Computers Today, May 16-31, 1999, The Net: Patient Hearing

Want the doctor's opinion but too tired to venture out? Contact the medics online, buy medicines and even pay the consultation fees over the Net.

Most of us dread visiting the doctor. Who wants to wait through the never-ending queues, or fork out high consultation fees and field embarrassing personal questions! How we wish there was an alternative. Leave it to the Net to fill in the blanks. Consult your doctor online and also order and pay for the medicines.

The World Wide Web hosts a smorgasboard of sites with in-depth information and trivia on health and related issues. From details of treating the much-dreaded cancer and tuberculosis to simple remedites for common cold and tips for good-living, the Net has it all.

For people who swear by desi cure, there is an online bonanza. Log onto Indian Ayurved and Herbs at www.ayurvedandherbs.com . It assures delivery of ayurvedic and herbal medicine by courier anywhere in the world. You can also avail of online consultancy from all over the world via E-mail or fax. Alternatively, you can visit their office in Delhi. Launched in December 1998, the site aims at promoting ayurvedic treatment worldwide. According to Dr J.S. Varshney, "In April alone, we got 16, 087 hits. We have received seven orders-only two from India, while the rest came from the US, UK, Kuwait, Germany and even Pakistan." He adds that they receive about 2/3 queries via E-mail everyday.

Medic Communities

The Virtual Pharmacy Medical associations are also realising the potential of the Net for creating awareness in their specific medical fields and furthering their professional goals. The Mumbai branch of the Indian Medical Association www.imamumbai.com was launched in November 1998. Besides being a networking tool for its members, the site holds in-depth information about the association and its goals.

Diabetic patients can check out www.healthline.com/nda for the latest in the world of diabetes treatment and case studies. Read Diabetes Today online and keep yourself updated. The Cancer Patients Aid Association too has its presence on the World Wide Web. Get updated on the information regarding cancer, read success stories or check out the donor list at www.allindia.com/cpaa .

Likewise, there's the Indian Orthopaedics Website at www.indiaorth.org . Started in 1996 as a personal home page on Tripod.com , it now has about 135 members. Join their mailing list to remain abreast of new technologies: read different cases, or check out the coming events. According to Dr Mangal Prarihar, the webmaster and main contributor to the site, "Indiaorth is a site for, about and by Indian orthopaedic surgeons. The idea is to make information available to surgeons all over India ."

The Neurology Society of India also holds prime presence in the cyberworld. According to Dr K. Ganapathy, the site was officially launched on December 1997. Last year the entire scientific programme at their annual conference consisting of 300 papers were uploaded. This year they are planning to make submission of abstracts online. The Web site gives details of the various meetings and conference in neurosciences being held in India and provide appropriate links. Neuronet India's first electronic journal in neurosciences was launched in Feb 99 and can be visited at www.vimhans.org . The society journal Neurology India can also be accessed electronically at www.neurologyindia.com.

The Ayurvedic Health Center Online (www. ayurvedic.org) aims at increasing your awareness of the ancient system. You can subscribe to the ayurvedic newsletter, chat with experts, read home remedies for common diseases, order products and even study ayurvedic courses via the Net. According to Dr Partap S. Chauhan, the self-styled "cybervedacharya", "the Web site was launched in 1995; in fact this was the first Ayurveda site in the world on the Net." The site gets all sorts of queries-it could be minor details of simple stomach aches to hard core information about chronic cases of arthritis and multiple sclerosis. There are about 5,000 people on their mailing list. Says Dr Chauhan informs: "We get about 60-70 mails every day, from foreigners, NRIs and Indians, in that order. There are many queries from people who want to know the basic principles of Ayurveda or those who wish to study it to become practitioners and even students who are doing some project in Ayurveda." The site is soon going to be updated with hot features such as "Real Audio" and "Real Video", Chauhan claims.

Also do stop at www.ayur.com . Ayurvedic Foundations conducts special workshops for people living abroad and provides ayurvedic lifestyle counselling. Leave your message on the bulletin board or read what others have to say about the "mind, body and soul".

If you are the sort that hates pumping your body with drugs, then the Indian Institute of Drugless Therapy is the place for you. Move on to www.indiamart.com/druglesstherapies . The site has a comprehensive listing and information on alternative medicine: drugless therapies, acupressure and magneto-therapy. If nothing else, increase your knowledge-know what is "cosmic force" or how to achieve complete balance between your mind, spirit and the body with yoga. Also check out www.altmed.rmci.net-the alternative medicine centre which offers hypnosis, chiropractic and even herbology. It makes an interesting read with topics such as "The story in your foot" and "Celestial Winds". Thanks to their MedHunt search engine, you can search the different alternative medicine resources on the Net.

For die-hard fans of homeopathy cure, there is no dearth of information. From online consultation to documented cases, the Homeopathy Information Cell aims to help you out each step of the way. More interesting stops in the cyberworld are www.indiaspace.com/homeopathy and www. classicalhomoepathy.com . These specialise in long-distance treatment. You can place your query about your ailment through E-mail and pay the charges either by credit card, money order or bank draft. Soon you would receive by E-mail a long questionnaire, specially designed for the long-distance treatment, which you have to fill up and return by E-mail. Says Dr.Rajesh Shah of Homeopathy India Foundation: "Our mission is to propagate homeopathy and the Internet is the best medium as on date to do this missionary work."

