POSTING RULES & Terms of Service:

The website is for patient to patient (not moderator or professional) support.

HealthBoards is to be used in the English language, only. Some readers need to translate from other languages, so please use whole words, not chat or text message letters, such as U for you, R for are, etc.

Before you post or contact us about an issue/problem, please first carefully read through all of the information in the FAQ and the 'sticky" posts on the boards that you wish to use. Members are responsible to read and follow all rules and instructions on your own.

NOTICE: Any request for board use that is against the rules will be denied.

Off-board contact - NOTE: On the boards, do not request or offer any kind of contact for any reason. This is considered to be advertising. Private Messaging (PM) is available only for long term users (not Newbies).

If PM is not available, respect that and do not discuss it on the boards.

If the member PM is on, you may PM a member one time and if your PM is accepted by the member, then ask the member's permission before sending him or her any product or service information. Otherwise the member may report your message as spam, and your membership will be terminated.

All rules and instructions apply and are enforced. Upon registering, you agree and commit to be subject to all Rules, Terms, Policies, and Disclaimer, including all administrative and moderator decisions and instructions, which are not up for discussion or debate. If you find that you do not want these terms, you agree to quietly move on to websites more to your preference and not disrupt this community.

Breaking any rule can result in accrued Infraction points that can result in your membership being rendered Inactive, which is the only warning you should expect. (Reading moderator comments does not mean that no points were assigned.) Good posts do not negate bad ones. Any suspension may be appealed, but might not be lifted.

Any kind of disrespectful communication in posts or emails to or about administration or moderators doing their job of enforcing the rules is cause for permanent ban.

If a post seems inappropriate click "Report Post". Do not post defensively or reactively to abusive or problem posts, thereby creating more work for moderators to remove inappropriate posts. Do not report posts just because you disagree with the opinion.

If you can't find an answer in the FAQ to your board use question, post it only on the Registration/Membership Board or email adminmod@healthboards.com Do not post about editing/bans/deletions/moderator decisions on any other board. Email all username and email address concerns to the email address above.

Do not assume authority over other members in any way or tell them if, what or where to post. Only moderators are to provide instructions and make board use decisions.

Posts become the property of this website to be edited, moved or deleted as deemed to best serve the community. Please use the closest appropriate board topic. Save a copy of your own words that you wish to keep.

The message boards are to be used anonymously with a username that does not identify you to readers.
All Posts are picked up by search engines.

Usernames that are not within the rules or are deemed to be inappropriate may be edited, deleted, or suspended. Make sure to read the "How to" in the FAQ for username info.

Each health topic is for the people WITH the illness. Specific boards are available for those who deal with people with illness/problems.

On any board the patient's opinions and sharing MUST be respected. The health boards are not a place for those WITHOUT the disease or problem to vent about dealing with those WITH the disease or problem. This applies to all boards.

NO ADVERTISING:

Whether or not you personally benefit, posts, usernames, signatures and/or info in your profile that name, promote or advertise free or commercial services, websites or products are considered to be advertising.

As long as you are not suspended, any vBulletin feature that you cannot access is a feature that is not used on this website.

One registration is allowed per person. Only the registered person may use the registration. The member is responsible for any misuse of his/her membership. Be aware that a suspension will affect everyone using the same computer.

The "Search" feature may be periodically turned off when the server is busy. If so, please try it at another time. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion.

Please carefully read these additional guidelines for participating on healthboards.com message boards:

• Reach Out Before You Feel Alone (or If You Are Suicidal)
• Use Good Personal Judgment
• Keep Personal Information Private
• How to Share Information
• Don't Be Afraid To Post
• Get Loose, Get Serious, Be Yourself
• Agree to Disagree
• Welcome Newcomers
• Keep Your Posts Clean
• Don't Post Copyrighted Information
• Be Courteous: Avoid Duplicate Posts
• Additionally

With HealthBoards.com, you never have to feel alone. Get connected and reach out for others' understanding and support. If loneliness has already set in ... reach out and help someone else ... or reach out and ask for help.

