Consumer Reports Health – A Resource for Unbiased Ratings & Recommendations – Even for HRT Treatments

I’ve always admired Consumer Union – the non-profit publisher of the magazine you know so well – for providing unbiased, fact-based information about the products we use in our daily lives – from vacuum cleaners and televisions to cars and food products.  I’ve relied upon their ratings for just about every major purchase I’ve made.

Last year, they expanded their research and ratings to include treatment approaches for 200+ conditions, prescription drugs  (see the one for Menopause shown below) and natural medicines; nutrition, wellness and fitness product ratings; and even health care services like nursing homes.  They also launched the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center for rating hospitals and other health-care providers.

In describing the mission of Consumer Reports Health, they state; “as consumers become increasingly involved in their own health decisions and turn to the Web for answers to their questions, they need unbiased, accurate, evidenced-based information to compare their options and to make appropriate choices for themselves and their families.”

 

At a “summit” for health bloggers and journalists held at the consumers Union headquarters last week, I had a chance to meet the folks behind Consumer Reports Health and to participate in discussions about 1)  the role that health blogs can play in helping individuals make informed choices about their own health care and 2)  the benefits and challenges that come with rating physicians and hospitals (the latter are too numerous to bring up here).  We were also treated to a tour of their testing facilities, which I’ve always been curious about!

Who attended? Physicians bloggers like Dr. Val Jones (“Get Better Health”),  and Dr. Jan Gurley (Doc Gurley);  journalists from the Chicago Tribune (Julie’s Health Club), and The Washington Post (“Check Up”) and The Wall Street Journal ; and those who write about brain health (Sharp Brains Blog), insomnia (The Insomnia Blog), diabetes (Diabetes Mine) and obesity (Action Against Obesity) among many others.  I also met the founders of an incredible health search site called Organized Wisdom (more on this site later).

As I’ve complained on this blog before, it’s challenging to find research, product or treatment recommendations that haven’t been influenced by big pharma or medical professionals pushing their own products. Consumer Reports, with its iron-clad reputation for integrity, can be a great resource for helping you decide which hormone treatment to take or even which nursing home is best for your parent.

Have you found the Consumer Reports Health site to be helpful?