Dear friend,

As a medical doctor, I would advise you not to trust your health to finding a needle in a haystack!

Yet many people search the Internet — over 85 billion pages — in hopes of finding the answer for an individual health need.

If William D. of Virginia had searched the Web for “knee pain,” he’d have had over 3.4 million pages to sort through.

The Internet has millions of pages on nearly any health topic...

• Search for “diabetes” and you’ll find 21,800,000 matches.
• Type in “heart disease” and you’ll get 14.3 million hits.
• Is cholesterol your concern? You’ll have 3.5 million Internet
  documents to sort through.
  
  

You see my point — searching the Internet for trustworthy health information that applies to your particular needs really is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

And there’s another problem. Even if you can clearly describe your symptoms, you have no way to know what remedy to search for. William couldn’t have searched for “knee pain, vitamin D” because he had no idea that vitamin D is a remedy for his symptom.

Fortunately there’s a better way. It’s the one William used to find a solution for his chronic knee pain. And, he tells us, he eliminated his pain the first night with the answer he found in Mayo Clinic Health Letter. And now you can try it too!

Instead of spending hours online searching, let Mayo Clinic do the work for you. We have made it easy for you to search the most reliable information in the NEW Mayo Clinic Health Letter —Online Edition. Get the information you’re looking for, right at your fingertips.

For example, say you have an interest in arthritis.

Our Online Edition gives you two ways to find that information —

#1 Search by Keyword

#2 Browse our A-Z topical index: Click on "A" to browse and find arthritis related content

Using either search method, you’ll find the information you need fast.

Our online library contains hundreds of health articles and Special Reports. It’s easy to search and retrieve the exact information you want.

Every month, over 600,000 readers turn to the print edition of Mayo Clinic Health Letter for accurate, reliable, trustworthy guidance.

Now the Online Edition offers you the same time-saving, health-enhancing advantages combined with the power and convenience of the Internet.

• Health Letter readers don’t have to worry about information that is unreliable, unproven or unsafe. Every word we publish is reviewed by a team of Mayo doctors and must meet uncompromising standards for reliability.
• You won’t have to keep your guard up against information that is aimed at selling you something. One of Mayo Clinic’s founders said, “The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered.” One hundred years later, our editors uphold the same philosophy.
• You don’t have to wonder whether our information is up-to-date. Our doctors and editors work to assure that you receive only the most current information in Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

Of course, we can’t promise that all readers will find instant solutions for their health concerns the way William did. But we can promise you reliable health information on the topics that concern you most.

I’d like to start you off with two downloadable Special Reports, yours free:

	FREE REPORT #1:	ACHIEVING A HEALTHY WEIGHT: Strategies for long-term success
	FREE REPORT #2:	ARTHRITIS: Reducing pain, overcoming obstacles and leading an active life

At Mayo Clinic, we believe that you can work with your doctor to improve your health in MANY ways ... provided you have the LATEST and BEST information.

That’s the idea behind Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Online Edition ... to put the world’s latest and best consumer health information in your hands 24 hours a day seven days a week.

Many readers have written and called to thank us for the health information we have published. Like William D., they’ve often told us how our articles have helped improve their quality of life.

You, too, can start taking advantage of Mayo Clinic’s unparalleled health information to improve your own personal health concerns. Just click the link below to order your Online Edition and get your two free Special Reports.

Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Online Edition brings you truly important, practical health information you can use, as you’ll see when you place your risk-free subscription. Every issue contains answers from Mayo doctors that can help you improve your health ... for example:

• Will a LOW-CARB DIET help you lose weight? Are low-carb foods better for you? Get straight talk on a complex subject ... from the doctors of Mayo Clinic.
• Your ARTHRITIS pain and stiffness may improve with alternative treatments. Health Letter reveals which therapies are gaining acceptance with physicians and with patients for chronic pain.
• Essential news for anyone taking CHOLESTEROL drugs.
• What’s the truth about vitamin E? Does the latest controversy mean you should stop taking it?
• “Reduced risk of death from heart-related causes.” That’s how experts describe the benefits of THERAPIES developed by recent research. This is the kind of good news Health Letter brings you.
• “Gotta-have” foods — keys to FIGHTING DISEASE and paving the way for good health. You may be pleasantly surprised by Mayo’s top 10 foods.
• Hold on to your WEIGHT-LOSS hopes! You can still achieve lasting health benefits with only moderate weight loss.

