Why you should stay away from self diagnoses.
Lots of little boys and girls want to grow up to become doctors. In fact, if you ask a classroom of kids what they want to be when they grow up, you’ll almost always hear at least one “a doctor!” in the mix. If one in twenty kids wants to be a doctor, why aren’t one in twenty adults working in the medical profession?
If you’ve ever watched a friend work their way through medical school, you know the answer. Years and years of intensive schooling stand between any individual and the title of MD.
An interesting phenomenon has recently arisen, though. People whose last exposure to medical science was in high school biology are suddenly certain they know the answers to all of their medical problems. As in so many other recent happenings, we have the internet to thank.
Wrong or right, the world wide web grants us access to a huge amount of information. Very few people would say that this hasn’t been to our benefit. We do start to see issues with it, however, when people take the information to heart without knowing how to properly process it.
Without medical training, you can’t be faulted for not being able to fact check what you find when you google your or your child’s illnesses and injuries. You’re a responsible parent, and you want to know what you’re up against. As well you should! Be careful, though, that you take whatever you read on the internet with a grain of salt.
If you have a medical concern, search engines are not replacements for doctors. Talk to a medical professional to ensure you’re getting the right information, and the right diagnoses.
When you have medical questions, go straight to those who can get you the information you need – our team here at the Pediatric Surgical Associates of Orange County. Contact us for all your pediatric surgical needs. Our pediatric surgeons in Orange County are experts at protecting your kids’ health and wellness!