Fighting a stomach bug? Stay home and drink Gatorade or make your own rehydration solution using one teaspoon of salt, eight teaspoons of sugar, five cups of water and an optional half-cup of fruit juice.
Want a cheap way to banish those acne blemishes? Use an over-the-counter product with benzoyl peroxide, a tried-and-true, inexpensive acne treatment.
Need a wheelchair? Check out your local Goodwill or Salvation Army stores.
These are just a few of the no-nonsense, consumer-friendly tips offered by Akron family medicine specialist Dr. Cynthia Koelker in her new self-published book, 101 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare.
''I wrote this for the patient,'' Koelker said. ''If people would take the time to look around, they would find a lot of things.''
During 20 years in solo practice in Akron's Ellet neighborhood, Koelker has dispensed plenty of advice to patients looking to make their medical care more affordable.
So when she heard politicians on TV early last year talking about how they wanted to fix the nation's health-care system, she thought: ''They're not going to save you any money. I can sit down and write 100 ways to save on health care.''
I kind of like the idea that this doctor felt there was something she wanted to say, in the way she wanted to say it and self-published her own book. Just for that alone, it makes me want to support her by buying it.