Why do people turn to Yahoo Answers for medical advice?

What makes you trust strangers on the internet over honest-to-god medical evaluation?





Recent examples - ';How much of a drug should I take?';, ';Do I have cancer?'; and ';What's wrong with me? Here are my symptoms.';





These are all things that I've seen. Please let me know if you have asked these types of questions. Why do people turn to Yahoo Answers for medical advice?
because sadly, what ive found after being very very sick, is that going to doctors doesnt always help. for example. i was sick for months and months. i went to the doctors, and they had no idea whats wrong with me. i went through many tests, but since im so young, the doctors automatically assumed that there could be nothing wrong with me because im so young, and just said that all these symptoms i had were mental, and i was putting them on myself. after weeks of frustration, i eventually asked my peers and other people i knew well (or not so well sometimes) about all the symptoms i had. interestingly, a girl i knew had gotten all the same symptoms as me before, and told me i should get a certain test done. i went back to my doctor, and told her that i wanted that test done. somewhat annoyed, my doctor scheduled me for the test. and my friend was right; i did have what she had before, and my doctor was shocked. the truth is; sometimes its better to talk to someone who has had the same symptoms before, and they can tel you what tests to take. because doctors can be extremely judgmental right off the bat, and depending on your insurance coverage will only suggest CERTAIN tests to you, and leave others out. so i like to get opinions from other people, even ones i might not know, about what i have, cause sadly sometimes they are right more so than the doctors. but you have to be careful what you listen to on here, because alot of times people will just be jerks and say ';your gonna die if you dont go to the doctor'; or some crap, which most of the time isnt true. so i like to ask people what tests they recommend. that is the best thing to do. :P (plus, ive had doctors tell me things that were wrong before. one doctor told me that it was perfectly normal for a woman to have a blood sugar level of 50, which is completely wrong. i eventually went to the hospital because i was having an attack cause my sugar was so low. so doctors arent always right either, sadly.)Why do people turn to Yahoo Answers for medical advice?
Because if other people have experienced these symptoms or issues then they may have good advice to pass on, also I suppose with some questions it may help the person asking the question deal with their problem if they are aware that other people have been through the same thing and they are not alone in what they are feeling..





I would not suggest taking all you hear as gospel though, obviously we have professionals in place for good reason and so answers should not be taken as the final verdict but more advice to get you on your way..





xx
It's a risk you must take here. People will ask questions about things like this for support either because it's free, quick answers they can get to give them an idea of the situation, and it's another way to get help. They take the risk to get true information or fake or stupid immature answers. It'd be much safer to go to a doctor no doubt about it. But sometimes people can't and need to try something else. Or would prefer not to go to a doctor for unknown reasons so they come here. People shouldn't believe 'everything' they hear. I mean if someone asks ';How many pills should I take for...(whatever)';. And the real answer is two pills. But someone says eight pills. Maybe they're being an idiot or joking, although it's not that type of matter. You should try to separate truth from lies. And always have more then once source to compare.
i agree with you 100%..i was about to ask a question on here about how many people on here are doctors...i mean like the people on here aren't qualified to answer such questions..i would be scared to take some one Else's medical advice if they aren't qualified
It's easier to ask personal questions to faceless strangers as opposed to people you actually know.
Well if doctors and medical specialists were doing their job properly, people wouldn't need to come here. .



Some teenagers and women seek medical advice here because their doctor father or doctor husband is unable to help them.
because its easier, to find what could be happening than going to a doctor and asking for a diagnose. less scary.