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Archive for July, 2011

Internet giant Google has reported a large rise in profits and revenue, well ahead of market expectations.

Net profit for the three months to June rose 36% on the same period last year to $2.5bn (£1.5bn), while revenues rose 32% to $9bn.

Last month, Google launched its social networking site Google+, in an attempt to take on Facebook.

The results were the first under chief executive Larry Page, who replaced Eric Schmidt in April.

Mr Schmidt had held the role for 10 years. Analysts said the decision for Google co-founder Mr Page to take over was made because he now carries more weight with investors and could re-energise the search giant.

The results will help reassure investors that the company is still thriving under his leadership.

"We had a great quarter," said Mr Page. "I'm super excited about the amazing response to Google+."

Shares in Google surged 11% in extended trading.

Jordan Rohan, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, said the results were "well beyond expectations from Wall Street".

"Clearly, the combination of mobile search, Android, ad exchange, YouTube, and the core search businesses, they're all doing well," he said.

"Google is no longer a one-trick pony. You might say six-trick pony if you count Google+."

Sony Ericsson has blamed the the Japanese earthquake for a 50m euro (£44m; $71m) loss during the three months to June.

The mobile phone maker said the quake last March had caused "supply chain constraints", which meant that about 1.5m phones were not ready for sale.

Smartphones now make up more than 70% of Sony Ericsson's total sales, up from just 40% at the end of last year.

Sales of smartphones using Google's Android operating system grew 150%.

Sony Ericsson estimates that it now has an 11% share of the Android smartphone market – by both value and volume.

During the first quarter of the year, Sony Ericsson had managed to achieve net profits of 11m euro, but on an extremely slim operating margin of just 2%.

During the past few years the mobile phone firm has seen a steady erosion of its share of the mobile phone market, losing out to Apple with its iPhone models and quickly growing Asian rivals like Samsung and HTC.

The company has gone through a cost-cutting exercise, including making 4,000 staff redundant.

Sony Ericsson is a 50-50 joint venture of Japanese entertainment electronics firm Sony and Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson.

Ericsson's shares fell 1.3% on news of Sony Ericsson's losses.

A former News of the World journalist's allegation the newspaper paid police to track mobile phones raises serious questions about the UK's eavesdropping laws, according to experts.

"You are generally dealing with people that are experienced in using and deploying covert policing techniques and therefore their tradecraft equips them particularly well to minimise the risk of detection," he said.

A new law, currently being considered by parliament – the Protection of Freedoms Bill – would require judicial approval for some Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) disclosures, but not those requested by police.

The BBC approached the government to see if it planned to ask Sir Paul to re-examine the safeguards around police use of RIPA.

A Home Office spokesman said it would not be taking such action before the prime minister had outlined the terms of reference for his two enquiries into the phone-hacking scandal.

Daniel Hamilton, the director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, said he was happy to wait, provided there was eventually a review.

"I would have preferred if action had been taken earlier and intercepts had not been used on such a wide basis, but I think it makes sense now an inquiry has been set up and we have received assurances from the PM and the police that there will be a thorough investigation.

"I hope at the end it will be an opportune time to revisit these processes," he said.

Walk past the modern facilities of Mexico City's forensic headquarters and it is hard to imagine that the building hosts one of the grimmest aspects of Mexico's war on drugs.

Inside are dozens of unidentified corpses – most believed to be the victims of the drug gang violence that has engulfed parts of this country.

They were found in clandestine graves in the north of the country – a macabre twist to the bloodletting that has seen some 40,000 people killed since late 2006.

Some mortuaries in the violence hot spots – mostly in the north near the US border – have been overwhelmed by the discovery of hundreds of corpses.

"We only have facilities to deal with 20 bodies," Dr Jose Gutierrez Silva, head of the forensic service in the city of Durango told the BBC.

"We had to hire two trucks that are specially fitted to hold corpses."

To date, some 250 bodies have been found in several mass graves in the state of Durango.

It has been a similar story in the north-eastern state of Tamaulipas, where more than 190 bodies were unearthed earlier this year near the town of San Fernando.

That is why many bodies have been brought to the capital.

At Mexico City's Forensic Medical Service (Semefo), work continues to try to give a name to the victims stored in temperature-controlled vaults behind two heavy metal doors.

The hope is that a positive identification means a body can be handed over to grieving relatives.

Mexican officials say the number of forensic staff employed at a national level is now 1,500 – up from 454 a decade ago.

