Australian Doctor Australian Doctor 24th November 2017 | Page 28

Gut Feelings
Naked and confused:
The day I googled health advice
I
Guest
Editorial
Dr Rob Park
28
WOULD say that almost every
patient a GP sees these days has
performed a Google search of
their symptoms before turning
up at the doctors.
Being a GP, I’ve never had to
perform a health-related Google
search, but in the interests of getting
to know my patients better, I decide
to give it a go.
I take the plunge one early Satur-
day morning while I’m getting my
breakfast ready — what I want to
know is, is my preferred plate of
eggs and bacon a healthy option?
According to Healthline, eggs are
one of the six healthiest foods on
the planet. 1 Feeling a little bit smug,
I google “bacon”.
Oh dear. Sciencealert suggests
that if I eat my bacon, I’m likely to
die of colorectal cancer. 2 But Bacon-
ismagic.ca points out that bacon
also contains B vitamins that will
improve my mood. 3
Confused, I give up and push my
breakfast to one side.
I decide to go for a run instead
and as I am putting my running
shoes on, I ask Google’s advice.
Turns out it’s better to run bare-
foot as this is how we were made
to run, according to Wired.com .4
Although, Menshealth suggests that
running barefoot will lead to foot
fractures and Achilles tears. 4
Furthermore, my new expensive
shoes are a waste of money accord-
ing to Runnersworld, which says all
shoes are created equal. 5
| Australian Doctor | 24 November 2017
I decide to skip the run and
tidy the house before my wife and
daughter wake up.
I get out the vacuum cleaner,
and then put it away again, after
WebMD suggests that vacuuming
throws bacteria into the air. 6 Who
wants to walk through clouds of
bacteria?
So, I go over to the kitchen bench
to wipe it down as there is some dirt
from dinner the night before.
I get out the antiseptic kitchen
desk, but Huffingtonpost says this
will cause me to have a stroke and
die if I work sitting down. 9
Conversely, ABC.net says that
standing at my desk will cause me to
have a heart attack. 10
So, again I compromise, by sort of
hovering in a half-standing position
over my chair.
I place the laptop on my lap, but
not in the middle because that may
reduce my fertility, according to
Time.com. 10
I OFTEN USE HEADPHONES TO LISTEN TO MUSIC
WHILE WORKING, BUT THEHEALTHSITE.COM
SUGGESTS THAT THEY INCREASE MY RISK OF EAR
INFECTIONS AND THE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
MAY DAMAGE MY BRAIN.
wipes, but have to be very careful to
be clean, but not too clean. Because
if I am too clean, the Conversation
reports I will increase my risk of
autoimmune conditions, psychiatric
disorders and migraines. 7
But I don’t want to leave it dirty
either as there are harmful bugs,
such as Escherichia coli and listeria,
possibly on my kitchen counters,
according to USAToday. 8
As a compromise, I remove just
the largest particles.
I have a few work jobs to do and
emails to check, and sit down at my
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I end up kind of balancing the lap-
top on one leg and away from my
more sensitive parts.
I often use headphones to listen
to music while working, but The-
healthsite.com suggests that they
increase my risk of ear infections
and the electromagnetic waves may
damage my brain. 11 And I quite like
my brain.
But wait, Lifehack says that music
is good for us as it lowers stress,
improves sleep and will reduce my
appe