It’s nearly spring! After a winter that kind of seemed to last forever, it’s getting light again and the although the temperature feels like we’re about to enter another ice age, it will surely rise a little higher in the coming weeks. And the clocks change soon too, adding a whole extra hour of light in the evenings for doing whatever you enjoy most – be it cycling, jogging, gardening or just generally relaxing.
And one thing many of us do of an evening is go online. We go online for entertainment – catching up on any favourite television shows we may have missed, or maybe to read about the latest big events in the news – or to research stuff we’re interested in.
An increasingly common use of the internet is to look up symptoms – for instance if I’m ill or a loved on is unwell, I’ll go online and see what I can find out. Obviously I’m very aware of the fact that medical stuff on the net is provided for information purposes only. And of course that the only way to obtain a diagnosis is to consult a doctor.
But it seems not everyone’s so keen to leave the safety of the keyboard and computer screen to venture into the doctor’s surgery: a recent survey has found that more than half of people go online for health tips rather then speak to their doctor.
This story was reported in one of the biggest selling daily newspapers, although it’s not entirely clear how the different health queries people had were evaluated. For instance, if I have, say, a particularly heavy cough, then I may well look at a reputable website for health information e.g. from a private health care insurance provider or NHS direct. But I’d also see a health professional. Whereas if I was looking for information on the health benefits of blueberries, legumes or whole wheat grains, I’d likely just check out the internet.
More on the story here…
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