MedlinePlus is a product of the National Library of Medicine, but should not be confused with PubMed or MEDLINE.
Search for a topic and you will find basic information from the National Library of Medicine website, and pre-approved links to external websites, including pages from the National Institutes of Health and trusted health care partners such as other government websites and non-profit research organizations. In addition to providing a clearinghouse for evaluated health information, it also has a medical dictionary, encyclopedia, and drug reference section. A single keyword search will bring up results in all of these areas.
A great place to start your research is at the National Institutes of Health (http://www.nih.gov/) — 27 government research centers for specific diseases, biological systems, or populations. The entire network can be browsed or searched by health topic, or individual Institutes may be consulted.
Each Institute typically has an alphabetical listing of diseases, condidtions, or disorders covered. Individual fact sheets often talk about symptoms, treatments, and current research as well as giving pointers to clinical trials, research organizations, or pathways for further investigation.
