Rapidly Growing Social Networks Help People Living with Autoimmune Disease
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 25, 2015 -- MyHealthTeams (myhealthteams.com), a San Francisco-based company, has launched a variety of social networks to provide support for those living with autoimmune diseases. Through these networks, people are able connect with others who share their same condition. In the past year, MyHealthTeams created a half dozen of large and rapidly growing social networks that are free for those living with various autoimmune diseases, including:
• MyMSTeam: the social network for people living with multiple sclerosis.
• MyLupusTeam: the social network for people living with lupus.
• MyCrohnsAndColitisTeam: the social network for people, or parents of children, living with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis.
• myRAteam: the social network for people living with rheumatoid arthritis.
These social networks have already attracted a combined 70,000 people who are living with autoimmune diseases, people who want to connect with others who share their diagnosis. According to the Pew Research Center, "peer-to-peer health care” is an important and growing phenomenon. They found that 24% of U.S. adults turned to others who shared the same health condition for information or support when faced with a significant health issue.
“It’s natural for anyone facing an autoimmune condition like Lupus or colitis to want to connect with others who are going through the same thing,” says Eric Peacock, co-founder and CEO of MyHealthTeams. “These conditions make a huge impact on your day-to-day life, an impact that most of your Facebook friends, and even your family, may not fully understand. There is a huge pent-up demand to talk with other people who ‘get it’. We are working as fast as we can to launch social networks for other autoimmune conditions as well.”
Recently, MyHealthTeams conducted a survey of its MyMSTeam community to find out what mattered most to those living with multiple sclerosis: The results shed a light on the community’s preferences around specific drugs, how critical independence is to quality of life, and what they wish future therapies for MS would address.
“It’s critical that the opinions and daily experiences of real people facing MS are understood by the folks developing new therapies for multiple sclerosis,” says Peacock. “We hope the insights in this and future research will influence more research and development efforts in the biopharmaceutical industry, and lead to improved options for people living with MS.” The company has also embarked on a partnership with a pharmaceutical company to give members of MyLupusTeam the opportunity to shape the design of future clinical trials in Lupus.
About MyHealthTeams
MyHealthTeams operates social networks for communities of people facing autoimmune diseases and other chronic conditions. The company provides social networks for a wide range of autoimmune diseases including: multiple sclerosis, lupus, Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. For a more information, or a list of all the sites, please visit myhealthteams.com. MyHealthTeams believes that when people facing the same chronic condition are able to connect with and learn from each other, ask questions, get referrals and share tips with other people who personally understand what it’s like to face that condition, health outcomes improve.
Mary Ray, MyHealthTeams, http://www.MyHealthTeams.com, +1 4156018284, [email protected]
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