Please recommend a forum

[Songwriter]

Can anyone point me to a health forum? I am primarily interested in heart disease but general health, as well. I still have not found a large forum with thousands of active members. (I like this forum and will continue, I just also want one that has much traffic.)

You can PM if you wish.

[dvdmon]

Songwriter, the only large forum I've found is at healthboards.com. Of course, the people on it subscribe primarily to the standard line, so there's a lot of talk about cholesterol meds (side effects, trying to get the right dosage, etc.), as well as talk about surgery and then simply people having various symtoms and asking questions about them, etc. There are some knowledgeable people on there, but you may have to filter a bit as some of the advice will be very "by the book" (meaning the old low-fat and lots of statins book ).

[Songwriter]

Songwriter, the only large forum I've found is at healthboards.com. Of course, the people on it subscribe primarily to the standard line, so there's a lot of talk about cholesterol meds (side effects, trying to get the right dosage, etc.), as well as talk about surgery and then simply people having various symtoms and asking questions about them, etc. There are some knowledgeable people on there, but you may have to filter a bit as some of the advice will be very "by the book" (meaning the old low-fat and lots of statins book ).

I would think you would find the following experience, at least, interesting.

A few days prior to starting this thread here on PP, I came across the healthboards.com site. I joined and created a post, seeking information about a health issue. I later came across a thread by someone and I thought I could help him. I directed him to a blog by Dr. Eades on the recent statin expose'. And I did that by doing something any of us do countless times a day... I posted the link in the post.

I revisited the board the next day and a notice popped up that I had been 'suspended.' I think that was the term. I wrote an email to the admin and asked why. The admin replied with:

It is your responsibility to read and post within the
rules, on your own. Per the rules, which were agreed
with when you registered, breaking any rule can result
in a suspension, which is the only warning you should
expect.

Any suspension may be appealed by promising to read
and follow the rules to which you originally agreed,
but under certain circumstances it will not be lifted.

I wrote back and told him what I thought of his heavy-handed approach. He replied with:

Evidently you didn't read to Decline membrship if you
didn't want the rules.

We do not provide free advertising for Drs. Michael
and Mary Dan Eades.

Granted, I never read the rules before posting. But if you can't post a link to websites, sheesh, that's totally weird. (Upon reading their rules, I found them bigtime restrictive.) OTOH, I am thinking they especially do not like Protein Power. It's not my board, they can have any policy that want; doesn't mean I have to like it. Which I don't.

Any other forums come to mind? :p

[dvdmon]

Perhaps the mods don't like Protein Power, I don't know. I generally don't provide much advice there, just post questions. Before posting I had read that the rules were pretty restrictive, so I make sure never to link to sites that potentially have any commercial stuff (products) on them. While the Eadeses blogs are not commercial in and of themselves, they are contained within a site (proteinpower.com) which at least has a commercial facet.

I agree with you that I think the policy is pretty heavy-handed, but it is their board and they make the rules. Still, they could have been a little more cordial with you about it. In any case, if you find any other boards like that (but with out quite the degree of heavy-handedness), please let us know!

[Songwriter]

Perhaps the mods don't like Protein Power, I don't know. I generally don't provide much advice there, just post questions. Before posting I had read that the rules were pretty restrictive, so I make sure never to link to sites that potentially have any commercial stuff (products) on them. While the Eadeses blogs are not commercial in and of themselves, they are contained within a site (proteinpower.com) which at least has a commercial facet.

I agree with you that I think the policy is pretty heavy-handed, but it is their board and they make the rules. Still, they could have been a little more cordial with you about it. In any case, if you find any other boards like that (but with out quite the degree of heavy-handedness), please let us know!

I have never seen such a restrictive forum and I belong to many. I ponder that perhaps whoever owns that forum is most definitely in the camp of mainstream medicine and hates any alternative views. Why prohibit a link to any site that has a possibility of a commercial nature? The reader can make up his own mind. I figure someone has a holier-than-thou attitude, an arrogant sense of self.

[laughingW]

Their reasons sound kind of rude and commercial. However...

I know a forum hosted by an individual that is that tightly moderated. No one is to recommend other sites, supplements, etc without running it through the owner first.

Her reason is state licensure and liability for what gets posted on her site.

So sometimes lawyers have been in there and it's hosted by people who have a higher responsibility and "standard of care" than lay people sharing personal experience.