Health | Tips for finding real health advice online

Thanks to Google and other search engines, we have all become ‘health experts.’ While online research can be good for checking symptoms, there are a lot of risks and dangers associated with self-medicating.

With so much free information online and the cost of visiting a doctor so expensive, it is almost too easy to self-diagnose and medicate.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation, bad medical research and unqualified gurus only willing to share their own ‘expert advice.’

Knowing the good from the bad advice is the only way to ensure you are getting the right information. Here are our tips to finding real health advice online. 

1. Is the content objective? Many ‘health gurus and bloggers’ are affiliated with corporations and so paid to write according to their agenda. Check the ‘About Us’ section on the website to check for such affiliations.
2. Who is writing the content? Is the person writing this content qualified to do so? Check the author’s credentials and qualifications. Some bloggers are just interested in health, and not necessarily qualified to write about it.
3. Beware of personal stories. There are many bloggers that are only too willing to share their personal experience when it comes to health issues. However, be careful of following such information. Earlier this year, popular Australian blogger Belle Gibson admitted that she did not cure herself of terminal cancer through diet and lifestyle. The blogger had a devout following and was due to publish a book on her supposed amazing recovery.
4. What sources are referenced? It is easy to provide advice and recommendations but where is this writer getting this information from. Good sites will provide all the necessary sources and research.
5. How new is the information? Medical research and information changes quickly and regularly. Check when the content was uploaded and updated.