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Jackie Pham
Instructor: Malcolm Campbell
English 1102
March 24, 2014
1000 Ways to Die: Self-Diagnosing at Home
Toa!, there are appro"imatel! 2,40#,#10,$%& Internet users in the 'orl, accoring to an
in(ographic create b! )ator Crossing* +ith this man! users, in(ormation about meicine an
treatments appeare rapil! online* Popular 'ebsites such as +ebM,, Meicine-et, an
.ealthline starte to pro/ie Internet users 'ith a s!mptom checker, 'here the! 'oul match
their s!mptoms to certain illnesses an sho' treatments* 0n astonishing 1%22 o( Internet users
sa! the! looke online (or health in(ormation 'ithin the last !ear3 4Pe' 5esearch Center, 201$6*
+h! o so man! people look up health in(ormation online !ou ma! ask7 +ell, the ans'er is
8uite simple, to sa/e mone!, look (or alternati/e treatments, an to seek a/ise (rom others 'ho
ha/e gone through the illness themsel/es* -o' a a!, a /isit to the octor9s o((ice is /er! costl!
an a trip to the emergenc! room coul cost !ou roughl! 1:1#,000 (or a single o/ernight sta!3
4;a'!ers, 26* +ith our econom! slo'l! eclining people ha/e no choice but to start sel(<
iagnosing online* =ut ho' e"actl! sa(e is it7 ,r*Michael >mith, a meical eitor at +ebM,,
sa!s, 1'ith a click o( a mouse !ou might en up 'ith a misiagnosis or orer angerous
meications3 4+asserman, 16*
E/er since I 'as !oung m! parents 'oul o(ten re(er to their (riens or relati/es on ho'
to treat certain iseases or illnesses* +e ne/er actuall! searche (or health in(ormation online,
ho'e/er the relati/es that 'e 'ere asking 'ere getting this in(ormation online* ;ike I state
be(ore, m! aunt tol me that she use the s!mptom checker on +ebM,* .o' this s!mptom
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checker 'orks, is that !ou ans'er a set o( 8uestions pertaining to !our illness* 0(ter !ou ha/e
ans'ere the 8uestions, it 'ill gi/e !ou a list o( possible illnesses in orer o( most likel! ha/ing
to least likel! ha/ing* I (oun this /er! interesting because 'hat i( patients choose the 'rong
illness an purchase 'rong meications7 This coul lea to serious health issues an possibl!
e/en eath epening on osage recei/e o( the 'rong meication* I began e"ploring this issue
b! asking m! mom i( she ha e/er consiere looking up meical in(ormation online ?ust to
a/oi that hea/! clinic bill* To m! surprise, she respone 'ith an immeiate, 1-@3* >he
belie/e that the bene(its i not out'eigh the cost because 'rong(ull! iagnosing an
purchasing meications coul lea to serious harm as mentione earlier* 0s I 'as looking (or
articles about sel(<iagnosing I came across a post about a man name ,enAil >earle, on
telegraph*co*uk* ,enAil 'as e"periencing (lu like s!mptoms an began to sel(<iagnosing
himsel( base on these s!mptoms 'ith the s!mptom checker on +ebM,* 0(ter the results, he
belie/e that he 'as su((ering (rom the (lu* Brom there Mr*>earle starte to bu! meications (or
the (lu an starte to notice that these meications 'ere not helping, rather a! b! a! he 'as
(eeling more ill* It turns out that Mr*>earle ha 'rongl! iagnose himsel( an he 'as actuall!
