Back in college I found a liking to the subject of Research Methodology. It was the one subject that I didn’t have to force myself to study. After graduation, I got into the whole cycle of stressing for the board exams and finding a job abroad and I totally forgot about the possibilities of a career in research.

Back to reality now, I found myself using the techniques I learned in college to do research on RA. My first instinct was to go to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. This is the most comprehensive research database there is on the world wide web. You can find almost all of your medical questions answered by reading the different articles available. Although it was a bit more difficult to find research papers with Asian participants, my thirst for answers was quenched.

Wonderful thing the internet is, and all the answers it can give, but just as easy as answers come, so is the danger of being  misinformed. A lot of people nowadays enjoy the privilege of simply typing a question on the search bar and getting answers in a matter of seconds. Some of us even have the idea that the top results are the best answers, but that isn’t always the case.

For people like me who like to read and absorb information first hand, rather than rely on what the people around us say, we must always remember that not all information is factual or accurate or relevant. Instead of putting effort in looking for all the information we can get our hands on, the hard work now lies in screening out irrelevant data, suggestive information, and biased opinions.

For me and my RA, my research has led me to understand better what my doctors have told me, to ask questions unafraid, to try alternative treatments, to take better care of myself, to have control over autoimmunity.