Helen Foundation

What Helen Foundation does

Helen Foundation is a private U.S. healthcare foundation, founded in 2000 and based in Apache Junction, Arizona, that delivers a proprietary treatment protocol called Microdose Therapy™ for patients with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The protocol centers on patient self-administration of low-dose hydrocortisone (cortisol) tablets — doses calibrated below the body's natural daily cortisol production — taken only on symptomatic days and matched to symptom intensity, with the stated goal of resetting the body's deficient cortisol pulse response to inflammation without the side effects of conventional high-dose steroids. The therapy is supported by the proprietary Relief Radar online portal for daily symptom logging, a Patient Education Manual, telemedicine physician oversight, and dedicated coaching support.

The company was inspired by Helen's personal battle with rheumatoid arthritis and is led by founder Professor Virgil Stenberg, who is credited with over 50 years of scientific study behind the protocol, including a 1992 double-blind crossover clinical trial and a 2019 peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Inflammation Research covering 2,400 patients across 37 inflammatory diseases, reporting an average 76% symptom reduction. Additional claimed outcomes include 77% average improvement in fibromyalgia, 69% average improvement in dementia, and 2–3× the symptom-reduction performance of common prescription alternatives such as Duloxetine, Pregabalin, and Milnacipran, with no significant adverse reactions reported in 2,015 patients.

Helen Foundation operates a direct-to-consumer, telemedicine-first go-to-market model with national U.S. reach. Patients enroll through the company website, schedule a free 30-minute consultation via Calendly, and then receive the medication kit, education materials, Relief Radar access, telemedicine physician oversight, and coaching as part of a recurring treatment program; pricing is not publicly disclosed and out-of-network insurance reimbursement is supported via superbills. Customer acquisition is driven by an educational blog covering multiple inflammatory conditions, patient and physician testimonials, Facebook and Google reviews, and a free e-book authored by the founder ('Arthritis: The Simple Solution'), distributed via the website and Amazon Kindle. The company reports 2,600+ patients treated to date and serves adults with conditions including arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and dementia.

Name

Helen Foundation

Legal name

The Helen Foundation

Website

https://helenfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Helen Foundation is a private U.S. telemedicine-based provider of Microdose Therapy™, a proprietary low-dose hydrocortisone protocol for adults with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, delivering treatment, coaching, and symptom-tracking through a direct-to-consumer subscription program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chronic Inflammatory Disease Therapy

NAICS

Other Ambulatory Health Care Services (6219), Offices of Physicians (6211)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Medication Adherence, Digital Therapeutics & Remote Coaching (condition-specific programs) (HLALAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) / Non-Operative Musculoskeletal (HLAKALAL)

Keywords

• Microdose therapy
• Chronic inflammation treatment
• Autoimmune disease therapy
• Telemedicine consultations
• Hydrocortisone microdosing

Headquarters

HQ city

Apache Junction

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Microdose Therapy Treatment Program: The Helen Foundation generates revenue through its structured Microdose Therapy treatment program, which provides patients with hydrocortisone medication, a patient education manual, telemedicine physician access, a dedicated coach, and the Relief Radar symptom-tracking portal. The program involves an enrollment process and ongoing treatment delivery. Some components may be reimbursable under out-of-network insurance benefits, with the company assisting patients with documentation and superbills. Coverage varies by insurer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Helen Foundation provides a proprietary Microdose Therapy™ program for adults suffering from chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. The program combines individualized low-dose hydrocortisone treatment, telemedicine-based physician consultations, ongoing coaching, patient education, and outcomes tracking through the proprietary Relief Radar portal, sold directly to patients seeking relief where conventional treatments have fallen short.

Product overview

The Helen Foundation offers Microdose Therapy™ as its core product—a proprietary microdosing protocol using low-dose hydrocortisone for cortisone-responsive inflammatory conditions including arthritis, fibromyalgia, Parkinson's disease, asthma, multiple sclerosis, and dementia. The program combines patient self-administration of medication with daily symptom tracking via the proprietary Relief Radar online portal, telemedicine physician oversight, a Patient Education Manual, and dedicated coaching support. Additional offerings include a free ebook ('Arthritis: The Simple Solution' by Professor Virgil Stenberg) and free 30-minute consultations for prospective patients. The company is led by founder Professor Virgil Stenberg and was inspired by Helen's personal battle with rheumatoid arthritis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Microdose Therapy: A proprietary treatment protocol involving very small, controlled doses of medications that stimulate healing without side effects typically associated with higher doses. Effective for cortisone-responsive inflammatory conditions.

Products and services

• Microdose Therapy™ Program A recurring, telemedicine-delivered therapy program for adults with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, built on a proprietary low-dose hydrocortisone protocol and including physician consultations, coaching, education, and outcomes tracking.
• Free 30-Minute Consultation A complimentary introductory telehealth consultation with the Helen Foundation clinical team to determine whether a prospective patient is a candidate for the Microdose Therapy™ program.
• Arthritis: The Simple Solution (e-book) A free educational e-book offered as a content marketing and lead-generation resource to introduce prospective patients to the Helen Foundation's approach to chronic inflammatory conditions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% average symptom reduction across 2600+ patients with 37 inflammatory disease types (2019 Journal of Inflammation Research study)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hinge Health: Digital MSK care platform offering virtual physical therapy, coaching, and wearable-guided exercise programs for back, joint, and chronic pain — directly comparable to Helen Foundation's digital, coaching-supported, symptom-tracked approach to chronic inflammatory joint and pain conditions.
• Sword Health: Virtual MSK and pelvic-health platform pairing AI-enabled wearables with remote clinicians; mirrors Helen Foundation's thesis that tech-enabled remote delivery can displace in-person and pharma-led management of chronic inflammatory and pain conditions.
• Omada Health: Digital chronic-disease management platform for diabetes, hypertension, and MSK conditions using coaching, tracking, and remote oversight — a structurally analogous business model combining proprietary protocol, daily tracking, coaching, and outcomes-based positioning.
• Kaia Health: Digital therapeutics platform delivering app-based MSK pain, COPD, and chronic-condition programs with self-management, tracking, and human coaching — analogous to Helen Foundation's Relief Radar + coaching + self-administered treatment stack.
• Welldoc: Digital therapeutics company providing FDA-cleared, condition-specific chronic-care apps (diabetes, hypertension, heart failure) with daily tracking and clinician oversight — directly comparable as a regulated, condition-specific digital therapeutic with a similar coaching + portal operating model.
• Hims & Hers Health: DTC telehealth platform delivering prescription treatments directly to consumers via telemedicine consultations and recurring subscriptions — virtually identical GTM motion, subscription revenue model, and patient-acquisition funnel as Helen Foundation.

Broad incumbents

• Teladoc Health: Large-scale virtual care platform providing general medical, chronic-condition, and behavioral health visits; comparable as the dominant incumbent in the same telemedicine channel through which Helen Foundation delivers physician-supervised care.
• Amwell: Enterprise telehealth platform offering on-demand physician visits, chronic-care modules, and behavioral health; comparable incumbent providing the broader telehealth infrastructure model in which Helen Foundation's physician oversight sits.
• Included Health: Integrated virtual care, in-person referrals, and benefits-navigation platform for employer and payer populations; broadly comparable as an incumbent delivering physician-supervised chronic-care management at national scale with coaching-style support.
• GoodRx: DTC healthcare platform combining telehealth visits, prescription access, and medication savings; comparable incumbent operating the same consumer-facing, cash-pay-with-superbill funnel that Helen Foundation relies on for patient acquisition and pricing transparency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/helenfoundation
• Xx.com/HelenFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helen-foundation-clinic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Helen Foundation