The new trend of interactive web communities and social media brings some wonderful opportunities for community as well as some areas to be cautious of. People suffering from a medical condition or an allergy can now communicate with others. There is a great opportunity for brainstorming and information sharing. People can find out what treatments have been effective for others. Methods such as email groups, Facebook fan pages, Twitter, and interactive forums make this type of information sharing very accessible.

However, here are some things to be cautious of with social media:

• Know who is in charge of the group. Several drug companies have come under fire for starting seeming patient support groups, but peppering them with marketing material. It