“HealthCentral (www.HealthCentral.com), the leading collection of online condition-specific consumer health and wellness experiences, today announced the acquisition of Wellsphere, a leading health technology company, adding nearly 4 million monthly unique visitors to HealthCentral's audience...”

“Witness the internet – and the world – at its most affirming with Wellsphere...”

“Wellsphere has seen tremendous growth in traffic in the last few months to a rate of more than 2 million unique visitors per month, with more users discovering the new website daily.”

Until now, the primary focus of Wellsphere has been wellness information. Starting today, it launches the largest and most comprehensive information source for medical information and illness-related communities. The enormous amount of information is glued together by an impressive medical search engine (though the Wellsphere team prefers to call it a "health knowledge engine," so as to signal it is not competing with Google). It is indeed a major redesign, and with it Wellsphere puts an ambitious claim to lead in a very competitive and densely populated industry: health-related information.

What Differentiates them from the Competition?

1. Comprehensiveness of quality information: while their competitors have 50-200 active health-related bloggers, Wellsphere has 1,500. It has professors at the prestigious medical schools of Stanford, Harvard, Johns Hopkins and others blogging for their network.

2. Holistic focus on both the mind and the body: with its large base of bloggers who share similar medical experiences, Wellsphere provides an impressive support base-not just medical information.

3. Ease of finding what you are looking for: We encourage you to test side-by-side the search functionality of Wellsphere and its competitors, and you will be impressed. We did a non-scientific experiment by searching for "autoimmune diseases" on wellsphere.com, dailystrength.org and webmd.com. Then, tried the same sites with the misspelling "auto immune disease." Wellsphere won.

“So, how bad is your dining-out diet? No need to wait for a new law to find out. Wellsphere, a San Mateo outfit, just launched a Web site that lists nutritional information for thousands of items from hundreds of chain restaurants. Check it out at www.wellsphere.com/wellternatives.s . Then the next time you're pondering the menu at Chevy's or Quiznos, send a text message to Wellsphere. Tell them what you're about to order, and they will text you back with the calorie count - and suggest something better on the menu.”

“Dieters curious about how many calories are in their favorite restaurants' pizza, taco or hazelnut latte won't have to wait for pending state legislation to find out, provided they have a cell phone or computer. A San Mateo startup of physicians, nutritionists, and technology and restaurant gurus spent years manually compiling nutritional information for virtually every chain restaurant in the country. The company last week launched a free Web site and text messaging service that will tell eaters all the relevant nutritional information of dishes ordered and even suggest a similar but healthier alternative at that restaurant... Plenty of lawmakers around the country have a hunger for nutritional information, too. The service comes three months after state legislation was introduced to require all California restaurants with at least 14 locations in the state post relevant nutritional information on menus starting on July 1, 2009, if passed by the Legislature.”

“Calorie-counting fast food lovers may be heartened to know that there is a new source for nutrition information at their fingertips. 'Wellternatives,' a service that zips calorie and nutritional information of fast food restaurant dishes and recommendations for healthier alternatives to a user's e-mail or cell phone free of charge was launched by the San Mateo-based company Wellsphere.com last week... State SB120, which would have required California restaurants to display nutrition information near or beside their menu items, was vetoed in August by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Similar bills, SB1420 and AB2572, have since been introduced. Similar struggles between restaurant associations and legislators also are occurring in New York... McDonald's managers at restaurants in San Mateo and Redwood City declined to comment for this story.”

“It's designed it so that anyone can use their cell phone to receive suggested 'Wellternatives' along with calorie and nutrition information for free. You've probably heard about how restaurant chains all over the country are battling with government officials to keep from having to post their nutrition data. A recent survey done by Aramark shows that 83% of diners want restaurants to make nutritional information available to them - so the folks at Wellsphere decided to give people the information they need to make better menu choices - anytime, anywhere.”

