Dear Wellsphere Community Members, Health Mavens, and Health Bloggers,

Earlier today HealthCentral, a leading publisher of over 35 websites for individuals facing specific health challenges, announced that it has acquired Wellsphere.

This is an incredibly exciting moment for every contributor to HealthCentral’s and Wellsphere’s communities, and for the 10 million health consumers who, each month, seek and find powerful information and invaluable support from each of you. Our communities offer unparalleled insight, practical advice, and inspiration for people who want to live better and fuller lives.

HealthCentral has built, and will continue to build in partnership with you, welcoming and supportive communities – places that reflect the natural respect between people in need, and each of you, who share incredibly moving experiences in service of a greater good. Through our new relationship, your perspectives will now reach millions more health consumers in powerful new ways. Over the years, HealthCentral has built strong relationships with its many distinguished contributors – many of whom independently operate personal blogs or communities – and it has a reputation of working openly and honestly with its community members. We will carry this spirit of partnership as we move forward together, to build new opportunities for and with you, to recognize uniquely powerful voices and the collective chorus of your wisdom.

If you have a question about your relationship with Wellsphere, or the meaning of Wellsphere’s new association with HealthCentral, please e-mail us at community@wellsphere.com .

We welcome your ideas, your suggestions, and your concerns, and look forward to building with each of you, a uniquely welcoming place for everyone who comes to us for help and for hope.

Sincerely,

Christopher M. Schroeder, CEO, HealthCentral
Ron Gutman, Founder and CEO, Wellsphere

Dear members, writers, and users,

It is my pleasure to share with you some very exciting news: Wellsphere has merged with HealthCentral to create the world’s premiere online health technology company, the second largest organic online health enterprise, and the number one network of online health communities!

Wellsphere’s mission has always been to help millions of people live healthier, happier lives by connecting them with the knowledge, people and tools they need to manage and improve their health. Now, together with HealthCentral, we can help tens of millions of people every month!

HealthCentral shares our goal of delivering accurate, condition-specific information to consumers where and when they want it. The comprehensiveness of quality information is what makes the HealthCentral-Wellsphere combination so unique. Combining HealthCentral’s breadth of content and resources with Wellsphere’s technical expertise and the world largest network of leading health writers will enable us to build on our current success on a much broader scale.

Over the past year, Wellsphere has experienced tremendous growth, having grown from less than 100,000 monthly visitors to a current run rate of more than 4 million monthly visitors (yesterday we served more than 160,000 visitors to our site in one day!). At the same time, our Health Bloggers Network has become the world’s number one community of health writers with more than 1800 active contributors serving our users daily. From the early days at Stanford when I put together a multidisciplinary group of students and professors to research ways to help people lead healthier lives, to recently becoming the fastest-growing top consumer health website, we have always focused on listening to our users, improving our products and services to meet their needs, and expanding our reach and impact. Locking arms with HealthCentral will enable us to serve many more people around the world, and provide us with the substantial resources required to sustain our rapid growth. HealthCentral has a strong sales organization and is backed by some of the world’s premier investors (Sequoia Capital, Carlyle Group, Barry Diller’s Interactive Corp., Allen and Co., and Polaris.)

If you are one of the amazing health writers in our network, you may be excited to know that we will continue to empower you and deliver your extensive knowledge, support and inspiration to an even larger audience than before to ensure you receive the recognition you deserve. If you are a Wellsphere member, we will continue to improve your experience as we are now hiring more great people to help us create an even higher quality, quicker, easier to navigate experience on our site, and build new features and functionality to better serve your health knowledge and support needs.

In the words of Winston Churchill: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Here at Wellsphere, we feel that we have successfully completed the first chapter of our book, bringing Wellsphere from a research project to a thriving company that successfully serves millions of people in this country and around the world. We are looking forward to the next chapter in which, together with our new partners we will build the best and most innovative online health company, and work to make a positive impact on the lives of millions of people, starting with YOU!

