[bossyTeacher]

>my ability to understand health problems

How do you know that this understanding is correct? To me, epistemologically, this is not too different from gaining your health knowledge from a homeopath or gaining your physics knowledge from a Flat Earther. You are in no position to discern the validity of your "knowledge".

[bwb]

It isn't a 0 or a 1; it is a spectrum. Doctors don't understand everything, either, which is the scary thing we don't like to realize.

What it specifically helps me to understand are things like: probable outcomes, symptoms in greater detail, as well as how they manifest in patient populations, explains it as if I was a 10/15/20 year old in detail to help me understand the basics of what might be going on, similar things in possible pharma options, general response treatments and pros/cons, etc.

I'm not using this to perform self-surgery or build a belief system :), I'm just trying to learn and understand what is going on at a better level.

Hope that helps :)

[bossyTeacher]

>It isn't a 0 or a 1; it is a spectrum. Doctors don't understand everything, either,

It's not equivalent. Doctors are aware of the limits of their knowledge and the error bars around their knowledge. You and an LLM don't. There is no comparison here. It's like trying to compare a random person lost in a person versus someone lost in a forest who is used to it.

Even with an LLM, you still have to be able to ask the right questions and be able to push back where necessary. I don't think most people are able to do this especially when some of the responses which might be right are counterintuitive to them and some of the dodgy responses might seem more aligned to their worldviews.

If you want to learn, it is fine (knowing that there is a context there you likely are missing) but performing actions based on knowledge you don't have context of is dangerous. It applies to vibe coding as much as it does to your personal health. This is how you end up injecting yourself with blood from younger people believing it will make you immortal.

[bwb]

100% agree with you. That is why I said a spectrum :)

The point is, it is an amazing tool that has made a big impact on my family. But ya, that is why my post talked about the importance of critical thinking, checking with experts, etc. It isn't a button click solution.

[carlosjobim]

> You are in no position to discern the validity of your "knowledge".

He is the only one who is in that position, because he is the only person who is inside his body. He is physically and mentally a hundred percent in the position to discern the validity of the advice.

[bossyTeacher]

> He is the only one who is in that position, because he is the only person who is inside his body

Tell that to everyone who has died due to following quack medicine advice.

[carlosjobim]

How does your comment have any relevance? The commenter with back pain took a commendable, scientific approach. You are talking like everybody in the world is an idiot, and you alone have any intelligence.

If this is how you experience everyday life, then I suggest you seek out challenges in real life, where you actually encounter people who are on the same level of intelligence as you or higher, and you will learn some humility instead of dismissing everybody as crazy.

[bwb]

Well said. Thank you!

[zemvpferreira]

It's a lot easier to double-check, cross-reference, or test the validity of advice given by a gpt. It has no authority, no persuasion mechanisms, and its opinions are there in plain text ready to be picked apart. You can ask it for references and non-confrontationally challenge it on the things you're sceptical about. It generally avoids woo in my experience though it's hardly always correct in specific advice, it can definitely point you in productive directions. Which is completely different from discussing anything health with a homeopath, who at best will try to get you to avoid productive treatment and at worst poison you.