Making the most of the Internet By Howard and Judi Wolinsky  With so much health information at your fingertips, how do you know what's reliable? If you're among the more than 100 million Americans who've gone online for health information, you've discovered an abundance. But with 111 million hits on the word "health" alone, you have to wonder - is it all good? Let consumers beware. The Internet is so chock-full of information that finding the best of it takes a little troubleshooting. You're probably aware that plenty of what you read is questionable, if not pure poppycock. But separating the reliable from the unreliable isn't difficult if you: Know the source. The health information may be just fine, but you still should know if the organization underwriting it has a particular viewpoint - or for-profit motive. To evaluate any Web site, make sure: • Owners and sponsors are disclosed. • Writers are identified. • Contact information is provided. • Sources of material are identified. • Information is current. Stick with those you trust. A good place to start is with organizations you already know. For example, the American Academy of Family Physicians' Web site (http://familydoctor.org) includes patient information pages, a medical encyclopedia and dictionary, information on medications, and reviews of available Web sites in a number of medical topic areas. Follow the FTC's advice. The Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2000/04/cure-all2.htm), the government's consumer watchdog agency, cautions about catchy online marketing phrases and "medicalese" - technical language disguising a lack of good science. Share with your family physician. After all, your family doctor is in the best position to determine the relevance of Internet information to your overall health. Howard and Judi Wolinsky of Chicago, Ill., are co-authors of Healthcare Online For Dummies.