Today, February 28th, is Rare Disease Day, a worldwide event showing solidarity with rare disease patients and their families around the globe. The theme for this year is “Raise and Join Your Hands,” and everyone is being asked to participate, whether you’re an individual, an office with 10 people or a public gathering with 1,000… Continue reading Raise Your Hands for Rare Disease Day
Category: Conditions
Living with a health condition? On the PatientsLikeMe blog, find helpful health information and patient stories about being diagnosed, trying different treatments, and living day-to-day with a chronic condition.
Psoriasis and Bullying
Teasing.Physical violence.Staring.Social isolation.Name-calling. Many of our members with psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune condition that can produce red, scaly patches and other skin symptoms, report experiencing various forms of bullying while growing up. One relays the story of a teacher who repeatedly sent her to the nurse’s office, assuming that she had a contagious condition. Another… Continue reading Psoriasis and Bullying
What Is Health?
It seems like a basic question, but at PatientsLikeMe, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what it means. Check out Co-Founder and Chairman Jamie Heywood’s thought-provoking presentation below at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue’s “Future of Human Longevity” conference. Can you really understand concepts such as health, mobility or well-being without… Continue reading What Is Health?
Give the Gift of Life on National Donor Day
Valentine’s Day is all about showing your love for your significant other. But what if it were also about showing your love for perfect strangers? February 14th is National Donor Day, a day of awareness about how registering to be an organ donor can give someone a second chance at life. Does your driver’s license… Continue reading Give the Gift of Life on National Donor Day
Taking Psoriasis Treatment to the Next Level: An Interview with Dermatologist Dr. Jerry Bagel
A nationally recognized psoriasis expert, Dr. Jerry Bagel, MD, has been an investigator on more than 45 clinical trials seeking new treatments for psoriasis and other skin conditions. In addition to treating patients at his private dermatology practice in East Windsor, New Jersey, Dr. Bagel serves as Senior Attending Physician at the Princeton University Medical… Continue reading Taking Psoriasis Treatment to the Next Level: An Interview with Dermatologist Dr. Jerry Bagel
Get Pumped for American Heart Month
You’ve all heard this fact before: heart disease (including heart attacks and heart failure) is the leading cause of death among American men and women, claiming around 600,000 lives each year. But what are you doing about it? Are you and your family working on the controllable risk factors that play a role in this… Continue reading Get Pumped for American Heart Month
The Ups and Downs of Parkinson’s Disease
We are all too aware that Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive illness, with tremors, difficulty walking and other symptoms usually getting worse over time. Here at PatientsLikeMe, and in the clinic, that progression is measured with the Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (PDRS). Although you can never really simplify a whole disease down to a… Continue reading The Ups and Downs of Parkinson’s Disease
A Good Surprise: An Interview with Fibromyalgia Member DarkAuburn
Did you know we now have more than 30,000 members in our fibromyalgia community? In honor of this major milestone, we decided to interview DarkAuburn, who joined in 2009. She’s a three-star member, which means she’s earned our top star rating for sharing complete, in-depth information about her fibromyalgia symptoms, treatments, quality of life and… Continue reading A Good Surprise: An Interview with Fibromyalgia Member DarkAuburn
PatientsLikeMe’s Jamie Heywood Talks with INSEAD Knowledge
“That’s why we built PatientsLikeMe, to lower the cost of discovering new treatments and to measure and understand disease. Together, this community can help reduce the time to determine what works.” –Jamie Heywood While attending the 2012 INSEAD Healthcare Alumni Summit in London last fall, PatientsLikeMe Co-Founder and Chairman Jamie Heywood sat down with INSEAD… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe’s Jamie Heywood Talks with INSEAD Knowledge
Coping with Changes in Physical Appearance
When you are diagnosed with a life-changing illness, your doctor may prepare you for how the disease will affect your physical functions. But as our members point out, patients also need to be prepared for the changes in physical appearance they may experience. For example, how do you deal with hair loss, facial swelling, weight… Continue reading Coping with Changes in Physical Appearance