These days, theres an abundance of medical information on the internet, through message boards, symptom trackers and hospital websites. There are DNA testing kits that can reveal potential genetic health risks. You can even order lab tests without a doctors oversight. And medical testing with a doctors oversight whether its an X-ray, blood test, scan or something else is more advanced than ever.

Improvements in medicine and technology are vital. But there can also be a downside. With more information available about our health, is there a point where it becomes too much?

This is a constant conundrum, said Gordon Bernard, executive vice president for research and senior associate dean for clinical sciences at Nashvilles Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Doctors try to reveal medical information to patients in a way that minimizes harm and that ensures they understand what theyre hearing. Taking a test at home and sending it off for results can lead to undue concern, anxiety and confusion.

And its not just direct-to-consumer testing that can cause issues. Theres also a well-documented epidemic of overtesting and overtreatment in medicine.

Whether medical testing is done at home or under the direction of a health provider, there are caveats that apply, said Tomas H. Ayala, a cardiologist at The Heart Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. Will the result provide an answer to a relevant question? Will the result affect treatment or clinical outcomes? And, perhaps most importantly, will the result be reliable? Without this information, test results are really little more than noise, rather than signal.

Of course, testing is a valuable means for doctors to deduce whats wrong in any patient. But medical professionals know its important to be selective about the tests you take, whether its in their office or at home.