I would guess Mormons and Exmormons make excellent Dr Googles.

My older sister and my daughter are both noteworthy Dr Googles.

They can tell you so much more than any medical doctor.

And no, I never “advanced” to their level.

Still trust doctors with medical degrees and certified expertise above self-proclaimed Dr Googles.

Maybe I need to be enlightened?

It's one thing to be informed so you know warning signs and enough to be an advocate for yourself. It's quite another to be a "know it all" about areas you barely have the background to understand.

I feel sorry for doctors who have to deal with patients who do a little too much Google diagnosing. I think AI might even make it worse because you don't know what kooks it might be pulling info from.

It’s to the point where too many people no longer respect doctors, and that’s dangerous.

Usually the higher IQ people don’t have a problem with this. They understand far better what it is that they don’t know.

There's a website that pops up on my FB feed that is aimed at medical professionals. A patient's condition is described and four or five possible diagnoses are given to select from. I haven't gotten one right yet, and I have a newfound respect for what M.D.s learn in medical school.

ChatGPT was wrong 83% of the time diagnosing pediatric cases

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/01/dont-use-chatgpt-to-diagnose-your-kids-illness-study-finds-83-error-rate/

"Overall, ChatGPT got the right answer in just 17 of the 100 cases. It was plainly wrong in 72 cases, and did not fully capture the diagnosis of the remaining 11 cases. Among the 83 wrong diagnoses, 47 (57 percent) were in the same organ system."

No Dr.Googles here. But I do have a neighbor who considers himself the Dr.Wikipedia of Mormonism. All faith promoting information of course!

The biggest problem with self-appointed experts is that they soon believe they’re smarter than anyone else.

Of course it's tempting to Google your symptoms when feeling ill to perhaps find a quick relief. It quickly becomes obvious though that Google wants us all dead. Invariably it's the worst case interpretation at the top of the results. The AI overlords are already fantasizing, impotently, but only for the moment.

I have done medical transcription for 38 years for all kinds of hospitals. I don't diagnose them. They call and ask me what I think and then I'll tell them if they should go to the doctor or not.

My younger brother cut off part of his index finger a year ago. I ran over to see it the next day because they had sewn it back on. It looked horrible. I sent him to the ER right away and they took it off. I don't consider myself a doctor, but I can at least tell them what I've learned over the years.

The one thing I don't do is tell people which doctor to go to. It was my brother and SIL who told me which doctor they are going to as I needed a new doctor and I love this new doctor.

I've tried looking up symptoms on Google and then trying to emulate them in hopes of catching the particular condition...

Like wealth...and charm!

Ha ha!

I tend to read Mayo Clinic articles when researching medical issues as they apply to me. I want to know the science and I've been complimented by my doctors for my knowledge and being able to chat about medical stuff from a position of knowing something.

+1. I always go to the Mayo clinic and the Big Gun hospitals to look up medical stuff. I don't read just whatever pops up.

And I have also noticed that there is a whole plethora of illnesses and ailments that all have the same symptoms. So you're really still going to be guessing. Just like all the medicines advertised on TV have the same risks. You know--all the "Ask your doctor is you need this" ones when the Doctor should be the one offering it in the first place.

I first read this as Dr. Goggles.

"Still trust doctors with medical degrees and certified expertise above self-proclaimed Dr Googles."

A lot of people get white coat syndrome where they believe anything a doctor says. Doctors get things wrong all the time. If in doubt, ask for a second opinion.

I have found some doctors only know what Big Pharma tells them like Mormons who only know what Russ says.

Luckily I have had some fantastic doctors who really knew their stuff and were so into it all.

Humility and respect.

That’s what a Dr. Google glaringly lacks.