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I've been accused of being a hypochrondriac.  And I suppose I am.   But there are actually people who are worse off than me.  The cyberchrondriacs . These people look up any ailment they have on the Internet to see whether it is cancer, or a stroke, or a broken bone.  Only, the information doesn't reassure them -- it only makes them even more desperate. According to newswise.com, for folks who have trouble handling uncertainty, “cyberchondria” – the online counterpart to hypochondria – worsens as they seek answers, according to a Baylor University researcher. "If I’m someone who doesn’t like uncertainty, I may become more anxious, search further, monitor my body more, go to the doctor more frequently — and the more you search, the more you consider the possibilities,” newswise.com quotes Thomas Fergus, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. “If I see a site about traumatic brain injuries and...

I'm guilty, I admit it. When I get a cold and my chest hurts from coughing, I rush to the computer and know, just know, that I'm having a heart attack.  When I was a kid, I thought every stomachache was the onset of appendicitis.  And I won't tell you how I thought I was having a baby in 5th grade. But now there's a new "illness," and it's called cyberchondria.  It's a heightened awareness of symptoms and illness, thanks to the availability (and gullibility) of the Internet and us.  I definitely think I have it. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33816_162-57566001/do-you-have-cyberchondria/