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Media and Our Health

Today's topic for Media Mondays is "Media and Our Health".  This is one of my favorite media tools..(haven't I said that before???!!).  Google is my favorite doctor!! In the last month, our family has found remedies for gout, rotator cuff surgery,  inflammation, athlete's foot and others online.  Healthy eating, foods that detox and herbal remedies are areas where my knowledge has greatly increased due to the influence of media.

As my knowledge has grown, also a little bit of wisdom has been gained.  Any health subject 'googled' will bring an enormous amount of information relating to that subject.  Here are a few tips to avoid information overload and falling into deception or receiving false advice.

Try to be as specific as possible.  Typing in 'stomach pain' can span a diagnosis between constipation to cancer.  If you are looking for a diagnosis, type in specific symptoms (upper stomach pain), if you know the ailment, type in ____ remedies or treatment.  Don't immediately believe everything you read!  Some sites will scare you with the complications and 'what ifs'.  Use caution and wisdom when reading what this symptom may be.

Choose information wisely.  Many websites will come up that deal with a single  topic.  Sort through to find the most reliable.  If a site solution to the problem is selling a product, I usually pass on by.  I'm looking for accurate information first.  Read the web site's name.  Look for authentic websites, preferably those whose name has been heard before and endorsed by a reputable association.

Read and re-read.  If a remedy is shared, write it down and keep on with the research.  Look for a pattern with the remedy being shared over and over.  Read comments by those who have used the remedy, did it work, any negative experiences?

Seek the Lord- Prayer should always be the first method we choose.  Seek the wisdom of the Lord regarding our health.  If an ailment is serious, don't hesitate to seek medical help.  If the ailment is minor, read, research and use your good judgement.  A treatment I read for athlete's foot was to pour bleach water over the foot.  This just didn't sit well with me, so we used tea tree oil instead.  Use common sense.

The Internet is a valuable tool for healthy living.  There is a wealth of information on healthy eating, exercise, ways to implement and engage in a healthy lifestyle.  I love the saying of old 'chew the fat, but spit out the bones'.   What a blessing this tool can be, but let's be careful not to take in everything we read, keep the good, let go of the bad!






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Comments

  1. AmyAugust 14, 2011 at 9:24 PM

    So true. I find the computer very helpful for researching all kinds of health topics. There is definitely some odd advice out there, though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 14, 2011 at 9:51 PM

    I agree....know your resources, and check multiple sources...and absolutely use Common Sense :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. KalynAugust 15, 2011 at 1:37 PM

    Good advice! It is so easy to get caught up with the plethora of medical information available to us - we have to be careful.

    Thanks for stopping by my site!

    ReplyDelete
  4. JenniferAugust 15, 2011 at 2:59 PM

    I have to agree that google has been really helpful. My daughter recently had some surgery and was not healing (as quickly and easily) as the doctor had led us to believe.....after a google search, I came across a woman's journal - documenting her experience with the EXACT same surgery. Her enteries were very realistic and very reassuring that my daughter was not out of the ordinary (just the opposite in fact) and it was much easier to relax, not stress and simply give it some more time.

    ReplyDelete

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