just ignore our bodies when they tell us they don't like something. Make sure you are eating right, getting (your type of) exersize, and eliminating stress from your life. Believe it or not stress can come up on you from way down deep inside and spring up in a medical issue when you least expect to! It is important to know what your bodily (physical and mental) points are to avoid putting stress to these areas.

 There is a galaxy of medical and self-remedy type  health websites, but I've only included ones that are authoritative and reliable:

 My FAVORITE is number 1:

       

 1. MedlinePlus is a database with all kinds of reliable health articles and such. It is easy to search and actually find stuff you'll actually use. And why is that website so great - for one thing it could be because it was made by librarians from the National Library of Medicine. This is what it says in it's About section of the site, "MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free". It cares about it users - it gives a pop-up feedback survey for your satisfaction - great customer service - like a for profit business would do.

•  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

• http://MedlinePlus.gov

2. I actually really don't like WebMD, because it gives out vague, difficult to use information. I usually can't find what I am looking for when I do a search. Since it is an authoritative site, it is on here as a resource.  See for yourself which sources you like to use.

 www.webMD.com

3. MedicineNet

MedicineNet  is like WebMD only easier to use. Actually,  in fact MedicineNet is owned an operated by WebMD. I suppose they figured that WebMD is so archaic that they wanted to make a user-friendly medical-type dictionary. It is mainly there to just help you figure out what wrong's with you. It does have this  neat Black Widow vs Brown Recluse slide-show. It explains what spiders to look out for and what to do in cast you get bite. Did you know that the venom from a brown recluse is much stronger than a rattlesnake? Here's the slideshow: http://www.medicinenet.com/black_widow_brown_recluse_pictures_slideshow/article.htm

•   http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/hp.asp

4. The Mayo Clinic is another reliable source of medical information. It is like WebMd and MedicineNet in the sense that it just gives you their own web pages of : DEFINITION, SYMPTOMS,  CAUSES, RISK FACTORS, COMPLICATIONS, and TREATMENTS AND DIAGNOSIS. However, a great thing they have here on the Mayo Clinic website is "Preparing for your Appointment," which I think is extremely helpful. It encourages you make a doctor appointment and to know how to handle the doctors visit. When you're really sick it is difficult to handle a doctor's visit in a manner of reason.

•  http://www.mayoclinic.com/