Interesting Article

[Guest guest]

Why insurers lurk on the Internet

By Vicki Lankarge

insure.com

People complain about insurers all over the Internet – in chat rooms

and on countless Web sites, in e-mail discussion lists, and on

message boards. Their posted comments run the gamut from wry

observations on corporate culture to profanity-laced rants on poor

customer service. But even if these authors are unaware that their

comments are being monitored, insurers are listening.

Lurk: To eavesdrop on a chat room or conference. In most online

areas, lurking is perfectly acceptable behavior and is, in fact,

encouraged so that you get the feel of the area before posting your

own comments. However, some online areas frown upon lurking,

particularly ones where participants are discussing personal issues.

Source: internet.com's WebopediaFor example, State Farm, the

nation's largest auto insurer, uses both internal and external

sources to monitor newsgroups for any mention of the company

name, according to State Farm spokesperson Zoe Younker. Allstate,

the second-largest personal lines insurer, also keeps track of what is

said about the company in newsgroups, according to company

spokesperson Schmitt. Younker says, on a case-by-case basis,

State Farm decides whether to step in and make contact – if

possible – with the author of the information. Schmitt says Allstate

prefers to monitor the action from the sidelines and will respond

only when a customer makes a direct inquiry or complaint.

Insurers say they employ a variety of methods to gather

information about what's being said about them on the Internet.

They can hire a firm such as eWatch, a company owned by PR

Newswire that monitors more than 65,000 newsgroups for its

clients. Or they may use their own employees to lurk in chat rooms,

monitor newsgroups or e-mail discussion lists, or scan Web sites

that criticize a particular company, such as

www.nmlcomplaints.com, a site that focuses on Northwestern

Mutual, or bashes the industry in general, such as

www.badfaithinsurance.com. The information that is gleaned from

this monitoring is shared among many departments, says Younker,

including customer service, marketing, and legal.

" Every company varies in the kinds of data they want, " says eWatch

Vice President Sells. " Some want the really blasphemous

stuff stripped away, so they can focus on very specific information. "

According to Sells, eWatch uses sophisticated search " strings, " or

inquiries, to parse extremely targeted information from the

countless number of newsgroups, e-mail lists, and Web pages that

are updated each day. While her company can create a string to

track news of a particular lawsuit for an insurer's legal department,

another string can produce data that points to an information

" leak " posted on an investor relations board ahead of a big business

deal.

Internet monitoring also helps an insurer:

* Gauge both policyholder and agent=

satisfaction.

* Monitor how people view the compa=

ny's public

relations efforts.

* Identify trademark violations.

* Keep tabs on other insurers: Comp=

etitive intelligence

is a growing field.

* Keep tabs on individuals or Web s=

ites that criticize

the company.

* Track what the press is saying ab=

out the company.

The Wild West

For businesses of all sizes and stripes, the Internet is like Dodge

City when the Gang is in town, says Sells. There is no end to

the mudslinging, online bickering, complaints, rumors, and

innuendo that can be found in a variety of places – from Web pages

devoted to personal vendettas against an insurer to popular

general complaint sites like www.bitchaboutit.com. " In many cases,

you have disgruntled consumers out there talking or posting about

companies without having all the facts, " she says. " The

misinformation spreads like wildfire. "

The Internet is like Dodge City when the Gang is in town.

Insurers may be particularly susceptible to bashing on the Internet

because of the heightened emotions that usually accompany a claim.

" Something bad has just happened when a policyholder makes a

claim, " says Schmitt. " The person has just wrecked a car, or fallen

ill, or a family member has just died. There's a great opportunity

there for volatility. "

Volatility indeed. The " Corporate Wars " section of

www.outofthedark.com ranks insurers, banks, and petroleum

companies by skulls or " death heads. " On the home page of

www.allstate-sucks.com, an animated Tyrannosaurus Rex grips a

caveman in its jaws and shakes its prey from side-to-side under the

red-lettered banner that reads: " This is how Allstate treats their

Clients & Agents. "

insurersucks.com

Q: What do the domain names " state-farm-insurance-sucks.com "

and " geicosucks.com " have in common?

A: They're each owned by their respective insurance companies.

For a more in-depth look at the issue, read Insurers don't want to

" suck " on the Web.

