doctors

Correction: Although this review was written for Spyware Doctor version 8, a typo misstated the version number as version 7. That has since been corrected.

Spyware Doctor 8 offers users a superb collection of malware prevention and removal tools, but its infamously strict trial restrictions makes it difficult to evaluate. With quick scanning and multiple tools for stopping malware before it infects your computer, the paid version is a solid spyware remover.

Installing the program annoyingly requires you to reboot the computer, but as soon as Windows finishes loading, the program will start scanning for malware. Impressively, the scan took … Read more

As the health care debate rages on, we're still left wondering which doctor is best for what we need. Asking friends is a good way to find out about personal experiences, but one person's opinion might not be enough to go on. For those instances, you need some help from a Web site or two.

I've compiled a helpful list of services that will help you research doctors, and with any luck, pick a good one. Let's take a look.

DocBoard: DocBoard might feature one of the worst designs in this roundup, but I found it extremely helpful for those looking to learn more about doctors in their area.

DocBoard features a search tool called DocFinder. When inputting a query, you have the option of searching through the sites listed below the search box. There are a couple dozen state physician board sites listed. If you're looking for doctors somewhere else, you'll find links to the right of DocFinder, sending you to state pages you can't search directly on the site. Since I live in New York, I had to go to my state's respective physician's page to learn about doctors in my area.

But if you live in a state that did make its physician information available to DocBoard, I think you'll like what you find. The site will deliver information on where a doctor graduated medical school, whether or not she's still certified to practice medicine, and more. It's an extremely informative site.

RateMDs: If you're familiar with RateMyProfessors, a service that allows college students to grade their teachers, you will be right at home with RateMDs.

When you start using RateMDs, you'll need to search by state. From there, you can narrow your search by city, the doctor's specialty, rating, and more. When I searched for doctors in New York, I was quite pleased by what I found. There were several doctors with dozens of reviews from patients who both liked and disliked the physician. RateMDs impressed me even more when I searched in suburban areas. Once again, the site delivered several useful reviews. And thanks to a nice design, you shouldn't have any trouble creating your own reviews.

As with any user-review site, some comments on RateMDs are inexplicably harsh, but for the most part, I think you'll be happy with what you find.

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Dr. Todd Sinett is in today to talk about his revolutionary idea about chronic back pain and his book "The Truth About Back Pain: A Revolutionary, Individualized Approach to Diagnosing and Healing Back Pain." Meanwhile, Justin is still out with the swine flu, but Dr. Sinett more than fills the gap left by Justin's absence with his first appearance on The 404. We promise he'll be back again soon.

There are times when we get a call from a PR rep about a possible guest and we get skeptical. After all, The 404 is a show ostensibly about technology and culture. But then we get gems like Dr. Michael Breus, the Sleep Doctor, and now Dr. Todd Sinett, the Back Doctor.

According to the Back Doctor, there are three primary causes of back pain, and for the most part, we only treat the first, which is physical and structural. He says that, actually, digestive and mental health are incredibly important to the health of your back, and high stress plays a key role in back pain.

On the show, he demonstrates some health exercises to strengthen your back. Additionally, he teaches us how to sit properly at work and eat properly at home. He doesn't believe that people "don't have time" to eat well. Apparently, salads and oatmeal every single day of your life isn't healthy for you. He even says that food from McDonald's occasionally is OK, as long as you eat a balanced diet every day.

Check out today's show and call us out if we're talking crap about your health. Leave us a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). It's all toll free. Finally, we love your e-mails to the show: the404 [at] cnet [com].

Losing your precious data to a corrupted file can pose a serious threat to your mental health, but Dr. Hard Drive Bag is here to mend your broken heart and recover all your lost files.

Right now, the tool is just a concept by Hyuh Jin Lee, but the idea is novel--in the event of a hard-disk failure (knock on wood), just wheel out this portable hard drive IV and hook up it up via USB to your bedridden computer. Antivirus software will immediately pop up and begin scanning files for corruption, and a feedback light will turn on inside the drip bag to let you know it's on the road to recovery.

At the risk of being tarred and feathered, I'll refrain from making a swine flu joke, but would you guys use this product if it ever came to fruition, or is it too kitschy? Sound off in the comments, check out more of Jin Lee's design portfolio, and peep more pics after the jump!

