Before the world wide web was invented, if you were concerned that you or a loved one was poorly, you needed to ask friends or family for advice and of course your GP if you were still not satisfied. I remember growing up that my Mum kept a kind of medical encyclopaedia, and whenever my brother or I felt unwell, my Mum always turned to that book. It was full of medical conditions, their names and explanations along with symptoms and this became her medical bible for her family’s health and well being while we lived at home. If she found anything she was worried about, a visit was arranged to see our doctor.
Nowadays, everything you need to know about medical conditions can be found at the touch of your finger tips on a keypad. Ever since I became a parent I have googled lots of medical queries, and found some helpful and some not such helpful advice. I am sure if you google too much you could make a scary diagnosis, because unless you find a reliable and trust worthy source, you are just reading an opinion and not necessarily medical facts. So what could be a simple cold, could turn out to be some, kind of foreign disease if you investigate too much on the internet lol!
Of course it is not just investigating the ailments of my family and I (and even my pets!) that can make me search online for medical advice. I often look at what, if any, precautions I need to take if I am going on holiday. Next week my family and I are off to Sweden for a short break, and I did not need to look on the internet to check that, because it is only in Europe and not dangerous to visit for our health. However, a few years ago when I visited Kenya for a friends wedding I did a LOT of searching online because there was a lot I did not know about the country, its food, its people and, more importantly, what injections I needed and how I could get hold of malaria tablets , and to find out more about taking them. I found that the Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor was really helpful and it is a name I trust and know of, and therefore, that the information they feature on their website is true and reliable.
In fact Lloyds Pharmacy have launched a new campaign: #SearchingYourSymptons , which is all about how we investigate our health worries and concerns online, hoping to find an answer – maybe even a cure to whatever ailment we are worried about. I bet we have all searched our symptoms online from time to time, I know that I probably do it at least once a month for either myself or a family member. I have found my experiences to mostly be reassuring thankfully, but if I was still unsure or concerned I would of course speak to a medical professional.