The Effects of Virtual Social Therapy® (VST) on Individuals with Chronic Conditions: Results from a Groundbreaking Study by healtheo360
Flemington, NJ (PRWEB) April 17, 2014 -- healtheo360 is excited to announce the results of an academic study researching the effects of Virtual Social Therapy® (VST) on individuals with chronic conditions. VST is a form of palliative care combined with supportive peer-therapy that is offered on healtheo360.com.
healtheo360 is an online social network that started in 2012 with the vision of better connecting patients, caregivers, family members, and friends so they could share their health related stories and learn from others who are “Just Like Them.” “On healtheo360 and through VST patients are supported across all stages of disease, from new diagnoses to hospice care,” stated David S. Duplay, Founder and CEO. “healtheo360 is a caring network that directly addresses important components of total health: physical, emotion, spiritual, and social,” added Duplay. Members on healtheo360 communicate via blogs, storytelling, support groups, and video testimony.
The study compared health outcomes between diabetics who are engaged in VST and those who participated in other social networks, or did not participate at all. VST assists patients and caregivers to better manage specific conditions through increased awareness and understanding. Through VST, patients are more engaged in the management of their condition and those with logistical constraints or mobility issues are able to receive therapy and support.
“Our study found that diabetics engaging in healtheo360’s network experienced better health outcomes than diabetics who were not engaged with the healtheo360 community,” stated Dr. Alexander Nussbaum, Adjunct Full Professor at St. John’s University. “We found that members engaged in the healtheo360 network spent more time participating in physical activity, had improved dietary habits, and were taking better overall-health actions than non-members. Crucially, diabetics tend to decline in health over time; however, those participating in VST on healtheo360 did not experience such a decline,” added Nussbaum.
About healtheo360:
healtheo360 gives patients, caregivers, family and friends the ability to share their stories via video or journal. Members follow each other on their journeys, communicate with each other throughout the site, and participate in various Support Groups.
healtheo360 is an important social resource for patients and caregivers to understand and manage their conditions as well as receive relevant medical content from 3rd party authoritative sources through our support group network.
healtheo360 offers people with chronic conditions a trusted venue to share their stories with the hope that it will help just one person understand how to cope with and manage their condition. Likewise, people who are diagnosed with a chronic condition want to hear from others just like them to better understand what their future might look like, how to deal with the many challenges they might be faced with and to feel less alone. To learn more about healtheo360 and their services, visit healtheo360.com.
Press Contact:
healtheo360
David Duplay, President
Telephone: 212-488-2130
Email: daved (at) newcolonypartners (dot) com
Dave Duplay, healtheo360, http://www.healtheo360.com, +1 (212) 488-2130, [email protected]
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