Your doctor's expertise combined with how well you know your own body makes a terrific medical team. Your doctor has a degree and experience; you have the self-familiarity and gut instinct to keep you at your best.

While your doctor has access to equipment and labs and can perform a thorough examination, there are several at-home tests you can use to help you decide when to call the doctor. While there is no replacing the skill of a certified medical practitioner, having reliable information about your health between visits can help you and your doctor make smart decisions in treating your health issues.

There are many devices available to help keep records that you can present to your doctor or relay to a "virtual doctor" over video chat. Monitoring your day-to-day blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar, weight and oxygen and cholesterol levels can help pinpoint chronic ailments, as opposed to occasional deviations, which could be harmless. For instance, if a Type 2 diabetic has a normal blood glucose reading of 130 or less but goes to a party the night before a doctor's appointment and indulges in some cake, having a record of their blood glucose levels over a prolonged period of time will give their doctor much more insight into how their health is really doing.

Most monitoring devices are available at your local pharmacy or online retailers like Amazon or Walmart (no endorsement implied). Blood pressure monitors are available for the arm or wrist -- the greater the surface the more accurate the reading -- and some come with pulse oximetry to measure the amount of oxygen in your blood, which is useful for asthmatics and COPD patients. Heart rate monitors may also be a part of an automatic blood pressure cuff. Some will even pick up heart rate irregularities such as atrial fibrillation.

Glucometers and urine test strips are useful home diagnostic tools for diabetics and hypoglycemics (who have too-low blood sugar) in helping them ensure that they're keeping their body's blood sugar level within normal parameters. Glucometers are more accurate and will measure lower and even below-normal readings, but they have the disadvantage of needing a tiny drop of blood from a minor skin prick (on your finger) for each test. Urine test strips will only measure higher readings when excess sugar spills over into the urine; the strip will not measure the actual sugar level, only whether it's above a certain point.

Many of us also have other at-home diagnostic equipment, including a scale, a tape measure and a mirror. Use the scale to keep track of your weight to ensure you're not gaining unhealthy weight and especially to note any sudden large inexplicable changes in your weight -- up or down -- as those could point to a change in your overall health.

Weight is a total mix of fat, bone and muscle, and it's important to know where you're carrying your fat. A tape measure is useful in this regard, sometimes more so than a scale. The tape measure can indicate the possibility of strain on your heart or edema (water retention) in your legs. Signals such as a larger waist circumference can warn you about possible health risk factors and heart disease. Be sure to let your doctor know about any sudden, drastic or unexplained changes in your body size.

One of the most important things you can do for your health is to be familiar with your own body. Make note of skin moles, watch for changes in shape or size, feel for hidden lumps under your skin and keep an eye out for rashes, inflammation, redness, hard surfaces and anything else unusual for you. When you brush your teeth, do you spit out blood? How about your hair? Is there more hair on the brush these days than on your head? Do a monthly home breast exam, either lying down or in front of a mirror. Know your own body and bring changes to the attention of your primary doctor.

Be your best patient advocate and work with your doctor toward a long and healthy life.