Check out WebMD Health Manager, new on-line health information

When most of us think about ourselves as consumers, typically purchases of goods and services such as groceries, clothing, cell phone service and similar things come to mind. But probably not health care.

Yet, health care goods and services are among the most important things we ever consume. Over the course of our lifetimes they represent one of the biggest investments we make in ourselves and our families.

Click here to access WebMD for Kellogg retirees.

That's why Kellogg is partnering with the popular health information website WebMD to introduce a powerful tool designed to help our retirees be good health care consumers and become more involved in managing their health. The site, WebMD Health Manager, provides easy-to-understand information about various medical conditions, as well as a variety of helpful tools and resources.

With WebMD Health Manager, you can:

Learn – Find easy-to-understand information about a health condition or recommended procedure. Learn about common conditions and what treatment options are available. You can also find out about the possible complications, risks and recovery periods for certain medical procedures.

Research and evaluate – Compare hospitals based on preferred location, number of patients treated for a particular medical condition, complication rates and more. You can also view comparisons of different drugs and identify the benefits and risks associated with different medications.

Access – Learn even more about a health condition by searching an online medical encyclopedia with links to other valuable websites. You’ll even find questions to ask your doctor about a variety of healthcare conditions and medical procedures.

The site also features the latest news about consumer alerts and recalls from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, along with a variety of calculators, quizzes and other valuable features.

Of course, WebMD Health Manager is meant to inform, not provide individual medical advice. It remains vitally important to check with your physician or other health care professional before making any medical decisions or changes in the treatment you may be undergoing for a health condition.