I spend a lot of time online. Since I started this blog, and began focusing on my health issues, I’ve been spending even more time surfing the health-related sites out there. Turns out someone coined a word for it; I’m a cyberchondriac! But maybe not. This Globe and Mail article of a few days ago, discusses the difference between the cyberchondriac and ….um…normal people.

The key? Don’t believe everything you read.

Search only the established, well-known and reliable sites: WebMd, Mayo Clinic.com, and the Canadian Health Network. I’m going to add to that list: AHHA, Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors, MedHelp, Drugs.com, RxList.com.

If a site is hawking some product, view its contents with a jaundiced eye. Anyone who has a monetary interest in your having a particular illness is suspect. There are millions of them out there. Any Google search of a a keyword will net you as many as you can read. I suggest you browse your search results carefully and only read the entries from reputable sites you know you can trust. That way, you won’t become a cyberchondriac and if you take the information to your doctor, he/she won’t think you’ve lost your mind.