Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Medical Information on Wikipedia

Rubbish. Loads of crap. Some of it is true, but a lot of it is absolute trash. Do not trust everything you read on it. To know something it's better to check reliable resources, or do it the old-fashioned way; ask a doctor.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

3ashan teslakhoona fawateer 3al no longer free consultations ;) ?

Amer said...

Do I hear an HMO?

Hani Obaid said...

Wikipedia is like a democracy, it just represents the opinion of the majority of its users, and since most people are usually only experts on one subject, yet more than happy to give their opinion on all usbjects (like me), the majority opinion is usualy wrong !

Anonymous said...

I read there once that honey could kill babies, it freaked me out... how true is that?

No_Angel said...

examples hareega ?
I honestly found it pretty reliable when it comes to drugs, and the notices and warnings above any article are helpful guidelines. and if you saw something wrong did you try to correct it ? or did you leave it as is ?

Mohanned said...

WebMd.com us good..

Hareega said...

anonymous, ma fee free consultation ! (just like no mechanic will fix your car for free)

globalroma: yeah HMO lol

hani obaid... democracy is not intended to be dangerous. Sometimes you don't need democracy, you need FACTS.

Ola: in the rare cases where the honey contains botulinism toxin that can kill babies, but that's very rare.

no_angel: what tipped me off is the mention on wikipedia that coccidiodmycosis was used in bioterrorism in the 1950s, 1960s. That sounded very strange to me and I had to run it by some of the experts in it and that information was absoultely untrue. The problem with wikipedia is that it takes any article or report on the web as true and that is definitely not.

Anonymous said...

I thought something was off, thanks for the info about the fungi.

I did look at the page you mentioned.
they said "[it] was investigated by the United States during the 1950s and 1960s as a potential biological weapon" but it states that a citation is need for this info. So it won't be confused as a fact. that puts it in the hearsay category.
while am not attesting for the absolute accuracy of every medical info there(tho that fact isn't medical technically) but most of it is helpful and accurate. plus usually in an accessible language which doctors usually have trouble with :D
personally i use webMD and john hopkins hospital website.

Hareega said...

If citation is required why was it placed in the first place?
It's total crap, cocci can NEVER be used as a biological weapon because 99% of those who get it are asymptomatic. What kind of stupid ass terrorist would like to use it a biological weapon.

Anonymous said...

cause it isn't a medical journal, it is a wikipedia. people are interested in hearsay, alternative definitions and all the other things next to verified "facts" it helps to widen your scope and enables you to develop the ability to question ever piece of info when there is not a lot of evidence to it. I think it is both constructive and helps develop ethical researching.

cocci can NEVER be used as a biological weapon because 99% of those who get it are asymptomatic.
I wouldn't go with never, just very highly unlikely... a bit of tweaking and it just might be suitable. plus you are holding the 50's military and doctors to a much higher standard. either way any asymptomatic pathogen is a wonderful bioweapon since it will strike silently.
plus never mind that the definition of a terrorist changed a lot since then, but at that time they were researching those for usage, they were being developed within the military for usage not as a measure of counter terrorism or just being prepared.

either way ... referencing wiki is a personal matter but i fully agree with you that any info needs to be scrutinized but i just thought you were being a bit too harsh there

Hareega said...

Wikipedia might be better or much better than a lot of other garabge "health" websites that are on the net, still giving wrong medical information is scary.

"alternative definitions and all the other things next to verified "facts" it helps to widen your scope and enables you to develop the ability to question ever piece of info"

No it doesn't. Verified facts are not opinions of experts, but verified facts. A lot of people who have NOTHING to do with medicine try to widen their scopes by questioning everything medical but they end up spreading mass hysteria and crazy rumors that keep away from improtant life-saving medical interbentions. It's not all related to wikpedia, but every once ina while you'll have people saying he HPV vaccine is not working, or the influenza or pneumonia vaccine are useless...etc and people like to believe this crap that is absed on nothing. The web has become a very dangerous place to spread medical information.

Anonymous said...

If we ask you a medical question, would you email us the bill for that!

I know Wikipedia wont

Anonymous said...

Speaking of medical information Hareega, do you need someone to get your patient's chest x-rays, cuz I need a job lol.

Hareega said...

anonymous, please send me an email with any questions or concerns, it would also be nice to name yourself with something next time you wanna comment here

batoul, hehe no thanks !

Anonymous said...

absolutely true. wiki is bullshit.
I once was attending a forum which only rule was : Wikipedia sources are not accepted. :D

bella said...

hahaha... yea, it may take a few years for people to realize that just like you can't take believe everything any average joe in the street tells, you can't believe everything off the damn internet, cuz ANYBODY CUDA WRITTEN IT, whether a bored schoolkid, or some idiot who wants to mess with ppl!

Anonymous said...

Halla2 really you can't rely on wikipedia for medical issues. It's better to go visit a doctor ALWAYS, laish daraso ou ti3bo? 7atta 7adritna nshakhes la7alna???

Anonymous said...

Is that true, or is that the doctor inside you speaking?
Because last time I checked wikipedia was an exact replica of my clinical anatomy text books.

Wallah ya zalameh, I have no idea what the point of studying medicine is anymore. Give it a few years time and robots would be designed to take our place.

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