Many people, especially this time of the pandemic, believe in medical myths or remedies that are not backed by science. However, this must be prevented because instead of improving one’s condition, it may worsen the situation. So, identifying which medical blog to read or videos to watch is a very timely and significant process before following what you have just read. Therefore, this article will talk about how an individual would distinguish a medical fact from myths.
Facts hugely differ from myths because they are supported by scientific evidence with comprehensive details and used to explain things that can be explained; meanwhile, myths are only generational thoughts and beliefs only used to define the unexplained. Hence, it must be kept in mind that an approved fact has a chance to be disproved, but a myth would never be medically endorsed as it cannot be backed up by various studies.
Tips of Distinguishing Facts from Myths
Identifying the difference between facts and myths is easy for very literate people, but some still believe in such things even if it is not scientifically possible. So, here are some tips that would help you to identify a trustworthy medical blog or information when lurking into the internet that includes:
- Identify the sponsor or host of the website. Knowing where the fund of running the website came from would provide you with an idea of its creator’s goal, which would help you quickly identify if the information they share is factual.
- Find out the background of the source or reviewer of information. Knowing the background of the creator of the information is very significant because their credentials, especially those in the medical field, would significantly add up in analyzing if the information is trustworthy.
- Know the relevance and timeliness of the information. Some information may have been factual from the past that is not applicable today because, as mentioned above, facts could still be disproved, so the most current information would be the most helpful to follow.
- Distinguish the purpose of the site. Judging the content and information that the website provides will help you know if their motives for creating it are good or bad.
- Check if it protects your privacy. Be vigilant in the website’s privacy policy because their purpose for creating the website might be to steal your information and not help you with medical-related issues.
- Be wary of websites that offer quick and easy solutions. Websites or companies that propose this kind of stuff are unreliable because it is impossible to only have one remedy that cures various diseases, which is too good to be true.
Be cautious in believing information that we could see on the internet as some websites do not intend to aid with your medically-related concern, and of which purpose is only to get your information and invade your privacy. Moreover, the privacy of oneself must be taken care of as it protects our safety and personal information.
Some Trustworthy Ways of Obtaining Medical Information
Based on what is discussed above, here are some ways that would help in acquiring a reliable source of information, that include:
- Contact a doctor. Doctors are the most reliable source of medical information because they are the ones who vigorously study various medically related stuff such as illness and disease.
- Medical mobile applications. It is made for people’s convenience, especially for tracking your lifestyle, test results, and other information, but you must still not be careless in sharing personal information because there is a difference between digitally giving information to a doctor and publicizing it through third-party websites.
- Social media and health information. It may also be trustworthy, but always keep in mind to double-check the given information because there is still a chance that it might be wrong or outdated.
To sum it up, there are various ways to find information. Still, you must make sure that the information you have got is trustworthy and dependable because health is not a laughing matter and must be taken seriously.
Author bio:
Hannah Gilbert is a freelance writer who offers ghostwriting, copywriting, and blogging services. She works closely with B2C and B2B businesses providing digital marketing content that gains social media attention and increases their search engine visibility.