““Americans dining out eat a whopping 64% of their meals at chain restaurants,” said Wellsphere CEO Ron Gutman, “but they have no idea what these restaurants put in their food. Wellsphere community members are constantly searching for menu options that are not only convenient, tasty and inexpensive, but also healthy.” A recent survey by Aramark found that 83% of diners want restaurants to make nutritional information available, yet restaurant chains from New York to California are battling with government officials to avoid posting their nutrition data... Wellternatives not only considers key nutritional factors, but also takes into account taste preference profiles, portion sizes and types of food. The goal is to give people healthier alternatives at their favorite restaurants that they will find just as satisfying and delicious as the foods they usually eat.”

“Wellsphere, the leading healthy living technology company, announced today the launch of Wellternatives, a service that recommends healthy alternatives for your favorite dishes at hundreds of thousands of chain restaurants. Anyone can use their cell phone to receive suggested Wellternatives along with calorie and nutrition information, for free. It's quick, fun and easy to use, even for the technology-shy. Wellternatives works from any cell phone and there's no need to download software or learn anything new. The service, along with complete menu listings and ratings, is also available online via Wellsphere's website.”

“Wellternatives works from any cell phone and there's no need to download software or learn anything new. The service, along with complete menu listings and ratings, is also available online via Wellsphere's website... Wellsphere's team of physicians, computer scientists, nutrition experts and restaurant industry veterans recognize that individual taste preferences and satisfaction are every bit as important as a food's nutritional value. Wellsphere's proprietary algorithm for recommending Wellternatives not only considers key nutritional factors, but also takes into account taste preference profiles, portion sizes and types of food. The goal is to give people healthier alternatives at their favorite restaurants that they will find just as satisfying and delicious as the foods they usually eat.”

“The people at Wellsphere have come up with a great new service, one of those neat items that makes you wonder: “Why didn't someone think of this before?” Here's the deal: Restaurant chains, for the most part, are fighting legislation that would require them to show the nutritional information of their dishes. Eventually, they may lose the battle, but you don't have to wait for that to happen. Wellternatives - a new free healthy eating service recommends healthy alternatives for your favorite dishes at hundreds of thousands of chain restaurants... I just tried it myself and it worked like a charm. I typed in “Chili's burger” and immediately the nutrition data popped up, along with a healthier alternative on the same Chili's menu. Wow! It's a great service. Give it a try with your cell phone by sending a text to 878787 with the word “diet” followed by the name of the chain restaurant and menu item, or visit Wellternatives on the web.”

“Wellsphere, a terrific health and wellness online social network, just launched Wellternatives, a free healthy eating service that recommends healthy alternatives for your favorite dishes at thousands of chain restaurants... If you're stuck in the '90s like me and don't text on your phone, you can look up Wellternatives on the Wellsphere website for complete menu listings and ratings of your favorite chain restaurant. It's a great way to plan what you eat before you go.”

“But for those few of us that occasionally indulge in fast food or even chain restaurants, there's a cool free tool you can use to find out the nutritional value of what you're ordering. (okay, maybe you don't really WANT to know that, do you?) How about if this website can give you healthier alternatives to what you're ordering? That would be fun, wouldn't it? You can go to this website and type in your favorite chain restaurant (like Applebee's) or fast food (like Del Taco Classic Chicken Burrito) and it will give you the nutritional information and even suggest alternatives. Or you can just browse the various menus and see what you like. I was impressed with the variety of ways to look up information. Ready for the really cool stuff? Imagine you are IN the restaurant and you want to know the information NOW. Just type the information in your cell phone, text it to them and they text you right back! No excuse now for not picking a healthier alternative! Have fun with this one!”

“Wellsphere is a cool new site I joined that works for you to find healthy alternatives to your favorite restaurant meals. The people at Wellsphere believe you should always have the nutritional information of restaurant food at your fingertips to enable you to make healthy choices! I think this is a great idea and love to see someone taking action on this important issue. The fact is, all the food we buy at stores has nutritional information, so why not the food we buy at restaurants?...The really cool part, is that it also gives you an example of a healthier alternative that is similar. In this case the Double Cheeseburger (440 calories, 23 g fat, 34 g carbs, 2 g of fiber). Pretty cool if you ask me! This is a great tool to use on your mobile phone internet connection when you are standing in front of the menu scanning it like Data on Star Trek Next Generation!”

