PopSugar

Do You Scare Yourself by Researching Ailments Online?

FitSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0700

The Internet is a wonderful thing, but when it comes to using it for self-diagnosis based on general symptoms, online tools can sometimes do more harm than good. So many illnesses have similar symptoms, and friends of mine have been convinced their cold-induced headache is really some chronic disease. If you're going to research your sickness online, take the results with a grain of salt and head to an actual doctor.

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E-Patients Explore Online Communities

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:32 -0800

Researching your health problems online can be a great way to educate yourself - or scare yourself silly. A whopping 97 percent of Fit readers 'fess up to doing some Internet sleuthing before heading to the doc. There's even a word for us: e-patients.

According to a new study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 20 percent of e-patients use social-networking and similar sites to chat with medical experts and other patients.

Of course, we're big fans of community around here as a place to share information and links and get a conversation going. To find out more about the online health community revolution, read more.

Says Pew's Susannah Fox:

"They are posting their first-person accounts of treatments and side effects from medications. They are recording and posting those podcasts. They're tagging content. They are part of the conversation. And that, I think, is an indicator of where we could be going in terms of the future of participatory medicine."

In addition to connecting with fellow patients suffering from the same ailments, users are posting their health records online so they can track their test results, blood pressure, and other vital stats. All they're doing all this despite the fact that doctors are behind the times, with only about 17 percent reporting the use of online medical records.

When you're suffering from an ailment, it can be very reassuring to hear from other patients who've gone through the same thing; often, it calms me down and makes me realize I'm not alone. But do you see any danger in patients posting about their medical problems in online communities?

Meanwhile, don't forget to check out our FitSugar Community and join the conversation!

Stork Craft Recalls 2.1 Million Cribs in Largest Crib Recall Ever

babysugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:37:40 -0800

A couple of years ago, it seemed like toy recalls were being announced daily for choking or lead poisoning hazards. This holiday season, parents are being hit with major baby gear recalls. First Maclaren issued a voluntary notification that its hinges could hurt small fingers if a child's hands were holding on to the sides of a stroller during the opening or closing of it. Today, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) is issuing another statement regarding faulty baby equipment.

Canadian crib maker Stork Craft is set to recall more than 2.1 million drop-side cribs. If the drop-side becomes broken or detaches, it can cause children to fall out of the crib or suffocate. In a statement issued by CPSC and Health Canada:

The CPSC urges parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs, wait for the free repair kit, and do not attempt to fix the cribs without the kit. They should find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby. Consumers should contact Stork Craft to receive a free repair kit that converts the drop-side on these cribs to a fixed side.

Major retailers in the United States and Canada sold the recalled cribs including BJ’s Wholesale Club, J.C. Penney, Kmart, Meijer, Sears, USA Baby, and Wal-Mart stores and online at Amazon.com, Babiesrus.com, Costco.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com from January 1993 through October 2009 for between $100 and $400.

For more information on the recall, visit the CPSC site.

Lil Links: Homemade Happiness Downloads For Busy Moms

babysugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:30:06 -0800

Helpful and cute downloads for mommies on the run - Babyccino
Helena Christensen has a handsome mini me - Celebrity Baby Blog
Get the guest rooms ready! - Momologie
Looking for the flu shot? There's a map for that. - CafeMom
Dealing with the in-laws this holiday season - ParentDish
Denise Richards is a twittering mama - Celebrity Baby Scoop
When mommy's boyfriend likes her kids more than her - MomLogic
Resisting junk food at the office - Alpha Mom
Are you an online or store front shopper? - Momversation
Does mama have tattoo regret? - Health

Geeksugar Chats with Modern Day Doc Jay Parkinson

GeekSugar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:05:00 -0700

Have you ever imagined having a doctor that you could call, email, IM, text or have video chats with at any time of day? Well for patients of Dr. Jay Parkinson, this is not only a possibility, but a virtual reality. Last week I had the pleasure of chatting with charismatic Parkinson, who operates his high-tech practice out of Williamsburg, NY. Unlike traditional doctor's visits that include expensive fees and long wait times for treatment, Parkinson offers "e-visits," in which he uses communication technology to manage his patients. Whether it be in the form of emails or video chats, Parkinson's new-age approach to health care is not only convenient for his patients, but very affordable as well.

Mixing the old with the new, Parkinson makes house call visits (picture cute doc at your door), offers unlimited consultation on IM or email and is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and 24/7 for emergencies. With a user-friendly website that he designed himself, new and existing patients are able to access a Google calendar that is integrated directly on the site to view Parkinson's schedule. And if you want to make an appointment, you can instantly log-in and schedule yourself an appointment in one of Parkinson's open time slots - just like that.

Working from his MacBook and an iPhone, Parkinson can access his calendar, phone numbers, email, and electronic medical records on-site using Life Record. By utilizing the latest technologies Parkinson is able to renew prescriptions on the fly and receive updates about his patients' symptoms and conditions via email. When I asked Parkinson about online security, he said that all medical records are encrypted, password protected and stored on a remote server. He said he prefers to use Adium and iChat as his IM chat applications since they are both very secure.

