StemCell Therapy

The winter is arguably one of the more scenic times of the year, in addition to being the busiest. What with all we have going on this time of year, there simply isn't time to get sick. The good news? It's nearly all preventable. So, here are thecommon winter ailmentsto be wary of.

Perhaps the mostcommon winter ailmentis the common cold. Some signs that you may have a cold is if you are suffering from sneezing, coughing, a stuffy nose, and a sore throat. A common cold will typically last two to three days, but the sickness may last longer, depending on the individual. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get rest, drink fluids, and take over-the-counter medicine.

Another sickness you must be cautious of during the winter is the flu. The flu can spread easily becauseit's viral infection, ratherthan a bacterial one. You may have the flu if you have symptoms like a high fever, headache, exhaustion, coughing, fatigue, and more. The best way to avoid the flu is to be preventative and get the flu shot.

Excessive coughing can also lead to bronchitis, which occurs in the lungs. Two different types of bronchitis you can suffer from include chronic and acute. Seek medical attention if you notice coughing with mucus, a fever, shortness of breath, a wheezing sound when you breathe, or low energy.

During the winter months, you may also feel pain in your throat. While you could just have a sore throat, which is a symptom of the common cold, it may be more serious. Strep throat can be identified by the red tonsils with white spots that you'll develop. The pain may be more persistent for a longer period, too.

An insidious illness that wanders in the winter is pneumonia. Like bronchitis, pneumonia occurs in the lungs and will cause excessive coughing. While they have similar symptoms, pneumonia can be more serious, which is why visiting a doctor as soon as possible is essential.

More:
5 Common Winter Ailments to Be Wary Of - Kiowa County Press

In January 2017, the Minnesota State Demographic Center published the report Greater Minnesota: Refined & Revisited. The 68-page document took a hard look at the state outside the population hub of the metro area in order to identify trends driven by Minnesotas changing demographics.

Among the most significant is that Greater Minnesotans are aging faster than their urban counterparts. The findings noted residents of rural and small-town Minnesota are more than twice as likely to be age 80 or older than residents in urban parts of the state. More than 1 in 20 residents in rural and small-town areas in Minnesota were 80 or above, and 44 percent of rural residents were over 50 at the time of the report, compared to 32 percent of urban dwellers.

Unfortunately, as individuals age, they need more health care services, but rural residents are finding fewer care providers available to them. They also report higher rates of perceived fair and poor health and face higher mortality rates than do their urban counterparts. Thats according to the 2017 Minnesota Department of Healths Office of Rural Health publication, Snapshot of Health in Rural Minnesota.

All of those things put together just make [Greater Minnesota] a more complicated environment to provide health care in, says Carrie Henning-Smith, deputy director at the Us Rural Health Research Center, part of the Division of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health. Not better or worse, just more complicated.

Bringing doctors into rural Minnesota

The Us Rural Health Research Center studies access to and quality of health care and population health outcomes in rural areas. Its one of seven such health research centers across the country funded by the federal government to improve health outcomes in areas that have unequal access to providers, compared to more urban locations.

Although areas in Greater Minnesota with larger cities such as St. Cloud, Rochester, Duluth, or Mankato have robust health care systems that are easily accessible to nearby residents, more rural areas of the state do not. And as residents in those areas age, they often must travel farther and farther to seek health care.

During a recent trip to Worthington, a town of roughly 12,500 located in far southwestern Minnesota, U of M President Joan Gabel says one of the things she heard from local residents is that they need more help bringing doctors to the area. They asked her if there were ways in which the U could facilitate that?

Henning-Smith says recruiting health care providers to rural clinics is harder now than it was decades ago. Part of the reason is because those providers cant be as flexible in their daily practice as they can in bigger cities.

You cant specialize in any one particular population or health problem, Henning-Smith says about providers in smaller communities. You need to be able to do the full range of practice, and health providers arent always comfortable with that.

That full range of practice is often delivered by primary care doctors, who offer routine, preventative services on a regular basis, and also help patients better navigate the complex health care system. But according to the federal Health Resources & Services Administration, which tracks what are known as Health Professional Shortage Areas, Minnesota has 133 areas with a shortage of medical professionals, including primary care physicians. Only two such areas are in the metro the rest are in Greater Minnesota.

The HRSA lists Lonsdale/Erin/Shieldsville in Rice County, Oshawa in Nicollet County and St. Mary in Waseca County as medically underserved areas. Nearly every Minnesota county aside from the Twin Cities metro and Rochester area is listed as having to have a shortage of mental-health professionals as determined by federal guidelines.

Ironically, at the same time the state notes a shortage of doctors in Greater Minnesota, it also estimates there are between 250 and 400 foreign-trained doctors who cannot practice medicine here without first completing a U.S. residency. And finding a residency in the U.S. can be expensive, time-consuming, and difficult for a physician who may not be a native English speaker or familiar with this countrys medical requirements.

As a first step to helping foreign-trained doctors qualify for a U.S. residency, the U offers a program called BRIIDGE, or Bridge to Residency for Immigrant International Doctor Graduates through clinical Experience. This nine-month program is open to individuals who have a medical doctors degree or the international equivalent; who were born outside the U.S., but who have been permanent, lawful residents of Minnesota for at least two years; and who meet other requirements. BRIIDGE helps those who qualify complete pre-residency requirements so they can proceed to the next step in seeking U.S. licensure.

Michael Westerhaus, M.D., an assistant professor at the U of M Twin Cities campus and director of the program, says that in the first year, four out of four participants in BRIIDGE matched into Minnesota-based residencies. In year two, two of six have so far matched into residencies; the other four are currently applying.

Another related program in which the University participates, the International Medical Graduate Program, offers funding to help international doctors pursue their residencies. IMG was started by the Minnesota Department of Healths Office of Rural Health and Primary Care and currently funds six residency positions, three of which are at the medical school. Students who receive funding agree to work for five years in one of the states underserved areas after they complete their schooling.

Khaled Mohammed, M.D., who attended medical school in his native Egypt, is a current IMG-funded resident who expects to graduate from the medical school next spring. After 10 years of training in his home country, Mohammed came to the U.S. in 2011 for a research scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh. He went to the Mayo Clinic for a research fellowship in 2013, then enrolled in his residency at the U of M in 2017.

While his first two years in residency kept him in rotations in the Twin Cities, for his last year, he is planning an elective rotation in rural Minnesota, although hes not sure where yet. How that rotation goes will factor into where he practices after graduation. (He could also stay in the metro to practice in an underserved area through Childrens Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and Hennepin Health care.)

After Im done with my elective, I will have an understanding about practicing in rural settings, Mohammed says.

Another program the U offers to help introduce medical professionals to practice areas in Greater Minnesota is the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP). RPAP was established in 1971 as a collaboration between the medical school and the Minnesota Legislature, in response to a shortage of medical providers in rural parts of the state even then.

Kirby Clark is a family physician who has been leading the program for the last two years. He said medical education has long been very metro-centric. The point of RPAP can be summed up in a quote that Clark attributes to the late Jack Verby, another family doctor who helped establish the program: You dont train somebody to work in forestry by training them in a lumberyard.

