Would you take advice about medical problems from anyone other than a doctor?

Question

I've noticed ppl ask specific advice for medical issues when they haven't consulted a doctor. I find this peculiar. I'm not talking about what to do for symptoms. Sometimes, ppl seem to want a diagnosis. Would you take this advice knowing that ppl may not be educated enough to answer? Why?

Answer 1

It would depend on the problem I had wrong, how serious it was if I would post it here or not. Sometimes people just want reassurance to find what others think from people that went through something similiar they want to mentally feel better I think. I'm an Ask-The-Expert on lymphedema and am very familiar with circulatory problems and also a disabled due to cancer, pharmacy asst so I can answer alot of questions based on my experience tho I'm not a doctor, I always tell people to go to the dr if it's something that seems like they need medical attention.

I think alot of people are scared of going to the dr and they just want to know what might be wrong before they go, like a reassurance thing. Like the woman who asked if a breast lump could be cancer, she's scared she found it and wants to hear of things it could be other than cancer but the bottom line is she needs to see the doctor to be sure but I think by posting her question she feels better because some will say it's a cyst, some hormonal, some benign tumor, and then others breast cancer so she finds out some things it could be to ease her mind before she goes.

the bottom line is tho, we don't know the people who answer, but the person asking is taking a risk if they rely just on answers and don't go to the doctor.

Answer 2

It is not a good idea at all to take medical advice from anyone who is not educated in the field. Doctors may not always have the right answer immediately; and considering the years of education and experience they've got behind them that alone should scare the pants off you if you consider advice from someone who has neither.

Doctors see a myriad of illnesses; and take action on them every day. They have the training (and its tough training), the expertise, and the resources to deal with medical problems. No one else does.

You have one body; and most of it has only enough organs to perform the function they were made for. Any number of actions, neglect, and medications can destroy any number of those organs. See the doctor. Its a little expensive at times and a little bit of a nuiscance, but just imagine if you lost your kidneys, your liver, your lungs or your brain function just because you didn't want to deal with it.

Answer 3

Doctors know allot but they are only human, the medical training a doctor has is never 100% and they are trained by other human beings. But listening to peoples personal experiences is a great way to learn new ideas and information. More than a few times I found taking a doctors advice to be worse than listening to my own common sense. I like to listen to any information I can get then I use my own knowledge to decided what is best, sometimes the doctors advice is the best choice, sometimes it can be from another average person. Allot of the time doctors will aether tell you to use such and such drug, or say you need surgery. I am a person who prefers a natural solution to a health problem and try to do all I can to keep healthy, I am proud to say I have never needed drugs in my life. Drugs can often cause more harm then good.......

Answer 4

people like to have answers and have a name for what's wrong with them, and will believe anyone who seems to have knowledge or experience with a similar issue, especially if the person states this with a confident tone. you'd be amazed at what you can make people believe if you say it like you know what you're talking about.

i see patients all the time who come in convinced they have X disease and need Y treatment or medication because someone they knew had it or they heard about it on TV. co-workers and friends tell them with such conviction that they will tell me flat out i am wrong and threaten to sue if i don't confirm what some layperson has told them. often they have something else (or nothing at all). many completely different disease processes have similar symptoms, so people without formal training often let their own experience color their opinions.

it's real easy to think you can diagnose something if you saw it on an episode of "house", but honestly patients rarely present with the collection of obvious symptoms that are portrayed in that show or even the medical reality shows.

bottom line: take all advice from non-medical profesisonals with a grain of salt.

Answer 5

Never take medical advice from anyone except a doctor that you go to as a patient.
Many illnesses, diseases, etc are unique, have various symptoms, etc which make only medical practitioners capable of diagnosing the problem a necessity.
People who ask for and get medical advice in this venue need one specific medical practitioner, a shrink -

Answer 6

I wouldn't be stupid enough to even ask such a question as that here. Never!
I think people sometimes just want to talk about their problems here, somewhere to vent, maybe feel sorry for themselves or look for others who share similar problems. I sure hope they don't take the advice!

So, to answer your question, no, I would not because to solve medical problems you must talk indepth with a doctor, in person, one on one. After doing that you decide what to do with the advice he or she gives you.

Answer 7

I think anyone who asks the specific questions wants someone to either alleviate there fears or want to have an idea of what's wrong with them before going to the doctor.Or they just need someone to tell them that they need to seek professional help. I read a lot of them every day. You have to see the answers and make a judgment.....at least I hope people look at it like that.

Answer 8

I think it's kind of dumb to ask for a diagnosis online. I understand sometimes a doctor apointment is expensive and you may not want to go if it's nothing serious but if your peeing or pooping blood or something i'd def see a doctor for something like that.

Answer 9

I think it's a sign of how broken our health care system is. People don't want to go to the doctor because it's expensive, it's time consuming, and they are concerned about the quality of care they'll get there. At least the advice here is free!

Answer 10

I would probably take it into consideration, but definitely talk to a doc. Especially if it was someone I trusted, I would listen to what they said, they may have heard of it before or looked it up before. But, of course, discussing with a certified doctor is the best way to go.