Dr Sarah Jarvis
My Weekly’s favourite GP from TV and radio writes for you
The internet can be a wonderful thing but where health is concerned, it can be a double-edged sword. How do you know if what you’re reading is accurate?
We all know what hypochondria is but recent years have seen the rise of cyberchondria – imagining the worst health-wise because of information on the internet!
Used correctly, the internet can be a mine of useful information. A reputable source, like the clinical website patient.info, has information written by one UK doctor and checked for accuracy by another. It’s a bit like an online consultation without seeing your GP. Their 20 million monthly visitors sees some common themes, so here are some of the most popular questions visitors want answered online…
One of the most common questions asked doesn’t surprise me – it’s “why am I always tired?” Tiredness is incredibly common, accounts for 1 in 30 consultations with GPs, and has hundreds of causes. These include physical causes like anaemia, underactive thyroid gland, undiagnosed diabetes, heart failure, chest conditions like COPD, chronic kidney or liver problems, pain that affects sleep, medication side effects, glandular fever or chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychological causes are even more common, like stress, depression and anxiety. If you feel persistently tired, see your GP who can tease out possible causes. “How do I lower my blood pressure?” is also popular, and not surprising when over 1 in 4 adults has high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. If your blood
LOOK FOR THE INFORMATION STANDARD LOGO – WEBSITES ACCREDITED WITH THIS STANDARD MUST ADHERE TO STRICT CRITERIA ABOUT THEIR INFORMATION ACCURACY
pressure is persistently high or you have other risk factors, you’ll be advised to take tablets to control it. Whether you need tablets or not, regular exercise and keeping your weight down will help significantly. So can lowering salt in your diet – national guidelines suggest no more than 6g a day – about a teaspoon. Most of us have well over 8 grams.
“Is tonsillitis catching?” is a common query in winter. The answer is, it depends! Tonsillitis can be caused by viruses or bacteria, particularly one called streptococcus. You can catch these germs but it doesn’t mean you’ll get tonsillitis. In fact, 1 in 5 of us carries the streptococcus germ on our bodies without even knowing. If you have a sore throat without a cough, have a fever, tender swollen glands on the front of your neck and/ or white spots on the back of your tonsils when you shine a torch inside your throat, see your GP. If not, your sore throat is probably caused by a virus and will settle on its own.
“Is shingles catching?” is also popular. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in your body, causing no symptoms. But it can re-emerge, causing the one-sided, painful and blistering rash of shingles. You can’t catch shingles but if you never had chickenpox and touch a shingles rash, it can give you chickenpox.
Finally, “what’s causing my heel pain?” is a common query. The answer is usually plantar fasciitis – inflammation of a band of tough connective tissue. It’s often worse first thing in the morning or if you get up after resting. The tell-tale sign is a tender spot on the sole of your foot, just in front of your heel. Stretching exercises, shoes with good cushioning, anti-inflammatory tablets, and if necessary a steroid injection into your heel can all help. Next week: Aches and pains
AS A RULE OF THUMB, IF A “MIRACLE CURE” SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT USUALLY IS SO ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR GP BEFORE SHELLING OUT LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY