Doctor’s Day is on July 1
Doctor Google has the answer to everything. It will help you differentiate between a headache and a migraine, or a pimple and a pustule. Well-intentioned yes, but the all-knowing doctor is often known to jump the gun, especially when it tells your stomach ache is a sign of a burst appendix, or worse, your mole is actually melanoma!
The internet is crawling with websites, some good and some not so good, ready to dole out half-baked information when you google for symptoms. There is a term for it and it’s called Google hypochondria. Apart from giving you a massive heart attack (not the literal one), Dr Google is also responsible for causing a misdiagnosis hysteria. More and more people have been turning up at the doctor’s office with self diagnosed illnesses, convinced that they are suffering from life-threatening ailments. Even in the face of sane medical advice from qualified doctors, Google hypochondriacs are convinced they are dying!
What’s worse than self-diagnosis? Self medication. People have also been medicating themselves based on Dr Google’s prescription. Some of the biggest challenges in the medical world, drug resistance and superbugs are all because of people self medicating.
Dr Google may be all-knowing, but it sure can’t beat our doctors when it comes to making a spot-on diagnosis. We pitted Doctor Google against our Friendly Neighbourhood Doctor. Needless to say, the best doctor won! Watch the video now!
Published: July 1, 2018 2:39 pm | Updated:July 1, 2018 5:59 pm