WebMD Reveals Which Health and Wellness Stories Captured the Nation's Attention in 2010

WebMD's Top Stories of the Year

1.  Bedbug Invasion

2.  Fatigued Nation

3.  Whooping Cough Returns

4.  Consequences of Concussions

5.  Understanding Health Care Reform

Among the most popular news stories of the year were those that hit close to home. Items in the medicine cabinet and the kitchen topped the list along with the ever-popular celebrity stories.

Top News Stories

1.  Children's Medication Recall

2.  Pancreatic Cancer Linked to Soda

3.  Michael Douglas Throat Cancer

4.  Best Sunscreens

5.  "Extreme Restaurant Meals"

Americans were deeply concerned about the health issues affecting actors, athletes and other public figures during the year.

Top Celebrity Health Stories/Issues

1.  Michael Douglas/Throat Cancer

2.  Phil Mickelson/Psoriatic Arthritis

3.  Bill Clinton/Weight Loss for Chelsea's Wedding

4.  Bret Michaels/Brain Hemorrhage

5.  Glenn Beck/Macular Dystrophy

The top five most searched health terms on WebMD were for information about a variety of different conditions.

Top Searches

1.  Shingles

2.  Gallbladder

3.  Gout

4.  Hemorrhoids

5.  Lupus

WebMD also took a look back at the relationship between the top search trends year over year and found that concerns turned from one bloodsucker to another — head lice to bed bugs. Interest in cancer-related searches continued to rank high and wellness trends shifted from the Acai berry to Vitamin D.

Search Trends

2010

2009

1.  Bedbugs

Head Lice

2.  Throat Cancer

Anal Cancer

3.  Whooping Cough

Swine Flu

4.  Gluten

Acai berry

5.  Vitamin D

Resveratrol

Men and women did their fair share of searching, but what they were looking for couldn't have been more different – unless of course it had to do with sex. 

Top Women's Topics

Top Men's Topics

1.  Period Problems

Sex Life

2.  Fatigue

Penis Questions

3.  Super Foods

Testosterone

4.  Thyroid Problems

Flat Abs

5.  Better Sex Life

STDs

Americans also turned to WebMD when they had questions about everything from weight and blood pressure management to getting pregnant and avoiding infections.

Top Questions

1.  How to lose weight?

2.  How to get pregnant?

3.  Is bronchitis contagious?

4.  Is pneumonia contagious?

5.  How to lower blood pressure?

People were eager to share what they learned about beauty information or the latest recall with family and friends.

Top Shared Stories

1.  15 Cancer Symptoms Women Ignore

2.  Baby Formula Recall

3.  The Body Bizarre

4.  Another Big Burger on the Market

5.  Common Skin Problems

Health and wellness conditions don't always arise at the best times and busy Americans sought out information on-the-go. WebMD Mobile provided instant access to information on a variety of aches and pains.

Top Conditions on the Go

1.  Muscle strain

2.  Abscess

3.  Gastroenteritis

4.  Acute sinusitis

5.  Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Physicians on WebMD's healthcare professional site, Medscape.com, clearly had healthcare regulatory issues on their minds in 2010 while keeping informed on the latest clinical information was also a top concern.

Most Popular Topics - Physicians

1.  Medicare Reimbursement Changes

2.  Health Care Reform

3.  Prostate Cancer Screening

4.  New Diabetes Guidelines

5.  Calcium Without Vitamin D Boosts Heart Attack Risk

WebMD consumers are not only concerned about leading healthier lives themselves, but also keeping their pets happy and healthy. Whether it was pet nutrition or finding out the connection between pets and personality, owners came to WebMD to better care for their pets.

Top Pet Topics

1.  What Pets Can and Can't Eat

2.  Pets in the Bed

3.  Is My Dog Normal

4.  Your Pet and Your Personality

5.  Top Dog Poisons