Your role at the doctor's office isn't over when you describe your problem. You have to understand what your provider is telling you -- and that goes double if you're signing a form to say you understand the risks of a procedure or of being involved in a study.

Doctor's visits can be awkward, especially when getting the care you need requires divulging details about your sex life. Everybody needs a doctor they can trust, but that's especially important if you're likely to show up with injuries that may be hard to explain.

Shopping at my local pharmacy last week, I was taken aback by a product on the counter: “self check breast cream”. Sorry, what? Breast self-examination cream? Is that even a thing? Looking closer at the bright pink display, I discovered a sales campaign in full swing, seemingly timed to coincide with 'breast cancer awareness month'.

Two dollars from each tube sold was going to a breast cancer charity, and there was a ready-to-use social media hashtag – #IPledgeToCheck. In large font was the message 'self checking your breasts is important'.

This is a fairly familiar message. But is it true? The evidence is surprisingly complicated.

It's hard to watch your kid endure pain, so doctor visits with shots can be a stressful time for both parent and child. Fortunately, a Canadian public health group has combined some of the best pain-reducing advice into two handy pocket guides, one for babies and one for older kids.

If your gynecologist has turned down your request for an IUD in the past, it might be time for another try -- or another doctor. Older rules said that women who had never given birth shouldn't get IUDs. That changed years ago, and docs are slowly getting the memo.

Headaches often take us by surprise. Was it the third cup of coffee? Or this morning's run? Wait, maybe it was last night's bottle of wine -- who knows. If you get frequent headaches and want to pin down a cause, a headache diary can help you get ahead of your next episode.

Doctors and nurses aren't the only ones that need to worry about carrying disease-causing bacteria on their hands. As a patient, you should wash your hands too.

Needles are no fun, especially for kids. While we've mentioned before that cartoons and video games can distract both kids and adults from the pain of a shot, there are actually a ton of other techniques that can help -- including applying a numbing cream.