Category Archives: health

Content Phishing: "African Mango" make-believe health news review

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This morning, I was curious enough to click on an ad on a web site (I click on very few ads) and I was led to a web site that talked about “African Mango”. Here’s a screenshot of the page I was taken to: you can click on it for a longer version, including all the content, down to the first “comments”:

As a patient advocate and a web user, I am always curious when I learn about these kinds of things… like the “reporter” from the “news web site”, I was curious to learn more about this new diet… Notice my use of quotes.

Why do I imply with my quotes that this is not a reporter writing about a new diet, or that this is not a news web site:

  • The page you land on when you click on the ad has the URL http://newshealth6.com/LoseWeightFast. If you visit it and you try clicking on any of the U.S., World, Business, Politics, etc. sections of the news site and guess where it leads? BACK to the same page. This is a 1-page web site that only seeks to promote this so-called African Mango diet!
  • If you try to leave the web site, you are presented with a very classy “Are you sure you don’t want to take advantage of the African Mango and LeanSpa Cleanse Free Trial?” popup (see below). When was the last time you saw a news site doing this? Let me think…. ah…. right! NEVER!

  • Best of all, if you dare to post a comment in reply to this scam, you are (not surprisingly) taken to a broken page… I rest my case…

It’s not a real news site and they are not really doing what they say:

As part of a new series: “Diet Trends: A look at America’s Top Diets” we examine consumer tips for dieting during a recession

These guys are “content phishing”. I am not sure if it’s even a term that exists, but it’s the name I give to these kinds of practices, similar to the ones by people trying to make you believe you are visiting your bank web site, to steal your banking data (and money) from you. These kinds of practices are unethical and should not be allowed!

When you read about something that seems too good to be true, maybe it is! Please take a few moments to navigate around the site you get to. You may discover a lot, simply by clicking around as I did…

What’s sad is that, when I see practices like this one, I don’t even care any more if what they somehow got on Reuters Health about African Mango two years ago is true or not. Anyone willing to go to this extreme to promote their product is not going to get my money… and I hope they don’t get yours and they get sanctioned for deceiving people this way!

I Have a D-Dream: A diabetes awareness article inspired by MLK

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Although the challenges faced by African Americans in the sixties and people with diabetes today are very different, because this article is getting published close to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2011, I took the liberty of applying some elements from his historical “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 to diabetes today.

In 1921, insulin was discovered. This moment came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of people with type 1 diabetes who, until then, had been doomed to die as a result of a non-functioning pancreas.

But ninety years later, still too many people with diabetes languish (and far too many still die because they don’t have access to insulin too). Some of them see their bodies decay, some see their souls turn sour.

Ninety years later, lots of people with diabetes lack vital information and support that can help them live a healthy life with this chronic disease. And so I’ve written this article today to dramatize this shameful state of things.

Read more…

10 People to Follow in Social Media + Health

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Healthcare is a broad sector and social media is even broader. But it turns out that not too many people “get” the two and make it possible for others to do the same thing. So I thought I’d share ten people on Twitter who I think do a very good job in different ways of explaining how social media and health go together.

This is by no means a comprehensive list (it means, I am sure I left someone out so please don’t feel offended if I did) but it’s just a list of folks I particularly find useful to follow and read when it comes to Social Health, the intersection of Social Media and Health. I took the liberty of copying their Twitter bios as they stand today.

@jonmrich – Jonathan Richman, “Former pharma guy now preaching digital to every pharma & healthcare company that’ll listen. Happily spending my free time w/ my amazing wife & daughter.” I had the chance to meet Jonathan in 2009. Today, in my opinion, he is the go-to person for any group that seeks to “GET” social media and health.

@SusannahFox – SusannahFox, “Internet geologist. Health care gadfly. Social to a fault.” As Associate Director of Digital Strategy at Pew Internet, her title is nowhere near as cool and knowledgeable as she is to meet and listen to in person.

@KevinKruse – Kevin Kruse, “President, Kru Research & Editor, E-Patient Connections newsletter, focused on how to reach & educate digital health consumers. ePharma mktg, health 2.0.” I had the chance to meet Kevin in 2010. His ePatient Connections conference is a must-attend for all people interested in impacting this sector.

@whydotpharma – Silja, “Passionately believe pharma can create better patient-focus through social media Co-founder of#hcsmeu Healthcare and Social media in Europe tweet up.” I had a chance to meet Silja in 2009 in Switzerland. She gets it WAY from before the time she was helping others get it!

@swoodruff - Steve Woodruff, “The real-time, 360-degree Steve Woodruff. I interact here. Want pharma/healthcare?@impactiviti. Business? @connectionagent….” Not too many people listen as attentively as Steve. He really has mastered this art and turns it into lessons for all around him to learn.

