It's been said that if you have your health, you have everything. While that may not seem true to someone without a job, it's certainly pretty important.

The following sites are ones our editors think every North Country family should know and consult as needed. What you don't know can indeed hurt you.

General Medical Information

Always follow your doctor's instructions. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911. When doing research, try the following sites!

CDC A-Z Index - The US Centers for Disease Control have a pretty big site dealing with 1,000s of health issues, some of it rarely found elsewhere. It's a good resource. Funded by taxpayer dollars, the site can be presumed to be free of commercial concerns.

HealthCentral.com - This site seems to tackle the 'big' health topics, the ones we all encounter and should know about. The information is clear and straightforward, and feels very 'consumer' friendly.

MyOptimumHealth.com - Clearly commercially funded, this site nevertheless has tons of good information. It's clear, crisp, concise and tackles issues the way we (consumers) think!

WebMD - This is the household name in medical sites, and with good reason: It has tons of good medical information on most common topics.

For detailed understandings of particular diseases, consult organizations devoted to that particular affliction. Often times their coverage is nearly exhaustive. You may also consult the Medical Links page at DirectoryNH.com.

Local Medical Information

HealthGrades.com - Many people distain our smaller North Country hospitals and clinics and prefer the bigger ones downstate for medical care and elective procedures. While the facts on HealthGrades.com are not as comprehensive as we'd like, the site offers some pretty good information. It turns out that for many illnesses/procedures, our area hospitals perform at the national average. That said, one hospital is rated excellent for orthopedic outcomes, and two received very low grades for pneumonia outcomes, so checking the data on your neighborhood hospital is a great idea. There is also information about doctors and dentists. Whynotthebest.org also gives similar information.

Wellness.com - Think of this site as the AngiesList for the medical community. It has user ratings for counselors, medical providers, massage therapists, nutrition, weight loss, almost everything.