su((ering (rom a isease kno'n as ;!me isease, 'hich is cause (rom a tick bite* .a he not
gone to the octor in time, he coul ha/e been seriousl! in?ure an possible ea* This comes to
sho', ho' potentiall! lethal sel(<iagnosing can be*
.o'e/er, 'rong(ull! iagnosing is not al'a!s the (ault o( the Internet users* 0s state
be(ore there are tons o( Internet users online an more then hal( use the Internet (or meical
in(ormation, 'ith this comes the nee (or 'ebsites 'ith meical in(ormation* +ith this nee (or
more 'ebsites, come a possibilit! o( scams an un<creible sites that ?ust post up in(ormation to
get /ie's an recei/e mone!* -ot onl! are there sites 'ith (alse meical in(ormation but more
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angerousl! there our sites that sell unreliable meications* 0ccoring to The =etter .ealth
Channel, 10 huge range o( health an meical proucts are sol online* It is /er! i((icult to
?uge a goo 8ualit! prouct (rom a poor one o/er the Internet3* +ith this being sai, I belie/e
meications shoul not be orere online at all* -ot onl! is the meications mischie/ous but it
ma! also ha/e unkno'n sie e((ects an coul cause !ou more harm an mone! then i( !ou ?ust
'ent out to !our local pharmac! an purchase the meication* 0nother scar! thing about un<
truste an truste meical 'ebsites is that 'ith e/er! s!mptom the! o not onl! list one speci(ic
illness* It 'oul be almost impossible (or them to narro' o'n all the illnesses in the 'orl ?ust
to (it !our s!mptoms* +ith that being sai, 'hen the! pro/ie !ou 'ith a list o( s!mptoms, !ou
ma! see a illness that e"tremel! (rightens !ou an brings !ou to a state o( min 'here !ou
constantl! (ear that ma! ha/e that eal! illness* Ju! >egal, a pro(essor o( English at the
Cni/ersit! o( =ritish Columbia, sa!s 1'hen there9s so much in(ormation out there, it9s eas! to
(ocus on 'hat coul be possible, e/en i( the chances are /er! slim3 4Murph!,16* This (ear o(
'rong(ul Internet >el(<,iagnosis is kno'n as 1C!berchonria3* The Internet can be a /er!
help(ul but scar! place at the same time, people 'ith no meical backgroun can not be certain
o( 'hat the! ha/e so the! ten to belie/e e/er!thing 'hich coul cause them to become more ill*
+hile some sa! sel(<iagnosing is angerous, people 'ho ha/e been sel(<iagnosing
themsel/es (or !ears claim (or it to be /er! help(ul an e((icient* 0s mention be(ore, health bills
can accumulate 8uickl! i( !ou are not 'ise 'ith !our ail! li(e choices* 0 simple (e/er an a
/isit to the octors coul easil! cost !ou aroun :#00, as I ha/e e"perience be(ore* That is a
he(t! amount (or a small (e/er but 'as it 'orth it7 +ell, the %22 o( Internet users 'ho ha/e
been looking up meical in(ormation (or !ears no' o not belie/e so* The! claim that looking
up in(ormation online not onl! is cost e((icient but also better in(orms the! about health issues
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(or (uture re(erences, allo' them to seek help (or others 'ho ha/e su((ere (rom the same
isease, an search (or alternati/e treatments* 0s I 'as skimming the through research articles
online, a post online (rom telegraph*co*uk, sho's that i( !ou can (in the 'ebsites 'ith the right
creentials !ou coul actuall! sel(<iagnosis 'ith a higher sa(et! right an sa/e more mone! at
the same time* The three tips that 'ere gi/en to (in sa(e 'ebsites 'ere, 1/eri(! the site9s
sponsor, check creentials, an use truste sources3 4+asserman, 16* I( all three o( these are
meet then (ining alternati/e meications shoul not be a problem* Internet users looking up
health in(ormation online also ma! ?ust 1seek support (rom other internet users 'ho ha/e the
same kin o( meical isease or illness* 4/ia 1chat rooms3, online iscussion (orums an blogs63
4=etter .ealth Channel, 16* 0s I 'as searching (or iscussion groups, I came across a group that
'as (or patients 'ith cancer* This iscussion group 'as (ille 'ith patients that ha/e sur/i/e