Some states, like Durango, have opened new forensic laboratories over the last few months, while the while the main university, UNAM in Mexico City, is set to introduce a new degree course next year to train people in forensic science.

But the expansion of the forensic service will take time – while the victims keep turning up.

"We support states in the north of the country by receiving these bodies because they don't have facilities to keep them for long," says Dr Macario Susano Pompeyo, technical director of Semefo.

"And since they keep on finding bodies, that makes their work more difficult."

About 120 of the Tamaulipas bodies, some mutilated and bearing the signs of torture, were moved to Mexico City.

So far, less than a quarter of the corpses has been formally identified. None of the victims, Dr Pompeyo says, had any links with criminal groups.

"They were migrants making their way to cross the border with the US," he says.

That could explain why few families come looking for their loved ones.

"Many of them do not even know if their relative is missing or dead," says Dr Pompeyo.

That is not the case of Maximo Bazaldua, who believes his brother-in-law Rafael, could be among the bodies at the Semefo facilities.

The last time he heard from him, in March 2010, Rafael was on a bus on his way to the US.

Over the phone, he told his family that the bus he was on had been stopped in Tamaulipas at a supposed checkpoint near San Fernando.

Mr Bazaldua's efforts to find his brother-in-law have so far been unsuccessful.

The search involves dealing with different departments, a lot of bureaucracy and costs money travelling to and from Tamaulipas.

"We're about to give up," he says.

Rafael seems set, for the foreseeable future at least, to remain on the list of some 6,000 people who have gone missing in Mexico since 2006, according to human rights groups.

As for the bodies in Semefo's vaults, their destiny contains a grim irony.

If in about a year, no relative has claimed them, they will be buried again in mass graves.

Thrombosis is simply speaking, the emergence of a blood clot inside an swollen artery or a swollen vein. If unattended it can potentially block vital oxygen as well as metabolic ingredients for instance lactic acid. This will probably kill cells. Thrombosed hemorrhoids are essentially arteries inside the rectum or on the exterior of the anus that are filled with clotted blood. This clotting will cause the arteries to enlarge into a bulb. If the swollen vein explodes then a bleeding hemorrhoid is the result.

If you notice pain or itching in your anus you in all likelihood have hemorrhoids. If you locate bluish swollen lumps in your anus they are quite likely thrombosed. The blue coloring comes from blood clots which have solidified stopping the blood from flowing and are slowing the oxygen. Nearly always they are hard caused by the clotting . You don’t necessarily detect thrombosed hemorrhoids though. Many hemorrhoids are inside the anal cavity.

Although thrombosed hemorrhoids are not commonly critical, if you have them it is to your greatest benefit to obtain them cleared up rather quickly . Thrombosed hemorrhoids can easily develop into bleeding hemorrhoids which may well in turn get infected. Topical infections, which could materialize from external hemorrhoids are relatively straightforward to cure once they have been detected. Internal hemorrhoids however can progress into infections inside your rectum which can be critical. They not only are hard to notice, they’re also hard to cure. If internal infections are not cleared up they are able to at some point progress into blood poisoning which can kill you.

To cure hemorrhoids you need to identify a very good hemorrhoid treatment. There are various strategies to treat hemorrhoids. For temporary relief of the itching, discomfort and swelling you can easily get a great many diverse creams and gels. You could want to consider witch hazel to numb your anal region. If your hemorrhoids situation is severe you may wish to talk to a medical doctor about a surgical treatment. In most cases on the other hand, your bodily functions can establish self hemorrhoid treatments with some care from you. To begin with, be sure to keep your buttocks nice and clean. A gentle topical antiseptic can help prevent it from becoming infected and can help prevent harmful bacteria from attacking and irritating it even more. Probably the most important three things you can do to cure hemorrhoids would be to eat healthy foods, above all fresh fruits, green veggies and anything contains fiber. This will provide your body with necessary vitamins and also the fiber should help in keeping your your intestinal tract and rectum clean. Remember to take part in physical activity. That can build up your heart which assists a whole lot with blood flow. Be patient throughout bowel motions. Drink lots of fluids, primarily clean water. Dehydration is often a main contributing aspect to the occurrence of hemorrhoids. Your body can heal itself with a some care from you. Altering your lifestyle to improve your well being can accomplish a whole lot toward the avoidance of hemorrhoids in coming years.

In the event that you’re thinking you may have hemorrhoids you are without doubt commited to learn about what your most reliable hemorrhoid treatment solutions are. As you may suspected, you have many excellent hemorrhoid treatment alternatives . If you have hemorrhoids that aren’t awfully serious you can quite likely get them cared for with one of the several unique hemorrhoid treatment natural home remedies. On the other hand, if you have serious hemorrhoids, meaning, thrombosed hemorrhoids or hemorrhoids that have began to bleed you really should go through surgical removal as a hemorrhoid treatment option.

In the event that you are curious about surgical removal to stop your hemorrhoids you’ve got many excellent alternatives to choose between. Some alternatives can be really painful but certain of the most sophisticated techniques do the job reasonably well and yet they are not so painful. Make sure youead through the remainder of this write-up and educate yourself on what diverse types of surgical removal are out there as hemorrhoid treatment.

Of the numerous varieties of hemorrhoid surgical removal out there, Rubber Band Ligation is one of the most popular. With this kind of surgical removal a rubber band roughly 1/25of an inch is shoved tightly directly to the root base of the hemorrhoid. The problematic arteries that make up hemorrhoid eventually whither and drop off seeing that the the flow of blood to them is hinder. It commonly takes about 5-7 days or so for the hemorrhoid to die.

You can possibly go through laser surgery. Laser surgery treatment calls for making use of a lazer gun to zap the hemorrhoid off. The procedure takes a pretty brief amount of time which means that you can return home the same day. That is, it is an out patient hemorrhoid treatment. Laser surgical removal shouldn’t carry the expected issues pertaining to surgical removal , in particular bleeding mainly because the laser beam cauterizes the resulting wound.

A Stapled Hemmorhoidectomy is a rather well-known kind of hemorrhoid surgery . This kind of surgical operation is supposed to stop hemorrhoids from bleeding which subsequently alleviates the pressure caused by the blood clots. This type of operation is predominantly applied on prolapsed hemorrhoids but it will work relatively well for any kind of bleeding hemorrhoid. This technique necessitates stapling the hemorrhoid with a circular staple.

A newer kind of hemorrhoid surgery consists of identifying all the problematic arteries which are supplying blood flow to the hemorrhoid and next stitching them which should hinder the blood supply to the hemorrhoid. Since the the flow of blood is restricted the hemorrhoid dries out and dies, leaving a tiny little scar. This operation technique is generally known as HALO which is an acronym for Hemorrhoidal Artery Ligation Operation. It is oftentimes generally known as HAL which is an acronym for Hemorrhoidal Artery Ligation. It is sought after since it is rather painless.

Investigative research indicates that natural homeopathic treatment solutions for hemorrhoids really without any doubt work. The question is, which plans work the most effectively. This article was produced for virtually anyone who are interested in finding out about the top natural homeopathic hemorrhoid treatment treatment solutions on the market. For those who have been searching for information and facts relating to natural varieties of hemorrhoid treatment, you’ve found it.

One of several most commonly acknowledged treatments for temporary relief of redness and itching is witch hazel. Although it is not advisable to administer an anesthetic directly to the anal orifice as it provides hemorrhoid treatment, witch hazel ought to bring about some numbness to the sore location with out bringing about side effects. You can actually use witch hazel to create an elixer yourself or simply purchase it as a form of creme out of a store.

The redness and itching of hemorrhoids can generally be triggered by harmful bacteria rather than the hemorrhoids. The sore location is at risk of harm by harmful bacteria and therefore can potentially become infected. 1 highly efficient hemorrhoid treatment used to alleviate the redness and itching of hemorrhoids is what is referred to as a sitz bath. Basically, fill a tub with an adequate amount of reasonably warm water to position your anus into. Add sufficient salt to virtually saturation. To disinfect the sore location it’s advisable to to add an antiseptic similar to isopropyl alcohol. Make certain the water is as hot as you’ll be able to take it. This can grant you swift relief, especially if harmful bacteria is causing the itchiness. Should you continue doing this procedure several times every day for several weeks it can completely do away with most hemorrhoids.

Horse Chestnut has for years and years been recognized as a homeopathic home remedy for hemorrhoids. In particular it is known to alleviate any conditions associated with blood clots. It is customarily consumed as a health supplement but be cautious not to take it should you be allergic to it. An additional especially old hemorrhoid treatment is Butcher’s Broom. This treatment option has been recognized as a hemorrhoid treatment home remedy for any conditions associated with defective veins. Typically you’d take Butcher’s Broom in the form of a tea.

