January 2008 Newsletter

A busy month

We started the new year working through our list of features requested by our members such as upgrading our search, adding a drug database, and including photos in posts. We also changed the look of the forums and, with your help, have been iterating on it to make sure it meets your needs. Please bear with us for a couple of more weeks as we finish updating the remaining pages.  We're really excited about the next couple of months as we have a lot of important things we will be adding to the site. Please continue to let us know what you need as it will help us prioritize the list.

Stay healthy.

MedHelp team
www.medhelp.org

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MEDTALK :  Featured Article

Happy You Year! (This is not a typo, this is the year for you!)  
by Roger Gould, M.D.

Not surprisingly, people’s number one New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. Maybe you’ve heard that voice in your head that says, "This year is going to be different, this year I will finally lose the weight, this year I definitely won’t be embarrassed at this event or on the beach."

In the past, that probably meant a new diet starting on day one of the new year.

Unfortunately, diets don’t work. Even Weight Watchers, the foremost authority on diets in the country, has declared in their new campaign that people should not go on a diet.  

>> Read More:
http://search.medhelp.org/blog/ShrinkYourself.php?itemid=181

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MEDTALK :  Featured Article

Traveling Well During the Holiday Season
by Enoch Choi, M.D.

The flu has passed epidemic rates in much of the country, and if you don't have a cold, I'm sure you have a friend who has the sniffles, fever, chills, aches and pains of a viral upper respiratory infection. This is different from a bacterial infection such as sinusitis, bronchitis, or pneumonia. A viral infection doesn't improve with antibiotics as these infections do. A virus hijacks your own body's healthy cells and uses it to reproduce and spread. A bacteria is its own living cell and multiplies and spreads on its own and is easier to destroy in that process. Here are some guidelines on helping differentiate between run of the mill colds and more serious bacterial infections:

>> Read More:
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/1737

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NEW EXPERTS

*  Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/206
   Michael H Kirsch, DDS

*  Radiology: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/209
   Sumer K Sethi, MD
   Anna Beattie, M.D.

*  Ear Disorders: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/211
   Eric P Wilkinson, MD

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NEW COMMUNITIES

* Chlamydia: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/202

* Sexual Health: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/207

* PCOS: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/203

* SIDs: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/205

* Incontinentia Pigmenti: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/204

* Hysterectomy: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/208

* Borderline Personality Disorder: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/210

* Children's Allergies: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/214

* Living with an Alcoholic: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/217

* Endometriosis: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/218


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NEW FEATURES

* Improved Search: Our search is even more powerful now: Real time results, a new simpler look and feel, image results and also search by a member name.  

  >> Run a search: http://www.medhelp.org/search?query=heart

* Drug Database: Detailed information on over 20,000 prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Available through Search, with more ways coming soon.

  >> See an example: http://www.medhelp.org/drugs/show/2578

* My Posts: An easy way to find all of your posts in one place. In My MedHelp, simply click the "Posts" tab.

  >> See all of your posts: http://www.medhelp.org/user_profiles/my_profile

* Enlarge Text: You get to control the size of the font for our forums and discussions.

  >> See an example: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/197

* Photo Posts: Show what you're trying to describe by adding a photo to your question.

  >> See an example: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/417323

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COMING SOON

Over the next few weeks we will be rolling out a lot of new functionality. Keep a watch out for:


* Find a Doctor: Find a local doctor or medically professional in our upcoming directory which has over 1 million medical professionals and institutions.