Monday, 30 August 2010 - The Internet has changed much about how we approach life. Even for the simplest of questions, we no longer look to a book, or a dictionary, or our thesaurus. Instead we go to Amazon.com, Dictionary.com and Wikipedia.org. When we think about vacations, we no longer go in to a travel agent, we hit the web and look at Travelocity.com, TravelBestBets.com, PriceLine.com, CheapFlights.com or Expedia.com. Amazingly, we know not only where to look, but we know the web address and no longer go looking for the phone book. Hell, if you need a phone book, we go to 411.com, Canada411.com, YellowPages.com, WhitePages.com, or DexKnows.com. When is the last time you opened up a cookbook? Myself, I go to recipes.com, FoodNetwork.com, epicurious.com, or food.com and spin the laptop around on the bar.
I can't remember the last time I went to a book store for the sole purpose of buying a book. A trip to a bricks and mortar bookstore for me is to browse to see what I will order online and have downloaded direct to my Kindle, and to sip a 'quad grande Americano, easy water non-fat misto'. Do you remember the last time you were at the movies and an actor on screen reminded you of another movie they acted in but you couldn't remember the name of the movie? I do, and on my phone, I quickly opened by imdb.com app and got the name of the movie.
When I'm out grocery shopping in a real store (something I could be doing online at Stongs.com or NetGrocer.com), I often rely on google.com, celiac.com or the MayoClinic.com website to ensure the foods I'm about to purchase are indeed gluten free. The Internet has certainly changed the way we do 'everyday life.' Even the common cold is researched before a trip to the Doctor's office.
The internet has had a massive impact on the way we are diagnosed, and our interactions with the medical community. Today, patients are going in to their physicians armed with intelligent questions, ready for a consultation and discussion, not just a diagnosis and a prescription. The recent focus on holistic and alternative therapies, partially driven by our urge to self diagnose and often self treat (thanks to all those zero's and one's) has also contributed to a big boom in natural treatments. When I have any symptom, I go straight to the net to see what it could be, and what alternatives there are to treat the same. I don't just do this for myself. I do this for my dog as well. Rex has hip displaysia. There are traditional veterinary options to treat this, ranging from NSAIDs and cortisone to pain control. Fortunately, my DVM is also a firm believer in alternative therapy. Instead, she's recommended natural joint lubrication and anti-inflamatories, and I've gone online to find massage therapists and chiropractors that will treat my dog. Add to that a little water therapy (beach time!!), and Rex is on the path to a better life. As it is Holistic Pet Day, I think Rex is on the correct path indeed. We can avoid a whole whack of unpleasantries by looking for alternatives. Shame it isn't also Holistic Human Day. There are a whole whack of us who could perhaps use a new outlook. Just search it out online.
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