“Wellsphere.com has unleashed a new service that is bound to make healthy eating while dining out easier than you ever thought possible. In fact, its only a text message away. All you need is your cell phone. What makes this service so handy is that you can find out the nutritional content of menu items while you are in the restaurant reading the menu and trying to decide what to order. Now that's efficient... Did I mention that the service is FREE? The same information can also be accessed from your Mac or PC... just go to Wellternatives. There you can also search the complete list of restaurants that have the nutritional content of their foods accessible.”

“Wellternatives offers nutrition information at your fingertips online and while you're on the go, a simple text message can give you instant nutrition information, as well as a possible better food alternative at the restaurant. Just found out that my favorite burrito at chipotle has 30 grams of fat, 889 calories, and 100 grams of carbs . Phew! That's half my food intake for the day!”

“Wellsphere has just announced the launch of Wellternatives, the free healthy eating service that recommends healthy alternatives for your favorite dishes at hundreds of thousands of chain restaurants. It is designed so that you can use their cell phone to receive suggested “healthy alternatives-Wellternatives” along with calorie and nutrition information for FREE! They have also added Wellternatives to their website, along with complete menu listings and ratings. Check it out HERE ! One of the keys to making this helpful for you is that it is built to consider key nutritional factors, as well as taste preference profiles, portion sized and type of food! This way you are given healthier alternatives from the same restaurant that you will find just as satisfying and delicious as you usually eat!”

“If you, like most people, are still rendered nutritionally clueless when you walk into a chain restaurant (I mean, how could the taco salad possibly have more fat and calories than a burger and fries?), I just received announcement of a free new service that will have us all eating healthily at Boston Market, Bob Evans, and Taco Bell (or at least knowing that we could make better choices). Wellsphere just announced the launch of Wellternatives - their new free healthy eating service that recommends healthy alternatives for your favorite dishes at hundreds of thousands of chain restaurants. They designed it so that you can actually use your cell phone (as well as your wireless web, blackberry, or iPhone) to receive suggested 'Wellternatives' along with calorie and nutrition information for free while you are standing in line.”

“Look, I don't like chain restaurants. Thank god I don't have to deal with that here in Italy... Sometimes, you can't get to a local, fresh restaurant. I know. Our little family has moved across many states and struggled to make good food choices in very remote places. It can be tough. Enter Wellternatives , an online service that provides a free healthy eating service that recommends healthy alternatives for your favorite dishes at hundreds of thousands of chain restaurants. It is designed so that anyone can use their cell phone to receive suggested “Wellternatives” along with calorie and nutrition information for free. It's quick, fun and easy to use, and works from any cell phone (in the United States)!”

“My friends at Wellsphere just launched Wellternatives – a new free healthy eating service that recommends healthy alternatives for your favorite dishes at hundreds of thousands of chain restaurants. They designed it so that anyone can use their cell phone to receive suggested “Wellternatives” along with calorie and nutrition information for free. It's quick, fun and easy to use, and works from any cell phone! They also added Wellternatives to their website, along with complete menu listings and ratings, at http://www.wellsphere.com/wellternatives.s”

“They'd remind you, even nag you, to go to the gym and keep you inspired with motivational messages. They'd ask if you'd eaten healthy food or consumed enough water. They'd help you find a gym and resources in your area or while traveling, and log your progress so that friends and family could check up on and support you. You'd even be rewarded with prizes for your progress.”

“Jeff Rosen is 73 pounds lighter than he was last year, thanks in part to his cell phone. “It sends me a reminder to either go to the gym and I can set it to either remind me once or I can set it to nag me so it will constantly remind me as often as I want it to,” he explained... It's helped him avoid diet downfalls. Jeff also uses the phone to log his progress, which is then posted on an internet site for his friends and family to check out. It's accountability he can count on. “For me, that's what keeps me focused and keeps me on task to stick to my diet, stick to my regimen and achieve my goals,” he said.”

