Grand Rounds

Jez

8:00 PM

i totally agree with him on that

Tim

Fine, protest the decision on meta. Oh you have, we disagreed.

vote to reopen

Jez

you guys seem to be freaking out that providing general advice on this question could cause some kind of "grave medical damage"

Tim

oh you have

Jez

@Tim already did. for the good it will do

Tim

let's see if it gets the votes!

Joe W

8:01 PM

we could get an answer saying that it is your chair causing it and nothing to worry about or it get an asnwer saying its a serious problem that you need to rush to the ER to solve

Jez

@JoeW and both should be voted down

how is that a problem

Joe W

because with the information given one of them could be 100% correct

Tim

+1 @JoeW !

we can't know what the issue is

Jez

sure, but the idea is to give more general answers based on the information presented

no you can't know it

Tim

the only option would be a list answer, and that is a nut ur

Jez

8:02 PM

you don't need to. nobody is saying this site is the equivalent of a goddamn doctor!!

Tim

but what if the answer is wrong?

then it isn't a high quality Q&A

Jez

Then. It. Gets. Downvoted.

Tim

it's another site like Yahoo Answers.

Joe W

personal questions can be okay as long as enough information is included as long with assurances that a doctor is invloved

Jez

no it isn't

Tim

8:03 PM

But how do we know which is wrong? Are you suggesting we downvote all the answers?

Jez

but a doctor isn't involved in my case

Tim

Because then it's simply an A site.

Jez

@Tim no, i'm saying you upvote the answer that says it's probably not serious, but see a doctor if the pain continues long-term

Joe W

which would suggest you also don't have enough information to make a correct judgement

Tim

If the answer starts "probably" it's not a good answer.

Jez

8:04 PM

i disagree. we can't really be sure about any health stuff

this site is not math.SE. we won't be able to offer absolute proofs.

in fact most answers should start "probably"

Tim

we can on some questions, based on references etc

2

Q: Does intake of processed sugar lower the immune system?

Growing up, my parents were very strict about sugar intake, because they had heard "somewhere" that eating refined sugar lowered your immune system function for 12-24 hours. At the time, this seemed to be anecdotally true to me, because as a kid if I did actually eat something with a lot of suga...

good eg

Jez

that's not the only type of question on the site, though

4

Q: Tendinitis in thumb - long term healing

I hurt the base of my right thumb about a year ago. The immediate area swelled up, so I saw a doctor soon after who diagnosed it as acute tendonitis. I wore a splint for a two weeks and everything was great after taking it off. However, I recently aggravated it again. It isn't painful most of th...

tendinopathy tendinitis pain hand

you could answer that that question should be closed because it's an individual's condition and we can't really know enough about it. I do NOT want to go down that route.

Tim

he has seen a doctor

Joe W

that question also includes a diagnoses of what was wrong so there is a lot more to go on then just some symptons

michaelpri

We already know his diagnosis, he just wants to treat it

Tim

8:08 PM

There we go, that's the difference

I'm no longer debating!

Jez

nice open mind you have there

Joe W

need to be careful though since that was a year ago

Jez

what about this one

18

Q: How can I protect my eyesight when using computers?

My job requires long periods of computer screen use. I have good eyesight (20/15) and don't wear glasses, but I definitely notice my eyes feeling fatigued at the end of the day. Sometimes when I'm short on sleep, I have trouble focusing or see slightly blurred vision. I want to protect my eyesig...

eye

Tim

@Jez, yeep I'm always happy to seek community input on a question I have about community moderation!

Joe W

@Jez for all we know in your question you are leaning back to fast and causing stress

Jez

8:10 PM

you can say "oh, but we don't know about that guy's specific eyes! maybe there's an individual paculiarity there. close - see your doctor"

Tim

That question isn't personalised

Jez

but it's OTT. that's what Robert's post was stressing.

Joe W

That is a general question that can help a lot of people

Jez

yes it is. HIS eyes are different from yours.

Tim

fine, robert disagrees with us

Joe W

8:11 PM

not uncommon for people to stare at a screen for a long time at work and feel eye stress

Tim

No, he said "I have 20/15 vision".

so it is the same for like 20% of epople?

