Inappropriate Subjects: Professional Advice clarification request

[Brother Oni]

May I ask what exactly constitutes 'professional medical advice'?

Under the updated guidelines as I understand them, they now exclude things like exercise advice, diet plans and discussion of ailments.

For example, I believe there's a current thread in Friendly Banter about a problem with a piercing and there are a number of helpful individuals here who help with diet and exercise plans.
Would the only permissible reply to future topics such as these be 'see your doctor/relevant qualified professional'?

[The Giant]

May I ask what exactly constitutes 'professional medical advice'?

Under the updated guidelines as I understand them, they now exclude things like exercise advice, diet plans and discussion of ailments.

For example, I believe there's a current thread in Friendly Banter about a problem with a piercing and there are a number of helpful individuals here who help with diet and exercise plans.
Would the only permissible reply to future topics such as these be 'see your doctor/relevant qualified professional'?

You don't need a license to suggest general diet and exercise plans, so they are still appropriate discussions. Highly specific plans, especially those purporting to cure/manage a given health ailment, would be off-limits, because of the danger of someone getting bad advice that would harm them.

Likewise, anything that falls under "first aid" or basic everyday health maintenance is acceptable. If they teach it to Boy Scouts, then you can repeat it, because they don't require Boy Scouts to possess medical licenses in order to dress a cut. In the piercing thread you mention, the suggestions of cleaning the piercing this way or that would qualify as basic health maintenance, so they're OK.

And of course, it is perfectly acceptable to discuss whether or not something should be seen by a professional, or by which type of professional. And you can discuss an ailment you have, as long as you're not asking people to weigh in on treatment for it.

[Brother Oni]

Thank you very much for the clarification.

Also: Woo hoo! A reply by the Giant. :smallbiggrin: