Today's internet and the printing press of 500 years ago

There are numerous complaints about bad information about health disseminated thru the internet but overall I think the internet has a positive influence. Not accepting a physician's word alone, we can look for ourselves directly at the relevant research studies published in prestigious medical journals and NIH's PubMed.

In our forum alone, it isn't only 'Old Mike' looking at medical research, but almost every day there is someone quoting some published medical journal to provide answers and more complete explanations for those who did not receive detailed information from their doctors.

I am not saying don't follow medical advice, but for example when a GI recommends taking prednisone we can now at least look up the side effects to see what we are getting ourselves into. I have been prescribed drugs by doctors who did not inform me that they came with 'black box' warnings. By using the internet I was able to find safer alternatives that proved effective for me.

Just one example, I learned about powdered psyllium seed thru this forum. It doesn't help everyone, no single med helps everyone, but I am not the only one here who finds it to be very effective. Very few doctors would recommend pseed but anyone can now look up rigorous double-blind clinical trials published in PubMed that show it to be just as effective as mesalamines. For me it is a wonder drug.

I am not very religious but all this reminds me what must have happened 500 years ago when the printing press had just been invented. Martin Luther wanted to place the Bible into the hands of ordinary people, so he translated the it from Latin, the language of scholars and clergy, into German vernacular, the language of the people.

Martin Luther's Bible, as well as his numerous pamphlets and 'blogs', went 'viral' and became best sellers. Ordinary people could read the Bible and think for themselves and had less need for priests and bishops, the establishment of their day, to interpret scriptures for them. His Bible translation rocked the world.

/www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-34/bible-translation-that-rocked-world.html
The Bible Translation That Rocked the World
Luther's Bible introduced mass media and unified a nation

Information comes in all forms, and the written/printed word contains as many lies, biases and crap as it does truth.

One thing the internet has allowed is immediate connection. The rest is up to the individual who is seeking facts and/or truth ...... what is required is gut instinct, a good BS metre, further research and asking more questions. Just because many do it, doesnt mean it's fact, healthy or good decision making.

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