Ben's Friends is a NONCOMMERCIAL site, as moderators we all try very hard not to allow people selling things on the site, but they slip in.
Please disregard any messages or postings you have received from other members suggesting anything they are selling. They are not Doctors or licensed herbalists, these supplements may not work well with meds that have been prescribed by a Doctor, and many of these supplements are NOT made in a country that has strict FDA guidelines.
Please report any of these messages or postings to at least one moderator, we are all working hard to keep this a safe haven for all.
Members selling will be asked nicely to abide by Ben's Friends rules, and may be permanently banned if they continue to advertise and sell products here.
Never seen any. A lot of people talk about that low dose N? something a lot. I’ve read about it, and the reviews are very subjective to say the least. I don’t know if some people are medicating themselves or going to homeopaths.
There is a difference between talking about the medications that work for us and what we are taking and someone joining the site just to spam us with sales I think is what SK is talking about. We are not allowed to sell each other things. The ads on the site are what pay for the site and that is different than me having a product that I am trying to sell to someone. It is also different than me telling someone that I take magnesium and where they can buy it. :)
Thanks, SK. I received a message from one of those people and I must admit, it made me rather uncomfortable. I appreciate the great lengths you and the other moderators go to in order to make this a safe and comfortable place for us.
Exactly Squeakers. Its not really anything other than spamming. Which takes up a lot of space on Bens servers which is very costly and time consumung to wip out spam Not only that but its annoying as h3ll. We can partake in giving information that we as guinea pigs have been subjected to.
And what’s this medication being advertized about?
Thanks for clarifying things SK. At first read I had a panic about mentioning medication or asking about it and thought I may have accidentally breeched site rules.
good discussion everyone! I'm one of the founders. We limit commerce because unfortunately there are lot's of people on the Internet trying to make a buck who will say anything to sell stuff and don't really care about people's welfare.
We're just trying to limit things like that. In the past we have highlighted people's books and other worthwhile businesses that truly help people. If you're in that camp, you can email me or the moderators and explain what you are doing. We even highlight Member owned businesses on the Ben's Friends site: http://www.bensfriends.org/patients/member-owned-businesses/
The ads help pay for the site and they are plain vanilla google ads. We run the network super cheap with all Moderators volunteering their time and everyone behind the scenes volunteering with the exception of two part time system admins who get paid. We spend $30k a year which is incredibly cheap for how big we are. The Google Ads bring in $500 a month (or $6k) a year. The majority of funds come people donating to Ben's Friends because we are helping people. We have filed to be a 501 C 3 charity and are waiting to hear from the IRS.
That's all the info behind the site financially. Feel free to ask followup questions.
SK is right. As we all know, fibro is a complex illness that can stump even our own doctors. Introducing a new drug/product/herbal "cure" might upset the apple cart, so to speak. In other words, just as SK has said, introducing something new into your system while on your usual drugs may make you ill. And some of the "cures" are nothing more than quackery (if it looks like a duck and smells like a duck and talks like a duck...then by golly, it's a duck spouting quackery.) Please don't rush to try a new "cure;" instead please consult your doctor first. I know first hand how painful and devastating fibro is, and like you, I desperately want a cure for my pain...but some people purposely feed off of our pain by purposely selling false "cures." Please - be safe and be smart - check it out by your doctor first.
Can you imagine if there was a magic pill that would cure FM forever. How much would you pay for it? I think we would all go into debt for a real cure. That’s what is bad about people pushing products. That’s how desperate people get swindled out of their money.