Hi, I am looking for some one to host a Mailing List for our support group. Our support group "MYOSITIS", is for people who are inflected with one of the three Myositis diseases, Dermatomyositis (DM), Poloymyositis (PM), Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM). The myositis diseases are a very rare group of diseases inflecting a small number of the population, estimated to be 500-800 people world wide. The disease is little known to the public or the medical industry itself. This is an auto-immune disease which is not understood as to the cause or origin of the disease. Diagnosis is usually difficult and misdiagnoses is not uncommon resulting in the correct diagnoses not being made for months and in some cases years. Treatment is not well established and there is little information for the doctor to use when the disease has been diagnosed, many time it is trial and error because patients react differently to the disease and to treatment. The rate of these diseases going into normal remission is very small, for most of us it is a life time disease. As these are immune diseases many complications arise on an on going basis, other illnesses, weakness, etc. In addition many problems arise from the strong medications used in an attempt to control Myositis (diabetes. osterphorosis, liver damage,lung damage, hyper tension, high blood pressure. etc.) Myositis effects the involuntary muscles of the neck, shoulders, back, upper arms, upper legs in all but the least sever cases. In advance cases they will effect the other involuntary muscles and in extreme cases they have effected the voluntary muscles (heart, lungs, etc.). The diseases are accompanied with extreme muscle inflammation and muscle pain, resulting in extreme discomfort which in its self may need to be treated with pain killers. Many people have had the disease for years and until the Internet have never known another person with this disease. The Internet has created a tremendous resource for us. Along with the other resources one of our members has created a web home page which has been a tremendous resource for us. http://spot.colorado.edu/~farnham/s.html This is Sharon Farnham's home page and provides a tremendous resource for us. These diseases are often accompanied with mild to sever depression, this is where we feel a list-server, mail list would be a great service to our members in addition to the other benefits. I would like to supplement her resource with a "MYOSITIS Mailing List" that would allow greater communications and exchange of experiences with treatment and to support for each other. I would love to be able to announce such a service in my next news letter. I have a little less then 300 email addresses on my mailing list, this list represents patients from both within the US and about 25 other countries Can any one help us out by provide a list service? It would be greatly appreciated. I will gladly supply additional detail information if desired. I can be contacted at any of the following: John Hawk Washburn 1202 Winners Cup Circle St... Charles, IL 60174 (630) 443-7244 (Voice) (630) 443-7242 (FAX/DATA [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]