Considering 72 percent of geeksugar readers said they tend to use the internet instead of their doctor to diagnose medical conditions and consumers can now take cell phone pictures of their meals for nutritional consultations, it's no doubt that people are wanting "modern medicine" to catch-up with the conveniences of "modern technology"-something Dr. Parkinson has already established with his approach.

To learn more about Parkinson, you can visit his blog here and check out his artistic talents on his Flickr page - yes he's not only a doctor but a photographer as well, talk about being the real deal!

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5 Things You Can Do Online for Your Health

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:45:00 -0700

Clearly, if you're reading FitSugar.com, then you already use the internet to help boost your health.

Here are fives things you can do online to help your health:

Visit FitSugar.com every day. (Shameless self promotion, I know.)
Join an online support group and tracking system like SparkPeople.com.
Comment on blogs or bulletins. You'd be surprised at all the good advice you can get from other users who are also scouring the web for their health.
Go shopping for great gear. Sports stores are often lacking in the cute gear department. There are so many stores online that you can get really great gear at, all without having to fight traffic or mall crowds. Need inspiration? Check out some of my gear finds online.
Get away from the internet. I know this one seems rather counterproductive, but in order to use all the great tips and tidbits you're collecting, you're going to need to try it out, away from your computer, perhaps even at a gym or in a park. No, seriously.

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:02:48 -0700

Lighten up your fettuccine alfredo - That's Fit
Learn a thing from Lance Armstrong's coach - Fit Bottomed Girls
Arm warmers make Fall runs cozy - Fresh Fitness Tips
Don't fear symmetry, muscular imbalances lead to injury - Marks' Daily Apple
How's your gluten? It's Celiac Disease Awareness Month - FitCeleb
Skip the online swine flu drugs', they're phony - The Daily WD
Eight powerful ladies who thrive on a vegetarian diet - Lunch Box Bunch
Heat up your workout with the sexy S factor - Shape
Algae shot for your health? - Vital Juice

Do You Research Your Health Issues Online Before Talking to Your Doctor?

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:30:00 -0700

There is no denying that the Internet is a valuable research tool when it comes to your health, but the web is also chock full of misinformation. So much so that in the year 2000 the American Medical Association requested that patients make a New Year's resolution not to go online to look up medical conditions. In seven years, however, things have changed. Many physicians encourage their patients to discuss their online research with them, but many patients often worry about questioning their doctors.

So how about you...

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Feel the DailyBurn

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:00:43 -0700

I'm becoming a big fan of DailyBurn - a website that lets its users track workout, diet, and health goals in easy-to-read charts and graphs. There's a ton of great health and fitness information on the site and it has a social side that lets users interact with other members.

If you're not very tech savvy, don't be afraid. The site is easy to use and is laid out in a friendly and intuitive way. There are three main areas to DailyBurn - nutrition, exercise, and social networking. To find out how they work, read more.

Nutrition: This is basically an online food journal on steroids. Its food database contains the details of close to 200,000 foods, which makes it easy to track your diet and calorie intake and get a complete nutritional breakdown of what you're eating. There's also a pretty good database of healthy recipes, too.

Exercise: In this area you can design a fitness program for yourself or use one of the 80,000+ existing programs already on the site. If you don't understand an exercise, it's OK, because DailyBurn has tons of videos detailing the exercises. The exercise tracking tool is awesome - you can track your stats for weight loss, muscle gain, strength, and endurance. If you need better improvement in a certain area, it's really easy to adjust your fitness program.

Social Networking: This is where DailyBurn really sets itself apart from other sites. Use this section to find online workout partners and confidants who end up being your biggest cheering section while you reach your goals. And if you like a little healthy competition, you can go up against one another in fitness challenges much like The Biggest Loser. There are also groups members can join depending on their interest.

The basic tools on DailyBurn are free but paid members get access to advanced options like meal planning. The site is a great tool for burning fat and gaining muscle, as well as helping make smarter food choices. I like that I don't need to spend a lot of time inputting information onto DailyBurn because everything I need is already in its databases and navigation tools.

Link Time!!!

PopSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Dina Lohan launches her new shoe line - Pink Is the New Blog

Sheryl Crow is the picture of health - FitSugar

Elizabeth Taylor tweets about her heart surgery - D-Listed

Camilla Belle's fashion week fun comes to an end - JustJared

Hayden's girl kiss caught on video - Egotastic!

Meet Twilight's newest star Noot Seear - Lainey Gossip

Jon Gosselin gets his girls a boyish birthday present - The Superficial

Pink poses in pink underwear - Hollywood Tuna

Bai Ling dresses up for the carnival - Hollywood Rag

Celebrities sometimes lie about their age - cityrag

Taylor Swift shows off her new music video - e!Online