Clark explains: You want to get [students] serving in a community, learning in a community that looks like where theyre going to practice. RPAP places third-year medical school students on rotations for nine months in clinics across the state. Positions stretch from as far north as Roseau, near the Canadian border, to as far south as Luverne, near the South Dakota and Iowa borders. RPAP is optional, but allows students to meet their third-year requirements. Roughly 35 students, or 20 percent of the U of M-Twin Cities class, participate in the program each year.

Clark adds that about 50 percent of students who participate in RPAP will go on to work in rural clinics after residency.

Go here to see the original:
In sickness and in health: Access to nearby, quality health care is a growing priority in Greater Minnesota - Southernminn.com

A pioneering zoologist who was among the first to study giraffes in the wild while championing gender equality.A church minister and politician who was part of Canadas early LGBTQ movement and performed one of the country's first same-sex marriages.And a professor in the Faculty of Medicine who's known around the world for his expertise on diabetes.

These are just a few of the University of Toronto community members faculty, alumni and supporters who recently joined or were promoted within the Order of Canada, one of the country'shighest civilian honours.

The latest appointees to the Order, and promotions within it, were announced today by Governor General Julie Payette herself a U of T alumna. The long list of honourees with ties to U of T include alumnae such asAnne Innis Dagg, a zoologist and feminist, andCheri DiNovo, areverend and former MPP. It also includes faculty such as Bernard Zinman, a professorin the department of medicine and a clinician-scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute who was promoted to Officer of the Order for his contributions to diabetes research and for his development of advanced preventative therapies.

Prominent supporters of the university and its partners were recognized, too.

Heather Reisman, the founder, chair and CEO of Indigo, was promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian book publishing and children's literacy, and for her transformational philanthropy. Reisman and her husbandGerald Schwartzearlier this year donated $100 million to U of Tthe largest gift ever in the universitys history to establish the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre and the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society.

Heather Reisman, the founder and CEO of Indigo, was promoted to Officer. She and her husband Gerry Schwartz earlier this year donated $100 million to U of T to establish theSchwartz Reisman Innovation Centre and the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society(Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

In addition toZinman,thelist of current or former U of T faculty who were named or promoted within the Order islengthy. It includes:

Donald Dingwell, a world-renowned volcanologist, was named an Officer of the Order for his contributions to the field of volcanology and for promoting scientific involvement in public policy.Now teaching in Germany, Dingwell began his academic career at U of T.

Mark Henkelman, a professor emeritus in the department of medical biophysics in the Faculty of Medicine, was named an Officer of the Orderfor his pioneering contributions to the field of medical imaging. He's a senior scientist emeritus at the Hospital for Sick Children, director of the Mouse Imaging Centre and a past winner of the Killam Prize for his substantial contributions to the health sciences.

Mel Watkins, a professor emeritus in the department of economics, was named a a Member of the Order forhis contributions as a political economist and for his advocacy of social justice. He was the chief author of the 1968 federal report, known as the Watkins Report,on the costs and benefits of foreign ownership of the Canadian economy.

Josef Svoboda with crew taking measurements, circa 1980s-90s (photo courtesy of Steve Jaunzems/University of Toronto Mississauga)

Josef Svoboda, a professor emeritus of biology at U of T Mississauga and an expert on Arctic ecology, was named an Officer of the Order for his pioneering research on tundra ecosystems and for his lifelong mentorship of scientists studying the Arctic.

Ken Greenberg,an urban designer, teacher, writer and former adjunct professor in the master of urban design program in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, was named a Member of the Order.

Anthony Miller, a physician-epidemiologist and professor emeritus in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, was named a Member of the Order for his work in cancer epidemiology as well as cancer control policies and practices.

Robin McLeod, a professor of general surgery in the Faculty of Medicine, was named an Officer of the Order for her contributions to surgical oncology and innovations in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics.

Shoo Lee, a professor in obstetrics and gynaecology who is cross-appointed to pediatrics in U of T's Faculty of Medicine, was also appointed an Officer of the Order for his contributions in neonatal medicine.

Anthony Miller, a professor emeritus in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health who has also donated to funds supporting research at U of T, was named a Member of the Order for his contributions in cancer epidemiology, as well ascancer control policies and practices.

A number of prominent U of T alumni were also named to the Order, or promoted within its ranks, in the latest round but perhaps one of the more famililar names to the U of T community is Innis Dagg, who was named a Member of the Order.

The daughter ofHarold Innis, a political economist, communications studies pioneer and namesake of U of T's Innis College, Innis Dagg obtained a master's in genetics at U of T in 1956. Soon after, at 23, she arranged to stay at a farm in South Africa using only her initials in correspondence to avoid discrimination in order to study giraffes in the wild. She's credited with being the first westerner to conduct system observations of a large mammal in the wild, even before Jane Goodall and DianFossey studied primates.

After returning to Canada and facing sexism in her field,she promoted gender equality on top of continuing her ground-breaking scientific work. In addition to being named a Member of the Order of Canada,she's the subject of a recent documentary,The Woman Who Loved Giraffes.

Anne Innis Dagg, seen here at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago feeding a giraffe (photo by Elaisa Vargas)

DiNovo, another alumna, became involved in queer activism in the early 1970s. She served as an MPP for Parkdale High Park for 11 years until leaving politics to return to the church. The first LGBTQ critic in the history of the Ontario legislature, she was named a Member of the Order for her contributions to provincial politics and her lifelong advocacy of social justice.

Other U of T alumni were recognized for contributions to everything from health care to the arts and gymnastics.

Alumnus Larry Rosen, chairman and CEO of the menswear chain Harry Rosen, was appointed a Member of the Order for establishing one of Canada's most valuable retail brands.

Duncan Sinclair, who received his master of science degree at U of T and went on to assume senior academic positions at Queen's University, was appointed a Member of the Order for his contributions to health care.

U of T alumnaCheri DiNovowas the first LGBTQ critic in the history of the Ontario legislature (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Sister Sue Mostellerwho received her bachelor's from St. Michael's College in 1968, was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for her work helping people with intellectual disabilities.

Rev. James Scott, who graduated with a bachelors degreefrom Victoria College in religious studies, was named an Officer of the Order for his work in advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and his advocacy of restorative justice.

Alumna Joyce Hisey was named a Member of the Order as a member for her contributions to figure skatingas a judge, referee and mentor.

Alumnus Stuart McGill was named a Member of the Order for his contributions to understanding the biomechanics of the spinal column and the development of rehabilitation programs.

Slava Corn, who graduated from U of T in 1967, was recognized for her contributions to gymnastics as a judge, administrator and volunteer (photo by Paul Cunningham/Corbis via Getty Images)

Beverly Thomson, who earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from U of T Mississauga, was named a Member of the Order in recognition of her contributions to the broadcast industry, volunteerism and support of health-care organizations.

Wayne Fairhead, a graduate of the master in education program who has taught at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, was named a Member of the Orderfor his leadership of the Sears Drama Festival and for inspiring youth to take up the theatre arts.

Daniel Hays, an alumnus and lawyer who was named to the Senate by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1984, was made an Officer of the Order for his contributions to the province of Alberta and distinguished public service, including in the Senate.

AlumnaSlava Cornwas named an Officer of the Order for her contributions to gymnastics as a judge, administrator and volunteer.

