[Zikes]

Methodologies aside, people really do have to take the majority of their personal health into their own hands. Most folks only see a doctor for a few hours in an entire year (much of that just sitting in reception) and rely on OTC self-medication for most minor issues.

There's a lot of criticism around people that self-experiment or self-diagnose, and it is indeed a potentially very dangerous practice, but the expense and fallibility of doctors can sometimes leave little alternative.

One example of this is Nicholas C. Zakas's recent account[1] of his discovery that he is afflicted by Lyme disease, has had it for the last 15 years, and was frequently misdiagnosed with everything from depression to having an eating disorder.

The point is, regardless of education, nobody cares as much about your health as you do. Doctors deal with hundreds of patients, you get to focus on just one.

[1] http://www.nczonline.net/blog/2014/04/02/i-have-lyme-disease...