If you have thoughts of suicide, DO NOT POST THEM ON THE BOARDS, immediately call 911 if in America, or call a hospital, or call local police for emergency help.

Please feel free to talk about your depression, and let members here encourage you or help you with solutions to problems. But, the boards are NOT an appropriate place for posting that you want to die or threats to commit suicide, hurt others, or to hurt yourself. Such posts will be removed. They are inappropriate here.
If you are suicidal, contact a professional suicide counselor immediately. Please don't try to go it alone. [to top]

Members and Moderators are not healthcare professionals.
First and foremost, NEVER rely on information or opinions to replace necessary, personal consultation(s) with qualified health or medical professionals. This forum is for support, empowerment, sharing opinions and entertainment. Healthboards.com is not a professional advice forum, and no one should use it as such.

Also, remember that what's right or has worked for one person may not be what's right for you. Your personal set of circumstances will always influence what's best or right for you. Talk with your physician or personal health professional about the benefits, risks and costs of various options and alternatives in order to make an informed, confident personal choice. [to top]

If you're new to our community, taking the step for the first time to post publicly to a message board can sometimes seem intimidating. Don't be afraid to jump into a discussion. We have a very supportive community that serves up heavy doses of encouragement and enthusiasm. While we hope that you'll become an active participant and join in our discussions, you're welcome, of course, to simply hang out silently until you feel more comfortable posting a message. [to top]

Respect others' privacy when they are Inactive. When or if they want to return is soon enough to reconnect.

Do not post real names in posts.

If you are under age 17, do not post your age. You may post that you are a teen, but do not post your age. Use the Teen Health Boards, and if age 16-19, you may use Sexual Health-Teen.

Please be safe: keep personal information private and remind your children to do so, too. Posting the ages and names of children is not safe, so please do not do it. When a reader sees your names and location, it is not hard at all to discover where you live from information that you posted and your local public records. Remember that posts are picked up by search engines and may circulate on the World Wide Internet for years to be read by anyone in the world. [to top]

Stay on the board health topic, and share your own experiences that are pertinent to the board health issues.

Do not post college or school projects, research studies, surveys, polls.

Do not suggest internet searches or post anything about freebies, forums, chatrooms, message boards, websites, webpages, blogs or any kind of commercial business or internet contact, whether or not you personally benefit:

A product or service may be named and opinion shared one time, on one board. Multiple similar messages will be deemed to be advertising. IF your post appears like an advertisement it will be treated like one.

If a website sells books, products, or services, then it is deemed to be a commercial website. This includes doctor websites.

Naming a book title and author, or a doctor's name w/city/state is allowed as long as no website or contact information is posted.

Do not post songs, poems, stories, articles, etc, whether your own or someone else's.

Do not post links to pictures or images.

Do not copy and paste anything from other websites. Respect copyright law.

All US .gov websites are allowed.

NOT all .edu sites may be posted.

Websites with forums/message boards/chats are not allowed.

If you are unsure whether a website is allowed, before you post it first email your username and the URL of the website to the Administrator for possible pre-approval. [to top]

Be yourself! As long as it is within the terms of use, there are no other rules about how best to get in touch with yourself and others. Share your joys and laughter, tears and fears. This is the key to connecting with others who understand it is OK to just be yourself.

If you're feeling alone or hurting, don't be afraid to share. If you're rejoicing about the results of a recent medical test or treatment, share that too. If something funny happened to you today that can help lighten others' hearts, we want to hear about it so that we can laugh too. Sharing who you are is considered healthy medicine in HealthBoards.com. [to top]

Do not attack others. This is not the place to post slanderous or hateful statements about anyone. Negative communications, especially those aimed at sexual orientation, gender, race, color, religious beliefs, national origin, or DISABILITY -- are not permitted.

BEFORE you post a message that is intended to embarrass, humiliate or harass a person or group of people, stop and THINK first! Harassing communications are deemed to be any words that may cause distress, embarrassment, unwanted attention or other discomfort.

