The Internet is an excellent place to look up geography or international news, purchase airline tickets, and find your aunt on Facebook, but it isn’t the place you should go to receive detailed medical advice. You are a unique person and you deserve a comprehensive and individualized approach to your health and well-being. Please read on to learn some of the real dangers of relying on Google and other search engines for medical advice.
Technology and healthcare do coincide. There have been wonderful advances in medical technology that help us detect imbalances and dis-ease states much earlier. However, making Google your go-to for medical advice can be dangerous.
I’ve seen misinformed patients suffer unnecessarily because they misdiagnosed themselves or took the wrong supplement in the wrong dosage. I know it can be frustrating to struggle with symptoms, not feeling well, and lack the proper support. It’s unfortunate that our current Western medical system aka “sick-care” model of heath is so ill-suited to support most people who are exhausted and have mysterious symptoms that come and go. They simply don’t have the training, time, or financial incentives to pay attention, identify and address the root causes of the diseases and imbalances causing the symptoms.
I appreciate your commitment to feeling better and believe you deserve more than “Google” has to offer – here are a few of the top dangers of using the Internet for medical advice:
Danger #1: Google Has Little to No Medical Training
Anyone can claim or say anything on the Internet. They don’t have to have any education, experience, scientific knowledge, or credentials to claim whatever they want. After 20 years of practice, I’ve seen and heard a lot from my patients. And it can be difficult to vet article on “research” that may be funded by big pharma, people sharing anecdotal experiences, or scum bags stealing your money and trust only to waste it and even cause you harm. The internet is valuable, but you must use it properly. Trying to get personalized and detailed medical advice is not its purpose.
Danger #2: You are Unique
Your biochemistry, neurochemistry, genetics, and emotional triggers are unique to you. What may work for some, likely won’t work for you. We’ve been trained by the media and Western medical model to desire a cookie-cutter approach to health, but it’s horribly deficient. If you just want to mask symptoms and compile one health issue onto another, then the internet may be a place to find a quick fix that likely won’t last. But for an individualized approach to healing the root of your energy and health challenges, you deserve better.
Next week I will focus on three additional reasons not to allow the Internet to be your “trusted advisor.”
Blessings of Vibrant Health,
Kristin Grayce McGary