Healthcommunities.com, Inc., a privately-owned publisher of online health information since 1998, announces recent additions to allergychannel.net. These new features allow browsers to interact and share information about allergies, including seasonal allergies, and allergy treatments with each other and with board-certified physicians.

NORTHAMPTON, MA, April 29, 2008 -- With spring allergy season in full bloom, Healthcommunities.com, Inc., announces several enhancements to its allergychannel.net website. Healthcommunities.com, a privately-owned online publisher of physician-developed and -monitored health information, timed the addition of the new features to help allergy and asthma sufferers dealing with seasonal allergic rhinitis (spring allergies), but the improvements will also benefit those with year round allergies. Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from spring allergies, the symptoms of which are similar to a cold: sneezing, congestion, runny nose, and itchy eyes.

The additions to allergychannel provide an opportunity for greater information sharing between allergy sufferers and their physicians. New features include condition-specific, peer-to-peer forums and sections for browsers to share tips and experiences about allergy treatment in personal stories that are moderated, edited, and then published by Healthcommunities.com.

The most compelling stories and/or informative forum posts are sent via e-mail to browsers who register to receive updates. Board-certified allergists who serve as medical advisors on allergychannel can randomly post responses to submissions in the forums, where they are identified as Healthcommunities.com Approved Physicians. Browsers on allergychannel can also use the physician locator feature to find allergists in their area who have registered for the service.

Another simple, but very useful new feature of allergychannel is a Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Allergies handout that browsers can print out and take to a medical appointment. Using the form, they can be sure to ask their medical team the right questions to best position themselves to benefit from their physician's care.

"Twenty percent of people in the U.S. suffer from allergies, a number that has been increasing," said Stanley J. Swierzewski III, M.D., a practicing physician and the CEO and Founder of Healthcommunities.com. "With the enhancements to allergychannel we're hoping to help site visitors maximize their quality of life despite the disruption of spring allergies, and also help those with year round allergies. Through information sharing, browsers can learn tips from others who have successfully managed their allergies—tips they may not learn about in a physician consultation, such as changes they can make to their home environment to reduce allergy symptoms and make it easier to live with their condition."

"Browsers can read physician-monitored information in the clinical condition sections of allergychannel, and then link to sections such as "Living with hay fever" to read stories about how others have dealt with a similar medical situation or tell their own stories. In addition, browsers can participate in forums and there is a separate Allergy forum for each specific condition."

Healthcommunities.com offers thirty specialty-specific websites, the content of which is monitored by a co-op of medical specialists. Healthcommunities.com's sites do not require browsers to have a high level of web savvy; they download quickly and are easy to navigate. Access to all of the information is free and the number of unique visitors who are finding Healthcommunities.com's network of websites has been growing by nearly 40%, year-over-year.

In August 2008, Healthcommunities.com will launch kidshealthchannel, which will provide important information about children's health issues to expectant parents, parents, guardians, and caregivers of children from birth to adolescence. Pediatricians who are interested in contributing to the development of kidshealthchannel should contact Healthcommunities.com as soon as possible.

Healthcommunities.com, Inc., a privately-held company founded in 1998, serves health care consumers searching for reliable information on the Internet. Healthcommunities.com is a Physician Developed and Monitored™ collection of online communities providing information and resources to consumers and patient education website services to health care providers.