Cyberchondriacs - Population Surfing for Sickness Reaches 160 Million

Are you surfing for sick? According a new poll the number of “cyberchondriacs” surfing the net looking for health info has soared to about 160 million people in 2006—a 37 percent rise in two years.  The Telegraph reveals, “Worried about that niggling pain in your arm? Concerned about those persistent headaches? If you’ve searched online for information about medical woes you’re not alone.  The nationwide telephone poll of 1,010 adults conducted earlier this month showed cyberchondriacs on average search the Internet almost six times per month and the majority find what they are looking for. Eighty-six percent of people questioned in the poll said the health information they found online was reliable, which was a slight drop from the previous year when 90 percent were satisfied with the data.”