Ron Gutman,
Founder and CEO

New findings in Tobacco Control suggest women exposed to second-hand smoke may have trouble getting pregnant. Researchers examined more than 4,800 women and found those growing up around a parent who smoked had more difficulty becoming pregnant. Also, women exposed to second-hand smoke were 39% more likely to suffer a stillbirth or miscarriage. Toxins in cigarette smoke may interfere with hormones needed for conception; Reuters reports.

Not to mention, previous research has shown parents who smoke can cause vascular damage in their kids. But quitting is hard, even our new president is still trying to kick the habit!

This posting, Second-Hand Smoke Makes Getting Pregnant Harder..., is posted by DiseaseProof at Wellsphere.com

Related: third hand smoking

Everytime we read a label or look online, there’s someone threatening us about the next Big Disease — cell phones cause cancer, computers cause carpal tunnel, crossing the street can get you run over by a car, video games can make you psychopathic– or do they?

Of course we can’t live our lives in fear of statistical probabilities and the names of big diseases, so often we go through life doing nothing — until we’re hurt, sick or in pain. Then we seek treatment and wish something had been done sooner, and suffer through the guilt trips about it too. If only we’d eaten right, exercised, used a different computer keyboard, … but it’s not really our fault, is it?

Sometimes you don’t know what’s ahead, but the best thing to do is take the best care of yourself possible, based on the risks you know your body faces. If your parents have diabetes, you’re more likely to get it, and maybe need to watch your diet; if you get a twinge of wrist pain sometimes, listen to your nerves because you might be at risk for repetitive injuries or strains.

Western medicine is pretty narrow in its view of preventive care: according to Dr. James Gray, a chiropractor and health blogger, “the current medical definition of prevention consists of early detection of serious disease processes.” This means a serious disease might already be present, before doctors look into preventing it. So it is up to patients to look after their everyday health, and maintain their fitness and well being.

Dr. Gray advises his patients to get regular chiropractic care to help their bodies stay properly adjusted, because getting regular care helps the body function at its highest possible level. This advice makes good sense, but it made me wonder whether chiropractic care could be considered superior to–or just different from — other forms of alternative health care.

So I responded to the post and asked him a few questions in his comments list. His advice was both holistic and respectful of alternate forms of treatment, so I felt it deserved repeating. He identifies 7 categories of care for achieving optimal health:

1- healthy diet,
2- regular exercise,
3- stress relief techniques,
4- dental checkups,
5- medical checkups,
6- chiropractic checkups, and
7- detoxification

Here’s the full exchange where he gives some greater insight into what medical and chiro care can (and can’t) do for you…

RSIHealer: I believe in the benefits of preventive care in general, and in the ability of chiropractic care to solve certain kinds of problems.
As a consumer and health blogger I am wondering why chiropractic care in particular is good for preventive treatment, especially in comparison to other kinds of treatments consumers can get–like acupuncture, massage, etc.? Should the type of regular preventive treatment depend if the person is trying to treat a certain condition, or what their personal health quirks are for example? Do people’s bodies react to different types of treatments differently?

Dr. Gray:

Good questions, Mrs. Hengst. Personally, with regards to preventive or maintenance care, I don’t consider chiropractic as a separate and distinct procedure. Merely an integral part of an overall healthy regimen designed to optimize the function of the body. A healthy diet, regular exercise, stress relief techniques, dental checkups, medical checkups, chiropractic checkups, and detoxification are all necessary aspects of a healthy lifestyle. These are things to be done without regards to signs or symptoms, male or female, or current expression of health.

And, Yes. People respond to different types of treatment in a myriad of ways. There is no magic pill, magic adjustment, or magic whatever that will work for every patient in every case. However, there are reasons why I listed the things above as a necessary part of most everyone’s regular health schedule. A healthy diet and exercise is a no-brainer; we all know we need these. Stress relief because we are all exposed to stress on a regular basis, and we either deal with in a healthy manner or it will eat us alive. Dental, medical, and chiropractic checkups because early detection is the greatest factor in improving one’s ability to fight a body dysfunction (illness); and, each profession has a distinct specialty in which they are uniquely qualified to evaluate. Detoxification because we live in a toxic society, surrounded and infiltrated by chemicals, radiation, additives, preservatives, etc. If our body is too busy trying to clean itself out, it won’t have the extra energy it needs to truly express optimum health.

