The dangers of using Dr Google

THE internet has become an integral part of our lives, so much so that it’s relied on sometimes for professional advice for our every ailment, whether mental or physical. But while the web provides a wealth of information on health-related matters, and can even help with self-diagnosing, people should bear in mind the pitfalls of avoiding the advice of a flesh and bone professional.

According to obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Ryan Halsall, women make up the majority of people who run with this trend.

“It comes as no surprise given that women tend to have better health-seeking habits,” he said. “This has been made easier, they say, by many online ‘symptom checkers’, which allow you to type in the symptoms and voila!, a list of possible diagnoses will pop up. It seems easy enough, but as with all things, there are two sides to the coin.”

He said while it’s great to be well informed about your condition, and doing a little research to help you gain that extra level of understanding is a great practice, you should let your doctor do the diagnosing.

“There’s a reason many of us spend five to 10 years in school learning about this stuff, and there can be no true substitute for a proper history and examination by your physician,” Dr Halsall said.

According to Dr Halsall, searching the internet for diagnoses can be dangerous to your health for many reasons. These include:

1. Bogus websites

Dr Halsall said some of the information on the internet is just not true and some hide behind the truth as a marketing ploy to sell you products. He said to avoid this, stick to reputable websites that your doctor recommends.

2. Close but not quite accurate

According to Dr Halsall, a lot of conditions share similar symptoms, and to the untrained mind it may be difficult to interpret a whole bunch of them.

“Worse still, some conditions manifest differently in different people, making the internet a bad place to try and sort out what’s happening to you. It’s just as bad as diagnosing yourself with a brain tumour because your neighbour’s aunt from England had headaches that sounded like yours,” he said.

3. False sense of security

The OBGyn said using the web to diagnose yourself can work against you by making you think there’s nothing seriously wrong with you, when the truth is far from that.

“The ‘gastroenteritis pain’ you diagnosed with Dr Google could very well be appendicitis. I’ve know of an instance where a woman wrongly diagnosed a breast lump using the internet, as a non-cancerous lump. This delayed her seeking medical attention, and by the time she reached the doctor, he diagnosed her with stage four cancer.”

4. Anxiety issues

He said a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety can occur when one tries to diagnose online.

“The worst-case scenario is often latched on to and instead of the common cold, you think you have meningitis because your head hurts.”

5. It’s expensive

“So you’ve done your homework and you’re convinced you have a brain tumour. Your doctor tells you it’s a migraine, but you won’t believe him because you read a blog about a woman who had brain cancer,” Dr Halsall said. “So you pretty much force your doctor to do an unnecessary MRI of your brain along with a batch of blood tests just to appease you. This is money not well spent. It would have been cheaper to actually get a second opinion from a brain surgeon.”

Dr Halsall said, however, that while the internet has its place, you can do your initial research, but trust your doctor to diagnose you.

“If you can’t trust your doctor, then you need a new one. Don’t let the internet lead you away from sound medical advice. If you don’t agree with what your doctor tells you, talk to him or her and try to get a better understanding, or get an opinion from another doctor and not Dr Google, or Dr Bing or Dr Yahoo.”

— Kimberley Hibbert