Cyber-chondriac May 7, 2009

Are you a cyberchondriac?  Do you even know what this means?  Well, if you’re a hypochondriac [a person who worries or talks excessively about his/her health] then you might have an inkling of what I’m talking about.  There is a new craze sweeping the web-nation.  If a sniffle or achy joint send you directly to the internet to assess your symptoms, you might be a cyberchondriac.  I’ve been known to fall prey to the temptation of the internet.  They make it easy for you to self diagnose. You simply check off the symptoms you are feeling and then it “spits” out all the possible diseases with the corresponding symptoms.  A case of eczema can send you into complete panic when you find out it could be anything from a fungus to a full-blown shingles outbreak.  Bouts of constipation mixed with abdominal distention can be signs that you need more fiber or are having congestive heart failure.  So if you are the kind of person that worries too much or tend to obsess over medical conditions–my prescription for you is to stay away from all online symptom checkers, take a “chill” pill and call a doctor for a more accurate assessment.