Texas-rheumatologist Dr. Joel Rutstein personally sees 25 arthritis and osteoporosis sufferers a day in his San Antonio brick-and-mortar office. However, thousands more can now communicate directly with Dr. Rutstein and his colleagues at ArthritisCentral.com via its text-based information and streaming video programming called Arthritis.TV.
Over the past five years many physicians and organizations have tried to reach the estimated 100 million individuals surfing the Internet for quality health information. Patients and physicians both, however, complain about the lack of credibility of online information. At ArthritisCentral.com every piece of information is physician written and produced. It is the only site of its kind offering televised arthritis-themed streaming video even a novice user can easily download.
There are over 100 arthritis related conditions and many parts of the site are devoted to a basic understanding of these diseases. A glossary defines various terms for the patient. Another section is devoted to explaining the various conditions, clinical symptoms and physical findings, abnormal laboratory and X-ray findings. The doctors also explain the various treatments and prescription medications used in each of the most common rheumatic conditions.
As past president of the Texas Rheumatism Association, and director of one of the largest arthritis clinics in the U.S., as well as being a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Dr. Rutstein set out to create a comprehensive and trustworthy source of information for the arthritis sufferer. He has spent the last year and a half writing the material and building the site.
"In the United States there are approximately 60 million arthritis sufferers and 20 million with osteoporosis. Our goal with ArthritisCentral.com and Arthritis.TV is to deliver patient information in a format that showcases the highest and best use of the Internet without putting up technological barriers that overwhelm the visitor," says Rutstein.
ArthritisCentral.com's most significant contribution is its video offerings. Arthritis.TV broadcasts a total of six program series. There are currently between 3 and 11 programs in each series. Most programs in each series run 5-15 minutes. Both Low and High Bandwidth download options are presented to the visitor. The six series themes are:
1. Video on Revolutionary Treatments for Arthritis; 2. Coping: Programs to Help You Deal with Your Arthritis and Osteoporosis; 3. ArthritisCentral News; 4. Arthritis Tonight: Interviews with patients; 5. Helpful Tips for Self-Diagnosis; and 6. Here’s To Your Health in General.
Each program offers a balanced mix of educational material presented by Dr. Rutstein and messages of support and encouragement from real-life arthritis sufferers who share their stories. "We try to cover a wide variety of subjects from demonstrating how to take medications, use a cane or other appliances, to tips for coping with depression including offering practical life solutions for pain sufferers."
"The audience we are trying to reach worldwide with ArthritisCentral.com is a sizable one. ArthritisCentral.com will be translated into several languages and Spanish-speaking patients will be happy to know the site's information is already available for their reading. Video translations will be forthcoming."
DR. JOEL RUTSTEIN BIO
Dr. Joel Rutstein, M.D. Director, Arthritis Diagnostic & Treatment Center, San Antonio, Texas; Founder, ArthritisCentral.com
Dr. Joel E. Rutstein founded the Arthritis Diagnostic & Treatment Center in San Antonio in 1978 and is the clinic's director. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania's college and later its school of medicine, Dr. Rutstein went on to complete his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He was board certified in internal medicine in 1974. He served as a major in the US Army at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio teaching medicine to all the physicians' assistants from 1974 through 1976. He then completed a two-year fellowship in rheumatology at the UTHSC in San Antonio and became board certified in rheumatology in 1978. Dr. Rutstein is currently Clinical Professor of Medicine at the UTHSC. He is past president of the Texas Rheumatism Association. He is a past recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the South Texas Arthritis Foundation. He is a member of the Bexar County Medical Society, the Texas Medical Association and the American Medical Association. He is a fellow member of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians. He is married to a beautiful wife and they have two wonderful and loving daughters.
