DailyStrength Introduces People-Powered Healthcare

Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness
Article Date: 27 Mar 2007 - 0:00 PST

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What do a mother with breast cancer, a retired husband with heart disease, and a teenager with MS have in common? They all go to the same place to talk openly about how they're feeling, gather strength from friends and harness the power of thousands to help them improve their health and their lives. The first social networking site of its kind, DailyStrength (http://www.dailystrength.org) launched today as a home for those facing a broad range of health, social and personal issues.

Unlike existing social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, DailyStrength focuses on important life-changing issues like cancer, depression, bereavement, parenting and diabetes. The site provides a place for people to find others with similar challenges, share advice about treatment options, recommend doctors, explore local support resources, post photos and videos, develop wellness journals and send "virtual hugs" to others. Much more than just an online support group, DailyStrength is the foundation of a new way of interacting with people to meet and overcome life's challenges.

"I originally joined DailyStrength to help deal with my mother's death. I found strength and courage from people all over the country. Now, I find that I am increasingly extending myself to others about all sorts of issues," says Cathy, a 39-year old mother of two in Los Angeles, CA. "DailyStrength allows me to engage with people about whatever life throws my way."

DailyStrength was developed by a team of internet veterans who conceived and built some of the largest communities on the web, including Yahoo! and Facebook. The site contains more than 500 safe, anonymous communities focused on everything from asthma to Zellweger Syndrome, as well as individual profiles, blogs and more. Since its October "preview", DailyStrength has already helped more than 350,000 people connect with one another and manage personal issues.

"Everyone goes through personal or health challenges, and too often people feel like they're alone. Our site gives people an easy and instant way to connect and share with people dealing with the same issues," says Doug Hirsch, chief executive officer and co-founder of DailyStrength. "We believe that the knowledge and kindness of others can help improve your life."

The role of online support networks is gaining momentum and attention in the medical and patient communities. A 2003 Cancer study of more than 60 cancer patients found clear evidence that membership in online support groups reduced depression and improved reactions to pain. Other recent studies have found that support groups increase life expectancy and life satisfaction.

"There is a growing body of evidence that online support groups and networks like DailyStrength can result in clinical benefits for patients, meaning that the virtual world can help people get better in the real world," said Sharon Orrange, MD, assistant professor of medicine, University of Southern California. "In addition to support, patients can find information and share experiences to help guide them as they make decisions about their health."

In addition to the wide array of communities, the site contains detailed information on more than 3,000 different treatments, so users can find and talk with other people about their real world experience using the same therapies. For example, someone considering Lexapro® as a treatment for depression can find more than 1,000 people on DailyStrength who have documented their experiences with the drug. Many have listed details about their experience such as whether they found it helpful, side effects, and tips on tolerability. This detailed information can help a patient make more informed decisions when consulting their doctor.

DailyStrength features many unique, customized features, including:

-- 24/7 support groups which encourage people to reach out to each other at any time
-- A "mood" feature which alerts friends and communities to reach out when someone is in need
-- Virtual "hugs" that are a quick and easy way to show support or just say "hi"
-- Local recommendations listing everything from doctors to kid-friendly restaurants
-- To-the-minute live news feeds providing important information for each community
-- Photo and video journals
-- User-created blogs to document the healing process and share with others
-- Live chat tools for user-to-user communication (March 2007)
"The internet is a wonderful resource for learning about health, but its fallen short as a place to support and learn from each other," says Hirsch. "DailyStrength fills that void."

About DailyStrength

DailyStrength is an online destination for people seeking the knowledge and support of others facing similar health and life challenges. The site (www.dailystrength.org) connects people with others facing the same circumstances and offers a forum to exchange experiences, advice, treatments and even hugs within a safe friendly setting.

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