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. BestTreatments is the only website that rates thousands of health and medical treatments, based on how well they work.
BMJ BestTreatments has been developed primarily for the United Kingdom but is based on international research. Not all of the treatments are available in New Zealand, but we have included them because there has been research on whether they work.
Patients
LATEST UPDATES
Herpes simplex eye infection
You probably know that cold sores are caused by the herpes virus. You may not have heard that the same virus can also cause eye infections. Herpes eye infections can be treated with eye drops to kill the virus.
Read more about herpes simplex eye infections
Does your neck hurt?
Neck pain can be caused by an accident that jars your neck (whiplash). It can also happen for no obvious reason, perhaps because of bad posture or muscle tension. If you have unexplained neck pain, there are several treatments that are worth trying, including physiotherapy and exercise.
Find out more about neck pain
HIGHLIGHTS
Absence seizures
Absence seizures tend to affect children, and cause them to 'switch off' for a few seconds. They're sometimes referred to by the French term ‘petit mal’, meaning ‘little illness’.
The seizures usually last for less than 10 seconds, but a child might get lots of them in a day. Absence seizures are sometimes mistaken for daydreaming, but because a child's brain switches off during the seizure, they might find it hard to learn, or might have more accidents.
Treatment can reduce the number of seizures and might stop them altogether. About 9 in 10 children who get these seizures grow out of them by the time they're 12 years old.
Read more about absence seizures
Making Decisions
Operations and tests
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...
Going on this site was the best thing I ever did. It has given me a new lease of life. Ten out of ten for the information on dieting... Thanks a million. You really have saved my life and in more ways than one.
- 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, 7 February 2007.
