Lemondrop

The information age has blessed us with instant, round-the-clock access to shopping, friends and song lyrics. On the downside, it has also bred a new form of complainer: the cyberchondriac.

Just what we need in these worry-free times: You start by Googling stomach cramps because you're feeling bad, and one click later you're convinced you have colon cancer and are planning your tearful "Love Story"-style goodbye.

What Your Search String Isn't Telling You
For starters, many ailments -- from simple to serious -- have similar symptoms.

"Just because your symptoms match those of a fatal or disfiguring disease doesn't mean you have that disease," writes Josh of We Worry: A Blog for the Anxious.

But cyberchondria is closely linked to melodrama, and by planting the seed, your stomach cramps (probably caused from the 8-day-old burrito you scarfed down last night) suddenly lead to something far more damaging to your health: panic.

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"If you have an ache in your leg and you try to surf the Internet to find out what could be causing it, the simple strained muscle that is causing your pain can suddenly have you panicking -- thinking that it's a blood clot," writes blogger Richard Mankiewicz.

"If you get yourself all wound up about it, you could end up having an anxiety attack, which could then have you believing that you're about to drop dead from a heart attack ... Eventually the stress you are putting yourself under can end up making you very physically ill for real."

Consider the Patient in Question
It's important to remember that search engines and online medical databases do not take your patient history into account, where as medical experts do, and can analyze the whole picture.

That leg ache that you've chalked up to a blod clot in fact may have a more benign explanation -- especially if, say, you went jogging for the first time on a hilly path yesterday. But when you're looking at a dire diagnosis, it can be hard to remember that the odds are usually on your side.

One woman wisely sums it up on parenting site minti.com: "Google searches are great if you're wanting more information on something you already know that you have."

How to Search Smarter
Having medical information at your fingertips can save an appointment (and, for those without health care, a crapload of money). But your PC is not a doctor. Searching the Net for symptoms the same way you'd trawl for trench-coat bargains can easily lead to trouble.

Medical blogger Kate Rope offers these tips to be self-diagnosis-savvy:

* Use trusted, health-focused sites (like AOL Health or WebMD).

* Be aware that patient-generated content is biased. "If you have a diagnosed disease, patient-published sites and chat rooms can be an incredibly useful resource to find information on treatments and doctors as well as emotional support," Rope states. "But pre-diagnosis, these sites can be a minefield for the anxious."

* Don't let frantic, repeated searches crank up the fear. "More information, especially more of the same information, is not a diagnosis."

* Recognize when to get help if you can't stop worrying. "If Web searching becomes a consuming habit, lay off the mouse until you get some human help."

Barring all else, you can always ask your mom.

Tell us! Have you ever freaked yourself out looking up health symptoms online?