This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

DIY Doctor: How To Use Medical Info On The Web

The web has brought a wealth of health information to the average consumer but make sure the advice you are getting is good medicine.

Many of the most popular websites are about health. Symptom checkers, drug information, doctor searches, insurance advice and support groups on the Internet have empowered patients to become more educated about the their health and their loved ones.  Add in pregnancy and child rearing websites and it is hard to imagine a time when health information was only available in books or from a doctor.
What's the best way to soothe a sore throat?  Should I talk to a doctor about this mole?  What does Stage 2 cancer mean?  The standard procedure now is to search online for answers instead of first calling your primary care doctor.


Of course, not everything on the web is correct information. Patients shouldn’t substitute the advice of a doctor with the advice from the multitude of health websites.


With some guidelines you can avoid the pitfalls and get information that can ease your mind or educate you on your options so that you can feel more comfortable discussing the matter with professionals.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health's consumer health site MedlinePlus has a great guide on how to use the web to find good health information. The site also has an online tutorial.  They don't give specific links, but their own site has many resources.

Find out what's happening in Lake Ridge-Occoquanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


The Mayo Clinic has quick health answers and more in depth articles.  WebMD is one of the most popular ad-supported sites with an editorial team that includes medical doctors.


If you have been diagnosed with a serious or chronic condition, ask your doctor to recommend some resources.  There may be a national association such as the American Heart Association or The Lupus Foundation, or your doctor may recommend a specialty hospital or an organization that provides the information you need.

Find out what's happening in Lake Ridge-Occoquanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


What you don't want to do is to search the web for information on how to self-treat something that should be left to medical professionals.  One extreme example of what not to do is highlighted in a story of the gentleman who tried to operate on his own hernia with a butterknife.  You also shouldn’t do your own plastic surgery.  Your health is priceless and saving the cost of medical care is not worth the potential harm or even death.   And while those cases seem extreme, I'm sure thousands of people have tried DIY weight loss drinks or other questionable remedies that they read about on the web.  

Remember “patient beware” is just as important as “caveat emptor.” If a miracle cure exists, your doctor or other medical professionals would know it, not the subject of a banner ad on a gossip site.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Lake Ridge-Occoquan