Do you know how to tell the difference between strep throat and a cold? Many people who aren`t doctors believe they can, with the help of the internet. Self-diagnosing websites have grown in popularity over the past couple of years, and are now being used by many people to diagnose their illnesses from home. The problem with the use of these websites is they can lead users to believe they have a more serious illness than they actually do. An average person and a computer screen don`t have the knowledge that a doctor would in a face-to-face consultation, according to wrongdiagnosis.com. "There are patients that worry too much, and they find many things that they think are wrong with them," says Dr. Daniel Gelrud, a gastroenterologist at the GI Care Center in Miami. Dr. Gelrud`s patients mention things they have read on the internet on almost a daily basis. "Many times, they think they have the worst possible diagnosis," he said. A friend of Dr. Gelrud`s recently self-diagnosed herself online using a website, and she was left with the impression that she had ovarian cancer. After going to the doctor, and paying for various unnecessary tests, she was told she had food poisoning. "This is an example of a negative use of those websites," he said. Dr. Gelrud does believe that the internet plays a positive role in treating patients because it allows patients to look up their conditions, and to learn more about them. "Time I spend with educated patients is better utilized because they have more intelligent questions to ask me, and they understand their condition better," he said. The use of the internet to research already diagnosed illnesses is now promoted by some health centers. The MedExpress Urgent Care Center in Boynton Beach gives links to self diagnosing websites on their website. "A lot of times doctors don`t get to spend a lot of time talking to their patient, and when the patient is well-informed, the time spent together is more worthwhile," said Ira Berke, manager of the MedExpress Urgent Care Center. He believes that people have to know how to use the websites properly in order to benefit everyone involved. Berke says preconceived notions of an illness can hinder a visit to the doctor. "A lot of people will complain that you did not give them the right diagnosis because of what they have read online," he said. Self-diagnosis is used by Lisa Aronson, a sophomore at the University of Florida, when she doesn`t have time to visit a doctor. On one occasion she had constant headaches and a pain behind her eye, and turned to the internet for answers. "The most common explanation for my symptoms was a brain tumor," she said. "My mom quickly talked me out of believing that." Not being able to get the answers she wanted online led Aronson to see a doctor. "When I saw all of the things that could have possibly been wrong with me, I got nervous," she said. Another problem with diagnosing illnesses online is the incomplete databases of the websites, according to wrongdiagnosis.com. A serious illness could be overlooked due to a lack of information on the website. "If you know something doesn`t feel right with your body, I suggest you see a doctor in all cases," said Dr. Daniel Gelrud. Lisa Aronson will continue to diagnose herself online. "In the end, having the wrong answer is better than having no answer at all," she said. | 
