Available with ease, online

Perhaps to cash in on cyberchondriac hype, Google and Microsoft are trying to revolutionize the way people research maladies and find health care providers, reports The New York Times.

Both companies have initiatives planned that allow people to access medical histories more easily, along with some preliminary research.

But both also face significant government and regulatory hurdles regarding ensuring privacy and more.

According to Google and Microsoft, control will ultimately fall in the hands of the individual, who can share as much or as little as they feel comfortable with. And for better or worse, users have demonstrated that they don't mind revealing quite a bit.

Despite their size, Google and Microsoft face stiff competition from sites such as WebMD, which provides all health information all the time.