Amazon ’s voice - controlled personal assistant , Alexa , now enable hypochondriacs and armchair doc to ask WebMD for medical advice . This seems like an awful idea , because it is . The net is not a doctor .
The internet is a berth to find Brobdingnagian sum of misleading and often unverifiable information . This can contribute to problems for uneasy masses . Just render Googling a symptom you ’ve been experiencing , and you ’re of necessity three clink away from name yourself with terminal cancer . ( We ’ve all done it . ) Does a disclosure like this lede to better health ? No , because the cyberspace is not a doctor .
WebMD is a famous name and address for sweaty - palmed symptom searchers . The 20 - year - old siteis famous for fear - mongering and drug - peddling , even though the ship’s company describes the depicted object of WebMD.com as “ physician - reviewed information . ” ( Whatever that means . ) Theoretically , the idea that you may now access this data without chit-chat a website littered with ads from pharmaceutical companies seems like a positive development for health - conscious adults . But that ’s only if you forget the fact that — say it with us now — the internet is not a doctor .
But who can really knock an redundant Alexa skill ? WebMD was even nice enoughto provide a few suggested questionsto take reward of this young capability on your various Echo devices . For illustration :
Alexa , enquire WebMD what are the side effects of steroid .
That ’s a weird suggested question . Who would ask an internet - tie speaker about the downside to juicing ? mayhap it ’s just someone piddle little talk while whipping up a creatine smoothie . This seems more normal somehow :
Alexa , inquire WebMD to tell me about case 2 diabetes .
The more you have sex . What about something more world-wide , something that could save a life ? Here we go :
Alexa , demand WebMD what are the symptom of a essence attack .
Now there ’s the WebMD we all know and revere . While this information could facilitate some miserable mortal with a heart condition , it could also , say , impel someone to call 911 when they ’re having an anxiety onslaught due to asking Alexa for medical machine . The future is grand !
This is not to say that the net only hold bad information about health and health . Aware of the problem with lead astray wellness advice , Google actuallystarted providing direct answerswhen you search for aesculapian symptom last year . Instead of using WebMD as a origin , however , the lookup engine now pulls its facts from Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic , a non - gain that hire actual doctors . A whole step in the right-hand direction , you ’d guess , since the internet is not a doctor .
Anyways , have playfulness with your progressively powerful , artificially intelligent personal help Alexa . She can now offer up unnerving aesculapian advice propped up by major pharmaceutic party as well as play your favorite tracks from Spotify . The internet may not be a doctor , but it ’s still a all-fired estimable way to incur music .
[ WebMD ]
AlexaAmazonHealthMedicine
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