Google is not a Doctor.

Hey there!

It is right to be sceptical about what you read on the internet. However, I believe it depends on the validity of the sites you visit and how much research you are prepared to do. Recently, I have researched some of my mental health issues and challenged my psychiatrist about his diagnosis. He agreed to agree with me that my diagnosis was, in fact, the correct one! My meds have subsequently changed and I feel brilliant. I have the old me back. I guess we instinctively invest more time in our own medical well-being than those who are meant to take charge. Ho hum. LOL Juliette x :roll:

catherinecherub said:

Interesting that when someone says they have indigestion we are happy to accept that explanation but when it is ourselves we tend to use Google and may decide that we are having a heart attack. People who self diagnose usually conclude that it is something more serious.

This article is well worth a read.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248104.php

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Yes, I have googled for my stomach problems and a lot of suggestions came up, but I take the view of......... if the medical problem has continued for a few weeks, then make an appointment with your GP to discuss it. You could make the symptoms much worse, by reading between the lines :crazy: and coming up with something incurable :wink: RRB (its trying to be sensible about googling really)

Dr Google.... :lol:


I suppose we are all guilty of Googling symptoms at some point, always best to get a professional opinion IMHO.

I agree Google can be very helpful but some sites lead you to places where you can be cured by buying lots of absolutely indispensable pills or potions that you wonder how you have lived so long without them ,or on some American sites you can get in touch with a remarkable doctor who will even remove your head for a very large fee. Cynic what me :!: :lol:
CAROL

carty said:

I agree Google can be very helpful but some sites lead you to places where you can be cured by buying lots of absolutely indispensable pills or potions that you wonder how you have lived so long without them ,or on some American sites you can get in touch with a remarkable doctor who will even remove your head for a very large fee. Cynic what me :!: :lol:
CAROL

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Like it :clap: :lol: :lol: :lol: RRB

Hey guys!

I think Google saved my life! I was getting so ill and the doctors and useless DSN at my surgery just insisted I was Type 2. Luckily, Google led me to this site and I learned about LADA. Insisted on the correct tests and treatment. I was right! Shame I had to diagnose myself with the help of this forum, but I might have died with the lack of care from the 'professionals'. Thank goodness for Google!

Smidge

If something feels more serious than something like a simple tummy ache (or headache, flu, food poison, etc)I tend to ring NHS Direct instead of turning to Google. At least the people on the other end of the phone are trained to ask the right questions to assist! Sometimes, they tell me I'm okay and need to go out to get an OTC, sometimes they book me into after hours care, and sometimes they tell me to go straight to A&E. But I can honestly say that out of the half dozen times I have had to ring NHS Direct, I've always been satisfied with what they've told me.

Much depends on the individual. Google can be a fantastic tool but in the wrong hands can be dangerous.

My daughter suffers from stress-related illnesses all the time. She won't admit that this is the case and insiss upon puting herself under pressure all the time. When her illnesses fail o respond to treatments she turns o Dr Google who advises her that she has an incurable condition or names a quick-fix drug - usually an anibiootic..

A highly intelligent and successful girl , except in this area, she has undermined her own health and spent a fortune on unnecessary medical procedures. As with many others these days , she doesn't have ime to be ll so actually makes herself worse.
She is the very last person who should be allowed to consult Dr Google.

I hink here is a great deal of his sort of mindset around. Everyone expects a pill to cure everything , immediately. Doctors are expected to know everything and cure it immediately.

II use it myself for "further reading" about my diabetes and eye conditions.It helps me to understand what the HCPs say and do and helps me to help myself to control these conditionns.

I suppose its like most other things on the internet-liable to be good or bad depending on the user.

Google is great for all those big long medical words you have to write down in the consulting room

I think it's true in most cases a doctor will make a better reference point than research for diagnosis. However, it is increasingly difficult to convince a doctor to give you more than 5 minutes in his office, and then it's even more impossible to convince him to refer you for further investigation unless you've been there to visit the office 10($) times. Online research is a double-edge sword but sadly one that must exist in overpopulated/understaffed countries.

