Finding the Main Idea Exercise 3

Read the selection and then write the topic and complete the implied main idea statement.

Many news agencies and local television news shows are attempting to keep the general public abreast of all current health news. Upon hearing a twenty-second sound bite on colon cancer, a woman sitting in her living room may start pondering if she just might have it. Another person hearing the need for ovarian cancer screening will decide that it might be a good idea to do just that. Caffeine can be bad; caffeine can be energizing. A glass of red wine can be good for the heart; drinking too much can be disastrous. However, as these persons ponder in solitude about how they have been feeling lately in light of the most recent news, they realize they have access to medical information in their own home other than the newspaper and television: their computers. They go to the Internet and type in the disease or health issue of the day. There they find a wealth of information--and many more related diseases and cures. Unfortunately, some of the companies that promote "researched" cures are fraudulent. The wealth of medical information is overwhelming and often frightening, especially if someone is truly afraid that something is physically wrong. Sometimes they would rather attempt to cure themselves in the privacy of their own homes instead of dealing with doctors, hospitals, and perhaps even the reality of a bad test result. While being knowledgeable about one's own health and new research is good, sometimes this virtual knowledge transmitted without the guidance of a medical professional can be detrimental.