“Dr. Geoff Rutlege, Family Physician says, “the computer generated automated message was shown to be as effective as the human messages delivered over the telephone in encouraging and reminding people to stick to the goals that they set for themselves.” The well phone can send you motivational messages, remind you not to eat fatty foods or help you find a gym when you're traveling. All in the palm of your hand.”

“In the battle of the bulge we could all use a little encouragement..even some nagging wouldn't hurt. Now you can get that help from your cellphone. It's actually called “Well Phone” – a new technology that can remind you to go to the gym, encourage you 'not' to give into temptation.. and help you live 'heathier'. And best of all – it's free.”

“It's National Public Health Week this week, and if you're looking for a little motivation to get yourself healthy, you might not have to look any further than your own cell phone. The WellPhone is ringing in weight loss. Jeff Rosen is 73 pounds lighter than he was last year, thanks in part to his cell phone. In the future, the WellPhone will include features that will help people manage their medications or even remind diabetes patients when to check their insulin.”

“Well Phone may be just what you need if you can't make a weight loss meeting or find time to workout at the gym... Wellsphere created the Well Phone service based on results from a Stanford University study that says people are more likely to stick to diet plans when they're consistently reminded. The service is available on any and all cell phones. You do not need a Blackberry or i-Phone to use the service.”

“An entrepreneur places a calculated bet on the nation's health.”

“There is a new service that is helping people stay on track when it comes to diet and exercise. It's help that's literally at your fingertips... “The beauty of the Well Phone is you don't need to have an iPhone or a BlackBerry. The program will work on any cell phone,” Rosen said. And it is free. For Rosen, the text messages have meant more than losing weight, his cholesterol is down and so is his blood pressure, thanks to his mobile motivation.”

“A new service called WellPhone will send you text messages to make sure you keep up with your routine. WellPhone users can get reminders, health tips and other information.”

“A while back I introduced you to the amazing online health and fitness community called Wellsphere. I have recently been notified that they are now mobile! What exactly do I mean by this? Registered users of Wellsphere can now get reminders, health tips, resources and other information right from their mobile phones without having to download any software! I don't know about you, but I would LOVE to be reminded to “drink my water” or “eat clean all day”. Constant tips and reminders are a great way for you to make the most of your day and help you to achieve your goals of health and fitness.”

“A few studies have shown that people who receive some type of real-time reminders, a text message or a recorded phone call, are more likely to be consistent with their training...Getting a reminder in real-time can be helpful. Now maybe you can even on those days you hate going to the gym.”

“Nothing to download, you just register at the Wellsphere Web site. Once registered, you can get text message reminders, daily tips, local health-related resources and log progress toward fitness goals from your mobile phone. Wellsphere quotes a Stanford Prevention Center study that tracked a group of people's workout habits over eight weeks. The results? Those who received mobile reminders worked out for five hours per week on average, three hours more than the control group.”

“Wellsphere is another online wonder but this site focuses on keeping its members healthy. Not only does this site offer a network of local health and wellness resources, but it also helps members reach healthy goals with support, goals setting tools, and rewards. A few days ago, they launched their Wellphone service, which enables users to get text message reminders, receive daily tips, find local resources, log their goal progress, and update their journal anytime, anywhere – for free.”

“A San Mateo startup is offering a new free service that tries to get people back on a healthy track via their cell phones. With "Wellphone," introduced Wednesday by a health-oriented tool and social networking site called Wellsphere.com, registered users can get reminders, health tips, resources and other information from their mobile phones without having to download any software.”

“With Wellphone, anyone with a cell phone can have free, continuous access to Wellsphere's suite of motivational tools, local information, and community support. “From the beginning, we have focused on getting our members engaged in healthier living online. Listening to our users, we realized that people of all ages are looking for a way to get support and motivation to make healthier choices throughout their day, not just when they're at their computers. With Wellphone, we're reaching beyond the web to help our users stay engaged in healthier living everyday, online and on-the-go,” said CEO Ron Gutman.”

