# The SDMB and "medical advice"... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 11, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353 "2005-05-11T05:09:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/1 "2005-05-11T05:09:36Z")
I’m not really pissed, just curious. How could the SDMB be liable for anything negative that resulted from a “medical advice” post? Are hiccup solutions taboo? My splinter question got shut down. I can clearly see why one should not ask for/trust info on cancer here, but a splinter? If I tell someone that they should eat as many raw oysters as they can, is it food advice, or bad medical advice? Why can’t we prohibit amateur pharmacology, while still allowing basic triage? If I got bitten by a spider and posted a picture of it here, would the thread be closed before it was identified and an antivenom could be reccomended? This board is not meant to be a first-aid site, and sometimes people give faulty advice, does banning discussions of such matters help to fight ignorance? ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/2 "2005-05-11T05:20:56Z")
FWIW, sometimes it’s possible to sterilize a needle and poke a splinter out from the other end - the bit away from the hole. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/3 "2005-05-11T05:45:45Z")
> **[Clarification Requested on "Medical Advice"](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=311554)** > > Somewhat inspired by the recent thread on weight loss and somewhat inspired by my own curiosity-- I have thought of a few things that, to me, are on the borderline of “asking for medical advice”, which is not allowed. (And I can see why it is not... Don’t you know that asking for medical advice on a message board is “assinine”? I don’t get it, either, but there it is. And that poster was asking this question in ATMB. Who knows what you’ll get called here! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Kenneth_Noisewater)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/4 "2005-05-11T05:56:11Z")
People will sue over anything these days. I’m about to sue my girlfriend for not having sex with me. Say you’ve got a splinter. Someone on here tells you to poke it out with a needle, the needle ends up in your eye, you go blind in that eye and someone’s fist ends up in your face because you couldn’t see on that side, and suddenly it’s all THAT GODDAMNED STRAIGHT DOPE’S FAULT. URRGGH I CAN’T WAIT TO CALL MY LAWYER (no offense intended to careless folk, victims of face violence and lawyers) ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/5 "2005-05-11T06:03:39Z")
> [@Dr. Kenneth Noisewater](#): > > People will sue over anything these days. I’m about to sue my girlfriend for not having sex with me. > Say you’ve got a splinter. Someone on here tells you to poke it out with a needle, the needle ends up in your eye, you go blind in that eye and someone’s fist ends up in your face because you couldn’t see on that side, and suddenly it’s all THAT GODDAMNED STRAIGHT DOPE’S FAULT. URRGGH I CAN’T WAIT TO CALL MY LAWYER > > (no offense intended to careless folk, victims of face violence and lawyers) face violence? a whole new category of victimhood! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/6 "2005-05-11T06:11:01Z")
What difference is there from taking advice from regular people out in the streets? I would guess that by having a disclaimer “None of the folks here work for the Reader, they’re paying costumers, just like you” you’re off the hook. It’s like suing Kazaa for getting bad porn. That’d be a lot of 'suits. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/7 "2005-05-11T07:41:34Z")
It does seem like they’re playing it safe to avoid even the possibility of a lawsuit, to the point of absurdity. No splinter questions? The _overwhelming_ majority of splinters will be removed without the help of a medical professional, regardless of whether a person can seek advice here. Saying it’s inappropriate to ask a splinter question because people should be seeing a doctor about it is clearly ridiculous. > [@](#): > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...ad.php?t=311554](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...ad.php?t=311554) > > Don’t you know that asking for medical advice on a message board is “assinine”? Am I the only one who thinks that **CK** really did go out of his way to avoid offering a real apology in that thread? “I apologize if my meaning was unclear” is a far cry from “I apologize for implying you were assinine” or “I apologize for being snarky.” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/8 "2005-05-11T08:07:56Z")
Alright, you kids had better stop misspelling “asinine,” or somebody _will_ get a needle in the eye. Enough is enough. I don’t care if it _is_ ironic. Stop it. _huff_ ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/9 "2005-05-11T14:21:28Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Alright, you kids had better stop misspelling “asinine,” or somebody _will_ get a needle in the eye. > > Enough is enough. I don’t care if it _is_ ironic. Stop it. > > _huff_ Is that a threat or medical advice? 😉 But, but, that’s how a mod spelled it–it must be right! How about “assinine” [sic]? Is that better? [sub] Ow ow ow ow I’m sorry![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/10 "2005-05-11T14:30:10Z")
> [@Dr. Kenneth Noisewater](#): > > People will sue over anything these days. I’m about to sue my girlfriend for not having sex with me. We should get together and start a class action suit, She has never had sex with me either and probably hundreds (well a few) other Dopers ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/11 "2005-05-11T14:35:57Z")