But not every Web site that criticizes an insurer features shrill bold

black and red headlines. Sites like www.nmlcomplaints.com are no

less adversarial, but they strive for a less high-pitched tone. " We

want to be very focused, " says s, the vice president of

Policyowner Protection Services Inc. (PPSI), an Indiana company

formed in 1999 by business owners who are former Northwestern

Mutual Life policyholders. PPSI owns the nmlcomplaints.com Web

site. " We don't want to let the importance of our message get

smothered in the exclamation marks. "

Anonymity on Web sometimes an illusion

There's a joke that says that both the greatest and worst thing

about the Internet is that it's anonymous: You can say whatever you

want, under any name or identity you choose. This sometimes poses

problems for insurers seeking to uncover the true identity of a

complainant in order to respond, or to catch an individual

infringing on the company's trademark.

But this " implied " anonymity is also a problem for the consumer.

Chat rooms and discussion lists that send " real time " messages via

e-mail are the Internet spaces where disgruntled policyholders feel

the safest about venting their problems with their insurer or

insurance agent. Yet this cloak of anonymity can be an illusion,

according to Dr. Harvey S. Frey, director of the Health

Administration Responsibility Project (HARP) in California and

moderator of HARP's e-mail discussion list. HARP's list subscribers

receive e-mail messages regarding managed care issues.

" We don't want to let the importance of our message get smothered

in the exclamation marks. "

Frey recalls at least one occasion when a list member was

discussing her lawsuit against an insurer via the list without

realizing the insurer's defense counsel was also a subscriber who

didn't actively make his presence known, but monitored or " lurked "

on the list. " Fortunately, she didn't say anything that she didn't

already say in her pleadings, but she was pretty shook up

nonetheless, " Frey says. " She stopped posting altogether when she

found out. "

Frey says he looks at the discussion group's member list from time

to time and recognizes e-mail addresses from HMOs. " I'm sure

there are others who use their home [e-mail] address, " Frey says. " I

encourage their membership, but I wish they'd speak up more often,

rather than just lurking. "

s says PPSI believes " every page at nmlcomplaints.com is

monitored by Northwestern Mutual every day. " This belief is based

on computer logs that record a computer's internet protocol, or IP,

number that identifies a particular computer network and the

individual's computer that is using that network.

Additionally, s says that whenever a complaint about

Northwestern is posted on the www.nmlcomplaint.com Web site,

Northwestern officials contact their employees within a day or so to

specifically address the Web site's content. He also charges that the

company recently fired a lawyer it suspected of leaking information

to nmlcomplaints.com.

" The gentleman did work for us, " says Northwestern spokesperson

Mark Lucius, " but to say he was terminated does him and us a

disservice. " According to Lucius, Northwestern does not have a

policy of monitoring nmlcomplaints.com or any other Internet Web

site or communications.

Insurers fight bad words with good

Insurers often have a difficult time defending themselves against

criticism, says Forrester Research analyst Todd Eyler, because

" their product doesn't give you the warm fuzzies. Let's face it,

they're in the bad news business. "

In order to counteract the image of an impersonal corporation that

doesn't empathize with customers' concerns, insurers have

increasingly tried to improve upon their Web sites. According to

Eyler, insurers have done this by adding transactional capabilities

to their own Web sites so that consumers can purchase or service

their policies directly from the company.

Insurers often have a difficult time defending themselves against

criticism.

Some insurers have also added e-mail links that send a customer's

complaint directly to the customer service department where a

representative will read it and respond within one to three business

days. Other insurers use sections of their Web sites to highlight their

service to the community and charitable contributions, such as

Prudential's " Helping Hearts Program " that donates automatic

external defibrillators to volunteer emergency medical squads

nationwide.

One insurer, Northwestern Mutual, even has its own Web site –

www.nmlcompliments.com devoted entirely to customer

compliments and flattering third-party reviews of the company by

the media and by rating agencies. According to Lucius, the

compliments site – even though it was launched after PPSI's

" complaints " site – was not launched in direct response to PPSI's

site.

Northwestern's " compliments " site features pages of policyholder's

comments, such as " The bill I love to pay!!! " The compliments on

Northwestern's site are posted anonymously, as are the complaints

on PPSI's site. So while the average consumer may not know for

sure whether either side's comments are for real, the uncertainty

won't keep the complainers from posting – or the insurers from

listening in.

[Guest guest]

,

WOW!! How did you lose all that weight. I doubt simply getting off

Prednisone caused you to lose that much weight alone. I have been on

Prednisone for a few years now and have gained about 50 pounds which no

matter what I do I cannot get my weight below 250 pounds. I hate the

way Prednisone makes you look, you know all rounded and basically fat.

