Life has become more complicated and simultaneously easier as a result of technology. In addition to magazines, radio, and television we have the internet and mobile devices that not only give access to information, but give it on demand. So what’s the problem? The problem for many is that if you read or research voraciously, then trying to keep up with all the latest and greatest information is a full-time job. The information you receive may not be in accordance with everything you read yesterday, and you may not have created a system about how to handle all the information.
I read the Wall Street Journal six days a week and overwhelmingly there are articles related to medicine and health. Yesterday alone had issues about your brain on music and information about how CT scans are linked to cancer. Well if you are diagnosed with an illness, many diagnoses require that you have a CT scan so how do you weigh the benefits and risks? Has your doctor read the study(ies) about CT scans and cancer risk? The information was not only in the Wall Street Journal but on a segment on National Public Radio, so it’s prominent in our consciousness.
There are a couple of things to consider when retrieving the endless stream of health information. It’s important that you pick what type of information you want on a regular basis. Are you looking for information related to treatment, detection, or risks for particular illnesses? Do you want to find information related to quality of life, pain management, or holistic health? You need to know what your focus will be so that other information can pass you by without being inundated by the avalanche of information.
Focusing the type of information you desire will also direct you to the sources that will provide that type of information. It will limit the amount of sources you have to acquire and search for while at the same time picking resources with reporters or scientists you trust and believe. It’s easy to get caught up in all the information, but it can also cloud your vision because trying to sift through all the information is daunting task. It can cause more psychic harm than physical health so be picky. Don’t subscribe to everything and anything, be a connoisseur of health.
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 