Did we miss anybody? If you know of an Order of Canada honouree with ties to U of T who was announced in this latest round but isn't mentioned above, please let us know at uoftnews@utoronto.ca.

See the article here:
U of T faculty, alumni and other members of university community named to Order of Canada - News@UofT

Photo: Contributed

Piling on the pounds at Christmas has long been the trade off for enjoying yourself during the festivities nobody wants to be a Scrooge with their food during the holidays.

I understand; the food at Christmas is delicious, the alcohol flows freely and gifts can often come in the form of a chocolate box.

Here are my health hacks for enjoying Christmas to the full, without the expanding waistline to match.

Keep track

Use an app like MyFitnessPal to track your calorie intake as accurately as possible. You dont even need a calorie goal; the sharply rising number is often enough to put you off your fifth mince pie.

Caution with your portions

Load your plate with vegetables, and promise yourself you can add seconds of meat, stuffing and potatoes if you really want it.

Chances are, youll be full and wont need to go back for more.

Think about your drink

Alcohol forms a large part of your calorie intake. As well as tracking it and being aware of the calories in your choices, choose sugar free mixers and limit fruit juice

Walk off the weight

Get out of the house for a walk with your family, or use it as a chance to re-centre yourself alone, in what can be a really hectic time.

As well as being great for your mental health, every step boosts your metabolism

Go low

When grocery shopping and cooking, aim to use low fat and sugar foods, such as dairy, spreads, salad dressings and oil.

Focus on the good stuff

Rather than seeing this as a restrictive approach to food, try and focus on the foods full of fibre, vitamins and healthy fats and protein, like turkey and all the seasonal vegetables on offer.

You can also try making healthier alternatives to classic Christmas recipes, such as low fat gingerbread men or chocolate protein balls.

Think before you eat

Ask yourself; am I eating this because Im hungry, because Im bored or because its in front of me? If its the latter two, stop. Suggest a game or a walk to break up the mindless munching.

Tis the season to be jolly

Take time to check in on your mental health.

With your routine out of whack, food, sleep and exercise taking a turn for the worse, and the added pressure of cooking, cleaning and overspending, Christmas can be tough.

Delegate jobs if youre struggling, and remind yourself of whats really important. Its only one day of the year; its really not worth stressing over.

Go here to see the original:
Health hacks this Christmas - Health and Happiness - Castanet.net

WeTheTrillions wants to make it easier for people - especially women - to eat healthier, with an ... [+] emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods.

Its long been said that food is medicine, but the healthcare system doesnt always treat it as such. Despite the fact that we need to eat every day, multiple times a day, just to stay alive, medical schools in the U.S. provide on average only 19 hours of nutritional education throughout a doctors training.

As a result, your doctor may be able to prescribe you a medicine to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, or any number of other conditions, but they simply might not know how to advise you to try to prevent illness in the first place.

But some folks are trying to change that. WeTheTrillions is a public benefit corporation that is approaching nutritious food as not just part of a healthy lifestyle, but as one of the first to leverage technology and prescription-grade delivered meals as the frontlines of preventative healthcare to stop the epidemic of chronic conditions touching more than 60 percent of adults in the US. The company is named for the trillions of microbes in each of our gut biomes along with trillions of cells, which make up the central focus of the companys food-as-medicine because of the gut biomes role in well, virtually every part of our lives and bodies.

WeTheTrillions main product is ready-to-eat customized meal and snack options, and those who subscribe to their weekly meal plans also have access to health specialists to discuss and stay on top of their goals and concerns. They also provide software to clinicians so they can track progress and help patients reach tangible results through a customized food program. This could be for patients suffering from IBS, diabetes, anemia or any other female-related hormonal imbalances.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 percent of doctors recommendations to patients with chronic illnesses are not followed and this number goes up to more than 70 percent when it comes to lifestyle changes like dietary guidelines, says Lamiaa Bounahmidi, Founder and CEO of WeTheTrillions. Closing that gap is already making WeTheTrillions an appealing solution to hundreds of doctors across the US who see this as an immediate intervention to leverage theory and practice for preventative healthcare and help save trillions of dollars in healthcare bills - effectively staunching the leading public health crisis of the 21st century: chronic disease.

To know your eligibility for a WeTheTrillions program, you first start by filling out a 3-minute online intake quiz and then have a 20-min call with a health specialist to fully customize your plan and agree on clear target biomarkers levels to reach. The process is based on an aggregation of evidence-based randomized controlled trials to provide a fully science-driven approach beyond fad diets.

Notably, theyre also looking to set up machines in urban and rural food deserts that offer affordable options via subsidization through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other government assistance programs. And all the food is 100% plant-based, a choice justified by medical evidence that currently points to a veggie-heavy diet for its abilities to fight heart disease, diabetes, and strokes as well as hormonal balance and gut health.

But their approach to food as preventative medicine is more specific and science-backed than simply offering healthy plant-based foods. While the meals are, theoretically, for anyone looking to eat well and improve their health, much of the emphasis is on using food to treat Polycystic ovary syndrome, menopause symptoms, fertility, and other issues pertaining to womens reproductive health. Even the general health issues WeTheTrillions seeks to address, like anemia, often disproportionately affect women, especially women of color.

Theres a reason to believe that this method of specifically targeting womens reproductive and general health could be an effective strategy in improving the overall health of society. Overwhelming evidence links maternal health to that of children, which together affect the overall health of society. A society with healthy women is more likely to have healthy children who will grow into healthy adults. WeTheTrillions emphasis on the health of female-sexed people is not exclusive, but it is strong and forward-thinking.

There are a plethora of premade or prepped meal kits on the market now, many of which are vegan, organic, and health-focused. Not all of them, however, can claim to have the medical emphasis of WeTheTrillions, with its specific issue-based meal plans and grand focus on making food accessible via work, school, physicians, and public assistance.In a way, its simplicity is inspiring: to improve the health of society at large, eat plants. The work of doctors, scientists, and public health experts boil down to some tasty vegetables on your plate customized to your unique health needs.

Read the rest here:
WeTheTrillions Says The Future Of Public Health Is Female And Plant-Based - Forbes

BILLERICA, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Powering Precision Health (PPH), the internationally acclaimed Summit focused on precision health and the latest in biomarker research, drew record attendance at its fourth-annual event held Nov. 19 in Barcelona, Spain, convening the worlds foremost scientists and medical leaders in precision health to introduce novel and disruptive research across the fields of neurology and oncology.

The PPH Summit continues to evolve and grow as the global epicenter for transforming healthcare with the use of non-invasive biochemical biomarkers, and this years event was no exception, said Kevin Hrusovsky, PPH Founder. PPH Summit is a unique opportunity to collaborate on the many seminal advances in measuring biomarkers minimally invasively, understanding their role in health, personalized treatment and disease prevention from a global community of scientific leaders. The research around blood-based biomarkers is gaining significant traction in the healthcare industry. The 2019 Summit offered us the chance to discuss and debate credible advances toward the clinic in drug development utilizing biomarkers and the mounting body of evidence these breakthroughs are advancing in preventative medicine around the world. We are excited to see so many of todays leading medical innovators, investors and patient advocates focused on utilizing disruptive biomarker technologies to advance the science that powers precision health.

