Self-Diagnosing vs. Logging Symptoms – The Dilemma!

As people, we often like to self-diagnose many of the everyday ailments, aches and pains we experience. Sites like WebMD and others, have given us neat little lists of symptoms that we compare ours to and ta-da, we’re officially board certified doctors! If only it were that easy,right? Yet, there is plenty of merit in noting symptoms and reactions. Allergy Symptom Checklist title=Many doctors, whether they are regular physicians or allergists will often recommend that you log and track your symptoms. Combined with testing and family history, this log makes up a key piece of determining what exactly the problem is. How does it work? What does it tell the doctor? And, why it should not be the only thing used to diagnose a condition?

_Most basically, to track your symptoms all you really need is a pencil and paper. If you have a smartphone, you can also use any notepad or reminder app to log your symptoms. Whether it is fits of coughing, sneezing, hives or any other chronic symptom, jot it down. Note the time of day, where you were, and other relevant information. This can include but not limited to,

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    • Where you were/are and time of day.

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    • Have you eaten recently and if so, what?

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    • Have you used soap, shampoo, lotion, cosmetics or other personal care products recently, and if so, what?

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    • Are you using a new laundry detergent, fabric softener or cleaners?

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  • What is around you? (ie. Are you sitting in a field of daisies sneezing? Is your dog sitting on your lap?)

_Any of these could be relevant or none of them could be. But, by noting as much information as you can, it can help your doctor pick up on patterns or possibly point your doctor in the right direction when trying to determine what tests need to be performed.

_Patterns can be crucial in the diagnosis process. They can highlight the correlation between exposure and a subsequent reaction, but they should not be the sole determinant of a diagnosis. As any good scientist or doctor should tell you, correlation is NOT causation. Think of a diagnosis as research. Research often highlights correlations between events, but determining the exact cause often takes multiple studies or tests. Your health is similar in that regard. Just as allergy testing (or many other types of testing) should not be the sole determinant in a diagnosis, neither should a pattern, or simply family history for that matter. All of these things should be factored together, and from all of these, your Medical House Doctor can make his best determination as to not only what the problem is but how to solve it.

_Self Diagnosis Cured!!Don’t get me wrong. Sites like WebMD and the Mayo Clinic are great for research and excellent educational tools with solid information, but they have tended to bring out our inner hypochondriac.
_On a lighter note, I have a surefire way to fix this. Want to stop self-diagnosing yourself? Have a child. Unfortunately, you may begin diagnosing the new addition to your family, but worry not. I have a solution for this as well. Have TWO children! By the time the second one arrives, your inner hypochondriac has likely given way to simply being too busy or tired to spend countless hours online self-diagnosing. Good thing for you though, my blogs are short, so you can always find five minutes for a good read!

_Author: Kevin Gilmore

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