Bleeding hemorrhoids can cause tremendous physical pain.Still, they can frighten the poor sufferer horribly if they’re un-aware of what is happening . Even though they might be particularly alarming, bleeding hemorrhoids in fact aren’t very dangerous. Hemorrhoids are undesireable veins within the anus that have undergone an intense amount of pressure, mostly during a bowel movement. What takes place is the undesireable veins swell up and then the blood starts to clot. This will cause bulbous undesireable veins which can many times burst open. If they do burst open that can cause your anus to bleed a good deal. It looks as if it is very dangerous even though it in reality is not. If perhaps you verify that you really have bleeding hemorrhoids you would be wise to consult with a health professional right away. In this way you may benefit from a hemorrhoid treatment that can alleviate your hemorrhoids. This information talks about several of the different hemorrhoid treatment remedies in the market so we hope, after reading through this you will be better able to make that vital choice.

Generally, doctors propose surgery to treat bleeding hemorrhoids. Surgery is generally known to be rather uncomfortable and also, surgery takes alot of time to remedy. Because of this you really should give consideration to caring for hemorrhoids as soon as possible. If you catch them quickly enough and start treating them you can normally get them to remedy with popular solutions as an alternative to surgery.

There exists a common hemorrhoid treatment involving surgery called a stapled hemorrhoidectomy. Among all the surgical forms of hemorrhoid treatment this procedure is without doubt the most preferred simply because it is the least uncomfortable. In simple terms the health professional will staple your anus with a circular staple and that will for the most part reduce the bleeding. This form of hemorrhoid treatment is primarily intended for prolapsed hemorrhoids. Even so it is often used for any varieties of bleeding hemorrhoids. Another preferred kind of surgery for bleeding hemorrhoids is generally known as hemorrhoidal artery ligation. This solution works by using a proctoscope combined with a Doppler transducer. The procedure basically involves locating and ligating the bleeding problematic veins. Ligation aids greatly in curing the pressure from the undesireable veins and effectively lessens the discomfort considerably. This surgery is also very nearly painless.

Although a health professional is likely to recommend a surgical operation in order to eliminate your bleeding hemorrhoids,it is possible to minimize bleeding hemorrhoids by means of alternative hemorrhoid treatments. You can administer ointments and creams to help lower the itching and discomfort. You can apply a ‘sitz’ bath also. Basically, if you can get yourself to eat fruit and green vegetables as well as fiber that can help a good deal. Try not to exert a great deal of pressure on your pelvic area, in particular during a bowel movement. If you’re currently pregnant or overweight be specially careful to not rush it. Hemorrhoids, even bleeding hemorrhoids can, and quite often do, remedy if you could possibly only look after them.

Whilst there are many variations of hemorrhoid treatment, frequently non medical treatment plans work for hemorrhoid treatment just as well or better than classic treatment procedures like surgical treatment. For anyone who has been attempting to find out what non medical hemorrhoid treatment treatment plans exist for hemorrhoids then Make certain you read through see this document. You are certain to pick-up some ideas as to what’s available to you for hemorrhoid treatment.

Witch hazel has been utilised for numerous generations all over the World to numb the discomfort and itching of hemorrhoids. You could buy it in a store or you can prepare your own elixer with it. Despite the fact that witch hazel can not eliminate hemorrhoids once and for good at all it will be able to help you endure them until you may get them cured.

The discomfort and itching of hemorrhoids will commonly be a consequence of germs and not necessarily the hemorrhoids. The afflicted region is susceptible to harm by germs for that reason may well end up getting infected. 1 particularly efficient hemorrhoid treatment used to ease the discomfort and itching of hemorrhoids is referred to as a sitz bath. Essentially, just fill a container with a sufficient amount of warm water to situate your buttocks into. Add enough salt to pretty much saturation. In an effort to disinfect the afflicted region it’s advisable to to put in an antiseptic typically isopropyl alcohol to the water. Ensure that the water is as warm as you can reasonably stand it. This is likely to provide prompt relief, specifically if germs is the reason for the soreness. Should you repeat this procedure a couple of times a day for a couple of weeks it can totally clear away most hemorrhoids.

You might give thought to employing Butcher’s Broom to aid you with the weak flow of blood connected with hemorrhoids. It has been noted for numerous years for the treatment of any disease involved with defective veins so it is known as a hemorrhoid treatment. Also you might consider utilizing Horse Chestnut. This strategy is an old folk natural remedy for clotting of blood. Both compounds can be taken by mouth, normally in a hemorrhoid treatment tea. Ensure that you’re not allergic to Horse Chestnut before swallowing it.

