Do you self-diagnose online?
L.A. Times
2013/01/17 18:00:00
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If you turn to Google before turning to a doctor when you're feeling icky, you're not alone. Last year, 1 in 3 Americans typed their symptoms into search engines and medical websites before seeing their physician, according to a Pew Research Center study released this week.
And with the flu epidemic making its way steadily west, now seems like a good time to talk about the best way to search for health information online. Searching for medical advice online can never replace a visit to a living, breathing doctor, but there are ways to help you weed through the online clutter and get reliable information. Medical experts say you can't trust any single site to always have the best or most up-to-date information on any condition, but some sites are more likely to be helpful than others.
And with the flu epidemic making its way steadily west, now seems like a good time to talk about the best way to search for health information online. Searching for medical advice online can never replace a visit to a living, breathing doctor, but there are ways to help you weed through the online clutter and get reliable information. Medical experts say you can't trust any single site to always have the best or most up-to-date information on any condition, but some sites are more likely to be helpful than others.
Read More: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tech-savvy-h...
Top Opinion
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MARIDOTS 2013/01/17 23:11:02Yes
+6I'm a nurse and I think that if you can't go to your doctor with at least a partial diagnosis they aren't going to take time to figure out whats wrong with you. I did a lot of research and went to my doc and told her I thought I had breast cancer, she examined me and said she thought I had an abscess... I took her 10 day course of antibiotics and 6 months later had a mastectomy for the breast cancer I told her I had. Its that way most of the time now. JMHO of course.
the online Dx. programs may give some correct Dxs, but necessarily to be right , there are many complain things need physical examination which unbelievable to be guessed at such programs
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not to be mentioned is some conditions people may harm themselves bu following incorrect ttt.
Let me give you a definition of the natural world: Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world.
I have found for me, that it is best if I use a flowchart methodology to layout my symptoms and write down the who, what, when, where, and how answers, as my symptoms occur to pinpoint a more probable answer.
For example:
Headache->Where: back of the head->What type of pain: dull ache->How long: since yesterday->Any other symptoms: No->Any other environmental changes: Started a difficult project at work.
Headache is most likely stress related. So I would meditate, drink herbal tea, take more breaks, get more rest, etc.
If the symptoms changed, for instance in severity, or didn't go away, I would re-evaluate with the new information and decide whether to go to the doctor or not. My doctor and I are good friends and he generally agrees with my diagnosis, there have been a few times when we have had philosophical disagreements when it came to the use of medicine versus homeopathic remedies.
How many are self-diagnosing before going to the pet store for their fish-mox?
but I ALWAYS go to the Dr to confirm or discover.