{"id":34982,"date":"2018-09-19T17:43:06","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T09:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/?post_type=health-article&#038;p=34982"},"modified":"2025-05-22T11:06:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T03:06:13","slug":"should-you-ever-self-diagnose","status":"publish","type":"health-article","link":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Ever Self-Diagnose"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"34982\" class=\"elementor elementor-34982\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a585df e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7a585df\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4690346 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4690346\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.23.0 - 15-07-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>With so much information on the internet, should you first ask Google or head to the clinic when you\u2019re ill?<br \/><br \/>We asked a few doctors for their thoughts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9da5c34 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9da5c34\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>DR IQBAL FARIM RIZAL WONG<\/strong><br \/><em>Consultant ENT Surgeon at Columbia Asia Hospital \u2013 Petaling Jaya<\/em><br \/><br \/>\u201cI actually welcome Google as among other things, it gives the general public some idea on the problem that is afflicting them \u2013 which will tell them where or whom to seek help from. For example, with dizziness or vertigo, an uninformed person may just go to a general practitioner (or even just dismiss it). But those who have done some research may know that the best person to go to is an ear, nose and throat surgeon. Because of this, some doctors may find that patients these days are asking more questions, which I personally think is a good thing. I prefer my patients informed, especially if they are to go for surgery, as they need to understand the risks involved and what to expect in terms of outcome. Self-diagnosis is not necessarily dangerous as long as you seek professional help. However, self-treatment is.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e36732 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"4e36732\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.23.0 - 15-07-2024 *\/\n.elementor-column .elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--spacer-size)}.e-con{--container-widget-width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer{width:var(--container-widget-width,var(--spacer-size));--align-self:var(--container-widget-align-self,initial);--flex-shrink:0}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container{height:100%;width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer{height:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--container-widget-height,var(--spacer-size))}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty{position:relative;min-height:22px;min-width:22px}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty .elementor-widget-empty-icon,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty .elementor-widget-empty-icon{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;margin:auto;padding:0;width:22px;height:22px}<\/style>\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e125666 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e125666\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>DR QUEK YEK SONG<\/strong><br \/><em>Consultant Obstetrics &amp; Gynecologist at Columbia Asia Hospital \u2013 Iskandar Puteri<\/em><br \/><br \/>\u201cI use Google to look up any new information or journal papers to keep myself updated. With the improvement of AI, a simple possible diagnosis can be made in the future to give patients a clue on what is going on. But, unreliable and fake info can lead to wrong treatment or delayed medical care.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-517707f elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"517707f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ebbd4ab elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ebbd4ab\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>DR KERWIN TEOH<\/strong><br \/><em>Consultant General Surgeon at Columbia Asia Hospital \u2013 Iskandar Puteri<\/em><br \/><br \/>\u201cA Google search is very much dependent on keywords, and it returns with a mix of true and false information from various sources. There is no filter to differentiate actual facts from pseudo-experts on health. Do visit your doctor who can examine you physically and order required tests before coming to a diagnosis. You may well just discover that you have gastritis, rather than ZollingerEllison syndrome. Patients should not self-diagnose, but instead can use Google to learn more about a diagnosis. However, there are patients who keep second-guessing the doctor and it can render treatments ineffective.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8d51ca6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"8d51ca6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0e0f00d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0e0f00d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>DR THOMAS LAU<\/strong><br \/><em>Consultant Pediatrician at Columbia Asia Hospital \u2013 Bintulu<\/em><br \/><br \/>\u201cGoogle does help to a certain extent, provided the patient browses through a reliable website. Also, patients today can communicate more freely with their doctors regarding the concerns and worries which they learnt through the net.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d27846a elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"d27846a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e25816 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6e25816\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em><span style=\"color: #999999;\">This article first appeared in<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/health-articles-201809-should-you-ever-self-diagnose.pdf\">Her World, Issue September 2018<\/a><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With so much information on the internet, should you first ask Google or head to the clinic when you\u2019re ill?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34986,"template":"","topic":[95],"language":[137],"class_list":["post-34982","health-article","type-health-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-general","language-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Should You Ever Self-Diagnose - Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should You Ever Self-Diagnose - Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With so much information on the internet, should you first ask Google or head to the clinic when you\u2019re ill?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-22T03:06:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/health-articles-should-you-ever-self-diagnose-banner.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/\",\"name\":\"Should You Ever Self-Diagnose - Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/health-articles-should-you-ever-self-diagnose-banner.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-09-19T09:43:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-22T03:06:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/health-articles-should-you-ever-self-diagnose-banner.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/health-articles-should-you-ever-self-diagnose-banner.jpg\",\"width\":1100,\"height\":300},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Health Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Should You Ever Self-Diagnose\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/\",\"name\":\"Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia\",\"description\":\"Surpassing two decades of providing private healthcare in Malaysia, we continue to bring reliable &amp; affordable medical services through our 13 hospitals.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Should You Ever Self-Diagnose - Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Should You Ever Self-Diagnose - Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia","og_description":"With so much information on the internet, should you first ask Google or head to the clinic when you\u2019re ill?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/","og_site_name":"Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia","article_modified_time":"2025-05-22T03:06:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1100,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/health-articles-should-you-ever-self-diagnose-banner.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/","url":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/","name":"Should You Ever Self-Diagnose - Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/health-articles-should-you-ever-self-diagnose-banner.jpg","datePublished":"2018-09-19T09:43:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-22T03:06:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/health-articles-should-you-ever-self-diagnose-banner.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/health-articles-should-you-ever-self-diagnose-banner.jpg","width":1100,"height":300},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/should-you-ever-self-diagnose\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Health Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/health-articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Should You Ever Self-Diagnose"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/","name":"Columbia Asia Hospital I Private Hospital in Malaysia","description":"Surpassing two decades of providing private healthcare in Malaysia, we continue to bring reliable &amp; affordable medical services through our 13 hospitals.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/health-article\/34982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/health-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/health-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/health-article\/34982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47804,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/health-article\/34982\/revisions\/47804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=34982"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbiaasia.com\/malaysia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=34982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}