I am told walking long distances or at an increased rate of speed works

well. I try to walk every day and get as much exercize as my schedule

allows. So far, nothing seems to work.

Any suggestions?

Steve Zimmerman

Have a Good Day

785-296-6947

-----Original Message-----

From: [mailto: ]

On Behalf Of Currier

Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 11:41 AM

Subject: Re: [ ] interesting article

For some reason the link isn't working for me... but I ALWAYS took my

prednisone in the afternoon. I also had a very difficult time sleeping,

but if I took it any earlier, I had serious problems getting through the

night with wheezing and coughing. My worst problems were always in the

evening or middle of the night, so it made sense to take the prednisone

later. My doctor told me that oral prednisone can take about six hours

for optimal effect on the lungs. I hated the insomnia, but I hated the

breathing trouble more.

I've been on Xolair for about two years now, and my life has changed

drastically. I used to take 15+ meds per day, now I'm down to nothing

but the Xolair and Advair. I'm trying to wean myself off of the Advair,

but it s not going as well as I hoped. Apparently I'm still just a

little steroid dependant. It's better than prednisone any day though.

I've lost sooooo much weight. At my heaviest because of prednisone, I

was over 300 lbs.

Never got an accurate weight because my scale just didn't go that high.

Now I'm down to about 170 and still losing. Amazing difference!!!

-------Original Message-------

From: Kate

Date: 04/16/07 12:33:32

Subject: [ ] interesting article

I know this doesn't have anything to do with Xolair...but I found it

interesting and thought some of you may also think that.

It says: " Patients with severe asthma, who need oral steroid drugs,

should take this medication in the afternoon at 3 p.m. " BUT....I

noticed that if I took prednisone in the late afternoon I would have a

very hard time sleeping at night. Both my Pulmo. and my pharmcist (

who's a GOOD friend) told me NOT to take pred after noon, just because

of that! Anyone else notice that " side effect? "

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20070413/timing-enhances-allergy-

asthma-drugs?src=rss_cbsnews

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Steve Zimmerman " <steve@...>

wrote:

>

> ,

>

> WOW!! How did you lose all that weight. I doubt simply getting off

> Prednisone caused you to lose that much weight alone. I have been

on

> Prednisone for a few years now and have gained about 50 pounds

which no

> matter what I do I cannot get my weight below 250 pounds. I hate

the

> way Prednisone makes you look, you know all rounded and basically

fat.

>

> I am told walking long distances or at an increased rate of speed

works

> well. I try to walk every day and get as much exercize as my

schedule

> allows. So far, nothing seems to work.

>

> Any suggestions?

>

>

> Steve Zimmerman

> Have a Good Day

> 785-296-6947

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Steve.

No, I don't think just getting off prednisone alone was enough... but it did

help dramatically. I noticed that I wasn't losing weight at all at first.

I would lose 5-10 lbs and then stall for months.

At about the one year mark of having no prednisone in my system... but I

didn't really start to lose the weight until I was off prednisone for

somewhere between 6-8 months.

I'll be honest, exercise for me had little to do with it, although I do try

to walk when I can. Environmental factors (cold, humidity and pollen) are

just too much for my lungs sometimes. I know my weight would come off even

faster if I could exercise, but that's jot always viable for me.

Here's what I've been doing.

Low sodium diet. I can't believe how much this has helped me. I use the

word " diet " loosely, because I still eat whatever I want, I'm just really

REALLY strict about reading labels. This is more than just putting down a

salt shaker and avoiding added salt. (I always did anyway because of the

prednisone.) I keep the other foods I eat in the low salt category... right

down to my breakfast cereal. I eat frosted mini wheats because there is NO

sodium in them! I stay away from canned or packaged soups because of the

high salt content... and I'm really careful about what I use to marinate my

meats... which salad dressings I use... even careful about which pasta sauce

I use.

It's definitely a life change, some people can't handle the idea of no salt.

Myself, I've never been big on it to begin with, so the change was easy for

me. If I feel that something needs a little flavor, I've found so many

other alternatives to putting salt on something. Different flavored

vinegars, lemon, pepper, garlic.. there are literally tons of things you can

use for flavor instead of salt. I've found that apple cider vinegar on stir

fry as opposed to soy sauce or teriyaki sauce is wonderful!

