My understanding is that there is a program where you pretty much build up your own database. You enter signs, symptoms, diagnostics, labs, and treatment into the program. You start checking off signs and symptoms and your differential list gets smaller. I'm a medical student and wanted to learn more about this program (if such exists). thank you in advance.

Epocrates Essentials @ Epocrates.com it is fantastic. You can try a trial version. they also have a free drug index download. I am a medical student as well

If a hypochondriac thought that they could have a variety if stds because of a big increase in vaginal discharge can that person actually make themselves have symptoms of herpes, syphillis, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc. especially after obssessively looking on information about all kinds of stds? Or could they really be having symptoms from the actual diseases? your help is very much appreciated.

Conversion disorder: a psychiatric disorder where a person has physical symptoms but no medical explaination. Secondary gains are present, usually the person needs to get attention or check out of life for a bit due to stress.
In the hospital, I see pts with conversion d/o frequently, usually with stroke symptoms. Hysterical pregnancy is possible to. I'm not sure why you would want to have symptoms of an infection, but it is possible.
"medical student's disease" is another one, a form of hypochindria, where excessively looking up diagnoses and seeing pts with then makes you think you have it too. Common with GI problems.
Basically a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous. the body is designed to run and maintains itself pretty well.
If you're concerned about something, go get tested.

Yes. Hypochondria can make a person go crazy, and after a while symptoms can actually appear!
Also remember cyberchondria – hypochondria induced by obsessive web searches. Unfortunately looking online for information about a disease can have us all convinced that we have cancer. In most cases a web search escalates fears and does more damage than good.

Here is a helpful article about Cyberchondria. myvoice.mygofer.com/mission_possi…

Hopefully you don't obsess over your ailments. Stay off the internet!

Here is my link of a question…

answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvPpx27uy6BnP70aFPXcBXDsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20110103081501AAx3Ind

People have even said I am worrying too much, and I actually have(don't know if I still do I got to the doctor today to see if it's still in me) Chlamydia… I have done the post a lot and one girl even said I should stop posting it. One guy said that he felt bad for my bf and that I was sick and that's what I get, so, I don't know… I am STILL worried, but if you read my post tell me what you think…

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Activists say Hepatitis B is a silent epidemic that’s ravaging the Asian American community, and most people don’t know about it.”A lot of people in the Asian American community are unknowingly affected by this silent epidemic,” said Francis Deng, a Harvard University student and member of Team HBV, a group dedicated to Hepatitis B awareness in Boston’s Asian community.It’s a disease that’s both treatable and preventable, and yet thousands still die from it each year. of the 1.5 million Americans infected with Hepatitis B, more than half are people of Asian and Pacific Island descent, according to the American Liver foundation.”Oftentimes it doesn’t present with any symptoms at first, so patients think everything is OK and that they don’t have an underlying problem,” said Timothy Yiu, a Harvard Medical Student.Harvard’s Team HBV is more than half way to its goal of screening 150 people using a simple blood test. The disease itself spreads through blood and bodily fluids, and most Asians contract it from their mothers at birth.”There’s a misconception that the disease can be transmitted through food or casual contact,” said Deng. “But because of misconceptions, people think that if you’re a carrier, then they don’t want to be around you or eat near you.”That stigma has led to discrimination in some Asian countries and some in the U.S avoiding treatment until it’s too late.”If you choose not to undergo treatment, it can progress to end-stage liver failure or liver cancer, and that can lead to death,” said Yiu.there are currently six FDA-approved treatments and an effective Hepatitis B vaccination on the market, making proper screening the key.”With antiviral and drug treatments, you can definitely keep it to manageable levels and live a completely normal, healthy life,” said Yiu.Resources: FREE Hepatitis B Screening Sunday, Dec. 5, 9 AM to 12 PM Location: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association 90 Tyler St. Boston, MA Harvard University’s Team HBV 424-2LiverH (424-254-8374)

Copyright 2010 by TheBostonChannel.com. all rights reserved. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.