60 Percent Look for Medical Advice on the Internet, Survey Says

When you're sick or don't feel good, what do you do? Do you call your doctor for advice? Do you call a nurse line? If you're like a growing number of people in America, you turn to the Internet and get your information there. In a press release, a survey shows that more people are getting their medical advice from the web. People are following that advice even when they don't believe it.

Thousands of people get medical advice from complete strangers
After surveying more than 1,000 people nationwide, Opinion Research Corporation discovered some alarming trends. Every day, more and more Americans are turning to the Internet to seek medical advice.

They discovered that over 60 percent of the people that were polled admitted that they searched for medical information online.

Digging deeper into their statistics:
60 percent of people looked for some type of medical information
54 percent of people followed the advice they found, whether they believed it or not
49 percent of people specifically looked for a health condition or nutritional advice
37 percent of people did not believe the medical information they found

Who do you trust?
Just how trustworthy is that medical advice you're getting? There are many quality, reputable sites online that can and do provide a wealth of information for everyone and anyone who wants to read it.

There are probably many more that spout utter rubbish! Be careful and don't trust something simply because you "found it online."

Be skeptical
When you find information online, whether it's medical information or something else, it can pay to be skeptical!

The best advice is to always check with your own doctor or a trained medical specialist before you do something because you read it online. As it stands now, anyone can say anything online, true or not. Skepticism may be your friend!

The American American Dietetic Association released an official statement regarding the proliferation of medical information online. They said, "popularization of electronic interaction has resulted in rapid and widespread dissemination of misinformation and 'urban health myths... It is the position of the ADA that food and nutrition misinformation can have harmful effects on the health, well-being, and economic status of consumers... Several health organizations are addressing the proliferation of misinformation on the Internet. It is critical, therefore, that dietetics professionals be skeptical of information on the Internet, and that they are especially careful to provide accurate, research-supported evidence when contributing to these venues."

Source:
American American Dietetic Association http://www.newswise.com/