The "information superhighway" has spawned sites dedicated to almost everything and as the public has become more Internet savvy it has at the same time become more health conscious. This combination is a powerful one and great timing for those in the nutraceuticals market. According to a report issued early this year by Salomon Smith Barney, "The number of online households is projected to increase to 59.4 million in 2003 from 28.5 million in 1998, a 20% CAGR. In other words, online penetration of households should reach 55.7% by 2003."

With e-commerce exploding and the number of women logging on in increasing numbers, it is definitely not surprising to find websites devoted to women. As the Internet has made its case as a valuable information tool, it has also allowed women to "point and click" their way to a healthier lifestyle. In an extensive search for websites dedicated to women and women's health issues, done by Nutraceuticals World associate editor Rebecca Madley, the depth and breadth of subject matter related to health issues varied significantly. Here's one woman's non-scientific opinion on who's doing what and who's doing it well.

"Most of the sites I encountered covered subjects like current events, fitness, health issues, raising a family, career opportunities and so on. But I was not concerned with all of these issues. Mainly I wanted to find out how these websites disseminated health information to their female visitors. And more importantly I wanted to see if they are as quick as the media to pick up on the buzz of nutraceuticals and alternative treatments and therapies.

"It should be noted that my evaluation did not include searching for women's magazines' sites, government agencies for women or independent women's associations on the web. I set out to find commercial websites devoted solely or in part to women. My search covered those sites whose very existence relies on the support of the worldwide web and nothing more. As an aside, most, if not all, of the sites allowed visitors to purchase nutritional products online but that was not a significant part of my evaluation either. In my opinion, websites have an advantage in providing more detailed information about nutritional supplements, health products and health-related issues than do retail health stores.

"These sites were ranked according to whether they provided health information that is up to date, appealing and diverse. Ease of navigation and access to information were also evaluated. Out of over 20 different websites these were, in my humble female opinion, the top 10 websites for women ranked from good (#10) to excellent (#1). That being said, my results are pleasantly surprising."

10. absoluteauthority.com. absoluteauthority.com touts itself as a site that has "gathered and organized all the best stuff about VERY specific topics." Al­though not specifically devoted to women in web address or subject matter this particular site had an impressive amount of relevant information on wo­men's health. A search for women's health took me to a page with a variety of search options, which included linked sites like yahoo, onhealth.com, Internet health library, pregnancy resource, museum of menstruation, New York Times women's health, and much more. Besides serving as a portal to other helpful sites, its own women's health option provides in-depth information on important subjects like breast cancer. This site is not exactly the place to find articles, news or chat rooms but serves to guide you through the Internet by means of specific search requests.

9. lycos.com. lycos.com is more that just a popular search engine; it is also a valuable resource in terms of women's health. By searching lycos. com/women you are taken to page de­tailed with general in­formation for women. You can nav­igate further via the "health channel." This feature will bring you to a page with many health options in­cluding health news, wellness topics, conditions from A-Z and a medical library. Within each channel there are articles on more specific health issues like HIV, cancer and menopause. Doing a keyword search will bring you to a specific page in a shorter amount of time. Entering something as simple as "alternative medicine" brought up over 200 articles related to the topic. It may take a little extra time but if you know what you are looking for, this can be an excellent place to find it. The most interesting thing I found on this site was its mention of functional foods as one of the hottest sectors of food manufacturing.

8. drkoop.com. drkoop.com is a site dedicated to health in general and is suited for all ages and genders. In the "women's health" section the most prominent topics include cancer-related issues as well as heart disease. At the time of my visit they featured an exclusive on "Taking the 'E' Out of Heart Disease Prevention." The article described increased awareness of taking vitamin E for heart health and a recent study that does not support the claim. Additionally, the women's health op­tion allows a user to participate in health chats on various subjects; the chat service includes more than 130 chat groups on a range of topics. Also popular are the message boards, which allow users to ask and answer questions of other message board participants. Searching the entire site for "alternative medicine" will bring you to a page with approximately 50 different articles on alternative treatments. The articles cover issues from cancer to arthritis and talk about relief by means of vitamins, herbs and supplements. The most unique facet on this site was the "ask the expert" section.

7. femina/cybergrrl.com. femina.com and cybergrrl.com are interrelated sites that work in cooperation with each other. Choosing femina.com led me to a homepage that was very organized and easy to navigate and in addition linked to other websites for women. These websites work in conjunction with femina.com to provide women with information that is "for, by and about women." When I entered the femina.com site and searched for the word nutraceutical it brought me to a page with information on multi-level marketer Mannatech and the company's glyconutritionals. Searching by means of the "health and wellness" channel and further into the "alternative medicine" option, I discovered several interesting links, which included Natural Health and Beauty, The Herbal Encyclopedia, Solgar Nutrition Center and Life's Natural Solutions. In searching cybergrrl.com the first article to catch my attention was "Are Bioengineered Foods Safe To Eat?" Cybergrrl.com also provides a "health" channel of its own called "healthgrrl," which contains an archive of articles on various subjects including one entitled, "The Benefits Of Herbal Medicine." I was most impressed with the website's "Best Sites" channel, which provided links to other websites broken down into myriad subject areas.

