The internet is a wonderful place to learn about health – I often wonder what we did without it? From quickly checking a symptom to researching the best ways to stay fit, we have a wealth of information at our fingertips.
But the breadth of information available can sometimes become overwhelming – and it may be difficult to determine which sources are trustworthy. Some feel the internet makes it too easy to self-diagnose, and that people may convince themselves they have an illness without first seeking medical advice. On the other hand, it is also possible to accidently ignore real health problems after deciding your symptoms are not worth being checked by a doctor while researching online.
All of this confusion only highlights the need for some trustworthy resources online – a few websites and UK health blogs that you can return to again and again for advice and information.
Of course, even the most trusted health blogs are no substitute for a visit to the doctor when it is needed – but if you are looking for some general guidance on keeping healthy they can be wonderful.
We’ve previously looked at the resources we use, but here are some of the reasons we take to the web when researching health issues:
Health News: Of course, as a health news blog, Follow Health likes to keep on top of all the latest news to make sure we’re not missing anything. It’s good to stay informed on all of the latest treatments as a broad spectrum of knowledge can help you make decisions when you require medical assistance. The BBC always provide up-to-date coverage – good for reading until the next Follow Health post arrives!
Symptom Checking: Always try to be level headed when checking symptoms – remember that any symptom can be put down to a range of ailments, so there is no way these can be accurate without speaking to a doctor. Why not take a print out to the doctor to explain your concerns?
Health and Fitness tips: Keeping healthy is paramount – so luckily there are some great resources on fitness and nutrition online. Follow Health have recently began posting on such issues, but you can also view some great exercise videos and recipes on websites like Spark People.
Community advice: Sometimes it is good to discuss your health with people who are going through the same things as you. This is where forums can be useful, as you can meet many supportive people, ready to interact and share stories. We don’t recommend you look for a diagnosis here, but they can be a great way to share fitness tips or ideas on how to cope if you do get ill.
Why do you use online health resources? Any good websites to suggest?
