During the past few years, the Internet has evolved to become a medium anyone can use to share information about any topic. Patients may be surprised to learn that some of the most useful health and medical information they’ll discover on the Web can be found through Internet blogs and wikis.

If those terms seem foreign to you, you’re not alone! Here’s some information about what they are and how they can help you.

"Blog" is short for "web log" and is simply the name for an online diary or journal, or the activity of writing thoughts in that journal. Anyone can set one up and can write anything they care to about any topic. Doctors blog. Nurses blog. Pharmacists blog. Advocates blog. So do patients and their loved ones. While there may be some facts included, for the most part blogs consist of opinions and experiences.

How can blogs help you? You may learn about symptoms, side effects, new treatments, alternative therapies, good doctors, other patients, useful equipment, or dozens of other matters related to your same problems. Just be sure to verify new information by finding a credible source to back it up, and discussing it with your doctor.

Two examples of blogs are Health Editor Amber Smith’s blog at: http://blog.syracuse.com/healthfitness  or my own blog at http://EveryPatientsAdvocate.com/blog .

A wiki (pronounced "wi-kee") is a public encyclopedia. That means anyone may contribute to it, edit or update it. Those who post to a wiki are usually experts on the topic addressed. Unlike a blog, you’ll find most of the information in a wiki is objective, based on fact.

Some wikis are monitored to be sure the information posted is correct or true. However, there is no guarantee all the information is accurate. So just like a blog, you’ll want to verify information found in a wiki.

Use wikis to find the names of experts, updated research results, tables and diagrams, links to more information, or questions or controversies about treatments, diagnoses or drugs.

To access blogs or wikis, just use those terms as keywords in a search engine. "Parkinson’s, blog" or "asthma, wiki" are examples.

And while you’re online, why not start a blog of your own? Sharing your own experiences, thoughts and ideas might just help other patients.