Pubmed itself is open (just google "pubmed"). However, while many scientific publications are open access, many more are not.

I find that google scholar does a pretty good job at searching. I typically start with google before using pubmed.

Then you need a place to store your papers. I like to use F1000 workspace.

If your doctor is not helping you, get a new one, preferably in a big city with a university-affiliated hospital. These MD deal with highly educated levels of patients and colleagues, and they like it.