Thanks to Murray Charters for all the Parkinson's links you have been
sharing with us - it would be great if all these links could be included
on one or more of the PD Web Sites for permanent reference. It's very
helpful to see good web sites that have been selected by other list
members. I find it's getting more and more difficult to sift out the
"good", from the growing number of commercial sites and all the
misinformation on the Web.
This morning I tried doing a simple Alta Vista search for
"Parkinson's Disease", as a new Internet user might do - and looked at
the first 20 results.
But first, on top of the screen was a banner ad (these are often
customized according to your search topic) stating: "Live Your Life" - -
"Share your victory" -- "Join the PWP Community" Great! I thought - some
good publicity for the Parkinsn List, or maybe some other online PWP
group - so I "clicked here" as instructed, and found myself at the
SmithKline Beecham Requip Web site - promising to "give you details on
the latest developments and treatment options."
There was only one report - a Requip study under the heading "Welcome
News for Parkinson's Patient : A New 5-year Study Yields Dramatic
Treatment Results" No other meds or treatments were mentioned. I know
companies, including pharmaceutical companies are allowed to advertise,
but they should make it clear from the start, that's what they are doing.
In their People with Parkinson's Community section, a few PD chat rooms
were listed (not PIEN), and there were a few names and e-mail addresses
of people who had registered - certainly no substitute for a PD community
like PIEN. Later in the day I tried the same search again, and this time
the banner message was - "Living with PD? You Can Have symptom relief -
You Can Have Control - You Can have mobility -- Click here." Just
wondering, if others question these kind of marketing methods too?
Back to my search results : Among the first 20 Alta Vista results were
some very good PD sites - the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (#2),
Awakenings (#3), Simon Coles' James site (#4); Phil Tompkins PD Index -
which would be one of the best places to start was #19. But also among
the first 20 web sites were companies selling herbs, vitamins, and other
products - all claiming to offer PD information. Also "Dr. Bob's
Psychopharmacology Tips" (#9). All I can say is - Know Your Sources.
As a fitting end to my search, as I reached the bottom of each screen,
Alta Vista asks - "Have you tried these resources?" And advises me again
to Click Here to. . . "Comparison shop for "parkinson's disease." Which
naturally left me wondering if I overpaid for my PD -- the next time I'm
shopping for a chronic disease, I guess I'll try Alta Vista first! :)
Linda Herman
