Last week I received an online newsletter for Baby Boomers. The lead story had this headline:

I was about to click to learn more about this debilitating brain disease, when I thought again.

Do I need to know this? Information about some rare disease that is probably irrelevant to my life?

I’ve already banned WebMD from my “Favorites.” What good could come of my learning about a rare disease that causes brain lesions in a tiny percentage of the population? Shouldn’t I leave that to my doctor?

Yes, leave it for my doctor, I decided. It’s not my job to learn (and then obsess) about every obscure disease known to man. That’s why I have a good physician. It’s HER job.

I love the internet but there is wayy too much information available with just a few keystrokes. Knowledge is a good thing, in general, but too much knowledge without context is not so good. It produces unnecessary fears and anxiety. So do headlines like the one above.

When and if I need medical information, it’s there.

But until then, I’m not clicking on a damn thing that doesn’t directly relate to a medical condition I need to know about.

T.M.I.: Too Much Information