Hrusovsky kicked off the Summit with a talk entitled, Vision to Reality: Disrupting Healthcare with Digital Biomarkers, highlighting the growing clinical evidence for neurofilament light (Nf-L) as a blood biomarker for detecting, prognosing and monitoring neurodegenerative conditions, and driving new biomarker research breakthroughs in oncology and immuno-oncology. The attendees were energized for an important day of discussions, tackling high-priority disease areas such as cancer and neurodegeneration with blood-based biomarkers as evidenced by the more than 40 research presentations shared at the event alone. There are now over 650 third-party peer-reviewed publications highlighting disruptive biomarker technologies for early disease detection, drug development and disease prevention.

Attendees were also treated to a fireside chat-style Q&A, Fraud is Not a Trade Secret, with Tyler Shultz, CEO of Flux Biosciences, Inc., widely known as the Theranos whistleblower, which highlighted the importance of PPHs impact on restoring transparency and investor trust. Hosted by Nasdaq Spotlight correspondent Lyanne Alfaro, Shultz and Hrusovsky discussed the importance of ethics, accountability and nurturing a culture of transparency and open debate in medical innovation and entrepreneurship.

Highlights from PPH 2019 Neurology Track include research presentations further revealing the advantages of Quanterix Simoa technology in enabling sensitive detection of important biomarkers in many neurological diseases. In particular, several talks highlighted the role of Nf-L as a promising diagnosis and treatment monitoring biomarker in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and suggested that it is getting close to becoming a clinically relevant tool. Nf-L was also reported as a promising biomarker for several other neurodegenerative diseases such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Parkinsons disease, ALS, Huntington disease and peripheral neuropathies. In one of the presentations, new data revealed that Nf-L levels were elevated in mutation carriers several years prior to clinical symptoms of Huntington disease, observations similar to those published earlier for ALS, AD, FTD and MS. The collective data suggests that Nf-L may become a screening tool for people at risk for developing neurodegenerative diseases earlier, and will in turn facilitate clinical trials, and eventually a better chance for people suffering from those diseases, to be treated earlier and more successfully. Additionally, new data was also presented on phosphorylated tau and its potential to aid in detection of amyloid pathologies when used in combination with other biomarkers, such as amyloid beta isoforms 40 and 42. Many PPH speakers continuously emphasized the importance of panels of biomarkers that allow identification of specific disease mechanisms and endophenotypes in the future.

Andrew Beard, Head of Business Development and Companion Diagnostics, Molecular Services US at Siemens Healthineers, talked about the transition of a biomarker from research to clinical use. He also described the importance of combining imaging with molecular measurements, including Nf-L. Beard described development of the Nf-L assay on the automated immunoanalyzer to support future global use of Nf-L in clinic.

The PPH 2019 Oncology Track featured research extolling the benefits of ultra-sensitive immunoassays for biomarker analysis in clinical samples, as well as analytical and diagnostic validation of single and multiplex protein biomarkers for the detection of cancer. The expert panel discussion, Applying Digital Protein Biomarkers to Oncology & Immuno-Oncology: Is the Time Now? addressed the critical nature of using fit for purpose validated biomarkers to advance drug discovery and development efforts for anti-angiogenesis inhibitors, immuno-oncology and other key inflammatory applications, breast cancer, and how to choose and implement relevant biomarkers in clinical practice.

PPH is about collaboration; its what we can learn from each other. Thats going to get us answers much faster than working independently, continued Hrusovsky. Scientific breakthroughs shared at this years event are creating a groundswell of new opportunities for seeing disease earlier in the cascade and long before symptoms present and hopefully leading to new strategies for drug development, therapy response and prevention.

The PPH 2019 Summit was made possible thanks to the generosity of multiple sponsors who embraced the vision of precision health, including: Biogen, Novartis, BTIG, Quanterix, Canaccord Genuity, Cowen Group, C2N, Adx NeuroSciences, Leerink, JP Morgan, Avison Young, Mintz Levin and Octave BioSciences.

Presentations are available for viewing here and in addition, watch the panel discussion on Challenges and Opportunities for Blood Tests for Alzheimers, MS, Parkinsons, and ALS, featuring several of todays leading scientific minds hailing from the University Hospital of Basel, the University of Gothenburg, Memorial Healthcare and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. To learn more about the PPH Summit, visit: https://poweringprecisionhealth.org.

About Powering Precision HealthPowering Precision Health is the world's first independent, non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the world's leading physicians, scientists, innovators, investors and patient advocates together to unveil their latest research on new biomarkers that are revolutionizing precision health. Founded by Kevin Hrusovsky, a widely acclaimed thought leader and visionary in life sciences and personalized medicine, Powering Precision Health is a movement that represents the intersection of new technological capabilities with the latest medical research. Its rooted in the science of precision medicine, which shows personalized treatments to be an increasingly more effective way to maximize drug efficacy and minimize toxicity. In addition to the impact environmental and lifestyle factors can have on minimizing disease triggers, precision health marks an evolution in the way we approach disease and aims to inspire a full healthcare transformation, from philosophy to approach to outcome. In an industry often plagued by skepticism and marred by false promises, PPH puts science first and brings together stakeholders that span from fundamental research to clinical practice, investors, policy makers, patient advocacy groups, and anyone who embraces the vision of Powering Precision Health. Featuring a distinguished keynote lineup of dignitaries, the Summit unveils groundbreaking approaches to prevention, early diagnosis, and next-generation treatments. Powering Precision Health is supported thanks to the generous contributions of sponsors from a wide range of companies and organizations committed to advancing precision health.

Twitter:@KevinHrusovsky @PPHSUMMIT

Facebook:@PoweringPrecisionHealth

LinkedIn:@PoweringPrecisionHealth

The rest is here:
Powering Precision Health Summit Convenes the World's Most Renowned Scientific Innovators Advancing Biomarker Technologies - Business Wire

Women have more control over their healthcare journeys when they can access preventative services, and have opportunities to detect and treat adverse conditions early."

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (PRWEB) December 12, 2019

Aeroflow Healthcare, a leading durable medical equipment (DME) provider and Inc. 5000 fastest growing company, and its executive leadership announced their continued support and public advocacy for female and mother/baby health rights via the Affordable Healthcare Act.

Aeroflow emphasizes the ACAs purpose of protecting many groups, including women, and under it, making preventative health services accessible for women with no cost-sharing meaning complete insurance coverage. These services include mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, prenatal care, and breastfeeding supplies, support and services, among many others.

It is Aeroflow Healthcares position that preventative healthcare is of utmost importance for the women in our lives, not only for their own livelihood, but for that of the children they bear and are often the primary caregiver and guardian of. U.S. healthcare is littered with statistics highlighting a much higher than expected infant mortality rate and an unacceptable number of complications and health scares both pre- and post-childbirth. The protection of the ACA should be reflective of the overwhelming support for legislature that provides preventative medicine and additional womens and family rights, ultimately saving patients and providers money.

Aeroflow stands in staunch support of the rights and welfare of expectant mothers, families, and women and men responsible for the guardianship of children, said Amanda Baethke, Director of Corporate Development. Women have more control over their healthcare journeys when they can access preventative services, and have opportunities to detect and treat adverse conditions early. As the ACA makes provisions for these services, we stand with the majority of American citizens who seek to protect it, and encourage the public to contact your representative in congress and tell them that the women in your life are far too important to lose healthcare options.

