WebMD Reveals Which Health and Wellness Stories Captured the Nation's Attention in 2010
NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- WebMD Health Corp. (Nasdaq: WBMD), the leading source of health information, today announced its 2010 Year in Health (www.webmd.com/yearinhealth), which represents the health stories, searches, questions and trends that WebMD's audience of more than 83 million monthly visitors sought from the company's websites, mobile applications and communities during the year.
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"Every year millions of people come to WebMD for answers to questions about their health and wellness," said Dr. Michael Smith, WebMD's Chief Medical Editor. "When we looked back at what people were interested in during 2010, some clear new trends emerged and it was easy to identify the major topics that really defined this year in health."
WebMD found that we are a tired nation that wants to live longer and learn what bed bugs are all about. WebMD's team of physicians and editors are highlighting these memorable stories in WebMD's Top Stories of the Year.
WebMD's Top Stories of the Year |
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1. Bedbug Invasion |
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2. Fatigued Nation |
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3. Whooping Cough Returns |
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4. Consequences of Concussions |
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5. Understanding Health Care Reform |
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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. |
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Top News Stories |
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1. Children's Medication Recall |
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2. Pancreatic Cancer Linked to Soda |
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3. Michael Douglas Throat Cancer |
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4. Best Sunscreens |
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5. "Extreme Restaurant Meals" |
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Americans were deeply concerned about the health issues affecting actors, athletes and other public figures during the year. |
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Top Celebrity Health Stories/Issues |
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1. Michael Douglas/Throat Cancer |
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2. Phil Mickelson/Psoriatic Arthritis |
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3. Bill Clinton/Weight Loss for Chelsea's Wedding |
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4. Bret Michaels/Brain Hemorrhage |
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5. Glenn Beck/Macular Dystrophy |
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The top five most searched health terms on WebMD were for information about a variety of different conditions. |
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Top Searches |
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1. Shingles |
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2. Gallbladder |
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3. Gout |
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4. Hemorrhoids |
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5. Lupus |
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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. |
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Search Trends |
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2010 |
2009 |
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1. Bedbugs |
Head Lice |
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2. Throat Cancer |
Anal Cancer |
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3. Whooping Cough |
Swine Flu |
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4. Gluten |
Acai berry |
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5. Vitamin D |
Resveratrol |
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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. |
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Top Women's Topics |
Top Men's Topics |
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1. Period Problems |
Sex Life |
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2. Fatigue |
Penis Questions |
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3. Super Foods |
Testosterone |
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4. Thyroid Problems |
Flat Abs |
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5. Better Sex Life |
STDs |
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Americans also turned to WebMD when they had questions about everything from weight and blood pressure management to getting pregnant and avoiding infections. |
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Top Questions |
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1. How to lose weight? |
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2. How to get pregnant? |
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3. Is bronchitis contagious? |
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4. Is pneumonia contagious? |
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5. How to lower blood pressure? |
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People were eager to share what they learned about beauty information or the latest recall with family and friends. |
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Top Shared Stories |
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1. 15 Cancer Symptoms Women Ignore |
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2. Baby Formula Recall |
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3. The Body Bizarre |
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4. Another Big Burger on the Market |
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5. Common Skin Problems |
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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. |
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Top Conditions on the Go |
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1. Muscle strain |
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2. Abscess |
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3. Gastroenteritis |
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4. Acute sinusitis |
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5. Irritable Bowel Syndrome |
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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. |
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Most Popular Topics - Physicians |
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1. Medicare Reimbursement Changes |
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2. Health Care Reform |
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3. Prostate Cancer Screening |
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4. New Diabetes Guidelines |
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5. Calcium Without Vitamin D Boosts Heart Attack Risk |
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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. |
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Top Pet Topics |
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1. What Pets Can and Can't Eat |
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2. Pets in the Bed |
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3. Is My Dog Normal |
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4. Your Pet and Your Personality |
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5. Top Dog Poisons |
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About the WebMD Year in Health Methodology
WebMD's team of physicians and health editors reviewed aggregate data from the company's web-based and mobile experiences to identify the leading topics and trends in 2010. The results were based on a number of factors including search volume and growth, page views and stories shared. All information used to compile WebMD's Year in Health is anonymous – no personally identifiable information was used.
About WebMD
WebMD Health Corp. (Nasdaq: WBMD) is the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals and health-focused publications. More than 80 million unique visitors access the WebMD Health Network each month.
The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, MedicineNet, emedicine, emedicineHealth, RxList, theheart.org and drugs.com.
SOURCE WebMD
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