Portion control is also very important to me. I finally learned how to eat

more slowly so that I can tell when I'm getting full. When I'm full, I stop

eating... period, I don't care how good something tastes, I won't stuff

myself... I'll save the leftovers so that I'm not wasting food. Once you've

been doing it a while, you can better tell what your portion sizes are and

won't overload your plate as much.

I don't eat out as much as I was. My ex-fiance was an incredibly picky

eater, and would offer to buy dinner out a couple of times per week. I didn

t realize that just because I wasn't adding salt to my food didn't mean the

chef hadn't! Also, it's much harder to stop eating when you're full in a

restaurant. Because of the atmosphere and talking, you're bound to keep

eating long after you're done. Now if I want food from a restaurant, many

times we'll do take out, and I can easily split one of their meals into TWO!

Also, I drink tons of water. At least 60 ounces a day. I know that sounds

like a lot, but it's really not. I put some lemon in it, and I think that

has helped with the weight loss as well. It helps take away from the hunger

feelings if you're completely hydrated, and when you have the gnawing in

your stomach... you'll be surprised how far a stomach full of water will go

to stop that.

One more thing I'm doing, and I honestly don't know how much this has helped

or not... but I'm doing it. I drink 2 cups of green tea every day. Salada

green tea. One cup in the morning, one at night. I prefer it with no sugar

or milk, but I'll admit it's an acquired taste. I got my friend drinking it

but she needs the sugar and milk to cut the mild bitterness that some feel

green tea has. I just really like green tea, but my neurologist thinks it's

aiding in my weight loss.

Last thing, and I KNOW this is easier said than done... I'm SLEEPING! Now

that I'm off prednisone, and I split up with my fiancee... I'm finally

sleeping through the night. My neurologist is convinced that has reset my

metabolism. I used to get maybe 8 hours of sleep per WEEK!!! I was a

horrid insomniac, to the point my neuro thought about admitting me to the

hospital for sedation... he was that worried. Now I sleep at least 8-10

hours per night! HUGE difference in my life, and I finally feel rested upon

waking, so much less lethargy, and even more clear minded!

Hope this helps you Steve, and anyone else that might want to try some of

these things. It feels so good to have lost my moon face and everything. I

ll see if I can't go through some of my photos and try to get a before and

after to put in the group files.

~

-------Original Message-------

From: Steve Zimmerman

Date: 04/19/07 09:34:43

Subject: RE: [ ] interesting article

,

WOW!! How did you lose all that weight. I doubt simply getting off

Prednisone caused you to lose that much weight alone. I have been on

Prednisone for a few years now and have gained about 50 pounds which no

matter what I do I cannot get my weight below 250 pounds. I hate the

way Prednisone makes you look, you know all rounded and basically fat.

I am told walking long distances or at an increased rate of speed works

well. I try to walk every day and get as much exercize as my schedule

allows. So far, nothing seems to work.

Any suggestions?

Steve Zimmerman

Have a Good Day

785-296-6947

[Guest guest]

Thanks for responding

I tried a few of your suggestions. You have many good ideas and I will

attempt to follow in your footsteps. I really need to loose weight.

I also have recently tried green tea which I think is real good and

somewhat sweet. It seems to have some sort of filling quality and I

believe it helps me get full sooner.

I like your suggestions of using vinegar and garlic on food. I will try

it.

I will also try to drink more water.

Lastly, I will print out your note and keep it handy until I lose the 50

pounds. I am sure your advice will get me to my goal.

Thanks very much. Keep in touch. I would be interested in seeing you

before and after pictures when you get them posted.

Again, thanks.

Steve Zimmerman

Have a Good Day

785-296-6947

-----Original Message-----

From: [mailto: ]

On Behalf Of Currier

Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 12:30 PM

Subject: RE: [ ] interesting article

Thanks Steve.

No, I don't think just getting off prednisone alone was enough... but it

did help dramatically. I noticed that I wasn't losing weight at all at

first.

I would lose 5-10 lbs and then stall for months.

At about the one year mark of having no prednisone in my system... but I

didn't really start to lose the weight until I was off prednisone for

somewhere between 6-8 months.

I'll be honest, exercise for me had little to do with it, although I do

try to walk when I can. Environmental factors (cold, humidity and

pollen) are just too much for my lungs sometimes. I know my weight

would come off even faster if I could exercise, but that's jot always

viable for me.

Here's what I've been doing.

