An online medical dictionary is indispensable for medical students, and lay people, alike. While doctors and nurses have many of these terms memorized, the ordinary person doesn't have a clue as to what they mean, much less how to pronounce them. Using an online medical dictionary after you have received a diagnosis helps expand your understanding of your condition. Oftentimes when you visit the doctor, they explain things so quickly and just write a prescription, so if you can write down the name of what ails you, going home and checking it out with an online medical dictionary will educate you on what you, on your own, can do to control the disease to make it better. High blood pressure and diabetes, for example, can be well controlled through diet and exercise, and many a web site is devoted to recommendations for people who have these afflictions. People who follow a good diet and get regular exercise can curb the symptoms of these diseases without medications, so see if you can do the same by using prevention.