About Aeroflow Healthcare

Aeroflow Healthcare was founded Asheville, NC in 2001 as a home oxygen provider, and has since grown to become one of the leading durable medical equipment providers nationwide. For three consecutive years, Aeroflow has been ranked on Inc. Magazines List of 5000 Fastest Growing Companies. In 2017, Aeroflow was also awarded the HME Excellence Award for Best Home Medical Equipment Provider and has been recognized as a business offering top-notch benefits to employees with the Great Place to Work Award. Aeroflow is an accredited Medicare and Medicaid provider and accepts most commercial insurance. To learn more about Aeroflow Healthcare and getting medical equipment through insurance, visit http://www.Aeroflowinc.com.

Share article on social media or email:

See the original post here:
Aeroflow Healthcare: In Defense of the ACA, and Women and Family Healthcare Rights - PR Web

We all know that high blood pressure increases the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke but rarely is information presented on the risks of low blood pressure. A number of medical studies have claimed little or no serious medical risk associated with low blood pressure with serious medical risk only being defined as a heart attack and stroke. Other medical studies suggest that low blood pressure does increase the risk of coronary artery disease, falling and even increases the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In both traditional and on-traditional medicine, low blood pressure is usually ignored even if there are clinical findings of the blood pressure being too low.

The medical risks of chronic high blood pressure are now well defined. But it was not always the case. At the turn of the century, high blood pressure was so common in the elderly that it was considered the natural result of aging. The famous Framingham Heart Study (1949-1952) showed that those with a systolic blood pressure over 159 had a three to six times increased of heart disease. Since then the relationship between high blood pressure and illnesses has been clearly delineated. As a result, many medications are available to lower high blood pressure are available and numerous lives saved.

Low blood pressure is not uncommon but with the increasing use of medications, not limited to blood pressure medications, low blood pressure has become a relatively common. Besides high blood pressure medications, drugs often used for Parkinson's disease, depression/anxiety, sedative-hypnotics, pain medications and muscle relaxants all can cause low blood pressure. This effect can be intensified when specific medications are used in combination.

There is limited clinical research on low blood pressure but two recent medical studies are pertinent today. One large study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine looked at the risk of falls and loss of consciousness in almost one half a million people with low blood pressure. The concluded that a systolic blood pressure less than 110 significantly increased the risk of serious falls and loss of consciousness.

Another study in the Indian Heart Journal found that there is an increased risk of atrial fibrillation in people who had a history of dizziness with standing (serious low blood pressure). Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of blood clots, stroke and heart failure. It most commonly occurs in the elderly as does low blood pressure. Interestingly high blood pressure is also a risk factor for atrial fibrillation. In this study low blood pressure also increased the risk of stroke and a 50 to 100 percent increased mortality rate probably secondary to a higher incidence of coronary heart disease and heart failure.

Traditional therapy for low blood pressure includes graded exercise, generous salt intake and caution going from sitting/laying to standing. I have found that a critical review of a patient's medications, select herbs and regular meditation can be curative. Low blood pressure should be taken as seriously as high blood pressure.

Dr. Patrick Massey, M.D., Ph.D., is medical director of complementary and alternative medicine at Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, and president of ALT-MED Medical and Physical Therapy, 1544 Nerge Road, Elk Grove Village.

Follow this link:
Low blood pressure is a risk and should be taken seriously - Chicago Daily Herald

Such conservative bromides ignore the evidence that SNAP beneficiaries by and large do not want to depend on government difficult circumstances in their lives make it necessary and that the program does not dissuade them from working. Depriving them of assistance will only exacerbate their poverty, and cost Americans in other ways.

The policy change, effective April 1, will oust nearly 700,000 people from food stamps nationwide and cut $5.5 billion in SNAP spending over five years. Approximately 35,000 of those affected live in Massachusetts. They are underemployed adults who have no children and are not disabled generally, a group of people not eligible for the benefit. But a longstanding waiver program has allowed the Commonwealth and other states to enroll such people in SNAP for more than three months in a three-year period if they live in localities with high unemployment or a tight job market. A recent study revealed that nationwide this group of childless individuals has received an average of $181 every month in SNAP benefits due to the state waivers.

The new rule will impose stricter criteria for issuing the state waivers. The government wants to move more able-bodied SNAP beneficiaries toward self-sufficiency and into employment. These waivers have long been seen a weakness of the program a loophole exploited by low-income individuals who simply dont want to work at a time when there are 7 million job openings nationwide and the unemployment rate is at 3.6 percent.

But, the Trump Administration is ignoring . . . the connection between geography and employment opportunities, said Georgia Katsoulomitis, executive director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, in a statement. "For example, this rule will disproportionately harm communities of color that are already struggling with economic instability and limited employment opportunities resulting from decades of explicit and implicit labor and housing discrimination.

Requiring some recipients of SNAP benefits to work more is a dramatic change from longstanding policy, one that Congress itself rejected twice last year when it was proposed in Trumps budget and in the farm bill the latter by a bipartisan House vote of 330-83. The new rule also rests on a grave misconception about the food assistance program: SNAP is intended to address hunger and help people rise out of poverty, not to compel them to work.

Indeed, there is no evidence that the new SNAP rule will result in more people gaining steady jobs. Instead, research has shown that nondisabled, low-income individuals face a complex set of barriers to self-sufficiency that have nothing to do with whether they get food stamps. Some cycle in and out of low-paying jobs or can only get irregular hours, while others are noncustodial parents who support children in their extended family as grandparents or uncles.

Whats more, Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, executive director of Childrens HealthWatch at Boston Medical Center, warns that reducing SNAP benefits could increase health costs in the long run. SNAP acts as important medicine across the lifespan, she said. Food insecurity and hunger are highly correlated with negative health outcomes, such as depression, diabetes, and anemia. One study showed that participation in SNAP was associated with a reduction in health care expenditures by roughly $1,400 per person per year. In Massachusetts, health care costs related to food insecurity and hunger were estimated at $2.4 billion in 2016. Food, in this way, is like preventative medicine or primary care.

The move to curb the SNAP state waiver program is misguided, and ought to be reversed by the next president. Denying help getting food to the poor wont do much to help them find full-time work. More likely, it will have a damaging impact on public health, which ultimately affects us all.

Visit link:
Trumps holiday gift: Cutting off help to the poor - The Boston Globe

From ancient China to your kitchen, tea has shaped our culture and our brains. Lillian Loescher describes what this could indicate.

That cuppa you have in the morning may be more beneficial to your health than you think. A study recently published in the scientific journal, Aging, describes the positive effects of regular tea consumption on brain structure and touted its protective impacts on age-related decline in brain organization. This comes as no surprise as there have been decades of scientific research about the positive effects of tea consumption on the brain.

Scientist Junhua Li and colleagues showed the first evidence of the positive contribution of tea drinking to brain structure and [their research] suggests a protective effect on age-related decline in brain organization. Junhua Li and colleagues found that those who habitually drank tea had better functional connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) in their brains as compared to those who did not drink tea habitually. The DMN is an interconnected set of structures in the brain between the dorsal medial system and the medial temporal system. These structures are responsible for attention, memory, awareness and spatial navigation as well as higher level thought processes including predicting the future actions of people around you and an ability to reflect on others thought processes and beliefs.

