Too much health information is bad for your health

A new study by the University of the Sunshine Coast claims that up to 30 per cent of people are affected by cyberchondria in some way. Cyberchondria is affecting thousands of people who believe they suffer ailments after reading about them on the Internet.

They are saying that "a little information can be a dangerous thing. There is increasing dissatisfaction with the service GPs provide and we are increasingly self-diagnosing. People take in printouts from the Internet with highlighted passages. They are basically arguing with their doctors and telling them their job. It's also happening at veterinary surgeries. Patients will even cite fiction shows like ER."

Well, does it mean, we shouldn't check in online forums for advice? In reputable health pages about symptoms? Not challenging the doctor and probing for more information? Not showing that we somewhat have a feeling of what could be wrong with us?

It is a challenging time for doctors - they are challenged by patients who ask questions. Medicine is a field that develops fast - as such, it is difficult for them to stay in touch with the very last developments. But I believe it is the right of patients to start a conversation with doctors while doctors need to learn not only to advice but to listen and converse.

(By Asia Business Consulting)