Start here
Living with chronic illness? Start here.
Better Health Institute is a nonprofit that publishes free, plain-language health education for adults living with chronic conditions and the people who support them. Use this page to find a guide, organize what you have noticed, and get ready for your next appointment.
Four steps to get started
1. Learn the basics
Read a guide about the condition you have or are being evaluated for. Each guide explains common symptoms, how diagnosis is usually discussed, what current evidence shows, and what is still uncertain, with numbered sources.
2. Notice your own patterns
Chronic symptoms change from day to day. A short daily note about what you felt, how strong it was, and what you were doing can show patterns that are hard to recall in an exam room.
3. Prepare for your visit
Bring your top concerns, a timeline, your medicines, and your questions together on one page. Our visit preparation page explains how, step by step.
4. Keep learning
Health information changes as new studies are published. Each BHI guide shows the date it was last updated, so you can tell how current it is.
Free guide updates by email
Get an email when BHI publishes or updates a free condition guide. Email address only.
Choose a condition guide
ME/CFS →
Post-exertional malaise, energy limits, and what research is still working out.
Long COVID →
Symptoms that continue after infection and what current studies are testing.
POTS →
Dizziness and a racing heart when upright, and how diagnosis is approached.
Ehlers-Danlos syndromes →
Connective tissue conditions, hypermobility, and how subtypes differ.
Fibromyalgia →
Widespread pain, fatigue, and sleep problems, and how they are assessed.
Lupus →
An autoimmune condition that can affect many organs, and why monitoring matters.
Lyme disease →
Tick-borne infection, standard care, and symptoms that linger afterward.
Rheumatoid arthritis →
Joint inflammation, why early assessment matters, and ongoing monitoring.
How to read health information
- Look for sources. Trustworthy pages say where their information comes from, so you can check it yourself.
- Check the date. Research moves. A page that has not been updated in years may miss newer findings.
- Notice the size of the evidence. One small study is a starting point, not a settled answer. Reviews that combine many studies usually carry more weight.
- Be careful with promises. Be wary of anything that offers a guaranteed fix, especially when it is also selling a product.
- Bring it to your clinician. Written information can help you ask better questions; your own clinician can tell you how it applies to you.
When answers take time
Many chronic conditions take months or years to name, and some never fit neatly into one diagnosis. That can be exhausting. Keeping clear notes, asking what is still being considered, and knowing what to watch for can make each appointment more useful, even before there is a final answer.
For caregivers and family
If you support someone with a chronic condition, the same guides and tools can help you understand what they are dealing with and prepare questions together. Ask the person you support which concerns they want raised and how they want you involved.
About Better Health Institute
Our mission is to help people understand health information and prepare questions for their own clinicians. BHI is a North Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Everything on this site is free, with no account, ads, or paid placement. Learn more about BHI and how we write our guides in the editorial policy.
Getting ready for an appointment? Put your concerns, timeline, medicines, and questions on one page.
Open the visit worksheet →Education, not medical care
BHI provides health education only. It does not provide medical care, diagnosis, treatment, referrals, or practitioner listings. If you have a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.