Googling your symptoms? Here's why you should stop doing it
Falling sick and checking your symptoms on Google? Well, you are exacerbating your condition with misleading information. You may experience local pain in your chest owing to acidity but the results on the search engine may lead you to believe that you are having a heart attack. And the consequences? You know them better, don't you? Here's why you should stop it immediately.
You may misdiagnose yourself
You run a Google search of your symptoms, read multiple sources online, and then get convinced that you are nearing a more severe disease. Ask yourself - does it take a five-minute web search to diagnose a disease in the real world? Well, if that were true, doctors can go take a walk! Observe your symptoms for a couple of hours before instantly googling.
Anyone can publish information online
In this age of modernization, everyone in the world has access to the internet and social media. With this, you can't vouch for the reliability of the source and credibility of the information they have posted on the web. While there are some quality platforms, there is a high chance that you may still fall prey to spurious and misleading content.
You are looking at general results for your specific condition
The content posted on the internet caters to the masses, which is why when you are googling your symptoms, you are rather trying to attribute your specific problem to a universe of general information. Google may show that the headache you have could be because you are suffering from a migraine, brain tumor, high blood pressure, or stroke - all at the same time!
It can make you anxious or induce panic attacks
When you google your symptoms, it is very easy to fall into a rabbit hole of unqualified opinions, unsolicited exaggerations, and scaremonger advice. This can make you worry about a potential threat (which you believe is true), leading you to anxiety or a panic attack. And once you are into an episode of these mental health conditions, you tarnish your well-being exponentially.
Doctors spend years in medical college for a reason
Medicine requires years of education, hard work, and research. And the people who have studied it are qualified professionals who know their job well. They can diagnose you better than an online pop-up quiz or forum filled with bogus information. So the next time you pick up your phone when unwell, use it to book an appointment instead of googling your symptoms.
