Great quote about internet health research

[cpe1978]

Was in a meeting with quite a senior clinician recently and he said something that i thought would make you all smile:

'One can no more access clean and clear health information on the internet than you can get clean and clear water by digging a hole in the ground'.

[HoneyLove]

Love that cpe!!

[GingerFish]

Love the quote! I need to remember that when I go to Google my symptoms. This week according to Google I have lymphoma, last week it was throat cancer and I dread to think what it'll be next week! Its a hard habit to break when we have Google right at our finger tips but honestly, it does no good for us, physically or mentally.

[TheHusband]

That is a good quote.

I have also been pondering how to explain why it is that Googling leads to the wrong sort of medical information. I work in IT, at a technical level, and understand the aspects of how Google ranks results and uses keyword combinations to present you with a list of links. Now I've pondered it, it seems obvious to me why internet searches lead to misery for anxiety sufferers.

I wonder if I could come up with a good analogy/example to help others understand the technical reasons behind it. But...there's no point really, is there, because the people suffering are sadly stuck in a habit and won't be able to stop just because they are better informed. When the worry strikes, they will be just as desperate for information. I assume there is a different technique required for overcoming this? Has anyone been able to 'give up' Googling their symptoms?

[anthrokid]

Haha :) A quote everyone here should live by!