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As the on-going debate continues as to which direction is best for US healthcare, it cannot be denied that providers of primary care, also known as primary care providers or PCPs, form the frontline in the delivery of care for most Americans. Not only PCPs, including physicians, doctors, or nurse practioners attend to acute conditions but also common chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. On the other side of the healthcare equation are the patients, who may come from any age group. Here, the value of healthy lifestyle, including those related to diet, exercise, and weight, cannot be overemphasized. With the availability of medical information on the web, there should be a corresponding increase in the level of awareness of developments in medicine among both patients and clinicians, even after graduation and training. Definitely, the quality of online information, especially those related to health and medicine, is something that has to be maintained. For example, some sites have a so-called "seal of being reliable and trustworthy" such as that recognized by the Health on the Net Foundation; other primary care or general medicine sites may have a long legacy associated with them. The key point is, and it becomes all the more apparent in an economic downturn, that excellent health is wealth and to a certain extent, can truly be appreciated much more than all the gold in the world.
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