And now that I have posted this brief interview, I would also like to hear from readers. Do you go to a chiropractor or other health care specialist on a regular or semi regular basis, and how does it help you achieve optimal health?

This posting, 7 Steps to Preventing Pain and Achieving Optimal Health, is posted by Amy H. at Wellsphere.com

Years ago the phone company had an ad campaign that said, “reach out and touch someone”. I always thought that was an interesting way to phrase it since in most cases you’re not in the vicinity of the recipient. I guess today with social network sites the ad line would read, “reach out and ping someone”. The truth be told there is nothing more powerful than touch and in person rates supreme.

I don’t know why out culture equates touch with sex (well I do understand but it’s ridiculous). Let me let you in on a little secret, we transfer energy from one to another when we touch someone. People in crisis need to be touch. People facing a health challenge need to ask to be touched. When I worked for the HIV/AIDS services program we secured funding for a massage therapist for our clients. Why? Because they need the experience of touch and not just any touch, but therapeutic touch.

Ever have someone touch you and you notice their hand is warm? You’re feeling their energy. Don’t you find it comforting? When we experience physical connection our blood pressure lowers, our breathing becomes more regulated and the body loosens its grip on itself. Having someone lay a hand on us, and not in a violent or corrective way, but in a loving and caring manner rejuvenates our self-worth and self-esteem.

Touch is about connection, real honest to goodness connection. When facing a health challenge can you think of anything more affirming than someone connecting with us on a deep and profound level? Let’s start a touching craze (appropriate touch of course, don’t want any sexual misconduct claims floating around). Transfer some of that healing energy, receive some of that healing energy and let’s keep the energy flowing like a healing river.

This posting, The Power of Touch, is posted by Greg Katz at Wellsphere.com

Margin. Wiggle room. Space.

What are these things? They're how you reduce anxiety. They prevent a hassle---such as an unexpected car repair, or a sick child---from morphing into a calamity. They're the antidote for overwhelment. They lower your stress level, because you don't have to worry about so many "What ifs?"

What's the opposite of margin? Living on the edge. Living paycheck to paycheck. Doing things just in time. Waiting until the last minute. Stuffing too much into a day. Not taking into account the unexpected emergencies or situations that inevitably arise.

A margin-less life creates stress and chaos. It leaves you vulnerable. You can live margin-less and be fine...as long as everything goes according to plan. But when the unexpected occurs, you don't have any space in which to fall. You move from barely hanging on, to free falling.

Does your life have margin?

Margin comes in many forms: an emergency fund for unexpected bills or financial difficulties; a pantry or freezer that's stocked with quick meals for busy nights; a support circle---friends, family and neighbors that will help you in a pinch, whether it be picking up a child from school, or counseling you through a difficult time. Margin can be a relaxed schedule, where you leave time between appointments to eat lunch, or to simply transition from one activity to the next. Margin can be a relaxed mindset, where you accept the change of plans when a baby is teething and fussy or a child is home with the flu.

For several years, I lived without margin. Our finances were very, very tight, so when the car needed repair, I was in tears, wondering how to pay for it. I didn't allow for transitions, forgetting that, while, yes, it may only take 10 minutes to drive from my house to the Montessori school, it takes another 10 to get everyone dressed and in the car, and another 5 to get settled into the classroom. I waited until the last minute to schedule a date with my husband/order new contacts/make lunches for school, which often meant I couldn't find a babysitter, or I'd run out of contacts before my new ones arrived.

Living with margin makes life more joyful. Less anxious. Less depressed. More relaxed. While we always have a choice in how we react to life's snafus, it's much easier to maintain a positive mindset when we're not living so close to the bone.

Margin can be internal, as well as external.

Internal margin is relaxing your expectations of what you can realistically accomplish in a given day. It's setting reachable goals----committing to exercise five times a week, instead of everyday---so that you can feed off your success. If you get six workouts one week? That's a bonus. Internal margin is picking and choosing the activities and commitments that align with your values, rather than signing yourself, your family, or your children up for every possibility.