The ability to reflect on others thought processes and beliefs is what psychologists call having a theory of mind. It has been well documented that people on the autism spectrum as well as those with Alzheimers disease have an impaired theory of mind. One large medical review looking at the effect of tea on the prevention of Alzheimers disease found that 8 out of 9 studies concluded that herbal tea had a neuroprotective role and contributed to the prevention of Alzheimers disease. Thus, showing further evidence supporting the positive role of habitual tea consumption on the DMN.

The article produced by Junhua and colleagues has also shown that between the group of older adults who drink tea regularly and the group of older adults who do not drink tea regularly there was higher structural network efficiency found in older adults who had habitual tea drinking. Relative to the non-tea drinking group, the tea drinking group had less topological distance between brain regions and more efficient interregional connectivity.

One of the hallmarks of an aging brain is leftward asymmetry in structural connectivity within the hemispheres of the brain, this can be observed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Scientists have shown that the suppression of hemispheric asymmetry in structural connectivity was associated with tea drinking, tending to be more symmetric in structural connectivity. Specifically, the non-tea drinking group exhibited significantly leftward asymmetryThis hemispheric asymmetry in structural connectivity has been associated with brain ageing.

A separate study looking at the effects of tea on the brain in both humans and animals found that an antioxidant in tea (called catechin) to be extremely beneficial for cognition. As compared to placebo groups, enhancements in memory recognition and working memory were observed following tea consumption over extended periods of time.

Since tea consumption has been shown to be beneficial to brain function, connectivity and symmetry throughout lifetime one must wonder how tea came to be.

The first known monograph of tea was written by LuYu between 760CE and 762CE and is titled: The Classic of Tea. The book describes how to create the perfect cup of tea as well as the therapeutic benefits that tea has. It is said that tea originated in the Yuunan region of China around 4,000 years ago as a medical drink that was believed to represent the harmony and mysterious unity of the universe. Legend has it that tea was discovered by accident by an emperor of China around 2737BC when he was drinking a bowl of boiled water. A breeze hit and some leaves landed in his bowl. Noting the colour change and good taste the emperor was surprised and thus tea became part of the culture. Thousands of years would pass before tea would make its way over to Ireland and the UK.

The first advertisement for tea in the UK appeared in 1658 and officially the tea trade began in 1664. The exact date when tea consumption became popular in Ireland is not known, but the existence of silver teapots from the 1720s suggests that it was well-established by then. For thousands of years across the world tea has been consumed for medicinal and social purposes. The scientific interest in the health benefits of tea will continue to percolate our cultural milieu and perhaps the nature of preventative medicine will be partly shaped by tea consumption.

See the rest here:
Your Brain on Tea - University Observer Online

GLEN COVE, NY A $5.5-million makeover and expansion is underway at Glen Cove Hospital. The hospital is overhauling its outpatient Family Medicine Center, which was built in the 1970s and is located on the first floor. The practice will be moved to a modernized space on the third floor.

The new, 6,660 square-foot center will provide personalized medical services to patients of all ages, offering primary, prenatal and pediatric care, preventative services, behavioral health and gynecological services to underserved populations and other residents.

Kerri Anne Scanlon, Glen Cove Hospital's executive director, called the center "state-of-the-art." Meanwhile, Barbara Keber, chair of family medicine at the hospital and vice chair of family medicine at Northwell Health, said the new center will not only accommodate more patients, but will create a "welcoming and modern environment." It will also improve clinical care and collaboration, she said.

Here are five things to know about the renovation project.

1. The new center will feature 12 exam rooms, bedside ultrasound machines, a procedure room, laboratory and medication room and modern reception and seating areas.

2. A large, glass enclosed area will be the focal point of the space, offering central views and monitoring of the center. It will also allow clinical team members to huddle before visiting patients in a confidential setting.

3. More than 18,500 patients are expected to be served by the new center, an increase in patient volume of 40 percent.

4. The hospital expects the center will open in late spring.

5. The expansion comes after three years of focused fundraising efforts by community members. To date, the community has raised $3.5 million.

See the article here:
Glen Cove Hospital Renovation And Expansion: 5 Things To Know - Glen Cove, NY Patch

Researchers at Stanford University have found a way to reliably predict the age of people based on the levels of 373 proteins circulating in their blood. The team created this physiological clock by analysing blood samples from 4263 study participants aged 18 to 95.

The Stanford investigators built their blood plasmaprotein clock by looking at composite levels of proteins within groups of people instead of in individuals, and they say that the resulting formula can usually estimate a persons age to within three years. The team found that a subset of just nine or 10 proteins could form the basis of a very accurate age test, with the assistance of machine learning.

Those whose predicted age was significantly below their real age were remarkably healthy for their age. Nearly two-thirds of the proteins that the researchers found changed with age were significantly more predictive for one sex than for the other.

Overall, the researchers observed that there are three waves of changes in human plasma proteome throughout life occurring around ages 34, 60 and 78. This is because the levels of many proteins remain constant in the human body for a while and then undergo sudden shifts up or down, rather than slowly changing or remaining constant throughout life.

Identifying plasma proteins that promote or antagonise ageing could lead to more targeted and preventative therapies, the researchers suggest. In the future, they say, plasma proteome changes could be identified that predict subjects transitioning to disease. The Stanford team notes that Alzheimers disease is of particular interest because there are currently no blood-based markers for that health condition, and it can produce clinical symptom as much as 20 years after disease onset.

Alireza Delfarah from the University of Southern California, who studies specific mechanisms in ageing, agrees that the new research findings are significant. It is a big step forward in identifying plasma markers of ageing in the future, potentially we can just take plasma samples from people and do a test based on some of these proteins that have been identified, and probably need to be further validated, he says.

However, the Stanford team acknowledges that this work is still in its infancy, and that clinical applications are likely five to 10 years away.

Lizzy Ostler, an expert on the chemistry of human ageing from the University of Brighton in the UK, says the Stanford study is appropriately and rigorously designed, and offers valuable insights into age-related changes. We have known for some time that chronological and biological age are not the same thing, she says. Lifestyle and genetics alter the rate of ageing in the same way that the way you drive your car will change its condition irrespective of mileage.

Broad spectrum interventions that could slow the biological clocks of humans need to be prioritised by global licensing authorities and funders in order to ensure that the field of anti-degenerative medicine comes of age and helps people live healthy lives for longer, Ostler suggests.

Read more:
Blood test picks out proteins that accurately predict age - Chemistry World

Brenna Norman/Reuters Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang arrives before he plays basketball with former congressional candidate J.D. Scholten in Ames, Iowa, on Dec. 12, 2019.

Andrew Yang released his health care plan Monday morning, a proposal with elements of Medicare for All, but without the public option plan that even moderate candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have committed to implementing.

"To be clear, I support the spirit of Medicare for All," Yang said in outlining his plan, before adding, "Swiftly reformatting 18% of our economy and eliminating private insurance for millions of Americans is not a realistic strategy, so we need to provide a new way forward on healthcare for all Americans."

