Can Web Information Make You Sick?
Thursday, October 28, 2004 at 05:09PM
Rob in Thoughts on life

More interesting stuff from eMarketer...

Arriving at a somewhat startling conclusion, the Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences at University College London announced last week that people who go online to find out more about their conditions can end up in worse health than those who don't. Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a spokesperson for the University, says the study found that people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes or asthma, who went online seeking medical information did benefit in some ways, but when it came to changing to healthier behavior -- they actually ended up in worse health than patients who didn't consult the Internet at all. Either patients learn too much and become less motivated to change, or they think hey know more than their doctors.
Every time I research a health issue online, it just makes me worry more about it. A few facts are helpful, but there are just certain things that I don't want to know before I need to! There's something about the web that just seems to induce hypochondria.

Article originally appeared on MacKayNet - Rob MacKay (http://www.mackaynet.com/).
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