From the November 15, 2002 print edition

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Priority delivery: Local doctors provide free health magazine via e-mail

The Internet offers a grab bag of health information — some of it good, some of it questionable. But most of it is specific to a particular topic; for a consumer looking for some broad-based advice, there's almost too much to wade through.

That's the philosophy behind KenwoodHealthOnline, a Web magazine that offers a list of articles on general and alternative health topics, along with surveys, community information and even links to local movie schedules and weather forecasts.

"We're in the information age. People have a wealth of information," said Dr. Adam Swolsky, who with his wife, Dr. Juli Swolsky, operates Cincinnati Chiropractic Health Care Inc. in Deer Park. The Swolskys launched the Web site/e-zine in September. "We wanted to provide a way for people to make health care decisions, in one place that was easy to access."

The e-zine is available on the Web site at http://www.kenwoodhealthonline.org/. But, by signing up for a free subscription, consumers can have the magazine, which is published twice a month, e-mailed to them. So far, Swolsky said, about 1,000 people have signed up, many of them patients of Cincinnati Chiropractic, their friends and families.

The e-zine is aimed at people in Kenwood, Blue Ash, Deer Park, Madeira and surrounding areas.

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Recent articles have included: "Five tips when choosing the best dietary supplement," "What's hidden in your cereal?" and "Walking your way to better health." The site also includes a department on alternative treatments, including tai chi and yoga.

While the Swolskys provide local information for the magazine, it is actually the brainchild of another chiropractor, Dr. Sigmund Miller, who lives near Flemington, N.J. Miller and a "tech" partner in Pleasanton, Calif., edit and publish more than 250 health e-zines for chiropractic practices in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Miller sifts through mountains of health articles every month to choose topics that he thinks are newsworthy for chiropractors, their clients and e-zine subscribers.

"We have lots of doctors around the country who like to write articles, and I have access to hundreds of health newsletters," Miller said. If they (the articles) are good, I link them."

Miller started his company, Health Partners, from his home about 18 months ago, after deciding he could do something worthwhile with all the health information flooding into his house.

"I communicate with about 25,000 chiropractors worldwide," he said. "I thought 'Why not communicate with people in the community?'"

Each of Health Partners' clients receives the e-zine with information Miller has culled from his sources, but including input for the particular community.

"We design the info and send it out customized with local information and articles," Miller said.

For the service, the chiropractor pays a monthly fee. That varies depending on the size of the community, but the average fee is about $95 per month, Miller said.

"(The chiropractor) is offering this as a free community service," he said.

The Swolskys signed up for the e-zine after Adam Swolsky met Miller last summer in Chicago.

"I found out what he was doing and thought it was a terrific way to connect to the community," he said.

Adam and Juli Swolsky opened their practice about a year and a half ago, after both earned their chiropractic degrees from Palmer College in Davenport, Iowa. They came to Cincinnati, Swolsky said, because his family lives here and they wanted to raise their daughter Caroline, now 3 1/2, close to relatives.

Cincinnati Chiropractic focuses on problems like back and neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and work- and sports-related injuries. The practice is holistic in the sense that the doctors consider the entire person, and not just the specific condition, Swolsky said, but they don't offer alternative treatments like acupuncture or aromatherapy.

The site is so new, Cincinnati Chiropractic really hasn't seen any results yet or received much feedback, Swolsky said.

"I would expect it to, but that's not the main focus. We want to provide them with good information, mainstream and alternative," he said.

In the next few months, the Swolskys plan to market the site, particularly seeking sponsors for departments within the e-zine. "Community partners" can contribute articles for free, he said.

"Business partners" will pay a small fee, and information about their business will appear in a box in various departments in the magazine.

Swolsky expects there are potential partners in the area who will be drawn by the community service aspect of KenwoodHealthOnline.

"Our goal is to contribute to the general health and well-being," he said.

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