In a statement to ABC News, a Yang campaign spokesperson said, "The U.S. is on track to spend a total of $60 trillion on healthcare between 2022-2031. Andrew Yangs plan will cut about $9.7 trillion over this time period by tackling the root problems in the system, including prescription drug costs, utilizing tele-health, decreasing unnecessary medical services, diminishing billing and insurance related waste, minimizing doctor burnout, improving end of life care, and reducing poverty.

His "A New Way Forward" plan includes pieces already in his competitors' plans, but it differs dramatically from other candidates in several key ways too.

"Yangs proposal does not include provisions targeted at expanding insurance coverage," said Matt Fiedler, a fellow with University of Southern California's nonpartisan Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.

Fiedler pointed to Yang's suggestion that coverage cannot extend to everyone in a practical way, and said that's not likely correct.

"While reducing the underlying cost of care is a meritorious goal, it is also quite feasible to achieve universal coverage even as we continue to work on reducing costs," said Fiedler.

While Yang's six-pronged plan doesn't work to expand the current system, it does attempt to revamp it in a way that weaves in his previous policy pitches.

Just last week, Yang released his plan to lower prescription drug costs. His health care plan builds on some of his earlier promises to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable by directing the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Justice to work together in bringing criminal cases against pharmaceutical execs who use misleading marketing tactics.

Yang also commits to investing in telehealth, information and services given over the phone or internet, noting that the demand for physicians is outpacing the available supply.

His third prong also touches on the demand for doctors, and proposes forgiving their student loans and moving them through a fee-for-service system to a salary system.

He also wants to do more to shield doctors from malpractice lawsuits arguing, "We need to allow doctors to practice medicine that prioritizes their patients health without legal fear in the back of their minds."

Yang's last points focus on preventative care, and putting health care resources into suicide prevention, mental health checkups, handicapped patients and treatment for HIV/AIDS patients.

He closes the plan by explaining how he would minimize lobbyist influence in the health care industry, saying in part, he will refuse to hire anyone who previously worked at a pharmaceutical industry as a lobbyist.

Read the original post:
Yang draws contrasts with rest of field on health care plan - msnNOW

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) December 11, 2019

Circularity is partnering with Telly Award-Winning Behind the Scenes to provide regular, ongoing, high-quality content from leading experts in a variety of fields with an initial focus on microcirculation science, regenerative medicine, and advanced wound healing and related symptoms. The show reaches 60 million households domestically.

Behind The Scenes with Host Laurence Fishburne is a public television icon that has won numerous awards and delivers precision idea-telling at its best. Circularity is an innovative healthcare organization that is health-bent on their trademarked slogan: Improving Lives by Improving Blood Flow. Their coming together to bring forward the ideas of modern health science on a stellar entertainment platform can only make for riveting content going forward. Viewers will find themselves in a win-win situation.

Watching informative content via this stylized venue will leave viewers feeling quite satisfied with their television watching experience. It is time well spent and information precisely delivered.

A Little More About Circularity

Circularity is concerned with bringing the very best in healthcare innovation to the public. In so doing, they have manufactured a product called DOXYVA. This product has a two-pronged approach to health. First, it can be quite effective in reducing the debilitative effects of many of the diseases that are affecting the world today, such as COPD, diabetes, and cardiovascular illnesses. Secondly, Circularitys DOXYVA can be used in a preventative capacity to improve microcirculation. The concept of microcirculation has far-reaching implications in neurology, oncology, endocrinology, cardiovascular health, respiratory health, dermatology, diabetic wound healing or diabetic wound care and other major fields.

Circularity Healthcare, LLC is the power behind DOXYVA. This noninvasive trans-dermal and circulatory health technology is just the first product to be offered. Circularity is invested in revolutionizing the healthcare space. They plan to do this by creating cutting edge medical products and procedures that are both patient and physician friendly while being effective in minimizing and eradicating diseases.

What Behind The Scenes with Host Laurence Fishburne Will Bring to the Table

Behind The Scenes has been an innovator in bringing information to the forefront in the public television space. The award-winning series features segments on the newest technologies, as well as fresh takes on existing entities, phenomenon, and natural occurrences. The shows website boasts that the television series highlights the evolution of education, medicine, science, technology and industry through inspiring stories.

Aside from the Emmy-winning and Academy Award nominated actor Lawrence Fishburne as host, the program has an award-winning creative development team. Viewers walk away with a rich knowledge of the subject. Viewers may have known about this subject their whole lives, or it may be about something completely new. Viewers learn an evolving aspect of the topic which keeps the perspective fresh.

The dawning of a new age has appeared with this collaboration. Individuals who want to know more about what the health science field is bringing into our hospitals and doctors offices will not be disappointed. In todays world, it is imperative that we are advocates for our own health.

Coming Soon: Miami ReLifes Dr. Steven Gelbard

The first series is with Dr. Steven Gelbard, a nationally-famed authority with his ReLife Miami Institute on stem cells. Dr. Gelbard presents DOXYVAs Nobel Prize-winning science as a regenerative medicine. Dr. Gelbard is involving his direct contacts with top NFL players and other top sports celebrities in the monthly series, along with 2540 top neurosurgeons and other experts working under ReLife.

Imagine having the ability to receive DOXYVA and other innovative treatments and non-invasive procedures for chronic wound care amid the luxury of a five-star hotel. Behind The Scenes guest, Dr. Gelbard, a Tufts School of Medicine educated neurosurgeon, makes it happen right now. Medicine has left the hospital building and has become the proactive choice of the health conscious. We can all look forward to learning more about how to live a healthier and more informed lifestyle from this awe-inspiring episode.

According to Norbert Kiss, President and CEO of Circularity Healthcare, this collaboration is door busting. Mr. Kiss tells us, [We] can offer unprecedented access to this amazing Emmy-winning show called Behind the Scenes with very amazing terms due to our strategic involvement. We welcome any expert.

Laurence Fishburne, host of Behind The Scenes, beckons, Join me as we all discover the endless ways to enjoy the skills and imagination.

Dont miss the evolution. Its being televised. Circularity and Behind The ScenesStay tuned for a mind-fortifying experience!

Circularity Values:

We, at Circularity believe in a long-sought-after goal in health care; people should have access to one health application that solves most of their short and long term health issues without compromising other aspects of their health while doing this quickly, affordably, and without pain.Circularity develops, manufactures and markets advanced technologies that significantly improve quality of life by improving some of the most essential physiological functions in the body.

About Behind The Scenes With Laurence Fishburne

Behind The Scenes is an award-winning program that highlights new stories and innovative concepts through groundbreaking short-form and long-form documentary presentation. The program, which is anchored by a veteran production team with decades of industry experience, is able to effectively communicate the most critical stories to a wide and diverse audience.

Behind The Scenes with Laurence Fishburne, has established an impressive and heralded career, amassing over one-hundred credits across the varied platforms of stage, television and film. Hes well known for major for roles in such films as; John Wick 2, Fantastic 4 Rise of the Silver Surfer, Mission Impossible III, Mystic River, Boyz n the Hood, Whats Love Got to Do With It, and Apocalypse Now. On the small screen, the award-winning and versatile actor played compelling roles in shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York and Hannibal. The Behind The Scenes Actor currently stars as Pops on the hit TV comedy Black-ish.