(Source: Coroflot)… Read more

About four weeks ago, I went for an annual physical and had standard blood work done. I was told to call back in a week, and of course I forgot. Today I had a message that said: "Hello, this is Dr. XX's office, please call us back at xxx-xxx-xxxx." That was it--the person didn't identify herself and also didn't say what the call was for. When I dialed the number, I was expecting to be told that I owed them money. But actually, the woman on the phone had no idea why she had called … Read more

Dr. Michael Breus, the Sleep Doctor, joins us today for what is quite possibly the most informative show we've ever done. No iPhone OS 3.0 news here today. We've got something so much better. It's our 300th episode, and we're still not canceled! *Fingers crossed.*

That's right, we're still amazed. 300!

If you've ever listened to the show, you know we push the limit of acceptable behavior--even on the Interwebs. Justin has his poop jokes. Wilson has his stuffed peppers. And Jeff has his general hatred of humanity and happiness. Thank you, our listeners, for keeping us alive and giving us a reason to come into work every day. Go out and celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your friends, call The 404, and let us know why you listen to the show. 1-866-404-CNET (2638).

We couldn't think of any better way to celebrate than to have Dr. Michael Breus on the show. Why would an Internet culture show have a sleep doctor on? Because boy do we love sleep, and we promise you won't be disappointed. He talks about how long you should sleep. What you should eat before you go to bed. Whether clear liquor or dark liquors will give you a hang over. We cover it all. Thank you so much for your questions. He's got a great blog too.

Celebrating episode 301 tomorrow, we've got debbiefromtoronoto coming on the show. She's going to bring a big bag of goodies. We can't wait to get a hold of those ketchup potato chips. And for 302, we've got Jonathan Coulton, musician and generally cool dude. Be prepared for more awesomeness.

Back from the weekend, Justin watches "Watchmen" again, Wilson catches "Coraline" in 3D, and Jeff tries to kill himself when his parents and soon-to-be parents-in-law spend the weekend picking a place to get married and the font of the invitation envelopes.

Speaking of "Caroline" in 3D, it gave Wilson a massive headache. The film was incredibly imaginative and creative yet the story was a bit lacking. Reminds Wilson of "Alice in Wonderland."

In actual stories today, we talk mostly about Twitter. Jason Calacanis wants to pay the company $250,000 so that he can be at the top of suggested followers list. While we think suggested followers is a halfway decent idea (especially if they personalize the list), we don't especially think we want to follow Calacanis all day long. Also, Twitter may have caused a mistrial in a case where a juror tweeted the jury's finding. Twitter! Haven't you caused enough damage to people's lives!?!?

Tomorrow, we have Dr. Michael Breus, the Sleep Doctor, on the show. So please call into the show with all your questions about sleep. While it may sounds like a "snoozer"--Ha, get it?!?!--we promise the Sleep Doctor has never failed to entertain. Also, on the show on Wednesday is debbiefromtoronto, probably the hottest Canandian blonde fan of The 404. And ending the week is the composer of "Still Alive" from The Orange Box, Jonathan Coulton. As usually, the number is 1-866-404-CNET (2638). We need callbacks for the show. You know the part where we go, "Hey this is Jeff Bakalar from Hoboken, New Jersey, and you're listening to The 404, the show where [INSERT WITTY COMMENT]."

President Obama's stimulus package is putting aside roughly $21 billion for healthcare technology and the development of electronic health records (EHRs). At this point when we say "billion" or even "trillion" it doesn’t have much of an effect. So let’s try that again – Obama's stimulus package is putting aside $21,000,000,000 for healthcare technology. It is a ridiculous amount of money.But, where will it all go? Most of it is earmarked for the creation and utilization of electronic health records, which is essentially a digitized … Read more

It's Friday the 13th today, and just one day left before Valentine's Day, so we beg 404 resident hottie biscotti Rana Showbunny of Medialets into the studio to help Jeff decide what to get his girlfriend for the holiday. Her answer is definitely the opposite from what we thought! Meanwhile, I think all hope is lost for Wilson and me...I can't speak for him, but I know that by this time tomorrow I'll be curled up in the fetal position with a Snuggie watching A Walk to Remember and polishing off a Dumpster's worth … Read more