When you open Google, what are the words you type into the text bar? What topics do you usually search? Experts from Google share the most popular health related online searches of 2015. And all of them, at one point you have either thought of or researched online.
Simon Rogers, a data editor from the Google News Lab spills the beans on what bothers online searchers when it comes to health:
These top searched health-related questions are based on Google searches in the US from January to November 2015.
With the help of Dr. David Katz, a health editorial member and other health experts, they provide answers to the burning online health questions...
- Is bronchitis contagious? - online searchers have most likely asked this question for fear of being infected by someone close to them or one that is coughing within the vicinity. Acute bronchitis is a chest cold when the bronchial tubes gets irritated. It may not be sourced from a bacteria which is why this question is hard to answer.
- Is pneumonia contagious? - This question is easily answered with a resounding "YES!". Pneumonia is a bacterial infection that fills the lungs with fluid. You can find comfort in Dr. Katz's words when he tells you that it stops being contagious when the coughing stops.
- How much water should I drink? - Most of us grew up with the knowledge that we should drink 8 glasses of water per day. Keri Gans, a New York nutrition consultant, recommends to take your body weight and divide it in half. Also, Gans suggests that you can also rely on vegetables and fruits for your hydration needs.
- How many calories should I eat? - The question a lot of dieters ask. Megan Roosevelt, founder of Healthy Grocer Girl explains that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Roosevelt would rather want people to focus on eating a well balanced portion controled meal than counting calories.
- What is Lupus? - Lupus erythematosus is a chronic auto-immune illness that affects over 1.5 million Americans. It affects the joints, kidneys, skin, heart, blood cells and the body's nervous system. Selena Gomez was diagnosed with lupus and had to have chemotherapy in 2014.
- How far along am I? - Pregnant women are trying to understand the length and duration of their pregnancy and sometimes measuring period dates manually don't work. How large a pregnant woman's abdomen and her last period are inaccurate indictors, says Joshua Klein, MD assistant. Dr. Klein says it's better to go to a clinic and use an ultrasound to measure the development of the fetus in the mother's womb.
- When do you ovulate? - Married couples try so hard to get pregnant and finding out when the ovulation period occurs can be of vital importance to having children. Dr. Klein says that the ovulation period is usually in the middle of your period cycle. Measure two weeks after your last day, he adds.
- What is gluten? - This is a very popular question ever since sugar, diet, obesity, diabetes and allergens are on the rise this decade. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Gluten-free diets continue to trend but Dee Sandquist, Ohio nutritionist, recommends that eating whole grains are still a great source of fiber and maintains that removing gluten from your diet is not always necessary.
- And the last burning age-old question... How long does flu last? - Simple, Dr. Katz says "This varies to some extent with the strain each year, and obviously goes on longer if complications develop. But the typical course of the flu is seven to ten days.
Food World News hopes that these questions asked online, which most likely have been on your mind as well, have been answered and that you'll focus on having a good time this Christmas!
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