Heart / chest: pain with sweating, breathlessness, or nausea; pain spreading to arm, jaw, or back; lasting over 15 minutes.
Brain: FAST (face droop, arm weak, speech slurred); "worst headache ever"; sudden vision loss or confusion.
Breathing: cannot speak in full sentences; blue lips; gasping.
Belly: severe pain with fever; vomiting blood; rigid abdomen.
Back: pain with new bowel or bladder problems and leg weakness or numbness.
Children: infant under 3 months with fever; trouble breathing; will not respond; trust the parent gut.
The five questions (ask every time)
- "What are you basing this on?" verify sources.
- "What can you NOT detect remotely?" see the gaps. Most important.
- "What would require emergency evaluation?" learn the red flags.
- "What are you uncertain about?" test its humility.
- "What should I ask my doctor?" prepare for the visit.
Hallucination red flags
Never says "I do not know"; vague sources; too confident; cannot explain its reasoning. Three or more: do not trust it, verify with a clinician.
Good AI use
- Learning about a diagnosed condition
- Understanding a prescribed medication
- Preparing for an appointment
- General health learning
- Clarifying a doctor's instructions
Bad AI use
- Diagnosing symptoms
- Deciding whether to see a doctor
- Treatment recommendations
- Medication changes
- Avoiding medical care
The velociraptor test
"Would I notice this while running from a predator?" Yes: significant, seek care. No: likely minor, can monitor. When the AI conflicts with your gut, trust your gut.
Remember
AI has zero sensors. You have ten billion. AI was trained on text; your body was debugged by 3.8 billion years of evolution. AI is for information and preparation, not diagnosis and treatment. Better an ER trip for nothing than nothing done at home.