FAQ Purpose of Group

an alt.med.endometriosis FAQ

revised November 29, 2001







>Who should post to this group?



This group is for endometriosis patients, their partners and families,

and those who suspect they may have endometriosis.  Doctors and

researchers are also encouraged to post to provide informed opinion,

but should not post commercial advertisements.





>What is discussed here?



Any subject matter that reflects on the diagnosis and/or effective

treatment of endometriosis is appropriate.  Research and theoretical

discussion is welcome.  Discussion should relate to the medical and

scientific aspects of endometriosis, but need not be impersonal.

Explicit discussions of symptoms and treatment, and how they have

affected someone's health, activities and lifestyle, are appropriate.



It is intended that the newsgroup provide a forum for the exchange of

personal experience with treatment methods that produce positive

results, and those that do not.  Personal experiences that the

participants have had with specific treatment options are clearly

on-topic.





>Why was this group formed?



There are other forums for endometriosis discussion on the internet.

This group was formed as both a readily accessible Usenet newsgroup

and as a moderated group.  It is not necessary to sign up for a private

mailing list to access this group; participants can come and go as they

please.  However, the group is moderated to reduce spam and off-topic

postings.



Some prefer a free-flowing discussion group in which a variety of issues

are discussed, but others prefer a more focused discussion of a specific

topic.  This group hopes to provide a forum for focused discussion of

endometriosis.  Participants are welcome to participate in this group as

well as other groups.



The newsgroup and web page are not dependent on donations from drug

companies, doctors, or treatment centers.  We have no paid staff; the

newsgroup and web page exist through the efforts and resources of

volunteers.



This web site has an affiliate arrangement with Newsguy news service.

Subscription referral fees contribute to maintenance of the web site.

Site hosting has been donated by Digital Granite, Inc.





>Others have mentioned that their ISPs don't carry

>alt.med.endometriosis.  How can they access this group?



If your ISP doesn't carry the group, you can ask them to do so.



For a preview, you can use this link to Newsguy news service.

Newsguy alt.med.endometriosis



This link only provides access for reading the newsgroup, you would

need to subscribe to Newsguy in order to post through Newsguy.



You can also access the group through google.com.

google.com alt.med.endometriosis



You would need to register with Google in order to post through Google.com,

but there is no charge.



>I'd like to ask some questions, but the issues are so

>personal!  Is there some way I can ask in private?

...AND...

>I'd like to post, but when I do, I get swamped with email from

>people who are too shy to post.  Do I have to give my email address?



We hope you will post.  That way, you are likely to participate in

well-rounded discussion, rather than have the reply of only one person

when you email someone with your questions.



Some people like to obtain a second email address from Google or

Newsguy or Yahoo, and use that second email address for posting to

newsgroups, keeping their first email address for use in "real

life" situations.  You might have seen complaints about people

who are using multiple email addresses, but that complaint

refers to people who use more than one address to post to the

same group.  There is no problem with using a second email address

as long as you stick to one email address per group.



The Moderator