It seems even the _good_ medical health sites out there might be bad for
you. They "lull users into a false sense of security"....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3746056.stm

People with chronic disease should think twice before relying on the
internet for health advice, research suggests.

A University College London study found many would be in a better condition
if they had simply listened to their doctor's advice.  The study found
interactive computer tools do improve medical knowledge. But there was no
evidence they change behaviour positively, and some that they left people in
worse health.

The UCL team reviewed the effect of interactive web tools - known
technically as Interactive Health Communication Applications (IHCAs) - on
people with long-term conditions such as diabetes and asthma.

In total they looked at 28 studies covering 4,042 participants.

Lead researcher Dr Elizabeth Murray said she was surprised that the tools
seemed to boost medical knowledge, but, if anything, have a negative effect
on the users' health.

Paradox

Dr Murray said one reason for this apparent paradox may be that titbits of
information may lull users into a false sense of security.  Thus they become
less motivated to control their condition in the way they would be if faced
with a blunt instruction from a doctor.  Alternatively, users may become so
steeped in information that they make treatment choices on their own,
contradicting advice from their doctors.  For instance, a diabetic person
might be told by a doctor to lower blood sugar but decide, based on his own
interpretation of data, that the short-term tradeoffs of not complying are
worth the long-term risks.
Dr Murray said: "We found that people who use these things had more sugar in
their blood than those who didn't."  The researchers say more work is needed
to fully understand the negative effect of interactive health applications
on clinical outcomes - and whether some computer health programs can be
designed to improve them.

Friends on the web

The UCL team defined an IHCA as a computer-based information source combined
with one or more additional services, such an on-line support group, chat
room or tailored advice based on data provided by the user. Dr Murray said,
however, that some researchers "worry that the friends you make on computer
are not right sort of friends, won't be there for you and may not be good
for your social well being."  The authors suggest that other assumptions
about interactive health care are flawed.  For example, if knowledge was all
that was needed to promote healthy behaviour, smoking would not be as
prevalent as it is. Further, well-informed health consumers may not, as
expected, drive down the use of health care but may increase it by demanding
specific and possibly more costly treatments. The review appears in the
Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical
research.