Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. 30 years after the first reports of AIDS in the United States, HIV – the virus that can lead to AIDS – is still a reality for 1.1 million Americans. Complicating matters is that fact that one in every five people living with HIV in the United States… Continue reading Write, Snap and Share for World AIDS Day
Category: Patient Experiences
How to Thrive: Takeaways from TEDx Cambridge
Patient Experience Manager Kate Brigham and I attended TEDx Cambridge last week, a one-day event full of thought-provoking and inspirational talks about Ideas Worth Spreading (TED’s mission). The participants didn’t want to just survive, they wanted to Thrive, which was this year’s theme. Speakers, including our President and Co-Founder Ben Heywood, enlightened the crowd with… Continue reading How to Thrive: Takeaways from TEDx Cambridge
Are Your Lungs Trying to Tell You Something?
Chronic coughing and wheezing. Frequent shortness of breath. Struggling for air. These are some of the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which affects 24 million Americans (or approximately one in five adults over the age of 45). As many as half of them don’t realize they have COPD, however, as many people mistake… Continue reading Are Your Lungs Trying to Tell You Something?
What Patients Are Thankful For
Thanksgiving is a time for remembering all the reasons you have to be grateful. For patients who face numerous health challenges, this can mean reminding yourself of all the things you have gained – not lost – since your diagnosis. One theme that we’re especially proud to hear our 120,000+ members express is how thankful… Continue reading What Patients Are Thankful For
Results from PatientsLikeMe Diabetes Poll
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PATIENTSLIKEME POLL REVEALS UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON MOST DIFFICULT FOR DIABETES PATIENTS CONTROLLING BLOOD GLUCOSE PatientsLikeMe Introduces Daily Glucose Monitoring Feature in December CAMBRIDGE, MA – November 22, 2011 – According to a recent PatientsLikeMe® Poll, one out of every two type 2 diabetes patients (50%) and nearly two out of every three type… Continue reading Results from PatientsLikeMe Diabetes Poll
Do the Holidays Give You Heartburn?
Overeating on Thanksgiving is a tradition in many households – one that can produce some very uncomfortable results. It is no coincidence, then, that November 20 – 26th is the 13th Annual GERD Awareness Week. Affecting up to 1 in 5 adults in the US, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition that develops when… Continue reading Do the Holidays Give You Heartburn?
Is Today the Day You Quit Smoking for Good?
That’s what the American Cancer Society hopes. Today, November 17th, is the Great American Smokeout, now in its 36th year. It’s a day for quitting smoking or making a plan to quit. The reason for doing so is pretty compelling: tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the… Continue reading Is Today the Day You Quit Smoking for Good?
Giving Caregivers the Recognition They Deserve
“The true strength of the American family finds its roots in an unwavering commitment to care for one another.” – President Barack Obama November is National Family Caregivers Month, “a time to thank, support, educate and empower family caregivers.” There are more than 65 million family caregivers in the US who day in and day… Continue reading Giving Caregivers the Recognition They Deserve
Act Now for World Diabetes Day
Today is World Diabetes Day, sponsored by the International Diabetes Federation. An official United Nations Day since 2007, World Diabetes Day is held every year on November 14th to commemorate the birthday of Frederick Banning. Along with Charles Best, Banning is credited with the life-saving discovery of insulin in 1922. Why is there a need for a global diabetes… Continue reading Act Now for World Diabetes Day
Get “Seizure Smart” for Epilepsy Awareness Month
What does it mean to be “seizure smart”? It means being knowledgeable about how to help in the event that someone has a seizure in your presence. Given that one in 100 Americans has epilepsy – and one in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life – this type of basic seizure… Continue reading Get “Seizure Smart” for Epilepsy Awareness Month