Does online medicine help or hinder your health?

The growth of the internet has increased possibilities worldwide. You no longer have to fly long hours to attend a meeting, and your deployed partner can still participate in the birth of your child.

However, along with the countless ways the internet can bring people together, some questions arise when companies use it for nontraditional means. For example, although state and federal laws require that prescription medications are dispensed by licensed pharmacies, some suggest that the online healthcare company, Nurx, is cutting corners.

Online medical providers may supply as much concern as medication

While some medical websites can improve patient access to healthcare, others may argue that they can increase medical risks.

In addition to reshipping returned birth control prescriptions, Nurx representatives claim that complications such as blood clots are a known risk of taking birth control pills. Though, some may assert that prescribing birth control without a thorough examination may increase a woman’s risk for suffering from side effects.

The advertised benefits Nurx provides customers include:

• Medical professionals to answer your questions
• Affordable healthcare without requiring a doctor’s visit
• Prescription birth control and sexual health tests delivered to your door, at no additional charge

Through the online platform, patients as young as 13 can connect with nurse practitioners or physicians to gain access to sexual health prescriptions.

Many doctors require a woman to undergo an annual examination, including a pap smear, before prescribing birth control. However, while pelvic exams detect cellular changes which may be indicative of an increased risk of cervical cancer, they are unnecessary in preventing unplanned pregnancies.

The medical community may not be in full agreement, but you should not have to suffer as a result

While some disagreements remain over whether services like Nurx are reimagining healthcare in a safe and positive way, others enjoy the privacy and ease with which they can get birth control.

It is possible that you could experience complications due to receiving a prescription medication without a physical examination. Or perhaps you could develop cervical cancer due to a lack of required preventative measures. In either case, you may want to explore your options while regaining your health under the direct supervision of a licensed medical doctor.