The number one way to reduce health care costs is to take good care of yourself, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs' free new booklet on consumer health.

Minister of Community Affairs Randy Horton said: "Government has long recognised that the cost of health care is increasing and that consumers have an important role in containing these costs by taking charge of their health, making sensible choices and learning about, then practising healthy living.

"To be successful, however, the consumer must understand their role in their health care team and it is in this regard that this booklet will be of most use.

"I stand before you today with the fruits of a collaboration that involved the Department of Consumer Affairs, members of the Department of Health and the private sector. Their hard work has resulted in a 40-page booklet that will be of tremendous assistance to everyone.

"Entitled, `Your Health, Your Choice', the booklet grew out of the concerns of certain members of the Consumer Affairs Board who were aware that some teenagers and seniors were using herbal remedies and weight loss products with prescribed medication and experiencing side effects."

Mr. Horton said the group took their concerns to Rhonda Daniels, the education officer at Consumer Affairs, and the idea for the booklet was born. "It was intended that through greater access to medical knowledge, consumers would be advocates for their health and that of their families," he said.

"The booklet contains information on how to make the most of the pharmacist's time and questions to ask the doctor. It also addresses weight loss, herbal remedies, commonly prescribed medications and the interactions between food, medications and herbs. To help the consumer further, there is a glossary that defines medical terminology."

All 15,000 copies of the booklets, which cost a little over $8,000 to make, are to be given to the public free of charge. They will be available at pharmacies, physicians' offices, health clinics, seniors' centres, insurance companies, and the Department of Consumer Affairs. Hopefully, said Mr. Horton, they will also be in school libraries.