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September 2015 Health
1. A survey by Pew Research Center in the United States found
thatalmost50%ofpeopleturntotheinternetwhentheyhave
health or medical problems. And of those, 41% look online
for medical treatment. About 33% of us search for over-the-
counter medicine. According to Google Trends, South Africa
has the seventh-highest number of health-related searches.
Turning to the internet makes sense. Seeing a doctor is time
consuming and costly, while a consultation with Dr Google
is as easy as one, two, three for anyone with internet access.
It’s also free. Psychiatrist Dr Lisa Albert explains that we have
grown accustomed to getting things when we want them. “We
live in a world of instant gratification, and this has spilled over
into the need for rapid diagnosis and treatment. At the touch
of a button, we are faced with a multitude of diagnoses based
on a cluster of symptoms,” she says.
But this convenience comes at a price, as Nomaswazi,
29, discovered. After suffering excruciating abdominal
pain for three days, she turned to Google for answers. “I
typed in ‘abdominal pain’ and the results were astonishing.
They included gastritis, stomach ulcers and cancer,” she
DRGOOGLEMore of us are DIAGNOSING ILLNESSES ONLINE and medicating
ourselves.It’s easy,but what are the RISKS?
ByPercyMatshoba
76| SEPTEMBER 2015 | WWW.TRUELOVE.CO.ZA