Seeking a cure, patients find a dose of conversation online

Intimate exchanges among people living with disease are part of an unconventional strategy HealthCentral is following in an attempt to provide health information online. The company has unleashed dozens of independent Web sites about health topics, all with the hope of drawing people in search of help from others with similar problems. Each of the HealthCentral sites features information such as symptoms and treatments, and the heart of the sites is a system connecting visitors with doctors and patient bloggers.