Helping you to make better health decisions
Get the facts about the top treatment options.
We can tell you which treatments really work and which don't work, based on the best and most up-to-date medical research.
BMJ BestTreatments is the only Web site that rates thousands of health and medical treatments, based on how well they work. You'll know the best way to lower your blood pressure, manage your child's asthma and ease your back pain.
Conditions and treatments
LATEST UPDATES
Febrile seizures
If your child has a fever, it's possible for them to have a seizure. This is called a febrile seizure. It can be frightening, and your doctor will want to check on your child, but febrile seizures don't usually cause any further problems. Children normally grow out of them by the time they're 5 or 6 years old.
Read more about febrile seizures.
Thinking about surgery for a hernia?
Hernias are a common problem, especially in men. We've looked at the different kinds of surgery used to repair hernias.
Find out more about hernias.
HIGHLIGHTS
Does your child have asthma?
About 1 in 7 children in the United States are diagnosed with asthma at some time during their childhood. If you're the parent of a child with asthma, you may wonder if they'll be able to take part in everyday activities, like sports. The good news is that asthma can usually be controlled with medication.
Your child will probably have a quick-relief inhaler to use whenever they get symptoms. If they still get breathing difficulties, their doctor may also suggest a second inhaler to prevent asthma attacks. Preventer inhalers often contain steroids, which many parents worry about. So, we've prepared some extra information about steroids. To read it, see More about steroids and asthma.
Read more about asthma in children.
Decision support
We can help you weigh the evidence and work with your doctor to choose the treatment that is best for you.
You can be confident that the information you read here comes from the same high-quality sources that your doctor reads, clearly spelled out for you in plain English. So you'll have the facts you need to decide with your doctor about what's right for you.
Our experts are the world's leading doctors. They sort through hundreds of thousands of research studies to tell you which treatments really work.
We are totally independent. We accept no outside advertising. We don't give you information that is misleading or biased.
If you want to find out more, see About us and Our method.
What our users say...
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- Anon, by e-mail
What others say about us...
I learned more about my husband's diagnosis in 30 seconds on BestTreatments than from any other source. And I know the information is reliable.
- Spokeswoman, The Patients Association. The Guardian (England), Feb. 7, 2007.

