Hi Barb, are you on Facebook? There are a number of closed groups discussing multiple issues. Email me through gardenweb and I'll give you some ideas.

I used to when I was doing the conventional route on how to treat my AI conditions but since going alternative I almost have no need anymore as my body balanced out and I am off medications and my symptoms are pretty non existent at this point. I found searching the (insert condition) and forum together and you find a lot out. Also if you search (insert condition) blog you can find an individuals journey.

I don't do facebook and I don't blog. I just feel people need a place to share what they have found out about things and vent their frustrations, and believe me, there are plenty of us who have lost their mate or don't have anyone to share with. Your kids have lives of their own and just don't have the time to do this, no matter how much they care,== with their own jobs and responsibilities.Just lending an ear sometimes helps immensely. Barb

I would start with your doctor's office, or local hospital. Hospitals sometimes have social workers who's job it is to help people find the help they need, including support groups. They did that for us when my mom was diagnosed with alzheimers. Of course, that's a disease with lots of support groups, but I bet there's something out there for auto-immune, also.

Sally

I've had graves disease for over 35 years. It is now much under control, but I sure learned a lot on what at the time was called medi-board. The people there were so knowledgable plus able to share their experience.

I also want to mention cancergrace.org which is a wonderful non profit for people dealing with cancer...in addition to excellent info, they have a forum with Q&A about cancer and its treatment where oncologists from all over volunteer their time to provide expert answers to your questions. It is a tremendous resource.

I suggest that you look for a forum that discusses your particular autoimmune disorder as they can be very different with different treatments, side effects, symptoms, etc.

If you search your condition, ie - lupus forums, RA forums, celiac forums, Psa forum you will connect with individuals who are experiencing the same condition as you. They discuss everything - flares, bad days, medications, doctors, treatments.

I get a lot of ideas from blogs. Following a blog is really not that much different than following this forum. (Note: I had a New Year's resolution to learn about blogs and blogging, which was actually one of the easiest ones to fulfill!)

Once you find a blog that interests you, you can sign up to get e-mail notices when the writer posts new material. Or, you can search topics online and just randomly read blogs that come up in your search. I have signed up for one blog that is about being vegetarian and following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I'm not totally following that diet, but am trying to eat more meals that meet its criteria. Below is a link to that blog. It's just an example, but if you look at the right side of the page, farthest right column, you will see an area that says, "Subscribe by e-mail." If you give them your e-mail address, you will get notices of new posts.

You can also follow them in other ways. I signed up for Google's free blogging service, which allows you to create your own "magazine" if you will, with links to articles on the blogs you would like to follow. But you don't have to do it that way, you can also "subscribe" to blogs via e-mail. And if you end up not liking a blog after a while, you can "unsubscribe." Almost all blog e-mails have an option at the bottom where you can unsubscribe, or else go to the blog Web site and unsubscribe.

Blogs are like little magazines. I find way more of interest these days on blogs than in actual magazines. There are lot of talented folks out there sharing their ideas via blogs. But bear in mind that there is no editorial control of the material, so you have to understand that it is just coming from one person's experience, not necessarily an expert in the field. But most good bloggers will acknowledge this, and also point out their sources. Same as with any good magazine writer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten Free, SCD and Veggie

This post was edited by lpinkmountain on Tue, Mar 11, 14 at 14:37