What is good for you may not be the answer for another. SUPPORT OTHERS in their health decisions for themselves. Providing your opinion should not result in disparaging remarks or religious discussions, or one-upsmanship over who has the most education. NO one is an expert on what is appropriate for someone else. Both medical and alternative solution opinions belong on the boards. Even if you disagree with an idea, it still may be the solution for another. Decisions about health and well-being are highly personal, individual choices. If you disagree with a person's post or opinion state your opinion once, then move on without argument.

Likewise, expect to get some opinions you may not find helpful. If so take what you want and ignore the rest. Do not attack members that took time to reply.

When a member asks for support only, please respect the request; do not reply with contradictory comments.

Let it out, but don't SHOUT at one another. Shouting online (typing in all capital letters) is considered by some to be rude and difficult to read. To others, especially individuals with some types of disabilities, typing in all caps (or in all lower case) is a necessity. (Using the shift key can be a struggle for a lot of folks.) If it is necessary for you to use all caps be sure to inform others so they understand. [to top]

When newcomers arrive, say "hi" and welcome them onboard the community. Help new folks to become involved.

Post to all readers: do not start cliquey threads. Posts that call to or center around a group of specific members are inappropriate. [to top]

Post messages with references to sexual body parts and sexuality ONLY on a Sexual Health Board.

There may be places where explicit, obscene or vulgar language, graphics or behavior is appropriate: but HealthBoards.com is not one of them. Posts that are deemed to be inappropriate will be removed from any board. Similarly, any posts that solicit or offer explicit or X-rated GIFs, JPEGs or other graphic files will be deleted. Usernames with sexual implication/content will be banned. [to top]

Information copyrighted or owned by any individual or entity other than the person posting is not to be posted on healthboards. If such an event occurs, the individual that posted the information shall be held solely responsible. HealthBoards.com shall not be held responsible for posted information that may violate copyright law. Such posts will be removed as soon as possible. [to top]

Do not post similar or same messages more than once on a message board or on multiple boards. Duplicate messages may be deemed to be advertising. They also can be frustrating for other visitors, especially those whose time and energy are valuable. Remember that many participants in our community are in pain or have a DISABILITY. Weeding through the same message in multiple locations can be not only frustrating, but down right annoying. Duplicate messages will be removed as soon as possible. [to top]

This website is private property, and its use is a privilege, not a right. HealthBoards.com reserves the right to prohibit or remove any post (copy any posts you wish to keep). Administration and moderators reserve the right to organize topical boards and posts and/or deny or revoke membership for any reason.

HealthBoards.com reserves the right to prohibit or delete messages that are deemed to violate Federal or local laws or that may be deemed harmful to others. That said, HealthBoards.com does not have the practical ability to restrict conduct or communications that might violate HealthBoards.com guidelines prior to transmission on the Internet, nor can they ensure prompt removal of offending message board posts.

Use of healthboards.com constitutes acceptance of all Terms, Rules, Policies, Guidelines, Disclaimer, and any administrative/moderator instructions, whether by email or post on the boards.

Re-read the rules regularly as they may be updated.[to top]

Use of this website requires that you register.

Registration Rules and How to Use This Website:

Before you contact us about a registration or board use issue/problem, please first carefully read through the 'sticky" posts on the board, and all of the FAQ information.

Before using the website, read the HealthBoards Posting Rules here:
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/faq.php?faq=faq_hb#faq_poliguid

MY SETTINGS: To make changes to thread subscriptions or change your password, email address, time zone, signature or other options, login and click on "My Settings" at the top of the board list page. It is the member's responsibility to keep the registered email address current.

Subscriptions:

When you create a new post, by default you will receive a daily email digest of the replies that were made to that message (i.e., you are subscribed to the thread). If you would like to turn off this default subscription feature, login then click on My Settings, then click on "Edit Options" and change "Default Thread Subscription Mode" to "Do not subscribe".