I just read that thread and I am appalled by how rude \*\*CK \*\* was. And how hard is it to apologize? Inability to apologize has always shown a lack of maturity to me. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/12 "2005-05-11T14:49:01Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I just read that thread and I am appalled by how rude \*\*CK \*\* was. And how hard is it to apologize? Inability to apologize has always shown a lack of maturity to me. I agree. My wife hates it when I, “Apologize for making you mad”, rather than the prefered, “I apologize for getting drunk last night, which made you mad”. Big difference, I’m told. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/13 "2005-05-11T14:49:17Z")
I didn’t see that **CK** had any need for the apology. The offending statement was an example of how somebody could be stupid by using the SDMB as a sub for necessarily legit medical advice. It wasn’t directed at **Minnie**. I found it interesting that as a guest poster \*\* Minnie\*\* was so quick to become offended and so bold as to immediately criticize the moderators of the board. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/14 "2005-05-11T14:56:45Z")
While we’re here, are the people who sign their posts “_So and So, M.D._” required to submit proof that they are, in fact, MD’s? ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/15 "2005-05-11T14:58:09Z")
[Hijack] OK, I just caught some error in my statement. Somehow **Minnie** is listed as a guest even though she’s had 499 posts since 2003?!? Expired subscription? In any case it refutes my surprise in her actions. She’s obviously been here a while and knows the ropes. As a newbie, her statements were unusual. As a veteran, they make sense. [/Hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/16 "2005-05-11T15:09:34Z")
I think the “no medical advice” gets a little too anal sometimes, too. I remember a thread not too long ago where a young woman, a legal adult and a virgin, was describing how it has been very painful everytime she tried to have sex and wondered if that was normal for the first time or if there was something wrong and she should go to a doctor. Several people responded that she should see a doctor and got on her about another comment. It was then locked because “she was asking for medical advice”. I thought she was just asking if it was normal for it to be painful and it is. I could just imagine her going to a doctor and saying she’s a virgin and it’s painful when she tries to have sex and a bunch of people on a message board told her to see a doctor because that’s not normal and the doctor rolling her eyes. Perhaps it would have been allowed if she has phrased it differently or posted it as an IMHO thread? Yet numerous threads discussing things such as Tasering ones genitals and various discussions of color, size and consistency of one’s poo are left alone. In fact I remember one on hemorrhoids that was not shut down even though that could have been considered asking for medical advice. I guess that means if it’s male genitals or ass-related, painful and embarrassing it’s okay. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/17 "2005-05-11T15:14:47Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > While we’re here, are the people who sign their posts > > “_So and So, M.D._” > > required to submit proof that they are, in fact, MD’s? Obviously not. However, they do post medical advice all the time, and it apparently is not a problem. I don’t quite get this, personally. IANAMD, but I, and any number of people here, could tell you the exact same thing as an MD would, and clearly such statements are still treated differently. Whatever. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but that’s the _de facto_ policy, as far as I can tell. _De jure_, it’s “No Medical Advice, EVAR!!”, with no ammendment to the effect that “Folks who the Mods are confident are M.D.'s get a pass.” It’s their sandbox, so if they want to play that way, it’s fine with me. I think they should make it clear that’s what the rules are, though. We, as participants, are free, of course, to take on faith any claim of credentials, or not, and react accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/18 "2005-05-11T15:18:58Z")
Isn’t “assinine” the new character on Voyager? ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/19 "2005-05-11T15:21:50Z")
I will point out, **BubbaDog** , that **Minnie** was a Charter Member at the time of that post. We lost a member to **CK** ’s lack of decent customer service… **Minnie** said so her(I’m assuming)self [in this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6058617#post6058617). Since this is now a pay board, that means a loss of revenue to the SDMB. The comment sure sounded like it was directed at least partially towards **Minnie** to me, since she had admitted in that post to seeking such advice in the past. And, yes, I don’t think that **CK** really apologized. It’s as if he couldn’t possibly see any reason at all why he should possibly apologize. I still can’t see why asking for medical advice is now verboten. When did this happen, BTW? I don’t recall hearing about any policy change. Posts about things like splinters used to be OK…when did this change? And can you ask “Should I see a doctor about…?” regarding a certain condition? Sometimes, things are normal, and seeing a doctor just wastes his/her time, but if, say **Qadgop** is saying “You should see a doctor,” well, then you know that another doctor is probably going to take you seriously as well. Also, wouldn’t it be nice if lapsed paid memberships had the title “Former Member” so that we wouldn’t be confused when going over old threads? Just a suggesstion. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353/20 "2005-05-11T15:25:30Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > Obviously not. However, they do post medical advice all the time, and it apparently is not a problem. They do? I am not familiar with any of the doctors here actually making diagnosis on the boards. I have seen them describe conditions and medicines, but never give actual medical advice. IIRC, the main reason to stop medical advice was due to the fact that **Handy** had gone around giving flat out bad medical advice on several occaisions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-and-medical-advice/303353.md?page=2)