Lifeclinic

lifeclinic.com

Background: Lifeclinic is backed by Spacelabs Medical, which makes instruments used to monitor vital signs, among other devices. The site is meant to help people track and control chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

What works: Lifeclinic is a do-it-yourself site. On each of several broad topics--including hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes--it offers detailed advice about daily diet, medications, as well as blood tests, how they’re done and what they mean. The site encourages visitors to test themselves, when home tests are available, and chart daily changes in blood sugar or blood pressure. Lifeclinic also posts news relevant to these conditions. There is a commercial dimension to this site: Consumers are encouraged to try Lifeclinic products, for instance, and to provide detailed personal information on charts, virtual medical records, and health quizzes. But the pitches are easy enough to ignore, and the site gives you the option of blocking “cookies,” the coded signatures used to track and profile visitors.