Every time I turn around, there seems to be another resource for people to take care of themselves. Will preventative medicine really work? Steve Case thinks so, and he's putting his money where his mouth is. Richard Branson is betting that financial incentives (like airline discounts) will get us to the gym more.

I just finished "You: The Owner's Manual"

No wonder this book is a NYT bestseller and currently #8 on amazon - this book is long overdue. Through humor, approachable illustrations, and good analogies, the two doctor-authors make very complicated medical information simple and easy to understand. I came away vowing to walk more, eat more nuts, and make more smoothies. Not because the book emotionally motivated me, but because now I know exactly how these actions effect my immune, cardio, (and yes, reproductive) systems.

(Nonetheless, based on my previous post on the difficulty of changing behavior, my chances of sticking with it are slim to none.)

Also check out this newly announced uk site Body Language that helps people take care of themselves.

"do you have stretch marks?" "do you produce excess ear wax?" "do you crave butter?" are just three of the many questions you can get health answers to here.

Finally, I also just finished Newsweek's "Your Health in the 21st Century" Special Issue.

Not surprisingly, I found articles on personalized medicine, gene tests, EHRs, new classes of drugs. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the conclusion of one article that health is still largely up to us via how we choose to live. From Geoffrey Cowley: "In other words, medical science can light the path to optimal health. Walking it is still up to us."

Okay, now time for my daily walk. Or maybe I'll just surf the web some more.