It’s never fun to get sick or get injured. It can sometimes be frustrating to go to the doctor and have him tell you that all you have is the flu or an over use type of injury. A favorite personal motto in my life is this: No one knows my body better than I do. Is it really necessary to go to the doctor for every bump, scrape, sore throat, or cough?
In my opinion, no, it’s not necessary. You know your body better than anyone else. If you’re a bit more concerned about a particular symptom, however, there are ways of finding our what your symptoms may indicate without leaving your home. There are several websites that allow you to enter in your symptoms. You may be wondering, “Where exactly can I check my symptoms online?” Before we look at a few individual websites, let’s first take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of online symptom checking.
Advantages To Online Symptom Checking
One advantage of using a website to check your symptoms is to determine whether a doctor’s visit is needed or not. If you’ve got a muscle cramp in your lower leg, you might discover it’s due to over exertion from your last workout. It may just be a muscle knot that you can massage to make it better. Or you might learn that the pain in your foot might actually be a condition called plantar fascitis, in which case, it’s best to get it checked out.
Disadvantages To Online Symptom Checking
There are disadvantages as well to trying to self diagnose yourself. There may be underlying symptoms you aren’t aware of. For example, let’s say you’ve looked up your symptoms and you’ve come to the conclusion that you have some sort of anxiety condition. You may actually have a more serious underlying condition such as a heart arrhythmia. If you think you have anxiety, you may start treating yourself with meditation or relaxation exercises, and you can miss the fact that you need treatment for a more serious problem.
Online Symptom Checking Websites
Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of checking your symptoms online, let’s take a look at a few of the sites that can help you.
WebMD.com is perhaps the most popular health site to check your symptoms. Their symptom checker first has you enter in your sex and age. You’re then prompted to click an area on the human body where you’re experiencing discomfort. If you click on the head, it then narrows the search to a particular part of the head, such as the ears, eyes, nose, jaw, and so on. Once you click on the specific area, it will ask you about that part of the body. Is there any bruising? Does it itch? Do you have any pain or discomfort? And more. Once you’ve narrowed that down, it will give a list of possible conditions that you may have. From that list you can get home treatment options, advice, or based on the results, you may want to make an appointment with the doctor.
HealthCentral.com is another website you can visit. On their website, you have the option of choosing a man, woman, or child to start with. They don’t have you specify your age however. The site will have you click on a portion of the human body that you’re worrying about. It will then give you several links pertaining to that area, once you click the appropriate link it will have you take an assessment survey. At the end of the assessment, the site will offer links to various problems you may be suffering from. Once you click on the problem you think you may be suffering from, you can see how the issue is caused and how it can be treated.
Additional websites:
YourDiagnosis.com
MayoClinic.com
WrongDiagnosis.com
It’s always a good idea to make a doctor’s appointment if you’ve been sick for a long period of time with no signs of recovery. Or if you have an injury that is not improving or is getting worse. Use good judgment about whether to see a doctor or not. If it’s an injury or an illness you’ve experienced before, you already know how to treat it. If your symptoms are new or more pronounced, a doctor’s visit may be the right thing to do.
