LymeUNITED Be Kind Community Guidelines

We Are LymeUNITED

LymeUNITED is

• a kind, safe, and vital membership community of empowered people, or their families and caretakers, working to overcome Lyme and related diseases;
• people working together to find effective health solutions; and  
• powered, but not limited, by the self-help website, store, and books of Marty Ross, MD.

If you have not read them, please read the Circle Privacy Policy and Terms of Service which we follow in LymeUNITED.

Expectations for All Community Members 

Be Kind and Respectful 

Out there, people living with Lyme are often political, medical, or social outcasts. Here we expect better. 

Any support community is fundamentally about belonging—there's no need to be mean, rude, offensive, or antagonistically political. While it is fine to challenge the ideas or arguments of others in LymeUNITED, avoid calling them names or making disrespectful comments about them. If you and another member of LymeUNITED have a disagreement, make an effort to understand their points of view before you respond to them. And when you respond, strive to resolve disagreements and misunderstandings. 

Be Tolerant

LymeUNITED stands against all forms of dehumanizing or unlawful treatment of others, including but not limited to all forms of cyberbullying, cyber-harassment, hate speech, or threats based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, disability, or immigration status. 

Don't Promote, Solicit, or Spam

There are plenty of places on the Internet for that; this is not one of them. We reserve the right, at our complete discretion, to remove any comments or statements that we or our systems identify as promotions, solicitations, or spam.

Keep Discussions Relevant and Reasonable

LymeUNITED is a community about Lyme disease, tick-borne illnesses, and related conditions. We do not want you to feel limited or constrained to any specific topics or ideas, but topics or ideas that have no apparent relation to Lyme disease, tick-borne disease, related conditions like mold toxicity and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, or our community’s stated goals are likely not relevant.

Respect the Privacy of Others

This is a private community for people, or their families and caretakers, living with Lyme disease, tick-borne illnesses, or related conditions who pay for our product. In general, we'd love for everyone to be as open and transparent as they want to be, but we want their privacy to be respected. Please do not share anyone’s nonpublic personal information on our platform. Do not use our platform to dox, extort, harass, or spread false and disparaging rumors about others. 

Zoom Links Are For Members Only

We host live events on Zoom. When you sign up for a live event, we will provide you with a link to the event Zoom Room. Zoom links are for LymeUNITED members only. Do not share Zoom links with non-members. 

What Happens if Your Violate Our Community Guidelines

We are here to work with you while we create a safe environment for members of this community. If you violate our Be Kind Community Guidelines we may take one or more of the following actions at our sole discretion with no explanation to any person beyond the individual(s) involved. We may

• provide gentle reminders,
• deliver strong warnings and remove content, or even
• remove the violator from the community without refund or eligibility to reapply in the future.

We have a zero tolerance policy for harassment and sexual advances.

If you believe someone has violated our Be Kind Community Guidelines, you can notify us by clicking the three dots at the right upper corner of the post. As an alternative, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about our Be Kind Community Guidelines, please email Christine at: [email protected]

Thanks for Being Here

Thanks for reading the Be Kind Community Guidelines and helping to keep this community a safe and vital place for people to recover from Lyme disease and related conditions.

*NOTE: A significant portion of these community guidelines is either taken directly from or based on the Circle platform Code of Conduct.