Should You Stop Yourself From Googling Your Symptoms or Borrowing a Pinterest Workout Regiment?
Health information is easier to find than ever. With a click, you can read about everything from specialized diet regiments to in-depth reports on new virus strains. More and more, we turn to the Internet to tell us about why we might have a sore throat or what types of stretches to do for our sprained ankle. Want to lose five pounds? Most of us Google diet tips. According to The Pew Research Center, about 35% of American’s have gone online recently to diagnose themselves or someone else, and the numbers are likely only increasing.
The problem, according to recent research, is that the health field – like most science fields – is full of popular beliefs and full-on myths that aren’t actually supported by any sound evidence. Google the Paleo diet and you are guaranteed to find someone who says that it is the healthiest, best way to eat. You are also guaranteed to find someone who will say it is a ridiculously strict eating habit that leaves out essential nutrients. What’s the real deal and how do you decide which story you buy?
According to a 2000 study that looked at how people read information online, the more we consume media, the more we tend to trust the information that we find online. In other words, young people who have grown up around the Internet have a higher media literacy and are more likely to take sources and articles about health on the web as fact.
Many young people turn to blogs and social media to find their health information. There are literally millions of blogs, and many of them center around health topics. It is easier than ever to turn to a blog or social media site to find diet, nutrition, wellness, or illness information.
The problem is that the Pinterest workout that suggests 1000 squats and lunges alongside a picture of an incredibly toned and thin model may not actually be your best source for health information. Neither is Google-ing your headache and ending up on a Yahoo discussion board that suggests your headache is stemming from a chronic, fatal disease.
According to Women’s Health magazine, often when we search the web for details on our symptoms we end up with a sort of “Internet-enabled hypochondria,” convinced our symptoms indicate a much more serious illness than we could have ever imagined. The type of anxiety Google-ing your symptoms can produce is simply not in your best interests.
Of course, you don’t need to stop getting health information online altogether. There is a huge benefit to the abundance of health facts and tips that exist at the tip of your fingers. If you read critically and choose your sources wisely, it is now quick and easier than ever to access tons of very useful tips, habits, and in-depth health reports.
The trick is to be smart about what you buy in to. Make sure you distinguish between what you’re reading about health that is simply someone else’s opinion and what can be considered based in scientific research. There’s nothing wrong with reading another woman’s health blog or Pinning nutrition tips, but you should not depend on that health information to be 100% factual.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there are some simple ways to check if the source you are using for your health tips is reputable. Be cautious of claims that there is any one remedy or cure to anything health related, and keep in mind who the author is of any given site or health article. You should know where the information is coming from. Also, check and re-check the health advice you’re reading if you are really considering a diet or exercise lifestyle change, or are becoming increasingly anxious about your flu-symptoms.
The web can be a great place to turn to learn about health, nutrition, diet, and exercise and it is likely that as the Internet only continues to grow, that we will use it for these purposes more and more. The key is to read with a grain of salt and choose carefully whose advice you really want to take.