Online Illness Diagnosis
There's nothing like being sick: you sniffle, you sneeze, you ache and you feel weak. If you're suffering from symptoms that you haven't experienced before or if existing symptoms have worsened, you may need to diagnose yourself on the fly. Getting information as to what potential illnesses could be plaguing you will only help you in making the decision to visit a doctor either covered by your insurance plan or through a Free Clinic. Online illness diagnosis is performed by having the patient list the noticeable symptoms that they're enduring and based on medical database information, illnesses that include those symptoms will be listed. Granted, there may be more than one definitive diagnosis: for this reason it's important to bring your findings into a doctor's office if they show anything out of the ordinary.
Finding Out What Ails You
Generally there are three ways that you can input the symptoms that you’re experiencing when visiting an online illness diagnosis site. The way these are presented varies but they’ll always be one of these core types:
- Test-field entry: you simply list your symptoms within a text field and the program will search for illnesses with the same wording.
- Selection method: you’ll be presented with a list of symptoms that you’ll need to pick from, after which you’ll be diagnosed based upon the selected symptoms.
- “Ask a Doctor”: some sites have chat portals that employ live, licensed doctors that are available to answer questions regarding symptoms. This is the most reliable way to get diagnosed online and still requires a follow-up check with your local doctor.
WebMD uses the selection method but they’ve made it graphically appealing by having a 3-D rendered body from which you can select sections of the body where you experience your symptoms. Depending on the acuteness of the illness, you may wind up with anywhere between a single diagnosis to twenty or more. This is why it’s crucial to see a doctor after your initial self-diagnosis online.
Getting the Right Treatment
You can’t simply expect your illness to disappear once you’ve gotten it diagnosed! The reason for diagnosis is to become aware of what health problems you may be facing. To get treatment for those ailments you will either need a prescription or your illness will be treatable using over-the-counter medication. Depending on what route fits your condition, you may or may not be able to get your diagnosis and treatment from the same site.
Meds from Illness Diagnosis Sites
If you’re experiencing symptoms and your online diagnosis reveals that it’s simply the flu, allergies or some other non-life-threatening problem, feel free to take advantage of the medications that may be advertised especially for what you’ve got. Over-the-counter medication is legal to be purchased and sold online so feel free to get expedited shipping if you just ran out of Nyquil! Never buy prescription pills online without a prescription: doing so in the United States is illegal and you could actually face jail time if you’re caught!