So the boldest among them are taking matters into their own hands. In the past few years, the volume of health information has exploded. Daily newspapers and local television news programs devote more space and time to health news than ever before. At local bookstores, shelves sag under the weight of health-oriented books. Health fairs, where lay people can shop for vitamins and learn about pacemakers in the comfort of fancy hotels, thrive all over the country.
Superstar doctors hawk advice over a dizzying number of radio talk shows.
And patients with diseases from cancer to lupus swap treatment war stories and advice in an expanding network of support groups. Don't expect your doctor to do everything for you. You're just one of many patients. Since his heart attack, Mr. Lustenring has been a take-charge patient, obsessively searching the Internet for information on new cholesterol drugs. He gets some of his best information at a monthly in-person support group through the American Heart Association.