I make a point to add margin in my life. Because of it, I'm (generally) happier, calmer, andless anxious. Margin is how I show myself kindness. It's accepting that I can't do or be everything to all people all of the time.

How can you create margin in your life? Here are some ideas:

* Give yourself time to navigate transitions: factor in that extra 15 minutes it takes to get out the door, or to pick up your son from school.

* Leave space between meetings or items on your calendar. I know I feel cranky and out of sorts when I run non-stop, from one thing to another, without any down time.

* Start an emergency fund for financial emergencies. This will save you a tremendous amount of stress or worry. When the water heater breaks, you can pay cash, instead of accumulating credit card debt.

* Eat dinner earlier to allow for a relaxed evening routine. I love having time to read with my children before dinner, to play a game, or to sit and talk with my husband, but this is only possible if we're done with dinner earlier in the evening.

* Get up earlier to allow for a more relaxed morning routine. My days flow more positively when I start my day gently, rather than rushing about, feeling like I'm starting my day behind.

* Dejunk your home. Give your house margin, by having surfaces free from knickknacks and clutter. When I simplified my home decor, initially, my house felt a little bare. Now I'm used to the spaciousness and lack of knickknacks, and I love its calm, airy feel. (On a side note, I've had several women comment on how tidy my house is. Simplification---getting rid of all of the unnecessary clutter---is the key to an organized home.)

* Have extras of toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, paper towels on hand. That way, when you run out, you don't have to run to the store right away.

* Make sure your closet has a dress or other outfit that can be dressed up or down for a wedding, a cocktail party, or other fancy event. That way, when you receive an invitation, you won't feel pressured to go out and buy something, or feel ambivalent about going because you don't have anything to wear.

This posting, Reduce Anxiety by Creating Margin, is posted by Karly P. at Wellsphere.com

The holidays can be a stressful time for moms. From holiday travel to baking and cooking, you can get overwhelmed and stressed out in a hurry. This holiday season, as difficult as it sometimes is, try to remember to stop and take time for you.

Reduce the Stress:
Do you find yourself so stressed out during the holidays that you can’t even enjoy your company? If so, it’s time to reduce your stress.

* First, ask yourself what tasks you can delegate to family members. Perhaps you can share the responsibility of your family dinner. Have everyone bring a dish. Maybe you need help at home on baking day. Ask your kids to pitch in and help with making cookies or candy or even with the clean-up.

* Next, remember to breathe. When you are in the middle of a stress-filled moment, stop, close your eyes and take in a deep breath. Remind yourself that this day should be filled with happy, joyful memories.

Be Nice to Yourself:
As women, we tend to take care of everyone first, then ourselves last. The problem with this is that usually after we’re finished taking care of everyone else, we have nothing left to give back to ourselves. During the holidays this year, take some time to be nice to you. Here are a few ideas for you:

* Take a coffee break. While you’re out shopping for gifts, stop and take a coffee break. Buy one of your favorite magazines to read while you enjoy your favorite latte.

* Read a book. Buy yourself a new book and allow yourself an afternoon of doing nothing but lying in bed, reading your new book.

* Take a bubble bath. Lock the door, turn off the phone and run a bubble bath for yourself. Relax and forget about all the plans, cooking and presents and just enjoy a nice, relaxing thirty minutes alone. It’s amazing how much these thirty minutes can re-energize you and help you cope with the tasks ahead.

This posting, Time Out for Mom During the Holidays, is posted by Kim Wolinski, MSW "Dr. DeClutter" at Wellsphere.com

I have been thinking about planning for and protecting my son, Billy Ray, even more lately because of my recent health problems while I was writing my second book. The stress of the present economic situation adds to the concern. Budget cuts are threatened in many areas. That adds another dimension to “that nagging question” (what will happen to my child when I can’t be there for him). Funding for programs that are working for him may be cut, facilities and homes may close due to economic constraints. Even a more independent adult child may have difficulty getting the things he needs in bad economic times. I find myself wondering what if this economic downturn happened after I can’t change planning.

