Showing posts with label google searches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label google searches. Show all posts

May 26, 2013

Google is not the answer, at least for health issues

I am a 30-year-old independent male living in metropolitan. One fine day while riding a two wheeler as a pillion, unfortunately my right-leg hit the helmet hook very harshly. But, within minutes a sigh of relief came my way and I had moved on as though nothing has happened unnoticing that the problem was imminent.

Couple of weeks later, to my panicky, health-oriented, modern-day young brain, what came as a shock was a circled blood clot, little above the ankle and somewhat distant from the knee. That's it! Without a second thought, like any other current-day youngster, I started Googling the diagnosis process. Indeed, I had spent almost a day researching on it only to find out it was a certain kind of ailment which is normal in 30-60 aged people who are not at all into regular exercise - which I am not. Irrespective of the known fact that that particular ailment will not develop in my kind of persons - workout habituated; unknowingly I was stressed and went into sleep deprivation.

To the worse, by just believing what I read in Google search result pages, I had even picked up some remedies and started following them regularly such as: wearing a tight socks up till the knee to circulate the clotted blood evenly thus, to decrease the chances of those blood clots breaking into blocks and flow in normal blood vulnerable to attack the heart.

Weeks have gone by. Nothing had changed. The clot looked the same and the red patch was spreading around it. I was scared and called a friend, who relatively has better knowledge than me in ailments. The moment I explained the situation, he had gone crazy and stated - "this is what the problem with you younger generation. When on the earth, will you people start learning that for everything Google is not the answer?"

Later, I realized god knows what on earth had moved me to think so drastically even for a small problem. Had I called my friend prior to the 'let's-Google-it' attitude, I would have slept sound, at least during all those panicky days.

The simple reason for the blood clot on my right leg was its contact with the helmet-hook while I was riding a pillion. And the simple remedy: take some ice cubes and place over the clot. Within days, no blood clot, no red patch around it and no worries that those broken blood blocks reach up to my heart and may cause an attack.

Now, I firmly believe Google is not the answer for all, at least not for health related issues. You have to reach out to a doc or a well-wisher, at least, for the issues related to health. Google is undoubtedly a search engine giant. I agree, but how far we should utilize it, in our routine, depends on us. It is sad to see, many a doctor, nowadays, attending a half-knowledge patient/client with a hope that the latter turns up without any prior research on Google. Go to a doc with an empty mind, and don't be a victim of abundant information gained through Google search.