Online Diagnoses

01/13/2012

 

People ask me all the time, “If I’m not feeling well, what websites should I go to?”

Others tell me, “I bet you doctors hate all those online medical websites.”

No – we don’t hate them. The only thing that I believe irks doctors is when people end up on less-than-reputable sites, and they end up being misled, scared by what they are told, or just given a bunch of bad information.

If you want some good online medical advice, here are the places to go:

www.WebMD.com

www.ClevelandClinic.com

www.MayoClinic.com

(And of course, MarkRickettsMD.com!)

All three of those sites are exceptionally good, and are full of up-to-date information put together by some of the best doctors in the world. THESE places are where you need to go to put in your symptoms and find out or get information on what may be ailing you.

Where people get lost is that they put the symptoms into Google, and that’s where the wild goose chase begins. You don’t just walk down Main Street and ask what’s wrong with you – you first need to get to the doctor’s office. Google is Main Street, these websites are the doctor’s office.

The Internet is an amazing tool to empower people, whether it be with information on your health, world events, politics, what have you. But there is a lot of sub-par information out there that can confuse you or someone you know when it comes to their health.

My advice to you is that while researching someone close to you or your own symptoms/condition is a good thing and appreciated – remember that the Internet can only do so much with the information that it is given. While you may be giving WebMD the symptoms you believe that you have – practitioners of medicine can identify the things that you may have missed or not known to look for. (That’s why they made us go to school all those years!)

In the end, I think that the Internet can be a great tool to help provide information to those seeking it, and while many times the online diagnosis can be spot on – it’s best to take your concerns to your doctor, and listen to what they say.

Be Well,

Dr. R