Jez

@Tim robert's post got more upvotes than the answer you linked :-D

so i guess we're going on his rules!

Joe W

in fact there are glasses designed for people who don't wear glasses to reduce the strain of long time looking at a moniter

Tim

It did, yes! Good point!

I disagree

Joe W

having 20/15 or 20/20 vision wont really change the issue of eye stress for moniters

Tim

8:12 PM

+1 Joe!

Joe W

that part can be edited out and not change the question

Jez

anyway, here's my basic point: I got nasty neck pain yesterday. i took some paracetemol, and it is gradually going away. like the vast majority of neck pain, it wasn't serious. and you think I should have consulted my doctor??

sorry, but that is just ludicrous.

Joe W

only real difference is does the pesron need prescription eyewear for protection or non presctiption

Tim

no, im saying if it is bad enough to ask random people, you should ask your doctor.

Jez

@Tim no!

random people might have good solutions for mild health issues.

Tim

8:13 PM

For a start, it's an answer. Not everyone will scroll down to see it. And Rob's post had a lot of points - others may have upvoted for different parts.

random people might. Not these random people!

Jez

yes these random people

Tim

Try these people:

answers.yahoo.com

Jez

a bunch of people on this site may have had good suggestions but you killed the possibility off

i really detest your close-happy attitude

there was no good reason to close that question

only bad reasons

Tim

Okay, you detest me all you want

Jez

whatsmore, "ask your doctor" is terrible advice.

Tim

8:15 PM

but I have got along fine with my closing attitude!

Jez

at least it should've been "too general" or something

but if someone has a mild health issue they probably (PROBABLY) should not waste their doctor's time

Tim

Stop making it personal, 4 others agreed, and you can make stuff up to blame me but that is tough

Jez

yeah, it is tough. i am unhappy about it.

Tim

In the UK I would go and see my doctor if i had persistent neck pain.

Jez

but it wasn't persistent!

Tim

8:16 PM

then continue being unhappy

great it wasn't. But it was there for long enough you posted the question?

Jez

yes

Tim

that's persistent.

Jez

which isn't what i would call persistent

persistent is days, weeks

Tim

Fine. I do call it that, and a close vote is a personal decision.

Jez

i'm talking hours

you're wrong.

Tim

8:17 PM

Now, 4 others made that decision too. Let's see if 4 people agree with you

And you are allowed to think I'm wrong, but you're arguing with a 16 year old with an 11 o'clock bedtime, you're not gonna win...

Jez

run-on sentence

doesnt even make grammatical sense

michaelpri

Why does that matter at all?

Tim

doesn't have to, it think you understand it?

@michaelpri my bedtime or the grammar?

Jez

actually, no, i don't understand it

michaelpri

Your grammar

Tim

8:20 PM

The bedtime matters because if I go over it, my mother makes me come off the computer early

Joe W

anyway posted an anwser on the vision question

Tim

the grammar matters because on the 5th of May I have a english exam...

Joe W

and a doctor is more qualifed then anyone here to decide if an issue is minor or not

Jez

lol

@Tim that's unfortunate for you

Tim

@Jez, let me rephrase it. I don't care if you think I'm wrong. I'm not gonna back down, until 11 because I value my computer time.

Joe W

8:22 PM

@Tim British English or American English? :P

michaelpri

At which point I'll take over

Tim

@JoeW British :p

Joe W

bah to many U's added to random words!

Jez

@Tim protip: if your point is valid, you don't need it in bold.

Tim

Cough Cough, forgetting all the "U" :p

and you can't spell center

Jez

8:23 PM

@JoeW yeah but we pronounce "herb" correctly

Tim

I hate that, every time I search for "Ubuntu software center". Grrrr

michaelpri

It's "center" not "centre" :P

Jez

@michaelpri what is a life hack anyway?

michaelpri

Check the help center

I have to leave now, good luck @Tim

Tim

Bye @michaelpri

Is your bedtime earlier than mine?

Joe W

8:29 PM

@Tim I edited the post like you asked

Tim

@Jow Better :)

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