The news in Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Online Edition is accurate and reliable. It’s just what you’d expect from the clinic that’s not only one of the world’s most prestigious treatment centers, but a world-class research facility and major medical school as well.

• Learn what Mayo Clinic says about various types and styles of HEARING AIDS before you spend your money.
• New studies reveal possible benefits of eating chocolate in moderation. Heart disease, stroke and clogged arteries may all be helped.
• Could a cornea transplant RESTORE YOUR EYESIGHT? It’s an effective treatment for some conditions that cause vision loss in older people.
• VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS — how much is too much of a good thing?
• Sacroiliac ... it’s a funny-sounding name, but LOW BACK PAIN from this joint is no laughing matter. Learn how to tell if this is the cause of your pain, and what you can do for it.
• Health Letter recently discussed a second vital mineral for keeping bones strong. Calcium alone is not enough.
• Guidelines on stretching before exercise have changed. Get the latest advice on INCREASING STRENGTH and reducing injury risk.
• Causes of muscle cramps, and how to avoid them.
• The best safeguard against SKIN CANCER? It may be your own two eyes. Learn what to look for ...
• For some people with depression, deficiency of a specific vitamin may be a contributing factor.
• SINUS HEADACHE? Many who blame their sinuses for the pain are really having migraines. This is good news, as proper diagnosis means better treatment.

Every remedy, nutrition tip and health hint in Mayo Clinic Health Letter is medically proven. We don’t report folk tales and half-truths — only facts that are consistent with state-of-the-art medical knowledge.

In addition to staying on top of breakthroughs that can improve your health in lasting and dramatic ways, you’ll find scores of everyday tips you can use immediately.

• Can flossing your teeth prevent a HEART ATTACK? Don’t laugh — there’s a proven link between oral health and heart health.
• Three heart-smart reasons to avoid TRANS FATS. Plus, how to make sense of nutrition label information on trans fats and hydrogenated oils.
• Does standing up too fast make you feel faint? Mayo doctors have found an effective treatment.
• Find help for the pain and discomfort of dry, itchy hands. A recent issue of Health Letter offered six proven solutions.
• Do you know DIVERTICULOSIS from DIVERTICULITIS? One is quite harmless; the other potentially fatal, yet treatable. Get the scoop on a range of digestive care issues in Health Letter.
• Act fast at the first sign of a STROKE. Treatment is generally effective only within three hours of the first symptoms. Know stroke’s five major warning signs, as given in Health Letter.
• MASSAGE ... a health treatment? Doctors are recognizing the value of massage in easing arthritis, fibromyalgia, stress and more.

Our editors don’t have to rely on dated reference books to check their facts. They can go directly to the very Mayo doctors whose works are often published in major medical journals and references.

You can trust what you read in Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Every word is reviewed by 20 or more doctors engaged in medical practice, teaching or research.

Here are more of the types of topics you can expect to find in Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Online Edition:

• CHEST PAIN and shortness of breath — a heart attack, or a blood clot in the lungs? Knowing the symptoms can save a life.
• Once you’ve had a HEART ATTACK, the damage is done ... right? In fact, a Mayo study found there’s a lot you can do to improve your heart health after a heart attack.
• Treatments for PROSTATE ENLARGEMENT have improved. That means a man’s reasons to seek help for this very common problem has never been greater. Health Letter spelled out the options in a recent issue.
• An ECHOCARDIOGRAM is one of the best ways to evaluate your heart. Learn how this test helps your doctor help you.
• Yet another benefit of regular exercise — it reduces BREAST CANCER risk in older women.
• A five-point checklist may prevent a nasty fall at home. Simple changes can keep you on your feet and out of peril.
• If you’ve thought of giving up coffee for the sake of your health, reconsider this. Health Letter reports that coffee may lower your risk of diabetes.
• What to do about FATIGUE. More than a dozen causes could be at the root of feeling tired all the time. Health Letter offers lifestyle suggestions for fatigue and other daily concerns.
• OUCH! If a bunion is causing you chronic pain, surgery may help considerably. Or you may be able to avoid surgery with the helpful foot-care tips in Health Letter.
• Vitamin D supplements appear to lower your risk of a fall. Health Letter reports this is because vitamin D improves muscle function and possibly nerve function, too.

