medical advice ???

Bayblue

I have been convinced, and I now realise that it wasn't right to ask for the info I wanted on this forum.

....and I know I said that I wasn't going to comment again but... honestly guys, if you're aiming to be fair and consistant to everyone this rule really needs enforcing accross the board. Particularly in the disability forum, where every other thread is either talking about medications or giving out medical advice.

Savvy_Sue

I agree, but we BGs are only human, and we're only volunteers, and the boards seem busier since New Year! So please don't feel bad about reporting to abuse any posts which you feel are the wrong side of the Medical Advice line. That's (part of) what they're paid for ...

PolishBigSpender

CHRISSYG wrote: »

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I really don't know why you're laughing.

After all, this is a direct quote from your signature.

ADVICE -recommendations about what someone SHOULD do.
EXPERIENCE-practical involvment in an activity/event , knowledege gained over time.

AS DEFINED IN THE OXFORD DICTIONARY.

There's something beautifully ironic about someone using a dictionary to prove a point, only to make a spelling mistake when making said point.

~Chameleon~

sloughflint wrote:

And there is something ironic about pointing out one mistake when there are in fact two.:D
You have been sorely pushed though.;)

You beat me to it :rotfl:

MothballsWallet

Q, the law on gas appliances is clear: you must be CORGI-registered (and trained to the correct standard) before you may work on a gas appliance.

In short: if someone even opens the cover* on your gas boiler without being CORGI-registered, they're breaking the law.

* I'm talking about the main cover over the boilery bits that channel and burn gas, not the one that may be over the controls for the pilot light and its inspection window (my boiler has the inspection window higher up in the gas burning bit).

Savvy_Sue

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I agree, but we BGs are only human, and we're only volunteers, and the boards seem busier since New Year! So please don't feel bad about reporting to abuse any posts which you feel are the wrong side of the Medical Advice line. That's (part of) what they're paid for ...

And I should have reminded you of what it says in all our signatures, which is fairly fundamental - we don't read every post!

pamaris

If patients can't discuss personal experiences of a medical nature because it is deemed "medical advice", then it does a disservice to these patients. Many of you say that the doctor's office is the appropriate place to discuss such things. Well of course patients discuss these things with their doctors. The trouble is that the "advice" many of us receive from our doctors is either not helpful, nonexistent, ill-informed or outdated. (When we ask our questions, they are brushed aside). This is a big problem in the NHS (from my experience)- some people get excellent care, some don't.

So we walk away from the doctor with such and such a drug, it gives us hot flashes every 30 minutes for 3 days which the doctor of course completely failed to warn about. So we say, has anyone else had this happen? Someone may say yes- they took theirs at night and it all stopped. So then we would ask our doctor whether we can take the meds at night. These are essential conversations to people who are suffering. We did talk to our doctors but we want to know what the doctor was too busy to tell us. If we weren't allowed to ask the question on the board then we'd never know the question to ask the doctor. People with the same condition often know more about the condition than the doctors (well, the GP anyway- hopefully not the specialist).

If this is a legal requirement, then it can't be helped but it isn't right. I view medical conversations on the internet the exact same way I view medical conversations in person. They shouldn't be banned, and all views should be expressed. We can then use our common sense and ask our doctor about the treatments. If someone goes and buys a bunch of Tramadol on the internet, that is their choice and their responsibility; a message board CANNOT be blamed; that is utterly ridiculous.

I may not have phrased everything properly or given the best examples, but what it boils down to is that when you have a medical condition, you deserve access to all information available.

PolishBigSpender

pamaris wrote: »

If this is a legal requirement, then it can't be helped but it isn't right. I view medical conversations on the internet the exact same way I view medical conversations in person. They shouldn't be banned, and all views should be expressed. We can then use our common sense and ask our doctor about the treatments. If someone goes and buys a bunch of Tramadol on the internet, that is their choice and their responsibility; a message board CANNOT be blamed; that is utterly ridiculous.

The problem is that the website is publishing the advice. I'm not so sure that the UK differentiates between online and offline publishing.

Likewise, someone that distributed a leaflet promoting Tramadol as a cure for a broken lip without mentioning the side effects would be liable.

LittleTinker

Yesterday a thread was locked because the OP asked "Am I depresssed?"

This is clearly asking for medical advise as we must all assume that noone is a doctor and so therefore does not have the qualification to make such a diagnosis.......locked understandably then.

If, however, the poster had said "I have been diagnosed as depressed and am taking Prozac....has anyone got experience of this?" they are not asking for medical advise. They are asking for opinions of usage.

A great deal of people who are given a new drug by their doctor will want to follow up by finding out what 'real life' users of that drug think. Their doctor cant tell them that....and hes the qualified one.....because he may never have taken the drug himself.

And the problem lies in that people do NOT know the difference between what constitutes medical advice and what is patient experience.

"Where is the cheapest place to buy Paracetamol?" is NOT the same as "Should I take paracetamol for my kidney infection?".

Also, drugs are not the only thing that we take/eat/drink. Look at all the threads on the Old Style board that advise people that its OK to eat meat etc after its sell by date. Isnt that also life threatening??

Glad made the comment about the questions not being relevent on a Money Saving Site......I should think that MANY of the posts on here arent relevent either......what is money saving about the Alcohol Abuse thread or the Depression Support thread? What is money saving about all the threads you see about Blue Badge Parking?

If this site has a board about health that allows general questions and threads about topics away from money saving, then it really does need to moderate it properly and allow the questions that people, of course, want to ask about certain aspects of their lives.

And really....what is the difference between popping on here to ask friends a few questions and asking the same questions down the pub?

pamaris

I think that personal experiences of a medical nature should be allowed to be shared. Maybe those of us with medical conditions could put a disclaimer in our sigs and say what we want just like financial advisers. Opinions and experiences should be allowed but stipulated as such.

People with ongoing medical conditions and disabilities really just want to be able to learn from others who are in the same boat. If this is not the place- that's a shame we'll go somewhere else, but so be it, it's still a great site.