Digital Compilation by Jennifer Jessee
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Teach Your Doc a Lesson
By Linda Marsa, March & April 2005
When you have a serious illness, you want state-of-the-art treatment. How do you find it?
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If you don't live near a leading medical center, a new kind of company
can help. Medical research services hunt for the most successful treatments for
a client's disease. Some distill reams of information into a report on what works best. Others point clients directly to the most credible, most relevant clinical studies. "Patients want therapies that give them the best shot at
survival, and we give them the best evidence-based options," says Todd
Feinman, M.D., head of Doctor
Evidence, a medical research service in Los Angeles (310-450-6519).
There are at least half a dozen such services, charging from $50 to $1,000
per report. Some, such as The Moss
Reports (800-980-1234), specialize in cancer. Others, such as the Health and Healing Library at
California Pacific Medical Center (415-600-3681), are geared more toward
alternative treatments. A few even locate doctors, clinical trials, or
innovative therapies being done abroad.
Of course, a report is no substitute for a physician. But it can get you and
your doctor up to speed so you can make the best decisions. "Medical
research is advancing so fast that it's difficult for doctors to keep up
with their fields," says Anne Beattie, coordinator of The Moss
Reports.
AARP: Lifestyle Information for People 50 and
Over
The entertaining and informative content on AARPmagazine.org is just one of the
many benefits of AARP membership—only $12.50 a year. Join or renew online today!
And if you want to do the legwork yourself, more power to you. Here are a
few tips from the experts to get you started.
Hit the Books
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine
(800-338-7657) can help you locate the library nearest you.
Surf the Net
The Medical Library Association's website
lists the top 10 most useful websites for health consumers. And check out AARP's health guide.
Try a Trial
If you are interested in participating in experimental treatments, you can
search for them at ClinicalTrials.gov.
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