“Wellsphere is a perfect website for those of us who have trouble keeping our New Year's Resolutions. At Wellsphere, the goal is to build online communities where people encourage each other to 'get active, eat better, and unwind.'”

“One thing that makes Wellsphere stand out from other web based weight loss/motivation sites is its extension into the "real world" offering help finding groups in your area, and helping users with similar goals connect to workout and motivate each other outside of the confines of the site.”

“Think of Wellsphere as a social network for people interested in discussing the latest in health matters from a personal perspective. I've actually developed a lot of good relationships there and learned a lot of useful tips along the way. From weight loss advice to nutrition plans, there are informative discussions going on all the time.”

“Listing healthy things you want to do – like get more active, eat better, lose weight, unwind and de-stress – is always easier than actually doing them, especially on a consistent basis. Before it's too late, get free online help to keep your New Year's resolutions for 2008 at www.wellsphere.com. You'll find short videos, news announcements, blogs, nutritionists and support groups to give you the tools and motivation to stick to your goals.”

“Among our favorite sites is the easy-to-use www.wellsphere.com, where you'll find short videos, news announcements, blogs, nutritionists offering advice, nearby fitness clubs, dance studios and support groups to give you the tools and motivation to stick to your goals. You'll also find ways to track and chart your progress.”

“At www.wellsphere.com, you'll find short videos, news, blogs, nutritionists offering advice and support groups to give you the tools and motivation to stick to your goals. You'll also find ways to chart your progress. Much of the help is ZIP-code specific.”

“Check what people similar to you do, how do they keep healthy, learn from their experience - Want more? Back it up by checking related articles from a huge health database. So ... A recent study showed that workouts were more effective in the evening as opposed to morning workouts.”

“It's turning out to be a great interactive, social networking site - think MySpace meets Self magazine. I get good ideas from real people about healthy living.”

“The social aspect of WellSphere is one of its greatest strengths. The site has a question-and-answer service where you can get help from the community, a collection of blogs and news articles from across the Web in dozens of categories, and an active community that's genuinely supportive when it comes to helping other members achieve their goals. The interest areas at WellSphere range from quitting smoking to Tai Chi to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles to weight loss and stress relief.”

“The trouble with most resolutions is that they're not so much goals as they are lofty ideas and desires. Services like WellSphere help you break those ideas down into goals you can work toward, step by step, bringing a supportive and active community together with a comprehensive personal management portal. WellSphere's tools helps you set manageable and attainable goals and then track your progress with customizable tools.”

“Filled with articles on eating better, relieving stress and stretching tips, this site will help you stick to your goals. WellSphere offers solutions that work for real people. There's a whole community to support you – you'll be able to consult with others who have been through it, find new friends, and get motivated. Additionally, you can find people in your area, learn new skills, and find the best areas to jog, swim, play, eat, relax, etc. There's a nationwide directory of gyms and spas, and personal trainers.”

“Wellsphere taps this phenomenon of positive peer social pressure, providing the support, motivation and accountability people need to stick to their goals... In its latest release, Wellsphere goes a step further by enabling members to track and chart their progress, and send automatic updates to friends and supporters. Members can post updates to the site directly from their mobile phones, and send themselves text message reminders to stay on track toward their goals when they're offline.”

“BeWell@Stanford is an interactive community platform that helps Stanford members connect, discover resources on and near campus, and share advice on healthy living. Members can post notes on their progress, get support from experts and peers, watch and share streaming videos, send compliments to each other, and invite friends and family to participate.”

“New Online Wellness Community Sends Stanford to Victory; University Crowned Most Active School in the Pac-10 Conference
...Stanford started the week-long competition in eighth place, but quickly sailed to the top spot by mobilizing BeWell@Stanford, a recently launched online community powered by Wellsphere to promote healthy living at Stanford.”