Also in every issue, our specialists answer your questions about everything from arthritis remedies to zinc supplements:

• Which is better — pure olive oil or extra-virgin?
• ARTHRITIS — two major types, five best treatments.
• New guidelines, treatments for HIGH CHOLESTEROL.
• How to treat HIP PAIN at home. Surgery is rarely needed.
• SENSITIVE TEETH? Take a bite out of pain three ways.

AND

• Reduce your risk of a STROKE with these five foods.
• The best ways to reduce KNEE PAIN without surgery.
• What causes SWOLLEN FEET, and what you can do about it.
• Symptoms of DEPRESSION, and today’s best treatments.
• How to tell a POISONOUS SPIDER from a harmless one.

As an online subscriber you can enjoy instant access to our entire library of past issues, Special Reports, and new content to stay abreast of the latest news and health tips.

Each month, you will be notified by e-mail when we publish the latest issue and Special Reports. As a subscriber to theonline edition, you will be among the first to know!

You will also be notified when we publish a new book on a vital health topic. Mayo is one of the most trusted publishers of consumer health information. We update our line of popular health books with new titles several times each year, often providing special offers to Health Letter subscribers.

Your subscription will bring you 12 monthly issues in all, each containing eight information-packed pages as well as access to hundreds of articles online. Mayo Clinic Health Letter carries no advertising. Our ONLY purpose is to bring you reliable information to improve your health.

Your online subscription will include the following extras not available in the print edition:

• Frequently updated, searchable health library
• Monthly e-updates, with the latest information
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Recipes – recipe makeovers and more ...
• Quizzes — have fun with these interactive quizzes
• Expert commentary — from Mayo Clinic doctors
• Feedback — tell us how we are doing so we can serve you better
• Exclusive access to special offers and discounts

Every article is written in plain English. Necessary medical or scientific terms are fully explained, and include a pronunciation key. Color illustrations and photographs make new concepts simple, and often show the dramatic before-and-after effects.

Your subscription will also include three NEW SPECIAL REPORTS published during the year. Each is devoted to in-depth coverage of a single health issue of concern to many readers. Past Special Reports have covered HEADACHES ... EXERCISE AND AGING ... HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ... CHOLESTEROL ... DIABETES ... BREAST CANCER ... and more.

GET 2 VALUABLE REPORTS — FREE RIGHT AWAY!

As a special thank you for subscribing to Mayo Clinic Health Letter, you’ll gain instant access to your free Special Reports.

REPORT #1:
ACHIEVING A HEALTHY WEIGHT: Strategies for long-term success is for those who know they need to lose some weight, but find it easier said than done. This report explains the health consequences of being overweight, and the extraordinary benefits of losing even just a few pounds.

The emphasis is on what works. You’ll get six simple keys to permanent weight loss, based on the combined knowledge and experience of Mayo’s multi-specialty medical team. You’ll find specific tips and proven techniques that can really help you get in shape and stay that way.

REPORT #2:
ARTHRITIS: Reducing pain, overcoming obstacles and leading an active life is your second free Special Report.

As you get older, arthritis is almost inevitable. But putting up with constant pain and stiffness, and giving up your favorite activities are not. There’s much you can do to limit the impact of your arthritis.

In this report, you’ll learn of new treatments and daily decisions to help you stay active. You’ll learn about the dozens of alternatives to arthritis drugs that are no longer on the market. Studies show that these choices may be just as effective. You’ll also learn self-help tips to help you manage your arthritis, so your arthritis doesn’t manage you!

These two reports are yours FREE just for previewing our online edition of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. If you decide the Health Letter is not for you, simply cancel and we’ll refund your order and you’ll owe nothing.

Since you risk nothing, why not order yoursubscription today? I look forward to traveling with you on the road to good health.

Sincerely,
Robert D. Sheeler, M.D.
Medical Editor

P.S. Discover what over 600,000 satisfied subscribers already know! Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides practical information that can truly have a positive impact on your health and your life, all for just pennies a day! As Dear Abby once wrote, there is “a wealth of practical information in this monthly newsletter.”

P.P.S. Proceeds from Mayo Clinic Health Letter are used to advance Mayo programs in medical research and medical education. Your subscription will not only benefit you now, but also in the years to come through its support of vital Mayo research.

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