Low sodium diet. I can't believe how much this has helped me. I use

the word " diet " loosely, because I still eat whatever I want, I'm just

really REALLY strict about reading labels. This is more than just

putting down a salt shaker and avoiding added salt. (I always did

anyway because of the

prednisone.) I keep the other foods I eat in the low salt category...

right down to my breakfast cereal. I eat frosted mini wheats because

there is NO sodium in them! I stay away from canned or packaged soups

because of the high salt content... and I'm really careful about what I

use to marinate my meats... which salad dressings I use... even careful

about which pasta sauce I use.

It's definitely a life change, some people can't handle the idea of no

salt.

Myself, I've never been big on it to begin with, so the change was easy

for me. If I feel that something needs a little flavor, I've found so

many other alternatives to putting salt on something. Different

flavored vinegars, lemon, pepper, garlic.. there are literally tons of

things you can use for flavor instead of salt. I've found that apple

cider vinegar on stir fry as opposed to soy sauce or teriyaki sauce is

wonderful!

Portion control is also very important to me. I finally learned how to

eat more slowly so that I can tell when I'm getting full. When I'm

full, I stop eating... period, I don't care how good something tastes, I

won't stuff myself... I'll save the leftovers so that I'm not wasting

food. Once you've been doing it a while, you can better tell what your

portion sizes are and won't overload your plate as much.

I don't eat out as much as I was. My ex-fiance was an incredibly picky

eater, and would offer to buy dinner out a couple of times per week. I

didn t realize that just because I wasn't adding salt to my food didn't

mean the chef hadn't! Also, it's much harder to stop eating when you're

full in a restaurant. Because of the atmosphere and talking, you're

bound to keep eating long after you're done. Now if I want food from a

restaurant, many times we'll do take out, and I can easily split one of

their meals into TWO!

Also, I drink tons of water. At least 60 ounces a day. I know that

sounds like a lot, but it's really not. I put some lemon in it, and I

think that has helped with the weight loss as well. It helps take away

from the hunger feelings if you're completely hydrated, and when you

have the gnawing in your stomach... you'll be surprised how far a

stomach full of water will go to stop that.

One more thing I'm doing, and I honestly don't know how much this has

helped or not... but I'm doing it. I drink 2 cups of green tea every

day. Salada green tea. One cup in the morning, one at night. I prefer

it with no sugar or milk, but I'll admit it's an acquired taste. I got

my friend drinking it but she needs the sugar and milk to cut the mild

bitterness that some feel green tea has. I just really like green tea,

but my neurologist thinks it's aiding in my weight loss.

Last thing, and I KNOW this is easier said than done... I'm SLEEPING!

Now that I'm off prednisone, and I split up with my fiancee... I'm

finally sleeping through the night. My neurologist is convinced that

has reset my metabolism. I used to get maybe 8 hours of sleep per

WEEK!!! I was a horrid insomniac, to the point my neuro thought about

admitting me to the hospital for sedation... he was that worried. Now I

sleep at least 8-10 hours per night! HUGE difference in my life, and I

finally feel rested upon waking, so much less lethargy, and even more

clear minded!

Hope this helps you Steve, and anyone else that might want to try some

of these things. It feels so good to have lost my moon face and

everything. I ll see if I can't go through some of my photos and try to

get a before and after to put in the group files.

~

-------Original Message-------

From: Steve Zimmerman

Date: 04/19/07 09:34:43

Subject: RE: [ ] interesting article

,

WOW!! How did you lose all that weight. I doubt simply getting off

Prednisone caused you to lose that much weight alone. I have been on

Prednisone for a few years now and have gained about 50 pounds which no

matter what I do I cannot get my weight below 250 pounds. I hate the

way Prednisone makes you look, you know all rounded and basically fat.

I am told walking long distances or at an increased rate of speed works

well. I try to walk every day and get as much exercize as my schedule

allows. So far, nothing seems to work.

Any suggestions?

Steve Zimmerman

Have a Good Day

785-296-6947

[Guest guest]

And for those who like salt but don't want sodium, simply buy " No Salt, "

available in any supermarket. It's simply potassium chloride and looks and

tastes like salt, albeit a bit stronger. Using it also eliminates the need

for potassium chloride tablets the doc wanted me to take to replace the

potassium lost because of the diuretic I take because of the balooning

effect of prednisone. We've used No Salt for years, and I can barely tell

the difference.

Terry

----- Original Message -----

From: Currier

Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 1:29 PM

Subject: RE: [ ] interesting article

Thanks Steve.

No, I don't think just getting off prednisone alone was enough... but it

did

help dramatically. I noticed that I wasn't losing weight at all at first.