“Stanford edged out Washington State University at midnight Friday by logging 55,335 miles by its community, despite the fact that Stanford is the smallest of the Pac-10 schools. Stanford used a Web site launched a few weeks ago, BeWell@Stanford, to encourage university community members to become more physically active, according to Eric Stein, senior associate athletic director.”

“The smallest of the Pac-10 schools, Stanford started the week-long competition in eighth place, but quickly sailed to the top spot by mobilizing BeWell@Stanford, a recently launched online community powered by Wellsphere to promote healthy living at Stanford. After a neck-and-neck race with Washington State, Stanford was declared the winner at midnight on Friday with 55,335 miles logged by the community.”

“Here's an initiative that's worth blogbuzzing: Wellsphere, a company that focuses on building health-conscious communities on the Internet, has teamed up with Stanford University to launch Be Well@Stanford.”

“This notion that social networking can help support and promote wellness is a good example of how the so-called "people-powered Web" can be a part of the solution for a more innovative healthcare ecosystem that both improves the healthiness of broad populations, and in so doing may reduce costs.”

“Wellsphere helps people find the resources and routines that fit their personal lifestyles, and connects them with a fun and motivating network of supportive peers and experts. The company hosts a free public wellness community for consumers at www.wellsphere.com and creates proprietary contextual communities like BeWell@Stanford for large organizations seeking to improve the health and well being of their members.”

“Wellsphere Inc. said on Tuesday that Stanford University is offering its online health community services to its 30,000 students, faculty and staff. The San Mateo-based company and the university unveiled BeWell@Stanford, an online community promoting healthy living at the school.”

“Stanford University today unveiled BeWell@Stanford, an online community powered by Wellsphere to promote healthy living amount the school's 30,000 students, faculty, and staff. With the launch of its latest healthy living initiative, Stanford University once again shows its vision in brining technological innovation to solve a significant real problem – improving the health and well being of its population.”

“The Wellsphere platform personalizes each individual's experience based on his or her member profile, interests, privacy settings, and overall site activity.”

“I'm not a Facebook kind of person, but a new networking site is making me rethink that. Wellsphere.com is a community for sporty people, and it promises to make finding pickup games – volleyball, soccer, etc., or even running/biking/kiteboarding partners – easier than ever.”

“Wellsphere's (http://www.wellsphere.com) innovative approach to weight loss and healthy living has been affirmed by a groundbreaking study (http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/4/370) just released by the New England Journal of Medicine, revealing that obesity spreads from person to person, through social networks of friends and families. The study showed the same effect for weight loss, finding that "the relevance of social influence also suggests that it may be possible to harness this same force to slow the spread of obesity. Network phenomena might be exploited to spread positive health behaviors... People are connected, and so their health is connected." This mirrors the theory behind Wellsphere, an online community recently launched by Stanford graduates, specifically designed for people to help each other lose weight, stay fit and healthy.”

“The sites each have distinctive characteristics. Mountain View's LinkedIn connects professionals. Berkeley's MOG connects music lovers. San Mateo's Wellsphere connects health-conscious people.”

“A great new site that harnesses the online community to help individuals achieve their goals... It would be great to see a site like this really take off and expand into large scale goals.”

“A big part of its goal is for users to help each other, sharing advice, forming sub-communities online and engaging in real-world activities like running, biking or mountain climbing together.”

“By bringing together a supporting community of like-minded individuals, as well as targeted and relevant information on living a healthier, happier life, Wellsphere is perfectly positioned to fulfill the needs of tens of millions of people struggling to find something that works for them to improve their lifestyle and stick with it.”

“There are a lot of health-and-fitness sites out there, and I thought that Wellsphere was a nice blend of being very goal-oriented (the personal goal is an integral part of the user profile) without looking too much like a weight-loss site - a very easy trap for a fitness site to fall into. But what I liked most about Wellsphere is that it's very information-rich, making it more than just a social network for amassing friends list of fellow Pilates enthusiasts.”