We wouldn't have to google if doctors/dieticians etc did their jobs thoroughly. If I hadn't googled, I wouldn't have found this site, and i would still be eating loads of healthy starchy carbs with BGs in the teens. Sometimes we need google to research and be able to challenge the doctor. Good doctors seem to accept a challenge, and research, and adjust their treatment accordingly. Remember, it's not google itself giving medical information; it's just taking us to well-researched medical sites - providing we're sensuible about where we let it take us!

vjykmr89 said:

I think it's true in most cases a doctor will make a better reference point than research for diagnosis. However, it is increasingly difficult to convince a doctor to give you more than 5 minutes in his office, and then it's even more impossible to convince him to refer you for further investigation unless you've been there to visit the office 10($) times. Online research is a double-edge sword but sadly one that must exist in overpopulated/understaffed countries.

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I don't know if this is the case with all gp surgeries but with mine you just get a 5 min appointment when you ring up, however if you feel that you need longer they can do a 10 min appointment but you need to ask first, might be worth asking if your surgery does likewise.

Proper use of google is I think a vital resource for equipping you to interpret what doctors are saying and doing, and also for alerting you about which symptoms they might need to know about. The key thing is to be canny about the sites that you use. I find time and again that the Mayo Clinic is ideal -- clear, balanced, well-informed and reliable.

I must admit to using Google pretty much every day for one thing or another and have researched quite a few 'conditions' when feeling under the weather, the vast majority of which I did not have but those times I have felt 'symptoms' and googled them has told me one thing and that is, it is almost always best to go and see my doctor

BeccaJaneStClair said:

I tend to ring NHS Direct instead of turning to Google. At least the people on the other end of the phone are trained to ask the right questions to assist! Sometimes, they tell me I'm okay and need to go out to get an OTC, sometimes they book me into after hours care, and sometimes they tell me to go straight to A&E.

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There you go, thats what I meant about using google every day, not having a scooby what OTC means I googled it and lo and behold it can mean amongst other things 'over the counter' which makes Becca's sentence make perfect sense :lol:


No, I couldnt live life without google...But I dont believe everything that is linked, you have to be selective and when it comes to your heath always cross reference with your GP :thumbup:

Google may have some stuff that's not very helpful, but so have many doctors, especially, I think in matters of what constitutes a healthy diet.
Hana

I once went to my favourite GP with a persistent sore mouth, like little ulcers. He diagnosed Oral Lichen Planus, and was just about to tell me what it was when he stopped himself, wrote it down, handed me the paper and said - "go look it up".

He knows I use Google; he also knows I use "respectable" sites and don't panic myself unduly. He saved himself a good bit of surgery time!

It's a standing joke between us now. I'll say "I was on the Internet the other day . . ." and he groans and buries his head in his hands.

It's nice to know he trusts me. It's nice to be treated like an intelligent human being!

Viv 8)

viviennem said:

I once went to my favourite GP with a persistent sore mouth, like little ulcers. He diagnosed Oral Lichen Planus, and was just about to tell me what it was when he stopped himself, wrote it down, handed me the paper and said - "go look it up".

He knows I use Google; he also knows I use "respectable" sites and don't panic myself unduly. He saved himself a good bit of surgery time!

It's a standing joke between us now. I'll say "I was on the Internet the other day . . ." and he groans and buries his head in his hands.

It's nice to know he trusts me. It's nice to be treated like an intelligent human being!

Viv 8)

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This rings true with me too. My doctor has on occasion asked me what I think my symptoms might be! I was bang on target with my frozen shoulder, even though I decided not to prejudice his judgment by telling him! When I needed a different insulin for my pens he turned his computer screen towards me and asked me to confirm that he'd chosen the right one - he hadn't - he'd chosen vials, and I wanted cartridges!

Yes that is right , google is not a doctor. And I strongly suggest to you guys that if symptoms persist call your doctor. They know what is best for you when in terms of health issues as well as your family.