Why You Should Visit Your Doctor With 'Suitable Skepticism' (VIDEO)

When you come face to face with a medical diagnosis, one of the biggest challenges is combing through the research and making an informed decision. But author Noreena Hertz says it's essential in order to avoid blindly accepting anything doctors tell us in times of illness.

Hertz, who wrote "Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Confusing World," told HuffPost Live's Nancy Redd that the key to finding the best path to better health is doing independent research and bringing that information to your physician for an open discussion.

"It's not that I'm saying, 'Don't ever trust the experts.' Of course I'm not saying that," she said. "The point is you want to be able to have a conversation with your doctor. You want to be able to go and say, 'OK, you're recommending this, but I read about this, what's your thinking?'"

Hertz also discussed the temptation to believe the things we most want to hear and the importance of being "really smart information hunter-gatherers."

"There are thinking errors that we've got to be very careful of, and also we've got to navigate this information terrain with suitable skepticism," Hertz said.

Catch the full conversation about making better decisions at HuffPost Live HERE.