RA Healthline: A New Resource for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was compensated by Healthline for sharing information and my honest opinion about the RA Healthline app. 

It seems like there's an app for everything these days, doesn't it? As a nurse practitioner, I often recommend apps to my patients for symptom tracking, periods, and diet. Since almost everyone has a smart phone, using apps to track health keeps all your information right in the palm of your hand. I personally use the app from my healthcare provider to view all my information, pay my bills, schedule appointments, and send messages to my provider. It's really great!

What if there was an app to provide information about your chronic condition, connect you with other people who have the same diagnosis, have live chats where you can text with experts and have your questions answered, and provide support?

I'm really excited to partner with Healthline as they introduce an app for rheumatoid arthritis! Healthline is a medical information website that provides science-based medical information in easy to understand language and a format that is user-friendly.

The RA Healthline app is brand new! Healthline has already developed apps for other chronic illnesses and conditions, such as IBD, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, Type 2 Diabetes, and migraines. There are more to come. The free app is readily available for both iPhone and Android platforms. For the past week, I've been playing in the app. I've been having fun learning how to use it!

The first thing I did when I joined was to create a profile. I picked a user name and uploaded a photo of myself. Then I picked the topics I'm interested in following. This will help populate my feed with things I want to read about.

Hey, it's me!

RA Healthline covers all the bases. There are groups for members interested in a variety of topics. As I look through the groups, it seems like they've covered all the bases. You can read through all the posts and similar to other social media platforms, you can like and comment on the ones you're interested in. When other members comment on your posts, you receive a notification.

So many choices! Where to begin...

Within the groups, there will be daily live chats with various community leaders covering a wide variety of topics. A chat leader will post a topic in one of the groups and members can participate by sharing their experience and/or post questions in the chat. The chats will be saved so members can access them at any time.

The first live chat will be held on June 9 at 7p CT.

In fact, I'll be hosting 2 live chats!

• Wednesday June 17 at 7pm CT in the Lifestyle Group on Exercise and RA
• Monday June 22 at 7pm CT in the Alternative Therapies Group on Food and Supplements.

Another very cool feature of the RA Healthline app is the option to be matched with another participant who has similar issues and interests to you. You are not alone. It's a great way to network! You can send private messages to your matches and to other participants as well.

Find your people

There is also a 'discover' section of the app where there is a variety of medically approved news, articles, and blogs that might be of interest to people with RA.

News you can use!

I really wish something like RA Healthline had been available when I was diagnosed with RA. It would have been nice to have such a comprehensive resource plus a way to connect with other RA warriors. The RA Healthline app will be such a lifeline to the newly diagnosed. But it will also be helpful to those of use who have been living with RA for a while. I love that you can tailor the app to meet your needs. Some people will want to remain anonymous and that's ok. Others might want to become active in the groups, even taking a leadership role.

RA Healthline has all the info you need in the palm of your hand.
Anytime, anywhere.

I will definitely be making good use of the RA Healthline app. If you're interested, you can download the free app for iOS here and for the Android at the Google PlayStore here.

RA Healthline gives you all the information you need in the palm of your hand! /via @oldrunningmom @healthline #arthritis #curearthritis 

Have you ever used a wellness or health app? Is this something you would use to manage your chronic health issues? What features appeal to you the most? 

I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics and with the Runners' Roundup: Debbie, Deborah, Jen, Rachel, Sandra, and Lisa.