@iftfhealth – IFTF Health Horizons, “Health Horizons at Institute for the Future scans for signs of change over the next 3-10 years for a deep understanding of global health. Creators of BodyShock.” I first heard of IFTF while I still lived in Palo Alto, where they are based. They are a brilliant think tank of people that think about the future.

@wegohealth – WEGO Health, “WEGO Health is home to Health Activists. These influencers, organizers, leaders and contributors are passionate about helping others lead healthier lives.” I first met Jack, their CEO,  in 2009. They provide an extraordinary space for health activists to do what they do best.

@boltyboy – Matthew Holt,” THCB, Health 2.0; Chelsea fan; husband; father in a few months.” I have known OF Matthew since 2007, when then the first Health 2.0 conference took place. I finally met him at Health 2.0 in San Francisco in 2008. I still struggle understanding when he speaks so I prefer to read him. :)

@EndoGoddess – Jen Dyer MD, MPH, “Stylish pediatric endocrinologist, researcher, former Texan who loves NYC, beginning foodie who believes in the power of balanced nutrition to prevent disease.” Not too many doctors (yet) get the importance of social media in healthcare. Jen is WAY ahead of the curve. She’s out there on Twitter and I was glad to meet her in 2010!

@shwen – Shwen Gwee, “Founder: Social Health (sxsh.org), Social Pharmer (SocialPharmer.com), Med 2.0 Blog (Med20.com)” As knowledgeable about this space as he is a nice guy to chat to. Had the chance to meet him at the 2010 ePatient Connections conference. Update (05/12/11): Shwen is joining the health practice at Edelman as VP of Digital Health.

P.S. Other than Jen Dyer, I have intentionally left out people from the DOC (Diabetes Online Community). I wanted this list to be useful to everyone, in the diabetes space or not.

Read a list of People With Diabetes to Follow on Twitter.

En Facebook también se juega para controlar la diabetes

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Hay que reconocerlo: Facebook es un gigante. Más de 550 millones de personas en el mundo usan la popular red social, y entre latinos e hispanos es el cuarto sitio web más popular. No sólo resulta útil para mantenerse en contacto con los amigos y familiares que viven en otras partes. Es fuente de distracción e información para muchas personas que usan la página incluso más frecuentemente de lo que revisan su email.

A fines del 2009, viendo esta tendencia y también observando la cantidad de personas en Facebook que participan en los llamados juegos sociales (La Granjita es uno de tantos juegos disponibles en Facebook), en la Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) nos avocamos al desarrollo de un juego en Facebook para ayudar con el manejo de la diabetes.

Hasta entonces, en la DHF nuestra experiencia había sido liderizando comunidades para pacientes con diabetes, como EsTuDiabetes.org y desarrollando programas para crear consciencia sobre la diabetes, como La Palabra en Tu Mano y La Gran Prueba Azul.

Con el patrocinio de la empresa Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals y en colaboración con el reconocido Joslin Diabetes Center, de Boston, empezamos a darle forma al juego de Facebook llamado HealthSeeker, el cual fue lanzado en inglés en junio del 2010. Hoy en día está disponible en español para todos los usuarios de Facebook, visitando la dirección www.ExplorandoTuSalud.org.

HealthSeeker ofrece sugerencias a los jugadores para mejorar su estilo de vida y nutrición, y así controlar la diabetes. Uno puede invitar a sus amigos de Facebook (de hecho, es más divertido el juego cuando se juega con los amigos de uno) como fuentes de inspiración y motivación continuas para mejorar su comprensión y control de la diabetes.

El juego ayuda a hacer frente a dos de los factores de riesgo asociados a la incidencia de diabetes tipo 2: la falta de actividad física y los hábitos de comida no tan saludables que muchas veces tenemos.

¿Cómo funciona HealthSeeker?
 El juego motiva a los jugadores a que emprendan sencillos retos diarios como consumir pan integral en lugar de pan blanco o caminar alrededor de la manzana luego de la hora de almuerzo, con el fin de alcanzar las metas de su estilo de vida.

Las metas de estilo de vida incluyen comer en forma más saludable, alcanzar un peso óptimo, mejorar el control de la diabetes y disminuir los factores de riesgo cardiovascular.

El juego cuenta con misiones y actividades que los participantes seleccionan. Estas deben completarse para poder avanzar. La gran mayoría de las actividades del juego se completan en la vida real, no enfrente de la computadora. Esto tiene sentido, considerando que no se pueden quemar muchas calorías sentados sin mover más que los dedos sobre el teclado. ☺

A medida que los participantes completan sus actividades y vuelven al juego para informar acerca de su avance, reciben medallas o puntos y sus amigos de Facebook pueden enviarles elogios. También los jugadores pueden compartir sus logros en su muro de Facebook, en Twitter o retar a sus amigos a completar las mismas misiones y actividades. Esto forma parte del carácter contagioso del juego y es parte de lo que lo hace más divertido de jugar junto a los amigos que uno tiene en Facebook.

