The internet is not your doctor

Ok, I rarely post on the weekends since I am supposed to be cutting down on the amount of time I spend online but seriously I need to vent.

I know that times are tough and shit, health insurance isn’t what it used to be, meaning even if you have insurance you may have to pay a co-pay or you could be like I was last month and have no insurance. (thankfully as of today, I am insured)

However as someone who has been a internet junkie for years, I keep noticing a really disturbing trend that is starting to drive me crazy. Someone wakes up, has a health problem, so they hop on Google and try to see what’s goings on, ok I get it, shit I have done that too. Yet after said person with health problem realizes they might need some professional help, rather than call a doctor, nurse, clinic or somebody, they try to get some help online via a discussion board perhaps or site where they tell you they aren’t diagnosing you but just giving you advice. So the sick party starts trying all kinds of shit, in many instances hitting up the health food store to buy some shit, they heard can heal them.

Um…. look I am all for trying to address things from a holistic perspective but sometimes doctors especially western, allopathic and osteopathic ones serve a good purpose. Yeah, sometimes they go over board, but check this out. If your kid swallows dangerous drugs, using a discussion board to solve the problem is a really bad idea. You got cancer, maybe seeing a man who gives out herbs, shouldn’t be your first stop. True life story, when my Mom’s cancer decided to come back in the form of brain cancer, a “friend” suggested she see a holistic provider…how come this fool told my Mom he could heal her by changing her diet. Muthafucker please…  I knew my Mom wasn’t well when she tried entertaining that thought for a second, both my Pops and I said hell naw to that shit.

No, despite the gains we have made in medicine, I realize we also have doctors that are sometimes overzealous and in some cases that turns folks off from “traditional” medicine. However as someone whose lost a few priority folks in their life in recent years, let me tell you, I have a healthy respect for traditional medicine. Shit, traditional medicine has kept my crazy Pops alive 16-17 years after he was told he should be dead, so sometimes the shit works.

Look, I get a cold, my kids get a cold, I am down for natural healing but you tell me I got the big C, you can best believe a bitch will be begging for any and everything that can keep my ass here a long time and while I might use a herb or two to assist, that won’t be the only thing in my arsenal.

No, the internet is a good thing, shit you can be entertained and educated by the internet. Yet when you are having health issues, use some common sense and get thee to the doctor. As for folks giving out advice online, come on you know your ass ain’t a doctor so you need to be careful what the fuck you say. Some folks online are gullible and don’t realize the person typing at the other end is just feeding them some bullshit.

The internet allows us to share and connect with folks, which is a good thing but we must be careful what we share.

Now let me get off and enjoy this day. See ya on Monday.