Learn how to talk the talk.. Read all the medical text that you can get your hands on but if you do not know what they are trying to say, what have you learned?
I learned it from years of being in and out of doctor's offices(along with my mother). And I learned that "It's all in your head" is doctor-speak for "We're too lazy and arrogant to get off our butts and find out what's wrong with you."
Heheheh... OK.. Still, if someone chooses to study medical text, esppecialy for survival purposes, this text will help..