(CNN) — Elaine Farstad got antsy as she waited for her doctor, who was late for her scheduled appointment. Then she got downright impatient. Then, as nearly two hours passed, she got mad. Then she came up with an idea.

"I decided to bill the doctor," she says. "If you waste my time, you’ve bought my time."

When Farstad returned home, she figured out her hourly wage working as an IT specialist at Boeing in Everett, Washington. She doubled it for the two hours she’d spent in the waiting room, and mailed the invoice to her doctor.

"It’s ludicrous — why would I wait for free?" says Farstad, who is now an engineering graduate student at North Carolina State University. "Like we all learned in kindergarten, it’s about respecting each other."

In years gone by, doctors would likely have scoffed at the suggestion they reimburse patients for time spent waiting. But Farstad’s doctor sent her a check for $100, the full amount she requested, and some tardy doctors tell CNN they give patients money (or a gift) before the patient even asks.

"I love this!" says Dave deBronkart, co-chair of the Society for Participatory Medicine. "It’s magnificent that some physicians are valuing patients’ time. It’s a commitment to designing a practice that truly serves patients."

Gifts from late doctors

The average wait time at doctors’ offices in the United States is 24 minutes, according to a report released in 2010 by Press Ganey, a group that researches health care performance.

When he keeps patients waiting more than 15 minutes, Dr. Timothy Malia, a primary care physician in Fairport, New York, hands them a $5 bill. If patients in Eugene, Oregon, wait more than 10 minutes to see Dr. Pamela Wible, they receive a handmade soap or a bottle of lotion. When Dr. Cyrus Peikari, an internist in Dallas, recently had to miss a day of work because of a family emergency, he gave the patients whose appointments he canceled $50 at their next appointment.

One patient didn’t want to take the check, but Peikari insisted. "I suggested to him, ‘Your time is just as valuable, if not more so, than mine.’ "

Not all doctors are so sympathetic. Farstad tells about another appointment. It was for 8 a.m. with her gynecologist, and she had to leave at 8:40 a.m. when the doctor still wasn’t there. In the parking lot, she ran into the doctor, who was just getting out of her car.

"The doctor told me she had a little one and she was never in the office until ten to nine," she remembers. "I asked her why she scheduled appointments at 8 a.m., and she said to give the patients time to do paperwork. I was so mad I was shaking. I never went back to her."

What to do when your doctor keeps you waiting

Keep in mind that sometimes a situation is out of a doctor’s control. For example, some doctors are instructed by their bosses to book patients at 15 minute increments to make more money, which means if one patient needs more time, the patients later in the day will get delayed.

If that’s the case, and the doctor is perpetually late and you don’t like waiting, you can try one of these approaches.

1. Send your doctor a bill

Here’s an example of an invoice Farstad sent to a tardy physician. She says over the years she has billed six doctors who were more than 30 minutes late, and half have paid.

2. Find an on-time doctor

This map shows physicians who adhere to the tenets of the Ideal Medical Practices Organization, which encourages its doctors to be on time.

3. Schedule smartly

For example, try booking the first appointment after lunch. For more scheduling tips, read the previous Empowered Patient column: Waiting for the doctor… and waiting and waiting.

4. Mention the doctors in this article to your own doctor

Doctors might pay up pre-emptively if they hear their colleagues are doing the same, deBronkart says.

5. Blog about your doctor’s lateness

DeBronkart, who blogs as "E-Patient Dave," wrote about his experience waiting 45 minutes to get an X-ray. He says the head of the radiology practice then called him and acknowledged they needed to change the way they scheduled patients.

CNN’s Sabriya Rice and Lida Alikhani contributed to this report.

(CNN) — You might not realize it, but your doctor could be complaining about you online.

He or she isn’t using your name, of course, but rather descriptions such as "The Angry Patient" or "The Patient Who Knows Too Much."

It’s part of a physician-to-physician educational presentation titled "Managing the Difficult Patient" on QuantiaMD, which has drawn thousands of views from doctors and a good bit of ire from patients. (You must register to view, but it’s free.)

"If you look at their videos, they seem to want to get rid of these patients," says Sherry Reynolds, who tweeted about the "startling views" expressed in the videos.

"Honestly, I was a little shocked when I saw it," adds Amy Tenderich, founder of the popular website DiabetesMine.com. "It was upsetting to see them take such a defensive stand."