Hoy en día más de 5,000 personas juegan HealthSeeker y esperamos seguir recibiendo más jugadores. El juego está disponible en español de forma gratuita en www.ExplorandoTuSalud.org. ¡Espero verte a tí y a todos tus amigos de Facebook jugando pronto, para explorar tu salud y descubrir nuevos hábitos para una vida más sana!

Big Blue Test 2010: the numbers and the lessons

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So November (diabetes awareness month) is over and the Big Blue Test event we held this year is also behind us. We are so proud and happy about the results that I wanted to share them here, so we could all celebrate together as a TuDiabetes family!
The BG numbers
The memories and the excitement of 2009 were still fresh in everyone’s mind. And it was exciting all over again to discover the impact that 14 minutes of exercise can have on blood sugars.
1,154 people entered their BG numbers on BigBlueTest.org (you can enter your numbers any time you want, even if it’s not World Diabetes Day!):
  • The median BG before exercising was 133.6 mg/dL
  • The median BG after exercising was 111.6 mg/dL
The median change was -19 mg/dL (a 14% drop)

157 people entered their BG numbers on GranPruebaAzul.org (in Spanish):
  • The median BG before exercising was 129 mg/dL
  • The median BG after exercising was 110 mg/dL
The median change was -17 mg/dL (a 13% drop)

The video numbers
This year we promoted the Big Blue Test through a very special video. Roche committed to donate $0.75 for each time the video got viewed, for the first 100,000 views. This would add up to $75,000 should we reach or pass 100,000 views before the end of Nov. 14, World Diabetes Day.
The video was translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French and German, expanding the number of people who could watch it, understand the message and share it around the world.

We also relied on many partners to get the word out about it: diabetes partners, nonprofit partners as well as media partners. This included Roche. Besides making the donation in connection to the number of views, they also gave more visibility to the video by including it as part of a box that appeared on the home page of all their affiliate sites in the days leading up to World Diabetes Day. You can read more about the partnerships that drove success for the Big Blue Test on this blog post by John Haydon.
Ultimately it was ALL of you who saw the video that made the project a success! Here’s a beautiful comment from a mother of a 6-year old girl with type 1 diabetes about the video:
“I showed [the video] to my daughter… and she was thrilled. She was so excited to see people just like her doing so many amazing things and when I explained that it was to help other people that didn’t have the same support she did, she wanted to watch it over and over again. Thank you for simplify the message that anything is still possible, because when you are 6 I think seeing is believe.”
The impact on others
What impact did the views have?
Maybe you know the story by now, but in case you don’t, the video has accumulated more than 123,000 views and we passed 100,000 views some time between Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 (depending on where in the world you live). So we reached the goal!
As a result of this, Roche will soon be sending their donation of $75,000 to the Diabetes Hands Foundation. Of these funds, $74,000 will be regranted to two charities:
Both are humanitarian programs that assist children with diabetes in need in third world countries (at times, Insulin For Life works with Life For a Child to source particular needs). Based on their past record track and their past financial reports, we estimated that roughly each of the first 100,000 views (the ones that counted towards the donation) translated into approximately one week’s worth of insulin given to a child in need.
So, if you do the math, nearly 2,000 children
will be getting a year’s worth of insulin
as a result of this initiative.

This comment shared by one of the viewers of the video sums it up very well:
“So many people think diabetes as ‘sad’ because of the need for shots and finger pricks. But for all too many, it is a death sentence as they can’t afford the life saving drug called insulin. We have the power to change that reality.”

We have the power and we used it! We did it, you guys! We did it!

I want to make sure to thank a few people by name before wrapping up this post about Big Blue Test 2010:

  • David Edelman from DiabetesDaily.com, Riva Greenberg from DiabetesStories.com and Boudewijn Bertsch: for being such amazing production partners.
  • Sean Ross: for working his MAGIC directing, shooting, editing and motion designing the video.
  • Andreina Davila, from Diabetes Hands Foundation: for her acute eye and opportune feedback that shaped the creative direction of the video.
  • Rob Muller (Social Media Consultant at Roche) and Todd Siesky (PR Manager at Roche): for championing the project from the beginning at Roche.

Another interview about HealthSeeker

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This interview aired yesterday in WABC (NYC) on the show Tiempo, with Joe Torres. It was an honor to be interviewed for his show, representing the Diabetes Hands Foundation, to talk about HealthSeeker en Español, alongside Andreina Millan, from Joslin Diabetes Center’s Latino Diabetes Initiative.

To top the day, I finally saw the piece published by Diabetes Forecast in their December issue, where they feature 12 of us, who are diabetes advocates.

Humbling… I feel truly grateful. Para ti, papa…