(rom cancer anDor still su((ering (rom cancer* The post9s 'ere mainl! (or inspiration an some
e/en inclue changes in ail! li(e habits that helpe them become better* 0nother post, e/en
sho'e treatment options an cost o( the treatment* )roups an posts like these allo' people to
e"plore their options 'ith treatments an make more in(orme health choices*
,espite, the small in(ormation the! are recei/ing (rom groups an online 'ebsites*
;ooking up in(ormation online ?ust is not 'orth the risk* 0lthough little eaths are associate
'ith sel(<iagnosis online, this oes not mean patients 'ere not harme (rom it* There is a
reason octors ha/e to go through tough schooling to help patients relie/e (rom their pain an go
back to normal health* I( it 'ere so simple as to ?ust go online an bu! meicine (rom a store,
there 'oul be no nee (or octors* 0(ter talking to m! octor recentl!, Mr*Mark 5e!nols at
=allant!ne Peiatrics, he also amits that sometimes he gets anno!e 'hen patients come in
thinking the! kno' e/er!thing 'hen reall! the! kno' little to nothing an the! are
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o/ersimpli(!ing the illness* In regars to the cost, ho' much is !our li(e 'orth7 Is it 'orth
putting !oursel( into a eeper hole an stacking more meicals on meical bills then to ?ust go to
a octor once an get the proper meication7 In some cases, meical in(ormation online can be
help(ul but in most cases* I belie/e that it shoul be a/oie as much as possible* The risk
completel! out'eighs the bene(its* The ecision o( looking up meical in(ormation an sel(<
iagnosing oes not ?ust impact the patient, but it impacts the patient9s (amil!, octor, an
(riens* ;osing someone o/er a simple mistake 'oul be e/astating*
@/erall, I belie/e that attempting to sel(<iagnosis shoul be a/oie as much as
possible* +hen !ou sel(<iagnosis !oursel( !ou are ?ust tr!ing to (in the easiest 'a! out or !our
ro'ning !oursel( in (ear b! thinking to much o( !our illness* =eing constantl! ro'ne in (ear
o/er a internet iagnosis is kno'n as C!berchonriacs, as state be(ore* The best option is to
al'a!s see !our (amil! octor an on9t be a(rai to ask the octor (or alternati/e meicine
choices* Most octors pro/ie patients 'ith an o/er the counter rug choice so that the! can sa/e
mone!* >ome octors e/en pro/ie patients 'ith sample meications that the! can use (or a
certain amount o( time* Toa! 'ith our current uni/ersal health care plan, octor bills an
hospital bills shoul cut o'n a lot an allo' more people to see the octor an not 'rong(ull!
sel(<iagnosis* +ith cost mo/ing out o( the 'a!, I no longer see a /ali reason (or people to
continuing to sel(<iagnosis themsel/es at home* The onl! plausible reason to look up meical
in(ormation is (or emotional support* +hile there are plent! o( great sites to look up meical
in(ormation out there, the! are not /isuall! seeing 'hat conition !ou are in an escribing it can
not merel! be enough to properl! iagnosis !our conition* ,octors go through rigorous training
an schooling to be able to iagnosis !our s!mptoms an properl! prescribe !our meication*
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Works Cited
1* EEmergenc! 5oom Cost @/ercharges*E Emergency Room Cost* -*p*, n** +eb* 2$ Mar*
2014*
2* E+ebM, >!mptom Checker*E Symptom Checker from WebMD. Check Your Medical
Symptoms. -*p*, n** +eb* 20 Mar* 2014*
$* Murph!, >amantha* EInternet Buels =a >el(<,iagnoses an FC!berchonriaFE
LieScience* TechMeia -et'ork, $1 0ug* 2010* +eb* 20 Mar* 2014*
4* E.ealth Bact >heet*E !e" Research Centers #nternet $merican Life !ro%ect RSS* -*p*,
n** +eb* 24 Mar* 2014*
#* E.o' to Bin >a(e Meical 0/ice @nline*E &o" to 'ind Safe Medical $dice (nline*
GHHI<TI -e's Channel 2#, n** +eb* 21 Mar* 2014*
&* E.ealth In(ormation an .ealth Proucts @nline*E )etter &ealth Channel* -*p*, n**
+eb* 1J Mar* 2014*