We are not the same close knit society portrayed in programs like Little House on the Prairie and other television programs or movies. Neighbors were there for neighbors and could be counted on to care for children if something happened to their parents. Families are more mobile and lead busier lives so they are not always close. We have learned to depend on the government rather than each other. As we explore what the government will really be able to do it gets scary.

Sometimes there is great resentment on the part of some taxpayers about spending money for special education and other programs for people with disabilities even when times were not as difficult as they are presently. I believe that is because so many of our children are never really known as individuals with strengths and weaknesses like everyone. The more community awareness is improved the more accepting society is of the need for programs and other assistance.

Community awareness that actually brings change is that which helps our children to actually be known and understood to become a part of the community and have others involved in their lives and vice versa. As our children are known and understood protests about their need for programs and other adaptations are reduced. Sometimes it is the community needs who needs training as I wrote here.

It would be easy to become paralyzed with fear for our children. There is peace in knowing that you have done everything you can do to assure a happy and secure life for him or her. In my new book, Parenting an Adult with Disabilities or Special Needs and in future blog posts and video blog, we can share the journey together to protect our children or adult children. There are so many things that we can do such as:

· Assuring that he or she has friends who will stay involved.
· If appropriate, training her to be a self advocate.
· Having various people involved in her life who will maintain different roles.
· Maintaining her “story” so that she can share her memories and history with new people and old friends.
· Appropriate estate planning documents.

That is only a few ideas but it sounds like it will take a lot of energy. Worrying about your child’s future takes a lot of energy too but the peace that comes from planning for and protecting your child is revitalizing and reassuring.

This posting, Planning for and Protecting Your Child or Adult Child Who Experiences Disabilities or Special Needs, is posted by Peggy Lou Morgan at Wellsphere.com

Wellsphere's Health Mavens provide free answers to millions of health seekers.

San Mateo, CA -- In these difficult economic times, it's comforting to know there are medical and patient experts out there who care enough to answer health questions online for free. Dr. Geoffrey Rutledge, MD PhD, Wellsphere's Chief Medical Information Officer, told reporters today about the new Health Maven Program, which connects doctors, psychologists, patient-experts, nurses, personal trainers, and other experts with health seekers who are looking for answers. Anyone with access to the Internet can get their health questions answered quickly and at no cost at http://www.wellsphere.com/healthMaven.s.

Health mavens are carefully selected, knowledgeable, health experts who are committed to helping others live healthier, happier lives. Hundreds of Health Mavens have already joined the program, with new Mavens signing up every day. "We're witnessing an incredible growth in the number of people using the Internet to find health information" said Wellsphere's CEO Ron Gutman. According to an i-Crossing research report, for the first time in history people looking for health information are more likely to turn to the Web for answers than to their doctor. "Recognizing this trend among our users, we assembled the world's leading network of over 1,800 medical and patient experts to share their experiences and expertise with Wellsphere's almost 3 million monthly visitors. We are humbled by the experience, expertise and genuine care these wonderful individuals share every day with people who come to Wellsphere looking for answers" said Gutman.

In addition to providing free answers to health questions, the Health Maven program allows participating medical professionals and patient experts to broaden their impact by sharing their experiences and expertise with a much wider audience, and get the recognition they deserve. Here are a few of their comments:

"Being a Health Maven gives me the opportunity to interact directly with the Wellsphere community. It's been a lot of fun and professionally it's incredibly rewarding." - Dr. Melissa McCreery

"Wellsphere has taken caring to a new level and I'm glad to be a part of it," - Kathleen Blanchard, RN

"I enjoy being a maven… doling out advice and answering questions seems to be my calling in life." - Dr. Lynn Dorman

To find out more about the Health Maven program, please visit http://www.Wellsphere.com/healthMaven.s

About Wellsphere
Wellsphere, the fastest growing health technology company, is based in San Mateo, CA. Wellsphere develops web and mobile technologies that help millions of people live healthier, happier lives by providing a free consumer health website at http://www.wellsphere.com, and building online health platforms for large organizations.