MEDICINE ON-LINE
We’ve all done it:
My God – the website says I have:
When you could in fact have a simple upper respiratory tract infection. Or you have developed a real condition and when you look it up on the internet you find that it has appalling complications ranging from gangrene to madness.
Papers published in the genuine medical or scientific journals are peer-reviewed before publication that is they are checked thoroughly by a team of specialists in the subject. Often these checks are blinded so that the reviewers do not know who wrote the original article or paper. 
The trouble with the internet is that much of the information there is not checked in the same sort of way. Many websites are hosted by special interest groups who have a particular axe to grind or manufacturers to have a particular product to push. Some advice can be dangerous, for instance the recommendation of a particular diet to treat cancer. Genuinely accurate information is there but it is difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff.
So next time you search the internet for a diagnosis or a cure – remember that you will be better off just asking your GP or practice nurse. Both have had years of training and experience. Despite our shortcomings and pressures, a doctor or a nurse would sooner see a well patient than an ill one too late.