The Virtual Pharmacy

The Virtual Pharmacy Health related sites and online pharmacies are doing roaring business globally. Check out www.drugstore.com, www.planetrx.com and www.soma.com . Users can not only fill prescription orders anytime of the day but also compare price between different medical products. Log onto www.pharmweb.net for all your pharmacy related news. Features such as real-time discussion forum, comprehensive listing and information on drugs and medicine and employment alert make it an interesting site. For online consultation and news in the world of medicine, visit www.mediconsult.com . Another good site for exploring medical resources online iswww.vh.org . Created in 1992 by the University of Iowa in US, this virtual hospital aims to provide real time information to both health care providers and patients. Move on to www.48hours.net . It has a separate section for men, women, children and the elderly. Besides features and news on health issues, it has a drug guide and a chat room. Similarly, there is www.achoo.com . You can search for information, consult an expert and even buy books, medicines and health related products. Indeed, it's about technology leveraging medical information.

Shah adds that there are 150 pages of free information on www.classicalhomoepathy.com that give information, educational material, professional publications, and also make country-wise references to those who need treatment in their hometown. The site maintains a database of homeopathic institutes/clinics in various countries and attracts about 180 visitors per day.

Medical journals, associations and online hospitals are complemented by some interesting and innovative health related Web sites. Take for example, www. neemfoundation.org . The Neem Foundation is a voluntary, non-profit organisation which aims at promoting global awareness about neem, and how it can help controlling diseases like malaria, cancer and AIDS. The Web site of Neem Foundation, the apex body of all neem movements worldwide, was launched in 1997. Says Pramila Thakkar, trustee and honorary secretary: "We figured it was important to provide extensive and correct information about neem. Also, patents were being granted on different aspects of neem's utility in other countries. If this was to be prevented or challenged, information on traditional Indian usages needed to be compiled, documented and disseminated widely and the Net provided us the perfect platform." She adds that the site gets approx. 80,000 hits per month. On an average the queries are from students, researchers and scientists who need additional information on specific aspects or need contacts with other researchers or experts.

You can even learn much-in-vogue reiki at www.indobase.com/reiki . Try one of their spiritual healing courses and learn how to reduce stress and relax. Says Avinash Khilnani, the Webmaster: "Our site is about teaching spiritual healing disciplines involving meditations, exercises and self-healing practices over the Net. The site was started about six months ago, and the average pageviews have been about 150-200 per week." He adds that they get about 3-4 submissions a week for different levels of courses, and most of them are from foreign nationals and NRIs."

India Health Line-www.indiahealthline.com-is an interactive online medical site with links to online clinics and associations and hospitals. India health line chat zone offers online consultancy from different specialist doctors. Soon, the company plans to enlist the contact numbers and addresses of coroners, 24-hour chemists, homes for aged, oxygen services, AIDS centres, among other emergency helplines. According to Manish Bhatt of India Insite, which manages the healthline site, "We plan to make India Health Line a yellow page on medical care in India."

Don't miss out www.indmedica.com . The site has hot links-whether you want to attend a medical conference, find the address of particular hospital or a medical equipment supplier, buy a book on medicine or learn more about acupuncture: it's all a click away. A premier medical site that aims to help both the medical professionals in India and general public, according to Dr O.P. Sharma, "The site will complete two years of its Web presence in June. The main idea was to promote India, list medical conferences and events and help the medical surfers of all specialities to surf the Net easily by arranging links as per speciality." He adds that the site has an active Indian Ophthalmology Online where more than 150 ophthalmologists from India and abroad discuss their cases almost daily. Aiding them are an archive of discussions, image library, and cyberlectures. The Web site is accessed by 250-300 visitors daily from all over the world.

Still want more? Log on to www.healthlibrary.com-the Health Education Library for People. The site aims at empowering people by providing them "the right information at the right time". The virtual "reading room" has over 20 free online full text books and magazines on health. You can also search their catalogue of over 5,000 books and 10,000 pamphlets. Whether you are planning a trip overseas and want health information for international travel or want to know how to raise a healthy child, you are likely to finds information here.

For specific information on endocrinology and diabetes, log onto http://edcvizag.webjump.com . The site includes links to many resources and publications. Find more about the sleep patterns in individuals with diabetes mellitus or the medicinal value of coconut water. You can also download India's first medical book in electronic format, store it on your hard disk and read it at leisure.

If you want to get to the "heart" of all problems, don't forget to bookmark www.bharatonline.com/health. Join the online heart community and make the best use of their chat room and bulletin board. Alternatively, you can subscribe to "The Heart Beat"-the free monthly E-mail newsletter on heart disease and related topics which caters to over 700 subscribers. For cardiologists and patients with cardiac problems, these sites are a must-see.

The need to visit a doctor at his clinic would never become redundant. Nor would brick-and-mortar chemists close shop. But slowly and surely, in the not-too distant future, a click a day may possibly keep the doctor away!

Enter Cyberchemist India

India's first cyber chemist is a functioning reality. You can now order medicines, baby food, bandages, contraceptives, among other products online. Started by two young Delhiites-19-year old Manushi Ghai and 23-year old Samit Chhabra (photo)-CyberChemist runs on two-tier dealership. Primary dealers in key cities have many secondary dealers. A service charge of Rs 15 is levied on all orders: the products are charged according to their MRP. Launched about two months ago, the site is already getting around 50-75 orders per day. Initially, this service would be available only in Delhi, Noida, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Since CyberChemist provides doorstep service and does not store any medicines, it does not come under the ambit of licencing restrictions. To promote their services, the company will soon give discounts to customers on the ordered products and also a free gift worth Rs 50 on purchase of more than Rs 500. Also in the pipeline is HELP LINE-free information on hospitals, blood banks and ambulance services in different cities. Says Ghai, who is doing a computer course from DOEACC, "I want to provide doorstep service at no extra cost to the villagers who are not able to get the right medicines at the right price." Similarly Chhabra, an avid cricket fan, says "We plan to have a chat room where the buyer and seller can discuss business and finalise the contracts online."