From Spleens To Drool: Illinois’ Most-Googled Medical Questions

It's not like most of us haven't done this. You know what I mean; you've got a pain, an ache, an itch, a red mark, whatever, and you want to know what's going on with that pain, ache, itch, or red mark. So what do you do? You go online and start googling for more information.

Doctors that I've spoken to about googling medical questions and symptoms generally look at your efforts to get more information as being a good thing because it shows that you're proactive with your health--unless you go too far and get yourself worked up to the point that you freak yourself and others out.

What's the last health question you asked Dr. Google, and did you get a satisfactory answer?

A Healthcare Staffing Company Decided To Look At Google Search Data To Determine What Health Questions Are On People's Minds From Coast-To-Coast

That company is Soliant Health, and they wanted to know each state's top-searched health concerns are as we work our way through 2024:

To better understand the health concerns Americans are searching for in the new year, Soliant analyzed 2024 Google search data to identify the health queries that each state searches more frequently than any other state and the District of Columbia. The research reveals the illnesses most prominent at the start of the year and identifies early trends in health across the nation.

If you were to guess what Illinois residents were googling most when it comes to health topics, I would be willing to wager that a couple of these will surprise you.

As I Pointed Out In This Headline For This Piece, Here In Illinois We've Got Spleen And Drool Questions For Dr. Google

According to the state-by-state breakdown by Soliant.com, Illinois has 5 questions that we most want to know the answers to. Here they are in order:

1. Can you live without a spleen?
2. Why do I drool when I sleep?
3. What causes restless legs?
4. What kills toenail fungus?
5. How to prevent heart disease?

While we're at it, here's what they're asking north of the cheddar curtain in Wisconsin (luckily the answer to 2 out of their 4 questions is "possible cheese overdose"):

1. Why is my eye twitching?
2. How to get rid of nausea?
3. Can allergies cause a fever?
4. How to remove ear wax?

Click here to go through Soliant's full study.