Legal Policies
Disclaimer regarding Medical Advice
You should seek medical advice from your doctor or health-care professional before attempting any treatment. It is not legal for somebody who is not a medical doctor to give medical advice, and it would be irresponsible for anybody (even a medical doctor) to provide medical advice to people they had not properly examined. For these reasons, we do not provide medical advice on this website. The information appearing here is for educational purposes – we strongly recommend that you talk with your doctor about your medical problems, it is his or her responsibility to advise you, and it is your responsibility to be well informed regarding your options.
The articles published on this website were written by the editor and selected guest writers. Unless otherwise indicated in the article itself, it should not be assumed that the author of any article is a medical doctor.
Disclaimer regarding Accuracy
Although we have tried to ensure the accuracy of the information appearing in the articles on our website, we cannot guarantee their accuracy, or suitability for any purpose, and do not offer a warranty of any kind. Readers should check the original sources of information provided, do their own due diligence, and consult with their doctor or health-care professional.
Advertising Policy / Affiliate Disclosure
Given the high costs of bandwidth and hardware, advertising has become an unpleasant but necessary part of the internet. It is through advertising that we can afford to maintain this website. However, the content of our website is independent of any sponsorship or affiliate relationship. We do not recommend products or services without having firsthand knowledge of them, or of the company that offers them. We only recommend things we believe in. We are not paid by our advertisers, affiliates or partners to write the articles appearing on this website. We do not accept money or freebies to review or report on products or services. Advertising is kept to a minimum, and the advertisements on our website are clearly marked as such. Purchasing one of our recommended products through our affiliate links does not increase the price you pay, but it does support this website, and without these sources of income we could not afford to keep this magazine free to you.
Information Sources
In the preparation of our articles we access numerous sources of information, and wherever possible we provide links to the original materials. The majority of our sources are of an academic nature (for example, papers on PubMed) in which case we provide direct links to the literature in those repositories. On sites like PubMed, some of this material is freely available, but some requires a subscription to obtain; our readers may purchase this material directly from PubMed, and we make no income of any kind from these transactions. Alternatively, some of our links are to free online medical reference websites (like The Mayo Clinic), and again, in these cases we provide direct links to the original materials, if possible.
Occasionally we find really great private commercial information sources (for example, books available through Amazon.Com). These materials are not free, they are sold by third parties, and must be purchased to read. In these cases we provide affiliate links, meaning that readers who purchase these materials through our links earn us a small commission. Note that we do not do this lightly, we only provide affiliate links to high quality information sources that are relevant to the respective articles on our website and that we believe our readers would find useful. (As stated above: Purchasing one of our recommended products through our affiliate links does not increase the price you pay, but it does support this website, and without these sources of income we could not afford to keep this free for everyone.)
Copyright
We respect copyright laws. Contact Us regarding any copyright concerns.
Personal Information Policy
Non-personal identification information
We may collect non-personal identification information about users whenever they interact with our website. Non-personal identification information may include the browser name, the type of computer and technical information about the user’s means of connection to our website, such as the operating system and the internet service providers utilized and other similar information.
Web browser cookies
Our website may use “cookies” to enhance the user experience. User’s web browsers place cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information. Users may choose to configure their web browser to refuse cookies, or to be alerted when cookies are sent. If cookies are refused, some parts of the website may not function properly.
Personal identification information
We may collect personal identification information in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, noting when users visit our website, register on the website, subscribe to the newsletter, and in connection with other activities, services, features, or resources we make available on our website. Such personal identification information is collected from users only if they voluntarily submit such information to us. Users can always refuse to supply personal identification information, but this may prevent them from engaging in certain website related activities.
How we use collected information
Informed-Health.net collects and uses users’ personal information for the following purposes:
- To personalize the user experience. We may use aggregated information to understand how our users use the services and resources provided on our website.
- To improve our website. We continually strive to improve our website based on the information and feedback we receive from you.
- To improve customer service. This information helps us to respond more effectively to customer service requests and support needs.
- To send periodic emails. The email address that users provide will only be used to respond to their inquiries, and/or other requests or questions. If a user decides to opt-in to our mailing list, they will receive emails that may include company news, updates, related product or service information, etc. If at any time the user would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email, or the user may contact us via our website.
How we protect your information
We utilise appropriate data collection, storage, and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information and data, stored on our website.
Sharing your personal information
We do not sell, trade, or rent, users’ personal information to others. We may share generic, aggregated, demographic information not linked to any personally identifiable information regarding visitors and users with our business partners, trusted affiliates, or advertisers, for the purposes outlined above.
Spam
If you provide us with your e-mail address we will not send you unsolicited (spam) emails. E-mails sent to the members of our opt-in mailing list contain instructions for removing their email address from the list.
Other Policies and Legal Issues
Third party websites
Users may find advertising or other content on our website that links to the websites and services of other third parties. We do not control the content or links that appear on these websites and are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our website. These websites and services have their own privacy and customer service policies. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link to or from our website, is subject to that website’s own terms and policies.
Compliance with children’s online privacy protection
Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason, we never collect or maintain information at our website from those we know are under 13, and no part of our website is structured to attract anyone under 13.
Changes to this policy
Informed-health.net reserves the right to update these policies at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We encourage users to stay informed by frequently checking this page for any changes. It is the users’ responsibility to review this policy periodically, and remain aware of any modifications.
Users’ acceptance of these terms
By using this website, the user signifies his or her acceptance of this policy. If the user does not agree to this policy, they should not use this website. The users’ continued use of the website following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed as acceptance of those changes.
Contacting Us
If you have any questions or concerns about these policies, the practices of this website, or your dealings with us, please contact us.
This document was last updated on July 13, 2011.