Google Will Now Tell You What Your Medical Symptoms Mean

Most of us have at some point turned to Google to figure out what a mysterious medical symptom meant. Unfortunately, this often means sifting through pages of search results, getting more confused, misdiagnosing yourself, and starting all over again with a different search term. While the possibility of misdiagnosis will always be a problem if you're relying on the Internet rather than a doctor, Google just made it easier to identify some possibilities. Now, when you type a symptom into the search bar, Google will display information about conditions that tend to underlie it, according to Engadget. For example, if you type in "swollen joints," Google will tell you about arthritis. If you type "headache," it'll display descriptions for "headache" and "migraine." It also suggests potential treatments and tells you which type of doctor to consult. This could make it easier to identify what you're experiencing, but it could also make it easier to jump to conclusions. So, as usual, go see your doctor before announcing you suffer from a condition based on what you read on the Internet.