Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Doctor, have I got cyberchondria?

By Rebecca Malcolm
Rotorua Daily Post·
14 Mar, 2014 09:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

As more and more people turn to the net for medical advice, reporter Rebecca Malcolm does some Googling on common symptoms.

Could it be scarlet fever? Or maybe a case of the bird flu?

Then there's the three types of cancer that are associated with night sweats and a sore throat.

Or - and this sounds bad - it might be the rare and rather interesting sounding epiglottitis, which is apparently a life-threatening illness that could be stopping air getting to my lungs. Of course, it's probably more likely to be the common cold, a case of strep throat or tonsilitis that is easily treatable with a quick trip to the local GP, but when faced with an array of dozens of different exotic - and scary - sounding symptoms it's easy to see how one could start to write that bucket list and plan for the worst.

It's so common it's got its own name - cyberchondria - and is a growing concern among healthcare practitioner as patients can research any and all symptoms and work themselves into a state of medical anxiety.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And it's easy to see why.

Try typing in nausea and a headache. Fairly common symptoms but not necessarily a common illness, according to Dr Google.

It could be anything from ebola to anthrax, or a brain tumour, aneurism or brain abscess.
But just before you go rushing up to the hospital, relax. It could also be as simple as being a bit dehydrated, or a case of caffeine overload after that extra cup this morning.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Phew.

Discover more

Search online for help, not diagnosis

14 Mar 09:00 PM

Internet gave parents tools to save Bella

14 Mar 09:00 PM

Editorial: Need to take Ebola seriously

30 Oct 08:00 PM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Rotorua Daily Post

Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?

Rotorua Daily Post

Run the Forest to showcase Rotorua to thousands of visitors

Rotorua Daily Post

Is this the toastie capital of NZ? City has two cafes in competition finals


Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?
Rotorua Daily Post

Why do Cambodian bakers make the best pies in NZ?

Patrick Lam, an eight-time winner, learned baking from his brother-in-law in 1997.

13 Aug 08:12 PM
Run the Forest to showcase Rotorua to thousands of visitors
Rotorua Daily Post

Run the Forest to showcase Rotorua to thousands of visitors

07 Aug 06:00 AM
Is this the toastie capital of NZ? City has two cafes in competition finals
Rotorua Daily Post

Is this the toastie capital of NZ? City has two cafes in competition finals

05 Aug 09:43 PM


Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet
Sponsored

Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

10 Aug 09:12 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP