"Support" groups

[Crazy Pole]

As many of you have also probably experienced, patients in chronic pain often turn to the Internet for answers. This is understandable, and probably even logical. Heck, I do it too.

However, I always wondered what sorts of things people actually came across. Well, now I know. Check out this site if you get a chance: http://www.fibrofix.com/. Perhaps some of you have seen this before. It's a busy site, but it doesn't take much perusal to understand the theme.

Some patients seem to derive real feelings of support from these; to know that other people in other parts of the world are experiencing very similar things. I suppose that feeling of support is helpful, but I can certainly understand where a whole lot of "thought viruses" can develop from this stuff.

Being relatively naive to this forum, I am wondering if there is a collection somewhere of creepy sites like this. I certainly don't expect these sites to disappear, but I think it is helpful (at least for me) to see/understand what sorts of sites my patients are visiting.

Does anyone else find these harmful and disturbing? Or, are they helpful and important?

Wes

[Diane]

Hi Wes,
I think the "Who we are" section says it all and should place the site in the proper focal length for all who view it. :rolleyes: :thumbs_do

[bernard]

Wes, if you want to be frightened just check this one :

http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/index.php

I tried to help but forgave. :confused:

[Jon Newman]

Hi Wes,

This site (http://www.quackometer.net/default.asp) might help although as they state, it's not perfect.

Try it on your site.

[Crazy Pole]

Diane,

Great point. I hadn't even gotten to that prior to your suggestion.

Jon,

As always, great link. Fun website. Apparently my website isn't even able to register on a "Quackometer". To quote directly: "This isn't really my bag. Way off the village pond. This is a quackometer, not a crankometer."

Using my "internal Quackometer", this is off the scales.

Bernard,

Thanks also for the link, but I need to peruse it some more.

But what I wonder, is this: does the benefit of "support" outweigh the risk of "thought viruses, fallacies, quackery, (insert preferential label here), etc..."? I suspect probably not, but I am curious to hear other perspectives. Maybe there are some out there who have derived great benefit from these sites, and will share their perspective.

Wes

[Crazy Pole]

I did a quick search for "pain support groups". The first one up, was this one: http://groups.msn.com/ChronicPainSupportGroupCPSG/. If you look at the bottom of the left hand column, there is a link for "Pain Causes". There, explanations for DDD, and Facet Joint Syndrome are given, amongst others.

It probably isn't much of a stretch to assume that if I can find this site so easily, that any of our chronic pain patients would be drawn to it more quickly than I was. Maybe this is a spot where we can get more education about the neurophysiology of pain out to the masses.

Any thoughts?

Wes

[Diane]

Yes!