The document discusses the dangers of self-diagnosing medical conditions using the internet without consulting a doctor first. It notes that almost 50% of people turn to the internet when experiencing health issues. However, googling symptoms can lead people to incorrectly diagnose themselves with serious conditions, cause unnecessary anxiety, and lead them to improperly treat themselves with over-the-counter or prescription medications. While internet searches can help educate people about health topics, it is best to see a medical professional for diagnosis and treatment, as doctors are able to properly examine patients and order any necessary tests. Self-diagnosis and improper use of medications can worsen people's conditions and potentially cause addiction or toxic effects on organs.

1. IMAGEShutterstockSOURCESwww.google.com/trends;www.pew.com
says. “I was terrified.” Instead of going to a doctor straight
away, Nomaswazi treated herself with over-the-counter
medications.
Dr Nthabiseng Makgana says that patients who google
their symptoms always think they have a terminal disease.
“The problem with googling symptoms before consulting a
professional is that it leaves you feeling anxious and confused
about your ailments,” says Makgana.
Once you have misdiagnosed yourself, you’ll often try to
treat yourself with over-the-counter medication. Albert says
“this could worsen the short- and long-term outcomes. Often
a longer course of untreated symptoms leads to a poorer
outcome in the future.”
Makgana explains that patients who come to consult after
googling symptoms are the most difficult to treat. “They will
sometimes say: ‘I have swollen feet and, therefore, I have a
heart problem.’ They will press you to check their heart when
it could be something else causing their ailments. It can be
difficult to change their minds,” she says.
Albert emphasises that Google falls short in many ways
comparedtoaconsultationwithaqualifieddoctor.Thesearch
engine cannot thoroughly review a patient’s medical history,
examine a patient, or decide when further tests are required.
“Youaresettingyourselfupforincorrectdiagnosis,insecurity,
misinterpretation and anxiety,” she says.
“ALMOST 50%
OF PEOPLETURNTO
THE INTERNET
WHENTHEY HAVE
HEALTH OR MEDICAL
PROBLEMS.”
On the Health24 website, an anonymous user expressed
herobsessivefearoflungcancer.Shewrote:“Mylungshaven’t
been working 100% since I had pneumonia, and every time I
cough or wheeze, I’m absolutely convinced that it’s the start of
emphysema [a lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe].
All I have in my mind is that a horrible death is waiting for me.
This sends me into a full-blown panic attack. I think about
death daily unless I take Zopax [an anti-anxiety medication].
“I had an X-ray that showed my lungs are clear, but I have
allergies, which cause postnasal drip and a cough despite
beingonseveralmedicinesforthat.Iknow,rationally,thatthe
chances that there is anything seriously wrong with me are
slim, but during one of these episodes, I just can’t talk myself
out of the fear that I’m dying.”
Albert says there is a rise in anxiety around misidentified
symptoms and diagnosis, causing people to become
hypochondriacs who are exceedingly anxious about
their health and are convinced that they suffer from a
variety of ailments they don’t really have. “One may be
googling symptoms of the common cold and land up with
a self-diagnosis of enlarged lymph nodes because of a fatal
malignancy [cancer],” she says. This can lead to
a spiral of worry.
Albert adds: “This may prove to be more
expensive in the long run, because once a
person is anxious and goes to a doctor, they
will need increased consultations and, possibly,
unnecessary investigations to be reassured that
nothing serious is wrong.”
Although we take over-the-counter
medication for “minor” ailments, it’s important
to remember that it’s still medication. If taken
for the wrong symptoms or mixed with alcohol
or other medications, it could worsen your
condition or create new problems. Doctors
warn that if you self-diagnose, you end up
treating the obvious symptoms and not the
underlying causes.
This is what happened to Nomaswazi, who
was convinced her stomach pain was caused by
ulcers, and tried to treat herself with antacids
before seeing a doctor. “I actually had a certain
bacteria in my stomach and I needed antibiotics.
So no amount of antacids was going to help me.
And had I not gone to the doctor, the bacteria
would have eventually caused ulcers,” she says.
It’s not just over-the-counter medication that
people are using to treat themselves, explains
Makgana. “Unfortunately, local pharmacies
sometimes want quick cash and sell medication
illegally. Patients manage to get antibiotics over
the counter, and because of that some people are
now resistant to antibiotics, so doctors have to
give them stronger medication to treat them.”
Another problem with becoming tolerant to
medication is that it can contribute to addiction.
Makgana says people can become addicted to
cough syrup and over-the-counter painkillers. “If
you give someone Panado when they are already
addicted to a stronger painkiller – for example
somethingwithcodeine[astrongpaindrug]–the
Panadowon’tworkforthem,”shesays.
Albert agrees that over-the-counter
medications are not to be underestimated:
“Theyhavemanydifferentingredientsandcould
possibly lead to chronic liver or kidney failure.”
She says addiction of any nature is a downward
spiral that is difficult to control. “In time,
increased amounts are often needed, even when
they have negative consequences,” she says.
But turning to the internet for medical advice
is not always a bad thing, as Makgana explains.
“Some professional sites such as Mayoclinic.
org can actually help people,” she says. Not all
medical sites are to be trusted, though. “Consult
a doctor if you’re not feeling well, and only
googlehealthissuesifyoudon’tunderstandyour
medication or a term a doctor mentioned during
a consultation,” she advises. ■
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