Danger! Danger!
Don't let the convenience and inexpensiveness of the internet keep you from seeking professional help. Self-diagnosis can cause serious complications:
Knowing how to 'surf' a term on the Internet is not the same as being capable of verifying the legitimacy of a website. If a user cannot tell the difference between a credible or hoax site they could easily receive illegitimate medical advice.
While you may recognize one symptom and find it on the internet, you may be experiencing a whole range of problems and thereby misdiagnose yourself.
Misdiagnosis can lead to more severe medical complications, or late diagnosis of medical issues.
Late diagnosis could cause an issue to transform from a benign medical problem into a severe or even terminal medical issue.
Medical issues often have similar symptoms. If you diagnosis yourself with nausea but are actually pregnant, you may ingest medicines or other remedies that could be harmful to the fetus' health.
Once self-diagnosis has occurred, the next step is to find a cure. There are thousands of hoax remedies available on the internet, and deciphering the difference between a hoax and a real remedy is not something that a layman is trained to do.
If a patient would prefer to self-diagnose their medical issue, they will likely also be willing to purchase the recommended medicines from overseas pharmacies. These overseas pharmacies often use ingredients that are not approved by the FDA and can cause health conditions or even death.
There is no sure way to know whether the ailments and symptoms found on the internet are correct. Internet health websites are not regulated like medical schools, doctors, pharmacists, or hospitals.
Self-diagnosis creates the possibility for over-diagnosis. For example, you may be sure that the pain you feel is caused by a cancerous tumor, when in reality it is little more than a bruise. Over-diagnosis might create stress that is unnecessary, and stress is known for causing myriad symptoms and health complications.
Don't let the convenience and inexpensiveness of the internet keep you from seeking professional help. Self-diagnosis can cause serious complications:
Knowing how to 'surf' a term on the Internet is not the same as being capable of verifying the legitimacy of a website. If a user cannot tell the difference between a credible or hoax site they could easily receive illegitimate medical advice.
While you may recognize one symptom and find it on the internet, you may be experiencing a whole range of problems and thereby misdiagnose yourself.
Misdiagnosis can lead to more severe medical complications, or late diagnosis of medical issues.
Late diagnosis could cause an issue to transform from a benign medical problem into a severe or even terminal medical issue.
Medical issues often have similar symptoms. If you diagnosis yourself with nausea but are actually pregnant, you may ingest medicines or other remedies that could be harmful to the fetus' health.
Once self-diagnosis has occurred, the next step is to find a cure. There are thousands of hoax remedies available on the internet, and deciphering the difference between a hoax and a real remedy is not something that a layman is trained to do.
If a patient would prefer to self-diagnose their medical issue, they will likely also be willing to purchase the recommended medicines from overseas pharmacies. These overseas pharmacies often use ingredients that are not approved by the FDA and can cause health conditions or even death.
There is no sure way to know whether the ailments and symptoms found on the internet are correct. Internet health websites are not regulated like medical schools, doctors, pharmacists, or hospitals.
Self-diagnosis creates the possibility for over-diagnosis. For example, you may be sure that the pain you feel is caused by a cancerous tumor, when in reality it is little more than a bruise. Over-diagnosis might create stress that is unnecessary, and stress is known for causing myriad symptoms and health complications.