Last week’s article discussed using artificial intelligence to help you become your own doctor. This week, I’ll show you a simple technique for doing that and for remembering what you’ve read. I will use Google as it’s free and most people use Gmail. I will show you how to do this step by step. This may look complicated, but most rookies love this type of hand-holding on something new.

  1. Go to your Gmail account or Google.com. In the upper right-hand corner, you will see a little star next to “Ask Gemini”. Click on that.
  2. A Gemini column will open on the right side of your screen. Scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll see a text box. Click on that.
  3. Type in whatever question you’re interested in. For today’s example, I’ve used, “I’m a new diabetic and need help in learning about diabetes and deciding what to eat.” Click on the arrow that points to the right.
  4. An answer to your question will appear, but you’ve decided that’s not enough information, and you want more. So, at the bottom of that column, type in an additional question, “Tell me what good foods and bad foods are.”
  5. An answer will appear, which is added to the answer to your first question. Highlight both answers, then right-click on “copy”.
  6. Look at the Gmail screen (or Google.com screen), and you’ll see at the top nine little dots. Click on that. Then scroll all the way down to the bottom and click on “NotebookLM”. A new window will appear. At the upper right-hand corner, click on “Create New.”
  7. A new window will appear in the center of your screen. At the bottom of that new window, click on “Copied text.”
  8. Right-click on the new “Paste text here” window. Right-click, then click “Paste” to insert your Gemini-produced answers, then click on “Insert”.
  9. You will get a summary statement of everything that you’ve just entered. To the right of that, you’ll see a list of actions. Click on “Flashcards”.
  10. It will give you between 50 and 100 flashcards with questions and answers. You can go through those now or use them periodically to refresh your memory on what you should be or should not be eating. In addition, you are now an official user of artificial intelligence.

It may look long and convoluted, but it’s simple and intuitive. Using the free programs Gemini and Notebook LM, you can ask it any number of questions about your health and how to take care of yourself. Most of these answers include references you can check for accuracy against Dr. Google. Good luck, and I wish you better health.

Dr. Charlie Barnett is a contributor to KnoxTNToday, where he writes a weekly column, DocTalk, sharing his expertise on health and wellness management.

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