"The Patient Who Knows Too Much"

In particular, the segment "The Patient Who Knows Too Much" has angered patient advocates such as Reynolds and Tenderich. In it, a fictitious patient named "Will," represented by a nerdy looking avatar holding a laptop computer, deluges his doctor with information about "one disease or another" that he’s learned online about

In the presentation, three doctors comment on the challenges Will poses.

"They consider themselves an expert yet often their true medical knowledge is quite limited," says Dr. Joseph Scherger, vice president for primary care at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, who says patients like Will are "indiscriminate" about the material they read online.

"Patients who present their expertise as telling you how to practice medicine are implicitly discounting your expertise," adds Leonard Haas, a psychologist at University of Utah School of Medicine.

"Sometimes these patients are very overweight. They’re out of shape," Scherger adds. "They’re on the Internet all the time."

Difficult — but not dead

Reynolds and Tenderich say while doctors may find so-called "Internet patients" annoying, online information has saved many.

"If my mother hadn’t been a ‘difficult patient,’ she’d be dead right now," says Reynolds, adding that her mother’s breast cancer doctor didn’t sufficiently check her lymph nodes after performing a lumpectomy.

After doing research online, Reynolds decided to take her mother to another doctor, who found cancer in some of the nodes and removed them. Twelve years later, she’s still alive.

Tenderich remembers how she broke out in hives on her neck, face and hands seven weeks after learning she had diabetes. A dermatologist told her the hives were probably a result of being stressed about the diagnosis, but patients online told her some diabetics develop a wheat allergy. Tenderich then went to an allergist, who confirmed the diagnosis.

"Only through talking to patients in the community did I learn the truth," Tenderich says.

"The title ‘The Patient Who Knows Too Much’ is condescending," she says. "It’s unfortunate these providers are not recognizing their patients as intelligent people and showing a little more respect."

Jill Raleigh, executive director of the LAM Foundation, a group for patients with a rare lung disease, also took issue with the QuantiaMD presentation.

"Oftentimes our patients’ physicians know very little, if anything, about LAM," Raleigh says. "Many of the patients actually educate their doctors on the latest research and sometimes even the basics of the disease."

An unfortunate title

Mary Modahl, chief communications officer with QuantiaMD, says her company now realizes "The Patient Who Knows Too Much" is "a very poor title."

"Certainly a patient can never know too much," she says. "In every way we’re supportive of doctors meeting their patients’ need for care."

She added that the purpose of the segment was to teach doctors to deal with patients with a certain psychiatric disorder.

"Will" calls or visits the doctor every other week with a whole host of complaints, such as headache, palpitations, diarrhea and fatigue, and has sought the help of numerous specialists, all of whom believe he has panic disorder.

But patient advocates told CNN they didn’t interpret the video that way. Instead of being narrowly focused on a patient with a mental illness, the advocates said the doctors’ comments felt like a wholesale criticism of patients who do health research on the Internet.

The doctors in the QuantiaMD presentation tell doctors to listen to patients like Will, give them reading assignments from credible sources and encourage them to have a healthy lifestyle.

In interviews with CNN, the doctors say patients who do online research sometimes take up precious time during an appointment asking irrelevant questions.

"They think they have dengue fever or mad cow disease, and it takes an extra five, 10 or 15 minutes to explain to them why they don’t," says Haas, who teaches University of Utah medical students how to communicate with patients. He added that getting information from other patients online is dangerous because "you don’t know who these people are."

The doctors were quick to point out, however, they don’t want to discourage patients from educating themselves.

"To me the Internet is the greatest revolution that ever happened to human civilization," Scherger says.

"We want to empower patients. We want these individuals to make medicine kinder and safer," adds Dr. Gerald Hickson, director of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

"I can understand how some patient advocates could be offended, but that was not my intent," Hickson said. "My intent was to focus on the doctor who may not appreciate the empowered patient, and I want to remind my colleagues we have a duty to meet the patient where they are."

Bringing online information to your doctor

Patient advocates and doctors agree there are good ways and bad ways to share online information with your doctor. Some tips for presenting the information effectively:

– Don’t be afraid to be a "bad" patient. Patients who press their doctors sometimes get the best results

– Share Internet information with your doctor wisely. Don’t walk in with a stack of printouts that your doctor won’t have time to read during the appointment. Instead, e-mail the information to your doctor before the appointment or boil the information down to a few points.

– Don’t be a cyberchondriac. Every headache isn’t a brain tumor.

The Empowered Patient has more information about the best ways to communicate online information with your doctor, as does Trisha Torrey, About.com’s patient-empowerment expert.

CNN’s Sabriya Rice and Lida Alikhani contributed to this report.