6. health4her.com. A perfect site for searching for natural treatments, health4her.com's slogan ensures its devotion to women and natural treatments boasting "Natural Nutrition for Today's Woman." An interesting feature on health4her. com is the "products" section, which is very nu­tra­ceutical-oriented. Popular sellers include St. John's Wort, ginseng, kava kava, calcium, echinacea, "Women's Multi," "Weight Loss," "Libido," "PMS" and "Cellulite Reduction." Don't be misled, however; the site is more than just an inventory of natural products for women. It also includes "Healthy News," which is billed as a source of the most current articles on women's health and nutrition issues. In addition, there are also a wealth of research articles that cover subjects like feverfew as a possible treatment for migraines. The site's most interesting attribute was the glossary. The list contained descriptions of various nutraceutical ingredients and their function on the body. This site is a good bridge between becoming educated about nu­traceutical products and buying them. This site was unique in that it covered ONLY women's supplements but again, was much more than just an online location to purchase them.

5. women.com. women.com is very diversified in terms of women's health. The "health" channel on the site will bring you to a webpage full of helpful tips for maintaining optimal health. From holistic healing to a number of different diet options to a nutrition option, women.com and the women's magazines on the women.com network provide current health news to female site users. The women.com network at the bottom of the homepage gives you access to magazines like Cosmopolitan, Prevention, Healthy Living and Redbook. Choosing to navigate by condition and/or ailment will bring you to Prevention's website-the site thoroughly covers 81 different conditions/ailments and will provide information about the condition, how to prevent it and how to treat it. The site also contains a daily poll on various subjects as well as an "inside health" option, which contains information on nutrition, one of the subjects being, "9 Essential Healing Foods." One of the experts on the Prevention site is Tori Hudson who is renowned in the field of women's health. The most impressive feature on this site was the links to women's magazines.

4. womenconnect.com. womenconnect.com's health section is very detailed and easily navigable. If you have a lot of time on your hands this is also a good research tool. The site is chock full of useful information, which can be acquired through myriad channels that appear on the site's home page. Selecting "health" will bring you to a very busy webpage full of more specific options. The site includes a daily health poll, an ask the doctor/expert option and an "InfoFinder" option that allows a user to navigate the site by means of a specific health condition. In addition, the site has archived a plethora of articles on health issues, which goes back about two years. For example, selecting menopause brought me to a new page with five of the most recent articles related to menopause, including an article entitled, "Functional Food: The FDA says soy products can now carry claims of health benefits."

3. iVillage.com. iVillage.com is a comprehensive website that accommodates its women users with details on baby care, how to handle pregnancy, losing weight, health and a lot more. Upon entering the site the homepage notes that it is dedicated to "busy women sharing solutions and advice." The most useful tool on the site was the "allhealth" channel, which brings you to a linked site called allhealth.com. You can search by means of the "alternative health" center or the women's health center, or if you prefer you can search by category or keyword. When I searched for nu­traceutical it brought me to an article on L-carnitine. There is also a special center for Dr. Dean Ornish, which brings you to a page with his picture, a question of the day and a tip of the day, as well as information on the Ornish Program and an option to receive transcripts of previous chats he has hosted. The "Heart Watch" center is also a very reputable source of information provided by the publishers of the New England Journal of Medicine. When I clicked on the option the first story I noticed was entitled, "Soy Story: It's good for your heart." The most important thing about this site is to make sure that you have ample time. Although this site has a tremendous amount of information available, too much is sometimes not a good thing. The site can be very overwhelming but it still ranks high for the quality and timeliness of the information provided.

2. onhealth.com. onhealth.com is a general health site dedicated to assorted health issues that men and women face. If you search by means of the "women's health" channel on the home page it will bring you to a page loaded with information on various health subjects including "alternative treatments for cancer." The site also has a "Conditions A-Z" page in which you can search specifically for conditions, their causes and treatments. When searching for menstrual problems the drug database on the right side of the page suggested vitamin A, E, beta carotene, folic acid, magnesium, selenium, calcium and zinc. However, my favorite feature on this site is the herb of the week. When I visited, it was valerian, which was noted for its calming qualities. Although ivillage.com and onhealth.com are similar in design there is one major difference. ivillage.com is dedicated to women's issues with health being secondary, while onhealth. com is dedicated to health with women's health being a major focus. All in all it is a good resource but again it is a site that requires a lot of time.

1. womens-health.com. Saving the best for last, number one is womens-health.com. Without a doubt the most comprehensive of all of the websites mentioned, Women's Health Interactive (WHI) is a superior source of information in regards to women's health. I was impressed with the natural health section, which laid out health conditions in a logical manner and then gave natural ways to treat or prevent them. I was even more impressed with the abundance of natural options for treating ailments. The site contains nine health centers alone, including a Natural Health Center and a Nutrition Center. The nutrition center allows visitors to assess their diet history, learn about nutrition and interact on conferences and forums. The "Natural Health Center" enables the site user to learn more about natural health and its benefits. Treatment and preventative measures include vitamins, minerals, herbs, supplements and homeopathic remedies. In addition, there is also a section devoted to ongoing and completed research in the field of women's health-a good way for women to stay informed by viewing the most current research in the field. Women's Health Interactive does an excellent job in filling a niche that has yet to be explored extensively.

NW