Health 2.0

So I just read this essay from the Economist about the rise of user-generated content HEALTHCARE sites. I mean we all Google our health concerns (thankfully an activity that is surprisingly accurate..so much that Google might develop its own health-tailored search engine), but here we are talking about organized forums for people with focused health concerns sharing stories and providing information.

I mean COOL. if I had a rare genetic disease - say Fish Odor Syndrome, which Katie and I discovered last week on a weirdo documentary - I’d want a place to discuss with other sufferers about their experiences and treatment plans. Such databases of people could also be really useful for the research community.

So all in all just kind of a warm fuzzy web 2.0 moment here. Diagnose, share, take pictures. It’s all about community, see.