WOW, what a book -- a perfect guide for those just embarking on a medical journey and a valuable resource for people like me -- already surviving a major illness -- who wish to better manage their health care for all of time.

Author Laura Nathanson, MD, wrote What You Don't Know Can Kill You: A Physician's Radical Guide to Conquering the Obstacles to Excellent Medical Care in honor of the husband she lost after a series of misdiagnoses and for everyone wishing to prevent such tragedy in their own lives.

Nathanson offers readers techniques for identifying signs of misdiagnosis and misleading analysis of symptoms. She shares tips for preventing medical miscommunication, keeping safe in the hospital, and choosing health care plans without falling into the uncovered services trap.

The allure of this book is the easy, non-medical approach Nathanson uses as she urges everyone facing the medical world to take charge of an often inpenetrable system. For the patient who is no stranger to this world, Nathanson's words will ring abundantly true.

"When I look back on that long period of delayed diagnosis and how we were then and later bounced around from one medical specialist to another, the image that pops into my head is that of a slightly mad, grotesque volleyball game -- with the patient as the ball," she writes.

For the patient new to medical confusion, Nathanson's words will impart volumes of truth.

"Here's what I've learned, and what you must learn if you wish yourself and your loved ones to survive a bout with serious illness," she reports. "No matter who you are, physician or not, lucky or not; no matter how rich, famous, successful, good-looking, innocent, kindly or powerful; no matter how close and trusting the relationship you have with those providing your medical care -- you cannot rely on today's medical system to keep you healthy, safe and alive."

Amen.

As a resource of medical information, take into account that there are over 25,000 medical journals published worldwide. For most of us, it is an overwhelming volume of information.

Doctor Evidence is an independent user-friendly fee-based medical search service connecting patients and doctors to the latest in relevant information which can then lead to the formulation of informed decisions about medical treatments -- and avoid potentially deadly mistakes in misdiagnosis, treatment or surgery.

In 2000, Dr. Todd Feinman founded Doctor Evidence after undergoing unnecessary surgery for intestinal cancer. After surgery he was told that the test that led to surgery had been a false-positive. He did not have cancer.

According to Dr. Feinman, "Every year, hundreds of new therapies and diagnostic tests are introduced to treat the thousands of diseases that are afflicting millions of adults and children. Finding evidence about the most accurate diagnostic tests and effective treatments requires the proper resources. This includes specialized information technologies, subscriptions to medical databases, medical librarians, and much more that is not readily available to most doctors and patients."

Yesterday, Extra aired a feature about Dr. Feinman and the Doctor Evidence service. During the report, a patient who had been told he might have pancreatic cancer turned to the Doctor Evidence website only to find out that one of the high-niacin level medications he was taking was mimicking symptoms of pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer. You can view the video of the segment online here.

Doctor Evidence staff is comprised of doctors with expertise in evidence-based medicine, medical librarians with masters in library science, other professionals with expertise in healthcare, and information technology experts. To learn more, visit the Doctor Evidence website.

In a tragic event of unfortunate misdiagnosis, The Daily Mail is reporting that teen Stacey Stephenson died of stomach cancer after repeatedly being diagnosed with acid indigestion. At the beginning of summer, Stephenson began having digestive problems related to eating. When she visited the doctor, she was told she suffered from acid indigestion and given a prescription to combat acid indigestion.

However, several weeks later, when the young woman of 19 noticed her symptoms had not improved, she returned to see the doctor again. Again, she was told she suffered from acid indigestion. Shortly after, she went with friends to Greece on holiday. During holiday in Greece, the stomach pain became severe and she sought medical attention. An X-ray revealed a stomach tumor and this is when her stomach cancer diagnosis was made. Her family came to Greece to bring her home to England.

Once home, Stephenson was admitted to hospital and scheduled to undergo chemotherapy, but she became so weak from chemotherapy-induced kidney failure that she passed away in the hospital. Obviously, the doctors who initially saw this young woman dropped the ball when it came to following up on the potential causes of her stomach ailments. She was responsible about her health and sought medical attention for her stomach problems.

But so many of us dismiss acid indigestion and digestive problems as an after-effect of our modern diet and the stressors of every day living. We do not always take these symptoms seriously -- and we should. For more information on indigestion, visit the Medline Plus indigestion webpage.

Our sympathies go out to the Stephenson family for the shocking and sudden loss of their daughter.