HEALTH Sunday, January 30, 2C00 ~- North Shore News - 19 Seeking Web advice Health ministry seeks fee agreement with doctors HERE are some tips for safely negotiating health information on the Internet: ® Choosing an online health information resource is like choosing your doctor. You wouldn’t go to just any doc- tor and you may get opinions from several doctors. Therefore you shouldn’t rely on just any one Internet site. for all your health needs. A good rule of thumb is to find a Web site that is supported by a person, institution or orga- ’ nization in which you already have confidence. If possible, you should seek information from several sources and not rely on a single source of information. & Trust what you see or read on the Internet only if you can validate the source of the information. Authors and contributors should always be identified, along with their affiliations and financial inter- ests, if any, in the content. Phone numbers, e-mail addresses or other contact information should also be provided. BH Question Web sites that credit themselves as the sole source of information on a topic as well as sites that disre- spect other sources of know!- edge. B Don't be fooled by a com- prehensive fist of links. Any Web site can link to another and this in ne way implies endorsement from the other site. Find out if the site is pro- fessionally managed — and reviewed by an editorial board of experts to ensure that the material is both credible and reliable. Sources used to cre- ate the content should be clearly referenced and acknowledged. B Medical knowledge is con- tinually evolving. Make sure that alf clinical content includes the date of publica- tion. @ Any and ali sponsorship, advertising, — underwriting, commercial funding arrange- ments or potential contlicts should be clearly stated and separated from the editorial content. A good question to ask yourself is: Does the author or authors have any- thing to gain from proposing one particular point of view over another? B Avoid any online physician who proposes to diagnose or treat you without a proper physical examination and con- sultation regarding your med- ical history. WW Read the Web site’s privacy statement and make certain that any personal medical or other information you supply will be kept absolutely confi- dential. B Most importantly, use your common sense. Shop around, always get more than one opinion, be suspicious of mir- acle cures and always read the fine print. —Iarel’s Internet’ Health Initiative Web site. The Ministry of Health and the B.C. Medicai Association (BCMA) announced on Jan. 20 that they have reached a new agreement-in- principle on the budget for doctors’ services for the current and upcom- ing fiscal years. The agreement-in-princi- ple requires the approval of provincial government cabi- net as well as the BCAIA’s board of directors and 7,500 members. Details of the agreement- in-principle were not dis- closed. It may be accepted as early as mid February after a doctors’ vote. The agreement sets the ludget for medical services in both the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 fiscal years, and includes a new working agree- ment, according to the health ministry, The working agreement details the administration of the budget for doctors’ ser- vices, management — of resources and expenditures and funding of doctors’ bene- fic plans, such as continuing medical education. The current provincial health budget is $8 billion, of which $1.869 billion or 23% is READY FOR A paid to doctors, mainly towards their fees. A portion of the $1.869 billion goes to doctors’ con- tinuing education, doctors* retirement saving, plan contri- butions, disability and mal- practice insurance, according to. a health — aninistry spokesman. The $8-billion health bud- get takes up 38% of the S21 billion toral provincial budget. NEW BEGINNING? Give professional counselling a try. @ Individual, Marriage & Family Therapy © Pastoral Counselling Registered with BCAMET. & CA.PRE. .. : Karin L. Tschanz 14 yrs. exp. z Karin L. Tschanz, a.7H..v.0.M. Counselling Services 987-8282 North Vancouver e-mail: karitim@eacthlink.net Don’t alter infant feeding to avoid diabetes ACCORDING to the Canadian Pediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada and Health Canada, healthy eating is important in the second year of life to: . B provide the energy and nutrients needed to grow and develop; develop a sense of taste and accep- tance and enjoyment of different foods; @ instill attitudes and practices which may form the basis for lifelong health- promoting eating habits. Dietary fat restriction during the first two years is not recommended because it may compromise the intake of energy and essential fatty acids and adversely affect growth and development of a child. There is no justification at this time to recommend changes to infant feeding practices for the purpose of preventing ork aa ee diabetes, according to the Canadian Pediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada and Health Canada. Nutritional needs can be met by most well-planned vegetarian diets. For vege- tarian diets that are limited in variety and nutritional quality, professional advice regarding supplements is appro- priate, according to the Canadian Pediatric Society, Dietitians of Canada and Health Canada. DR. DEBRA ROVINELL DR. BART McROBERTS DR. CORINNE KNIGHT DR. NANCY HARDIN WEST VANCOUVER OPTOMETRY CLINIC 925..2 525 1069 24th Street (24th & Haywood) Saturday and evening appointments available. Organic and Natural Food Store 3 Effective Dates Jan. 31 - Feb. 8, 2000 Sa oo sre tyr Orga ° Produce ° Beef - Chicken * Wik | * Eggs * Dairy * Breads - Salt Spring Lamb 3030 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver Fax: 987-6155 TEL: 987-6644 STORE HOURS MON TO FRI SAM TO OPM SAT & SUN 8AM TO 7PM