Here are articles from our Prepared Patient feature series about seeking health knowledge. These articles are based on interviews with experts and people around the country about some of their experiences understanding health risks, learning about their diagnosis and setting personal health goals.

In the right column, Prepared Patient 411 offers online, phone and community resources to assist you. And in Related Research, we share the most current scientific research in brief news stories.

We invite you to share your own experiences seeking health knowledge. You can post a reply to any of our featured articles, blogs and news stories.

Small Steps to Big Health Change We often give a chilly reception to the idea of going "cold turkey" when it comes to anything that has to do with changing behaviors and habits, even those that may be important for our health. And no wonder: habits become habits because they give us something we think we need. Maybe they make us feel better (hello, chocolate!) or they offer comfort, familiarity or convenience to our lives. Once we get used to doing things a certain way, the idea of changing a routine behavior can seem overwhelming. And we worry (with good reason) that we won’t be successful if we try to change our habits all at once. It turns out, the key to lasting behavior change is taking small steps. READ MORE
Vitamins & Supplements: Before You Dive In Now 98 years old, Bob Stewart, who has been on insulin for diabetes for 55 years, achieved two world records for his age group at the 2007 National Senior Olympic Games: one for the running long jump, the other for shot put. The perfectly fit, highly sociable former podiatrist recently married his 90-year-old sweetheart and swears by his dietary supplements as a secret to successful aging. He takes flaxseed and apple cider vinegar pills, along with a Japanese supplement called nattokinase. He has never had a "bad experience" or side effects, he says. But Betsy McMillan, a writer living in Perry, Ohio, and mother of two grown children, describes how she nearly died from an overdose of a vitamin B complex supplement while she was raising her kids. After a few weeks of taking it—in which she never exceeded the dose recommended on the bottle-her liver began to swell and she was overwhelmed by fatigue. McMillan says her doctor dismissed her concerns about the supplement, deciding that her patient was an alcoholic-even though she didn't drink regularly. She was sent for a surgical biopsy under general anesthesia. McMillan and another physician eventually discovered that the pills contained potentially fatal levels of niacin. "Not only did I have unnecessary surgery but I probably would have lost my liver if I hadn't taken steps on my own," McMillan says. READ MORE
Need Help With Your Mental Health? Insomnia and oversleeping, slowed speech, hopelessness, frequent crying and lack of focus — all are symptoms of depression. Overeating or lack of appetite; suicidal thoughts; loss of interest or pleasure in activities and relationships that usually bring joy; anxiety and difficulty feeling pleasure or sustaining positive emotions can occur as well. READ MORE

 

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