You may subscribe to any discussion thread to get email notifications in regard to new replies. Simply go to any message, click on "Thread Tools" in the upper right of the message, and select "Subscribe to this Thread". When there is a new reply an email notice with a link to the subscribed thread will be emailed to you.

Users who have signed up for voluntary (opt-in) email offers and discounts may unsubscribe: http://ntcr.us/unsubscribe.php

To locate your posts: New posts will move your posts down the list. One way to find your posts is to click Advanced Search and do a search on your own username. If you replied to a thread that was deleted for any reason, your posts will have been deleted as part of that thread.

If a sticky post on a board says the board is "Moderated", it means all posts on that board must be preapproved before they will show on the boards. In that case, you can expect some posting delays as moderators are not online all of the time. Necessary editing may be done before the post is approved. Read the board sticky posts to see if a board is Moderated.

The Board Use Administrator email address is adminmod@healthboards.com and the email address is also listed in a sticky post on the Registration Board. When you email please always include your exact username. If banned, include the listed ban reason. You will get a reply at the earliest possible convenience. Email one time and wait your turn for a reply. Do not email moderators unless directed to do so by Administrator. Moderators will forward those emails back to the Administrator.

NOTE: There are features of the vBulletin program that are on or off according to the rules and policies of this website. When a feature is not accessible to you, please refer to the Posting Rules.

Private Messaging (PM): To enable PM click on "MY Settings". Under Settings & Options, click on Edit Options and set your choices.

Do not post to request PM from members. This is considered to be advertising.

PM the member yourself and if your PM is accepted by the member, then ask the member's permission before sending him or her any product or service information. Otherwise the member may report your message as spam, and your membership will be terminated.

REGISTRATION:

Usernames that are not within the rules or are deemed to be inappropriate may be changed, deleted, or suspended without notice. Registration error messages mean that the registration was not exact. The error may be due to something as simple as entering the current date in the Birthdate line or any other mistake while registering. The instructions must be followed exactly.

Registrations may be edited or suspended when.... the username is disallowed, if your initial post is deemed inappropriate or off-topic, or for any other use that is against the terms of service.

With over 200,000 members, the more simple names may be taken, so try unusual spellings or add letters or numbers. Also, some words were censored; if you use a censored word for a username the registration will not go through. Try a different username.

Do not register your real name or other identifying info as a username, in your profile or as a signature: The username, profile, signature and posts must not identify you to others. The username may not contain what appears to be your real name or contain any part of your email address.

Do not register or post your past, current or future health topic profession in any manner. The boards are to be used for PEER support, only. Professional titles lend undue weight to what is to be only your opinion.

Do not register a public figure name, or a business, product, or website name.

Do not register words that appear to be obscene, evil, sexual, or offensive.

To request a one time username change: email your CURRENT username and registered email address with three possible usernames in order of preference to Administrator. A username change will affect all previous posts.

To login, make sure that the box is checked that says "Remember me". If you don't, when you access another healthboards page, such as when you click submit, you will be automatically logged off the website. If that box was unchecked, then whatever you tried to post is gone for good.

To request change of Location or other profile info: email your username, registered email address and the pertinent info with your request to adminmod@healthboards.com

To open the Board Topic List: On the Homepage, there is a tab called Message Boards. Use that tab to open to the message boards. Check the list to find and use the board that most closely relates to your health issue. Do not post a similar message on multiple boards. Read the rules.

To open a board, click on the topic name of the board.

To read a post or thread (a thread is an initial post that has one or more replies), click on the Subject of the post.

To post a New Thread on a board, click on "New Thread", located on the left upper part of the page just above the second horizontal bar or line.

To see your post you may need to reload or refresh the page.

To reply to a post, click on the Subject of the post and click Post Reply located at the top and the bottom left of each posted message. Other reply links are located at the bottom right on each posted message: use Quick Reply, or use Quote Reply if you need to see the message to which you are replying (after typing your message please edit off long quotes as they may slow the server).

