Let me Google that For You: Top 3 Ways to Find Reliable Medical Information by Sophia Sasson

Image result for medical mysteryDoctors hate google. It used to be that our diagnoses were a medical mystery. Now, with information at our fingertips, we show up to our appointments with a list of potential diagnoses. It’s not just doctor that hate google. Grandma does too. Her coveted pie recipe that was handed down through generations of butt kissing can now be found with the click of a mouse. But while recipes come with reviews to give you some indication of their worthiness, medical information does not. So how do you know that wart is really just a wart and not a metastatic cancer?   

As a former paramedic, and a current scientist, I have trouble weeding through the information dump that comes from a google search.  I recently had a baby and when I was wondering whether my newborn’s rash was just a rash, I googled it. And guess what I discovered? It could be anything from baby acne to life threatening measles. And the blogosphere was replete with stories of newborns who died from a rash (gasp!). My newborn’s rash turned out just to be baby acne but I realized that it’s very easy to believe the worst when you hear heart wrenching stories on the internet. Are the stories real? I’d like to think so. But are they the exception or the norm to the malady you’re researching? Am I likely to post a story of my very common baby acne? I guess by writing this blog I am, but it’s not very interesting and won’t get a lot of clicks. Whereas if it had been serious, my cautionary tale would have mothers clutching their chests and quickly clicking “share” to educate others so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
So here are 3 ways to find accurate medical information:

1)      Google Scholar
Image result for google scholar
If you type Google Scholar in Google or simply “Scholar: and your query” in the search bar, you are searching Google’s database of scholarly literature. This means published medical articles that are peer reviewed.
Pros: accurate and cutting edge information directly from the medical literature without having to learn how to use Pubmed which is what most scientists and physicians use.
Cons: The information is overwhelming, dense and written in medical jargon.
Best for: researching a complex medical issue or disease or seeking out the latest in medical care for a specific diagnoses (e.g. hypoplastic left heart syndrome.)

2)      Doctor and Medical Association Websites
Your doctor may have a lot of information on his or her website on common things they treat. For example, pediatricians often have handouts on immunizations and how to treat a cold in a child. If your doctor doesn’t have a website or you don’t have a doctor, try the medical association. For example, if you are wondering what prenatal care involves, go to the website for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You know the information on these websites is vetted by a physician. Also, famous clinics like the Mayo Clinic have a searchable website with decent information. Your local hospital may also have a great website for information.

3)      National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Image result for NIHThe NIH is at the cutting edge of health and medicine and their website is a wealth of information. There is a search bar and a front page with interesting information that you weren’t even looking for—like how to prevent body odor, and wellness toolkits.

What about WebMD?  I’m not saying their information is not accurate, but they do receive a large amount of funding from pharmaceutical and device companies. The website has a lot of ads for drug products and if you’re searching for depression and are bombarded with ads for Prozac, you can’t help but let your mind think you need to visit a psychiatrist.

So what the most recent medical malady you’ve been wondering about? Comment here to let me know, and if you have a favorite website you go to for your information.

Harlequin Heartwarming September 2018 Box Set: The Rancher's Rescue\Reunion by the Sea\A Family for Rose\A Cowboy's PrideAnd don’t forget to check out the wonderful line up of September Heartwarmings from the very talented Cari Lynn Webb, Jo Leigh, Nadia Nichols and Karen Rock.

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Comments

  1. Oh, this is interesting! And helpful, too. I'm glad you mentioned Mayo's website. I go there whenever I think I've come down with something new and horrifying. I'm also glad the rash was just baby acne (which I didn't know existed.) Thanks for sharing this, and good luck with your September release!

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    1. Thanks Liz. I don't have a September release, but 4 other authors do.

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    2. Sorry--I didn't even notice that!

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  2. Great tips Sophia and a good reminder to always check the sources of information. I admit to being that person looking for symptoms and remember my doctor smiling tolerantly. My favourite searches are to get real evidence for a lot of those food and nutritional myths that are popular these days. All the best with your babies....the one with acne and the new one...September release! P.s. my daughters both had a week or two of that skin condition as infants

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    1. Oh those magical diets. I admit, I search those too. And I've yet to find one that's evidence based.

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  3. Congrats on your new baby. About medical web sites, some are tedious. I occasionally use WebMD. But I spent a lot of years as a medical records technician, and then working in hospitals and 15 years for 3 pediatricians. So I cut through some of the bulls***. My doctor doesn't like when I read the medical journals, either. We had a tug of war over my saying I needed a thyroid med until he finally ran some of the more sophisticated tests and found I did need it. Sometimes it pays to stick to your guns.

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    1. Doctors have 5 minutes to think about you. It definitely helps to be educated and to go in with some research. Glad you stuck to your guns :)

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  4. Great post, Sophia! Congratulations on the new little one! I like the NIH and Mayo Clinic sites. I also like the CDC to learn about diseases and travel warnings. My mom recently passed away from cancer and I think I was on every medical site out there. The American Cancer has a great one about cancer. (Although I wish no one had to use it.)

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    1. I'm so sorry about your mom. I hope you and your family are healing.

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  5. Great information, Sophia. I didn't know about Scholar. You're right about the dramatic and rare stories always popping up and scaring you to death, whether it's a rash on a baby or ten common foods that might kill you. And those horror stories are the ones that get the clicks.

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    1. I am totally guilty of reading the horror stories. Human nature :)

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  6. Thanks for the tip about Scholar. I'll apply it to much in my life. Any time you want to post baby pics of your 'new release', please do! I'm sure it'll get lots of clicks. Meanwhile, I hope you're getting enough sleep and showers.

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    1. I often think of my books as birthing a baby but never the other way around. I love it!

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  7. Thank you for this great info, Sophia! I was just researching mast cell tumors in dogs, now I'm going to try it again using "Scholar". Your baby's lucky to have a scientist/paramedic mother!

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