Web Doctor

Not long ago I was bothered by a twinge of pain on the left side of my chest. It wasn't much, but more than enough to be annoying. It was late, so just to be sure I checked WebMD to see if aspirin would be alright to use.

Web MD informed me I was having a heart attack, an anxiety attack, had broken a rib, had a peptic ulcer and should go to a hospital. Now.

Now, to be fair, I understand why there are so many serious afflictions listed - putting the option out there, being extra cautious, and namely to avoid lawsuits. My problem with this is that there is an excessive reliance on the internet to solve everything - even potentially fatal medical problems. Perhaps it's just me, but I can't really understand someone crawling over to their computer and logging on to WebMD to see if they're actually experiencing cardiac arrest.

Furthermore - with all these possible options provided, won't that open the door for an outbreak of hypochondriacs, thinking they have all of the twenty - something diseases listed on the results page when they only really have a head cold?

(I had only pulled a muscle, by the way. No hospital stay required.)