Editing: You may edit your own posts by clicking on Edit, found at the bottom right of each posted message.

Deleting: Only admin may delete posts. To request post deletion, email your username, registered email address and the exact URL of the page to the Board Use Administrator. If the posts are interactive on other member's threads the username may be changed and the posts would not be removed. (DO NOT use Report Post for deletion requests.)

If you get an "invalid post" message, it means the post was deleted. Deleted posts can not be retrieved. Please do not email about invalid post messages.

To Report Posts: Click on Report Post, found on all posts. (DO NOT use Report Post for deletion requests, to argue opinions, to communicate with other members or moderators, or for any reason except to report posts that are against the rules.)

Lost or forgotten password: This website does not store passwords. All you can do on the website is reset the password. Your own computer 'remembers' your password with 'cookies', when you click "remember me" or "remember this password" and then login.To reset your password, enter your username to login and click to have an email sent. Write your username and password and keep them in a safe place. Do not depend on your computer or us, to save them for you. Moderators do not have access to your password.

If you do not get the reset password email, possibly either your spam control did not let it through to you, or you do not have a working email address registered. To get our emails, you have to make sure that your profile has a working email address and that your internet provider spam control allows emails from healthboards.com to get through. You may need to call your internet provider to request that healthboards.com be white-listed. Use the new reset password to login.

If you want to change your password to one that you prefer, click on "My Settings" at the top of the board list page.

COOKIES: If your correct username or password do not work, please clear the cookies on your computer. See the Registration Board sticky post that addresses cookie problems. http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=221026

If you forgot your usernamem do not re-register, email the registered email address and as many identifying details as you can remember, to the Administrator. Include all possible usernames. We cannot help without the info that you registered

Reminder: before you email us or post a question on the Registration Board, make sure to read everything in the FAQ.

Thank you and enjoy the boards!

1. Neither HealthBoards.com nor any HealthBoards.com agents or representatives make any representations with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaim any implied or express warrants of merchantability or fitness for any particular usage, application or purpose.
2. Members are responsible to know and follow HealthBoards.com's Message Board Policies and Guidelines
. Placements on the message boards -- including, but not limited to websites, information, commentaries, materials, products and services -- that, in the sole judgment of HealthBoards.com appear to violate the Policies & Guidelines of HealthBoards.com shall be removed . Members may be banned entirely at the Administrator or moderator's discretion.
3. The message boards are for entertainment, sharing and for peer support purposes only. Information included in a message board should not replace necessary medical consultations with a qualified health or professional to meet your individual health or medical needs, or those of your loved ones.
4. The information provided in HealthBoards.com is with the understanding that HealthBoards.com is not engaged in rendering professional medical services or advice.
5. HealthBoards.com does not verify the information placed on any message board in HealthBoards.com and, therefore, cannot judge the merits or lack thereof, of any offering, information, suggestions, ideas, opinions or advice.
6. HealthBoards.com will not knowingly allow material related to the sale or exchange of health or medical services or products to be communicated on the message boards. This includes but is not limited to information, commentaries, materials, surveys, products and services that, in the sole judgment of HealthBoards.com appear to violate HealthBoards.com's Guidelines.
7. Material placed in HealthBoards.com does not necessarily reflect the views of HealthBoards.com
8. Materials copyrighted by HealthBoards.com may be downloaded by consumers for personal use, only. Permission to otherwise reprint or electronically reproduce any document in part or in its entirety is expressly prohibited, unless prior written consent is obtained from HealthBoards.
9. The compilation of information in HealthBoards.com, including the design and organization of the database and forums, is copyrighted by HealthBoards.com and may not be reprinted nor electronically reproduced.
10. HealthBoards.com shall have the right to use questions, comments and postings submitted by members in articles, commentaries or other materials both online and offline. No compensation shall be earned, due, or payable for such use. All posts become the property of healthboards.com, to be removed, altered, and/or used.
11. Information copyrighted or owned by any individual or entity shall not be posted on the messages boards (nor software libraries, if applicable) . If such an event occurs, the individual posting the information shall be held solely responsible. HealthBoards.com shall not be held responsible for posted information that may violate copyright law. Persons posting messages are personally responsible for securing appropriate consent forms from copyright owners, prior to the posting of or uploading of copyrighted information, documents or software.
12. By accessing HealthBoards.com, you agree to hold HealthBoards.com, its assignees, licensees, owners, officers, moderators, administrators, webmasters and directors harmless from any loss, claim or damage arising from your use of any of the information and ideas contained on the site, including following suggestions or advice posted on the message boards.

