Getting medical advice from smartphone apps and health forums might sound a bit unreliable. After all, the doctors on these forums might not even have the experience or credentials that you think. You can’t visit these doctors’ office, so you just have to take their word for their expertise.

Looking for your symptoms online or chatting with a doctor in a forum doesn’t hurt. It might actually prompt you to see a doctor in-person. When someone, doctor or not, tells you to go see a doctor in an online health forum, you’ll probably think twice about your health.

Doctor’s Lounge provides articles, academic journal papers, and medical news for health professionals. Its focus on the research and academic side of medicine makes it a great place for patients to find information on their own.

The forum has separate categories for different conditions. It includes just about every chronic disease and illness, ranging from diabetes to cancer. Once you register on the forum, click on the New Topic button at the top of the page to post your own questions. You’ll eventually receive an answer from the volunteers supporting the medical forums.

Since these forums are popular, someone else could’ve asked about the exact same symptom or medical condition. Make sure to search the forum before posting your question.