Celia,

I found your website review very informative and well written. I liked the quote you included in your second review. I thought that both of your reviews were a little lengthy in describing the menu content of the websites. It came across as a bit wordy. Otherwise, I thought you did an excellent job.

Edited by author 11-19-2007 06:36 PM
I have chosen to review the National MS Society website
http://www.nationalmssociety.org
Every time I look at this website, I am amazed by the enormous amount of information. Despite the large amount of content, it is an easy website to navigate and is very thoughtfully organized. The menu at the top lists About MS and provides such information as What is MS, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Pediatric MS, Newly Diagnosed; Living With MS, which includes Healthy Living, Mind and Emotion, Family and Friends, Personal Connections, Life Planning and Independence, Progressive MS; Treatments which includes Disease Management and Medications; Research including Progress in Research, Current Funded Research, Clinical Trials, News Briefs, Funding Programs, Scientific Peer Reviews; Headlines including World News, Breaking News; Special Events such as MS Bike Ride, MS Walk, Fundraising; For Professionals including Clinical Bulletins, Expert Opinion Papers, Professional Education, Resources for Clinicians, Fellowship and Training. I am particularly drawn to this website because regardless if an adult has recently been diagnosed with MS, a child who is living with MS (there is a lifestyle magazine for teens and an interactive children’s newsletter), a person who has been living with the disease for years or a medical professional, there is something for everyone.
 
This website is maintained by the National MS Society. This organization funds more research, provides more services to MS survivors, and offers more professional education than any other MS organization. As I said before, the topics on this website are numerous. Not only does it include the ones listed above but also includes information regarding finding your Chapter, Getting Involved, Advocacy/Government Affairs, About the Society and Library which includes videos and DVD’s. One that is particularly poignant is Timmy’s Journey to Understanding MS, narrated by Captain S’myelin.

Multiple Sclerosis is considered an autoimmune disease that affects a person’s central nervous system. Nerve fibers conduct electrical impulses and it is the myelin that protects these nerve fibers. If the myelin sheath on the nerve fibers becomes damaged or destroyed, scar tissue results. This is known as sclerosis. When this happens, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is compromised and MS symptoms result. Symptoms associated with MS can include vision problems, numbness, loss of balance and muscle coordination, bladder problems, dizziness, memory, problem solving and slurred speech.

As I have mentioned before, the volume of information and the way it is organized is very well done. This website has something for everyone who is trying to find information pertaining to MS. I am at a loss as to the negatives of this website. One of my peer reviews stated that due to its size, it seemed impersonal. I don’t have the same opinion. Even though it has a tremendous amount of information, the organization and layout of this site allows one to review specific content. It has great information, links to additional information (that are in working order), it is of good quality, it is well balanced with its information and I am unable to detect a bias. I am very impressed with this website.

Celia Lyon-Dannison

I have chosen to review Multiple Sclerosis Sucks as my secondary website review - http://www.multiplesclerosissucks.com/
This website has a very different approach to this disease. It is posted and maintained by a professor who was diagnosed with MS in 2001, at the age of 41. He felt that a large percentage of information pertaining to MS was serious and tedious to read. He felt that MS sufferers and their caregivers need to maintain a sense of humor so he created an alternative format for MS information.

It is a very comprehensive website written with a humorous approach to living with MS. He has broken the information into 3 parts. Part 1: Serious Stuff which includes such topics as What is MS? How Do I Know I Have MS? A Long and Puzzling Illness, Crisis Point, Current Symptoms, Hindsight. Part 2: Living With MS has many different sub categories. Some of the topics include The MS Perspective Kit, You Be the Research Scientist, Interferon with My Lifestyle, Talking Honestly About Death, Swim Parallel to Shore, De-motivational Posters. Part 3: Retrospective and asks the question Now What? and New Year’s Resolutions. I chose this website because I am drawn to a wicked sense of humor. Regardless of what (if any) disease someone may be afflicted with, our sense of humor is what gets us through day by day. I highly recommend this website because of its honesty about living everyday with the disease (and people’s reactions to it and you) and dealing with an uncertain future. However, one must have an appreciation for satire.

Rather than write the same information that I used in my previous website review as to how this website relates back to basic anatomy and physiology, I decided to quote the author of this website. “MS is a chronic, incurable, disabling disease of the nervous system. Let me begin to explain it with a metaphor. I once owned a car that had an intermittent short-circuit. Some of the time it would work just fine. Other times the whole electrical system would just shut down. It would often happen when I tried to start it, but if I went through a weird, neurotic series of actions – turn on the radio, start the windshield wipers for one swipe, turn off the electric overdrive, turn off the radio, then start the engine – it seemed to start most of the time. It took the service team about 5 attempts to find the short-circuit, but once they found it, the car ran just fine. MS is like that. Instead of one short-circuit, imagine a mouse running loose in the system gnawing at the plastic insulation of the wiring while the service team are replacing the wiring as fast as they can, while simultaneously trying to find exactly what it is that is chewing on the insulation. Our bodies’ equivalent of the wiring in your car is our nervous system, which is made up of cells called neurons. The equivalent of the plastic insulation on your car’s wiring is a substance called myelin.” When the “wiring” in our body is compromised, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is compromised and MS symptoms result.