I would lose 5-10 lbs and then stall for months.

At about the one year mark of having no prednisone in my system... but I

didn't really start to lose the weight until I was off prednisone for

somewhere between 6-8 months.

I'll be honest, exercise for me had little to do with it, although I do

try

to walk when I can. Environmental factors (cold, humidity and pollen) are

just too much for my lungs sometimes. I know my weight would come off even

faster if I could exercise, but that's jot always viable for me.

Here's what I've been doing.

Low sodium diet. I can't believe how much this has helped me. I use the

word " diet " loosely, because I still eat whatever I want, I'm just really

REALLY strict about reading labels. This is more than just putting down a

salt shaker and avoiding added salt. (I always did anyway because of the

prednisone.) I keep the other foods I eat in the low salt category...

right

down to my breakfast cereal. I eat frosted mini wheats because there is NO

sodium in them! I stay away from canned or packaged soups because of the

high salt content... and I'm really careful about what I use to marinate

my

meats... which salad dressings I use... even careful about which pasta

sauce

I use.

It's definitely a life change, some people can't handle the idea of no

salt.

Myself, I've never been big on it to begin with, so the change was easy

for

me. If I feel that something needs a little flavor, I've found so many

other alternatives to putting salt on something. Different flavored

vinegars, lemon, pepper, garlic.. there are literally tons of things you

can

use for flavor instead of salt. I've found that apple cider vinegar on

stir

fry as opposed to soy sauce or teriyaki sauce is wonderful!

Portion control is also very important to me. I finally learned how to eat

more slowly so that I can tell when I'm getting full. When I'm full, I

stop

eating... period, I don't care how good something tastes, I won't stuff

myself... I'll save the leftovers so that I'm not wasting food. Once

you've

been doing it a while, you can better tell what your portion sizes are and

won't overload your plate as much.

I don't eat out as much as I was. My ex-fiance was an incredibly picky

eater, and would offer to buy dinner out a couple of times per week. I

didn

t realize that just because I wasn't adding salt to my food didn't mean

the

chef hadn't! Also, it's much harder to stop eating when you're full in a

restaurant. Because of the atmosphere and talking, you're bound to keep

eating long after you're done. Now if I want food from a restaurant, many

times we'll do take out, and I can easily split one of their meals into

TWO!

Also, I drink tons of water. At least 60 ounces a day. I know that sounds

like a lot, but it's really not. I put some lemon in it, and I think that

has helped with the weight loss as well. It helps take away from the

hunger

feelings if you're completely hydrated, and when you have the gnawing in

your stomach... you'll be surprised how far a stomach full of water will

go

to stop that.

One more thing I'm doing, and I honestly don't know how much this has

helped

or not... but I'm doing it. I drink 2 cups of green tea every day. Salada

green tea. One cup in the morning, one at night. I prefer it with no sugar

or milk, but I'll admit it's an acquired taste. I got my friend drinking

it

but she needs the sugar and milk to cut the mild bitterness that some feel

green tea has. I just really like green tea, but my neurologist thinks

it's

aiding in my weight loss.

Last thing, and I KNOW this is easier said than done... I'm SLEEPING! Now

that I'm off prednisone, and I split up with my fiancee... I'm finally

sleeping through the night. My neurologist is convinced that has reset my

metabolism. I used to get maybe 8 hours of sleep per WEEK!!! I was a

horrid insomniac, to the point my neuro thought about admitting me to the

hospital for sedation... he was that worried. Now I sleep at least 8-10

hours per night! HUGE difference in my life, and I finally feel rested

upon

waking, so much less lethargy, and even more clear minded!

Hope this helps you Steve, and anyone else that might want to try some of

these things. It feels so good to have lost my moon face and everything. I

ll see if I can't go through some of my photos and try to get a before and

after to put in the group files.

~

-------Original Message-------

From: Steve Zimmerman

Date: 04/19/07 09:34:43

Subject: RE: [ ] interesting article

,

WOW!! How did you lose all that weight. I doubt simply getting off

Prednisone caused you to lose that much weight alone. I have been on

Prednisone for a few years now and have gained about 50 pounds which no

matter what I do I cannot get my weight below 250 pounds. I hate the

way Prednisone makes you look, you know all rounded and basically fat.

I am told walking long distances or at an increased rate of speed works

well. I try to walk every day and get as much exercize as my schedule

allows. So far, nothing seems to work.

Any suggestions?

Steve Zimmerman

Have a Good Day

785-296-6947