Our "Top Ten" best health and wellness websites get you up to speed fast on the latest hot topics and health headlines. You'll also find a cornucopia of handy references, tools, calculators and other online resources.

1) The New York Times "Well" Blog

If you like to keep your finger on the pulse of everything health-and wellness-related, the Well blog's for you. Recent posts spanned group running, a healthcare "warranty", and whether or not it's scientifically possible to get fit in six minutes a week.

2) The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog

You'll get the big-picture perspective on the health and wellness industry here. For example, recent posts explained why food companies may support junk food limits in schools and provided a state-by-state analysis of healthcare quality.

3) The Commonwealth Fund

This non-profit healthcare policy foundation is a great resource for anyone with a serious interest in healthcare reform.  No political axes to grind, just numbers, analysis, and research to promote a high-performing healthcare system.  See recent publications here (all free) and get email newsletters here.

4) National Center For Complementary & Alternative Health

Wondering if goo-goo juice is all it's cracked up to be? Research CAM treatments and conditions and get an online newsletter from the NIH-sponsored National Center For Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 

5) IateApie.net

Get unbiased and objective reviews of foods marketed as good for you. Bad news for one-star products like Amy's Vegan Pot Pie and Dannon's Carb Control Yogurt, good news for five-star products like Almondina Choconut Almond Cookies!

6) Healthcare Blogger Code Of Ethics

This voluntary code of ethics has become the gold standard for ethical healthcare blogging. Frankly, I think it would be a good idea for just about everyone blogging about health and wellness to follow these guidelines.

7) ExRx.net

It's not beautiful, but ExRx.net is an excellent (and free) reference for just about every aspect of traditional physical conditioning.

Say you want ab exercises for a female client.  Go to the exercise body map here, click on her belly button, and you'll get this list of dozens of exercises sorted by category. Need a refresher on the quadriceps? Go to the muscle map here, click on the thigh, and you'll get this summary.

8) Obesity Notes

Dr. Arya Sharma's Obesity Notes blog is essential reading for any wellness business specializing in weight loss and/or obesity. His authoritative analysis discusses the most interesting science regarding causes and treatments of obesity, like the addiction gene link to obesity and the relationship between cravings, mood and nicotine.

(He's the head of obesity research and management at the University of Alberta and scientific director of the federally-funded Canadian Obesity Network.)

9) RxList.com

This thorough drug and supplement reference site provides both practitioner and consumer information on prescription drugs including dosage, side effects, drug interactions, warnings, precautions, and contraindications. For example, here's the Lipitor listing.

The Vitamins, Herbs and Dietary Supplements section recaps studies, describes which conditions may or may not be helped, and describes  safety concerns and possible drug interactions.  Here's the listing for ginkgo, for example.

10) Healthfinder.gov

This consumer site from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services points the way to all kinds of reliable health and fitness-related information and is surprisingly full of handy online checkups, risk assessments, calculators, newsletters, and more.