This website has a great volume of information, much of which does not pertain to the clinical approach to the disease. Many aspects of this website deal with how the sufferer views life, how other people view MS, how others use strategies to NOT cope with someone with the disease and talking honestly about dying from complications of MS. He has official website links, lists of links, favorite links that are very different from other MS sites (such as assisted suicide sites) and help in selecting a neurologist. I was particularly drawn to how the information was organized. Due to the website’s humor, it reminded me of “Carrot Top” (the comedian) meets MS. For those with a sense of humor, it was refreshing. MS SUCKS may not be suitable for everyone. The author has put a disclaimer “high voltage website.” He addresses issues that may be uncomfortable to deal with and some folks may be looking for “safer” information with a more sterile approach.

Celia Lyon-Dannison

Peer reviews 10 points
thanks for very complete reviews. Let's be sure we get all your postings working right,
LF

Celia...fascinating topic and compelling reason for the interets. You do a really nice job of describing your websites. Obviously the personal story would be the best minor website. The other three...from Mayo and the two big non-profits for MS would be great major websites.

I didn't see any peer reviews from you for the other folks in your color group??


LF
Choose topic: 10 points
Find four websites: 20 points
Peer reviews: 0 points

1. The multiple sclerosis sucks website is very entertaining and informative. It also sounds like therapy for the professor. The two best things I liked about the website was: the candid approach to a disease and the amount of information an individual compiled; from alternative medicine to suicide to research and living day to day. The two worst things I found about the website was: I really could find anything not to like. It was his viewpoint, and unless you too have MS who could be critical.

2. The National MS Society website is one of the better-developed websites. The two best things I liked about the website was: it was the website with the most comprehensive information available from treatments to fund raising. The two worst things I found about the website was: it almost seems too impersonal because it is so big, with so much information for the first time browser.

3. The Mayo Clinic website had good information. The two best things I liked about the website was: the amount of info available as well as how it broke the topic down, intro…signs and symptoms…causes …risk factors…etc. The two worst things I found about the website was: no additional links or other references sited.

4. The mymultiplesclerosis website puts a face on the disease. It’s hard to say there are 2 good and 2 bad things about this website. Stephen has the disease MS and in is own words shares with the world his misfortune.

1. I enjoyed the multiplesclerosis sucks website because it is a curious mixture of personal story and practical information. It also provides a basis for which to interpret other information out there, which I believe is rarely given.
2. The National MS Society website has the most comprehensive information on the subject of the websites you gave. There is quite a plethora of information available here , almost to a fault for the casual reader.
3. The Mayo Clinic is once again a great starting place to learn the basics plus some about this topic. I especiall y liked the ease at which it was to find information on treatment for this disease on this website.
4. The UK website on the subject was interesting, although had some information that I thought did not pertain to the subject. It does give a great definition of the disease intertwined with the personal story of the author which I thought was quite interesting.

http://www.multiplesclerosissucks.com/
This website is maintained by a Professor at a Texas Research University who is inflicted with MS. It is a very comprehensive website written with a humorous approach to living with MS. The website is broken down into Part 1: Serious Stuff, What Is MS, How Do I Know I Have It; Crisis Point, Hindsight; Part 2: LivingWith MS, Stereotypes, Dumb Things People Post, MS and Work, Interferon With My Lifestyle; Part 3: Retrospective

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/Page...me=hom_gen_homepage
This website is maintained by the National MS Society. This organization funds more research, provides more services to MS survivors, and offers more professional education than any other MS organization. The topics on this website are numerous: About MS, Living with MS, Treatments, Research, Headlines, Special Events, For Professionals, Find your Chapter, Get Involved, Advocacy/Government Affairs, About the Society and Library.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/multiple-sclerosis/DS00188
This website is offered through Mayo Clinic, one of the leading medical clinics in the nation. The website is thoughtfully designed and easy to navigate. Topics on this subject include Introduction, Signs and Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors, When to Seek Medical Advice, Screening and Diagnosis, Treatment, Self Care and Coping Skills.

http://www.mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk/about.html
The author of this website is a female diagnosed with MS since 1999 and she provides a collection of information as well as a personal account. She hopes her personal experience might help a fellow sufferer. The topics include: About Me, Amalgam Fillings, Demographics of MS, Genetics a Factor?, Hypolactasia, IBS, Lifestyle, My Treatments, Mobility Scooter, Please Help, and Self Catheterisation.

My primary interest in multiple schlerosis stems from a 22 year old female who has been like one of our family members. She was diagnosed at 20 years old and has had several realpse remitting characteristics within the past year. I also have a female friend who was diagnosed in her mid thirties, and exhibits occasional relapse remitting characteristics, usually one relapse every 2-3 years. I was an acquaintance with a man in his 40's who was wheelchair bound with progressive relapsing characteristics and ultimately died from complications of MS. As we have learned in A&P, when myelin is damaged or destroyed, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses is disrupted which is the main symptoms of MS.