About Circularity Healthcare, LLC

Circularity Healthcare, LLC, located in Los Angeles, CA is a private biotech and medtech products and services company that designs, makes, markets, sells, distributes and licenses its own patented and patent pending technologies, such as its flagship non-invasive deoxyhemoglobin vasodilator product line, D'OXYVA. One of the main mechanisms underlying D'OXYVA's science received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2019. Circularity enters into exclusive agreements with manufacturers to launch products and with large and small clinics and hospitals in order to help them enhance their profits and credit profiles with a wide variety of advanced products and services. In addition, Circularity Healthcare assists in the financing of equipment, working capital and also patient financing at industry-leading terms and speed.

For more information, please visit http://www.circularityhealthcare.com or http://doxyva.com or doctors (Rx only) visit http://wound.doxyva.com and send your general inquiries via the Contact Us page. For specific inquiries contact Circularity Customer Care at info(at)doxyva(dot)com info(at)circularityhealthcare(dot)com or by phone toll free at 1-855-5DOXYVA or at 1-626-240-0956.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information. This includes, or may be based upon, estimates, forecasts and statements as to managements expectations with respect to, among other things, the quality of the products of Circularity Healthcare, LLC, its resources, progress in development, demand, and market outlook for non-invasive transdermal delivery medical devices. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is given and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those initially projected. These factors include the inherent risks involved in the launch of a new medical device, innovation and market acceptance uncertainties, fluctuating components and other advanced material prices, new federal or state governmental regulations, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future and other factors. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and Circularity Healthcare, LLC assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law. Circularity Healthcare, LLC makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of this press release and shall have no liability for any representations (expressed or implied) for any statement made herein, or for any omission from this press release.

Read the original here:
Innovative Collaboration: The Cutting Edge of Medicine Goes Behind The Scenes - PR Web

Doctor visits can be annoying, especially if you have to take several blood samples to test for a handful of common ailments, not to mention to look for something that might be hard to diagnose.But a new study advises that a novel technique could make this whole process much easier.The research and development that has set the tone for advancements in modern medicine are also helping to make medicine and other treatments more efficient across the board.

For example, health researchers now say they have developed a straightforward blood test that could allow physicians to assess a wide range of ailments and health factors from just one blood sample.Scientists at the University of Cambridge and the University of California-San Franciscoin partnership with biotech SomaLogic HQused several blood samples (from a total of approximately 17,000 patients) to scan 5,000 proteins.

The researchers processed this data using statistical analysis as well as machine learning technology to develop predictive models for a variety of common health problems.

Study author Claudia Langenberg, of the University of Cambridge, explains, Proteins circulating in our blood are a manifestation of our genetic make-up as well as many other factors, such as behaviors or the presence of disease, even if not yet diagnosed.

This is why, she further notes, proteins are known to be such effective indicators of both our present and future health states.With this data we are able to better improve clinical prediction of a handful of different diseases.

Reinforcing her statement, SomaLogic CEO Stephen Williams comments, Its remarkable that plasma protein patterns alone can faithfully represent such a wide variety of common and important health issues, and we think that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Indeed, this is only the beginning for this method of diagnostics.With more in-depth research and scanning of proteins, there is great potential to map fully individualized health assessments for all patients.

Finally, co-lead author Peter Ganz, University of California-San Francisco comments that this new research marks a crucial milestone in the scientific development of personalized preventative medicine.Ganz is a member of SomaLogics Medical Advisory board, but is not compensated for holding the position.

He explains, This proof-of-concept study demonstrates a new paradigm that measurement of blood proteins can accurately deliver health information that spans across numerous medical specialties and that should be actionable for patients and their health care providers.

See the article here:
New Study Says that A Single Blood Test Could Soon Predict Your Future Disease Risk - Jamestown Journal

When I first took a glance at businessman Andrew Yang, I immediately dismissed him as a hyper-leftist. He supported Medicare-for-All, the most radical healthcare plan being proposed by some of the Democratic candidates. But like others in the field, Yang has walked back his support for Medicare-for-All. His newly released healthcare plan is by far the most moderate being proposed by anyone polling over nil. Its more moderate than Pete Buttigiegs Medicare For All Who Wants It. Its more moderate than Joe Bidens Obamacare 2.0. In fact, its the only plan that, if proposed by Democrats and Republicans together, would likely pass with massive bipartisan support if one component was stripped from it.

Dont get me wrong. Im not a Yang supporter. I have issues with other policies hes proposing and would actually enjoy a conversation with him over a couple that make very little sense to me. But I can say this about the candidates proposals: Hes the only one in the field who could appeal to right-leaning Independents and moderate Republicans in the general election. Polls say that person is either Biden or Buttigieg, but heres the catch: When people start taking a closer look at the policy proposals theyve backed themselves into in an attempt to appease the far-left in their party, those policies wont hold up to scrutiny. They are to the left of President Obama and candidate Hillary Clinton. Theyre much further to the left than anything this country has ever seen in the White House.

Biden and Buttigieg only seem moderate because the scale has been so skewed by the Democratic Socialist wing that extreme views seem tame compared to the radicals. Yang, on the other hand, has as his branded position the Freedom Dividend, a concept that has been examined by many conservative economists. Milton Friedman proposed a variation of universal basic income in the form of negative tax rates. Others have said it could work if cuts were made to other avenues of spending. A current Republican lawmaker recently told me off the record that if it could be used to reduce the need for welfare, it could actually work well.

What Yang unveiled today as A New Way Forward for healthcare in America is a six-point plan that makes sense. Id strongly recommend Representative Kevin McCarthy and Senator Mitch McConnell give it a serious look.

Here are the bullet points to his six ideas with my commentary below.

The last two ideas are great. Theres a great risk with the others, at least in a vacuum, because healthcare innovation is driven by profits. This is good and bad, but Yangs proposal doesnt address either. Its good thatpharmaceutical research isprofit-driven because it allows for the generation of more funds that private companies can reinvest into more breakthroughs. The bad part is it puts an emphasis on treatments over cures. Treatments are profitable as theyre ongoing. Cures are inherently not profitable.

To truly address the prescription drug issue, incentives need to be established that take advantage of American ingenuity and resources while keeping DCs hands out of it. There have been a handful of proposals Ive read over the years that would drive innovation while also guiding it towards cures and prevention rather than super-profitable ongoing treatments.

These are no-brainers. The only nitpicking I could do would be to take out the broadband access component. It tastes too much like recently proposed Internet for All schemes that suggest spending huge infrastructure dollars to provide digital access to people who simply dont want it. Nobody moves to the boonies in Montana with the expectation of streaming Netflix. They did so for a reason. Those who have intense medical needs wont be hours from the nearest town. Its a pointless addition to the plan. Otherwise, spot-on.

Conservatives may be scared of the idea of federal regulations and licensing. But the plan does not call for the elimination of state medical requirements and licencing. As long as he allows states to regulate their doctors as they see fit but allows for separate telehealth-only licensing and regulations, it passes the federalism smell-test.

Theres a whole lot to unpack here. Capitation and salary plans can work on a small scale but have never been tested on larger scales. There are many risks, especially if it will be the federal government implementing these changes. