Researchers James Baker and Susan Moore have written two papers investigating the psychological benefits of blogging and regularly updating personal Web pages with information that invites others to comment.

The first, published in the latest issue of the journal CyberPsychology and Behavior, compares the mental health of people intending to blog with that of people not planning to blog.

Moore says the researchers messaged 600 MySpace users personally and directed them to an online survey. A total of 134 completed the questionnaire; 84 intended to blog and 50 didn't.

"We found potential bloggers were less satisfied with their friendships and they felt less socially integrated, they didn't feel as much part of a community as the people who weren't interested in blogging ... they were also more likely to use venting or expressing your emotions as a way of coping," Moore said.

"It was as if they were saying 'I'm going to do this blogging and it's going to help me'."

And it seemed to do the trick, as the researchers' second study shows.

This study, which is yet to be published, was conducted two months later. The researchers sent out questionnaires to the same group of MySpace users; this time 59 responded. Bloggers reported a greater sense of belonging to a group of like-minded people and feeling more confident they could rely on others for help.

On June 13, Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, convened a leadership forum on pandemic preparedness, which brought together highly influential leaders from the business, faith, civic and health care sectors to discuss how best to help Americans become more prepared for a possible influenza pandemic. The Department is hosting this five-week blog to expand the conversation as part of an ongoing effort by the Department to help Americans become more prepared. HHS does not edit blog postings and cannot ensure that all included links are functioning. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Seth Garon, of Portland, Oregon, was all too familiar with male pattern baldness, as evidenced by the continuing growth of his bald spot and receding hair line. However, it was Garon's family albums that provided the dimmest forecast of his increasingly thinning future, with his father and grandfather both suffering from hair loss.

But instead of succumbing to his genetically predetermined fate, Garon faced his balding scalp head-on.

On July 5, 2006, Garon underwent hair restoration at the Bosley Medical Seattle Office, and he has written a daily blog about his experiences with the Bosley procedure, hair transplant recovery, and hair regrowth process.

For 90 days, CHEC is focusing on daily tips that will help you reduce exposure to chemicals, toxins, and pollutants - for the benefit of your children's health, the health of your home, and the environment. Visit us often... and please share your own tips too.

"You could call it a new grief ritual," said Victoria Pitts, an assistant sociology professor at City University of New York, who authored a 2004 study about breast cancer patients inspired to start personal Web sites. "These people have created a new personal narrative to their illness, which goes beyond the health protocols they might have found on WebMD. ... But whether it's helping their recovery is still speculative. It's certainly transformed it."

That transformation is being experienced by bloggers such as Jeannette Vagnozzi, a 41-year-old resident of La Verne (Los Angeles County), who writes about her breast cancer on 2hands.blogspot.com.

Vagnozzi set up her site seven days after she received her diagnosis. Initially, she had turned to the Internet in a frantic hunt for information about her ailment. Then, like many cancer bloggers, she felt frustrated by a lack of reliable medical information sites. And she was inundated by well-intentioned friends and family members inquiring about her condition. In the frenzy, Vagnozzi posted her blog to satisfy the influx of personal queries and to create an info-portal for other cancer patients.

"It gets hard to tell your story over and over again," Vagnozzi said. "It was easier for me to say to people, 'Log on, and see where I'm at.' "

These are practical but not all inclusive responses to FAQ's from my Google and my private practice patients. For every person who asks a question there are several others who have the same concern. I hope this post will be helpful to many and will take out some of the guess work for living a healthier life. Please note the obligatory disclaimer that this is not a substitute for medical advice, and that you need to contact your doctors with any specific questions. I wish you good health.

Research on animals and humans suggests mentally challenging activities such as playing bridge, learning a new language or even blogging might help build new connections in the brain, says Molly Wagster at the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health.

To get the most benefit, Fordyce suggests seniors pick an activity that provides them with a challenge, such as learning a language or taking classes at the local university or senior center. Even learning to use a computer or a cellphone can be a challenge for someone who has never used the latest gadgets before, she says.

Seniors who join a book club or some other social activity must use their brain to interact with other people and that seems to shield it from a decline in function, Fordyce says. Researchers don't know whether regular social contact builds a better brain or simply reduces stress, which can harm the brain.

What the research can't offer is a one-size-fits-all prescription. Albert says seniors should pick activities they enjoy.

How many blogs are there? Estimated 70 million worldwide. How many people go there? Estimated 50 million Americans in Quarter 1 of 2005. A blog may well be ultimate communication anarchy, and with mass reader and search engine openness, it becomes a powerful privacy buster. However, with that level of rapid market penetration, a media company ignores blogging at its peril. But since the blogger may be the author, editor, publisher, advertiser, critic, reviewer, and owner -- all at the same time -- and fake the whole thing, a trustworthy medical media company may embrace unfiltered blogging at its even greater peril.

As many as half of respondents say they write a blog because it serves as a form of self-therapy. Further, one third of bloggers write about self-help and self-esteem topics. Thirty-one percent either blog or read blogs in times of need or high anxiety, while only five percent prefer to seek help from a counselor or mental health professional. The only thing more popular than blogs in times of need is seeking advice from family and friends.

The blogging population who do so for personal journaling is no surprise to AOL Community senor programming manager Joe Loong. "Knowing how I blog personally when I'm not on the clock, and how my friends blog," Loong told ClickZ Stats. "The vast majority of us are blogging about what's going on in our lives."

While there are numerous high-profile blogs that report on news and current events, only 16 percent of bloggers do so to pursue journalistic aims, 12 percent blog to break news or advance news and gossip, and eight percent blog to "expose political information".

A majority, 66 percent, don't feel pressure to update their blogs frequently, yet 65 percent pay attention to how often other bloggers post new entries to their blogs. In the casual blogging network, only 13 percent of bloggers become disappointed to learn other people's blogs attract more readers or responses.

"In 'Blog for Hope,' Yahoo! has created an amazing forum for high profile people to share personal experiences regarding health-related issues," said Dr. Deepak Chopra. "Healthcare is a very personal topic, and the Internet -- and blogging specifically -- provides an environment where people looking for health information can communicate and share information easily. The advantage of going to a health blog is that people find a source of solace, nurturing and sharing, and gain strength and hope from it."