The Google School of Medicine

I am a proud graduate of GSM. I worked hard and now every time I get sick, I use my vast knowledge of medicine to diagnose my illness. It's simple. All I do is type in one symptom into Google search, and just like that, I have diagnosed myself.

A few days ago, I had a bad headache, so I typed in headache and viola, I have a tumor. Wait...I have a sinus infection. No, it's an ear problem. Hmmm...

The tendency to self-diagnose myself is so great and the chance that I'm way off is even greater. I know GMS is a tier-three school, but I thought that they would at least be able to see me through a headache.

I wonder how common this is though. I bet millions and millions of people are doing this and, while they may not be directly physically hurting themselves, they are doing some serious damage to their psyche. I went to the doctor and found out all I needed was a sinus decongestant. However, my headache was so strong and lasted for so many days that I thought I had a real problem because of my unqualified medical Internet search.

I understand that people will do this no matter what and since there is limited time that we get when we actually do see the doctor, being prepared does not hurt, but there is a difference between self-diagnoses and preparation. It could also be helpful to search AFTER the appointment and AFTER you have the facts.

I'm not too sure why I thought about this, but I assume many of you have done the same thing many times. Be careful, I guess...