About Us
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TSW Assist is a platform that discovers insights of methods used by the community to manage the symptoms experienced during topical steroid withdrawal.
People dealing with this condition spend time on forums and support groups trying to find the cure.
The reality is, there is no current medical cure.
But throughout the community, there are ways to manage the symptoms during the withdrawal period. There is a wealth of knowledge that come from the people with a lived-experience and their carers.
Crowdsourcing
Think of platforms like Duolingo, Kickstarter, reCaptcha, Waze, or Wikipedia. The success of these ideas were accelerated by crowdsourcing strategies.
When people unite for a common cause, great things can happen. We can all contribute to research about this condition. Together, we can build a vast knowledge database about products, medications, routines, methods, and therapies to help us all understand the withdrawal period better.
For healthcare professionals
If you are a healthcare professional or researcher and our mission resonates with you, we invite you to collaborate with us. Sufferers and carers are seeking your support.
How it works
1. Community Survey
People share their experiences through our survey.
2. Data Analysis
Our team will analyze and normalize the data using advanced algorithms and tools.
3. Insights shared
The insights are updated on our website each month and emailed to you. All insights will be anonymous.
Sufferers and carers
Survey answers and data points
Global community of subscribers
Stats last updated on Aug 6 2023
From the founder
At 7 years old, I was hospitalised at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Australia for the severity of my eczema.
Steroid creams were the only solution that gave me relief. It allowed me to live an eczema-free life.
After nearly two decades of using of the highest potency steroid creams, it came to a point of tachyphylaxis.
Choosing to discontinue using topical steroids, I went through multiple rounds of withdrawals for six years. My skin felt like it was on fire. I had open wounds that wouldn’t heal, hair loss, thermoregulation issues, chronic nerve pain, and insomnia. It was a living nightmare.
Fortunately for me, I’ve been completely healed for 2 years and thriving. But millions of others suffer in silence, barely surviving.
I was supported by medical doctors, dermatologists, naturopaths, and TCM practitioners. I tried different medications, skin products, courses, and therapies to improve my condition. Some helped, and some made no difference to my condition.
What also helped me were the anecdotal recommendations for specific symptoms from other TSW sufferers and their carers within Facebook groups. But this was an overwhelming process of trial and error. There was no tracking of the collective efficacy of these anecdotal methods. And so, TSW Assist was created.
From the founder
At 7 years old, I was hospitalised at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Australia for the severity of my eczema.
Steroid creams were the only solution that gave me relief. It allowed me to live an eczema-free life.
After nearly two decades of using of the highest potency steroid creams, it came to a point of tachyphylaxis.
Choosing to discontinue using topical steroids, I went through multiple rounds of withdrawals for six years. My skin felt like it was on fire. I had open wounds that wouldn’t heal, hair loss, thermoregulation issues, chronic nerve pain, and insomnia. It was a living nightmare.
Fortunately for me, I’ve been completely healed for 2 years and thriving. But millions of others suffer in silence, barely surviving.
I was supported by medical doctors, dermatologists, naturopaths, and TCM practitioners. I tried different medications, skin products, courses, and therapies to improve my condition. Some helped, and some made no difference to my condition.
What also helped me were the anecdotal recommendations for specific symptoms from other TSW sufferers and their carers within Facebook groups. But this was an overwhelming process of trial and error. There was no tracking of the collective efficacy of these anecdotal methods. And so, TSW Assist was created.
I believe the best information comes from people who’ve walked in the same shoes. Combine this with the care and guidance of expert healthcare professionals, and people can manage their condition better.
This platform is not the cure for topical steroid withdrawal or eczema, but a step towards a journey of integrative support.
Our goal is to connect suffers and carers to health professionals who can support them. This integrated support could look like a combination of care routines, alternative treatment, and medical and pharmaceutical support.
In it’s current form, TSW Assist is a collective database of insights for the community and by the community.
If you are experiencing the symptoms of topical steroid withdrawal, I hope this platform is helpful for you. We’re building something that I needed during my hardest days.
Jason Vergara
Founder
Jason has worked and consulted in the Australian tech startup space over the past decade – most recently on AI and DisabilityTech projects. He is a digital strategist and SEO lead by profession, who is passionate about human-centered technology that creates access to healthcare.
Jason Vergara
Founder
Jason has worked and consulted in the Australian tech startup space over the past decade – most recently on AI and DisabilityTech projects. He is a digital strategist and SEO lead by profession, who is passionate about human-centered technology that creates access to healthcare.