HealthBoards.com has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices.

1. Information that HealthBoards collects

HealthBoards gathers two basic types of information:

A. Information provided to HealthBoards

In order to use many of HealthBoards's features, tools and services, we ask you to register to become a member. During this member registration process, we will ask you for personally identifiable information such as your name, email address, zip code, country, time zone, gender, birthdate, member name and password. HealthBoards uses the information it gathers for several purposes, such as to understand more about our audience demographics, and to communicate with you if necessary. By default, HealthBoards displays to the public the country, gender, and age (in years) of each member. HealthBoards may email its users periodically to inform them about the status of, or upcoming changes to the site, or to inform them about changes to our privacy policy. In addition, HealthBoards may email a user at any time regarding issues with his/her account. HealthBoards does not send promotional, or commercial emails to its users without permission. Certain Third Parties have been authorized to collect email addresses and other information from our users on a voluntary (opt-in) basis (see 2. Third Parties Collecting Email Addresses).

B. Information gathered by HealthBoards

When you visit HealthBoards and interact with the site, HealthBoards may collect information on your actions. This type of information is generally collected from two sources. One is from the server log files, which tracks your IP address, and the other is from cookies.

IP Address
Your IP address is a number that is assigned by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to your computer to identify its location. We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our website. We also sometimes use IP addresses to communicate with members and subscribers and possibly even ban those members who are not complying with our Terms of Service.

Cookies
Our site uses a feature of your browser to set a "cookie" on your computer. Cookies are small packets of information that a site's computer stores on your computer. HealthBoards can then read the cookies whenever you visit the site. We use cookies to save your password so you don't have to re-enter it each time you visit our site, to deliver content specific to your interests, to track the pages you've visited and to make sure you don't see the same ads repeatedly. These cookies allow us to use the information we collect to customize your HealthBoards experience so that your visit to HealthBoards is as relevant and as valuable to you as possible. You may modify your browser preference to provide you with choices relating to cookies. You have the choice to accept all cookies, to be notified when a cookie is set or to reject all cookies. If you choose to reject cookies you may be unable to use those HealthBoards features that require registration in order to participate or will have to re-register each time you visit HealthBoards.

2. Third Parties Collecting Email Addresses

The following third party companies have been authorized to collect email addresses on HealthBoards.com:

none.

3. Public Forums

Our message board requires registration for posting and replying to the forums. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information.

4. Accessing/Updating Personal Information

HealthBoards gives users the option of changing and modifying information previously provided. Registered users may login and access the User Control Panel (click on the My Settings link in upper left header). The User Control Panel allows users to add or remove profile information, set preferences, etc. In addition, users may contact us directly for such requests.

5. Security

This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. This site maintains a dedicated server with restricted access only to authorized user accounts.

6. Notification of changes to the privacy statement

In the event of a material change to the privacy policy, registered HealthBoards users shall be notified by email. In addition, notices will be posted throughout the HealthBoards site.

7. How to Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or anything else about HealthBoards, you can contact us at the following email addresses:
or
Or by physical mail at:
iCentric Health, Inc.
6601 Center Drive West, Suite 500
Los Angeles, CA 90045

8. Reporting Abuse

To report email abuse, please contact:
, or

• Abbreviations for the Infertility & Pregnancy boards
• Abbreviations for Panic Disorders/Stress & Anxiety boards
• Abbreviations for Women