The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

The phrase traces back to Biblical times, but apparently, “Physician, heal thyself” is being taken a bit too literally these days. As a recent article in The Columbian noted, doctors are being confronted with patients who have engaged in self-diagnosis through the magic of the Internet. Many patients think they have an affliction when they don’t, or believe they know which treatment is necessary before consulting a doctor, or arrive at the physician’s office filled with misinformation.

Whether it’s health concerns or financial advice or assertions that President Obama is a secret Muslim, the Web is a petri dish of opinion couched as fact, regardless of its veracity. As Columbian reporter Marissa Harshman wrote: “Of the millions of adults who search online for health answers, 75 percent don’t verify key quality indicators such as the source and creation date of the information, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.”

So here’s a word of warning: Not everything you read on the Internet is true. You know, like the story about Oprah Winfrey attempting to buy Area 51 and make it a permanent habitat for aliens. Seriously. It’s on the Web, but we remain skeptical of the source.

Information about health and symptoms and treatments is no different. There is no shortage of information, but there often is a shortage of truth. In some cases, online information providers are the modern equivalent of the old-time snake oil salesman, preying on people’s fears and hopes and pains in order to make a buck. And then there is the plethora of TV commercials for the latest medications, the kind where the list of possible side effects takes up the majority of the commercial.

We are bombarded by information, creating an overload that in itself can cause an affliction jokingly called “cyberchondria” — a form of hypochondria in which patients believe they suffer from something they read about on the Internet. That persistent runny nose? It could be vasomotor rhinitis, according to one Web site. Or it might just be a cold. Either way, the diagnosis and treatment should be left to you and your doctor. Ill-informed self-diagnoses can cost your doctor time and cost you money. As Jennifer Hanscom, spokeswoman for the Washington State Medical Association, told The Columbian, “There’s a reason why physicians go to medical school to learn this information.” And then they pass that information on to you, after considering your symptoms and your lifestyle and your health history.

There is no substitute for such one-on-one interaction. Through individual attention, a physician can ask in-depth questions, explore diagnoses that previously had not been considered, and develop a personal relationship that benefits a patient’s health. Dr. Google can’t do all of that.

There’s an old saying that a person who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client. The same standard applies to health care.

Nevertheless, while physicians are reporting some concerns about patients clinging to misinformation, the Web can be a valuable tool for improving care. As a doctor might say, the key is to use it in moderation.

Consider the source of the information. Seek a second opinion. Don’t assume that something you read has provided the definitive answer to a medical question.

Informed patients make good patients. But informed and open-minded patients make the best ones. With that in mind, many local doctors recommend Web sites such as WebMD.com, Medlineplus.gov, or kidshealth.org. Other Web sites of note are familydoctor.org, and healthfinder.gov.

These Web sites can provide useful information, most doctors say. But the Internet doesn’t provide an excuse for patients to believe they can heal themselves.

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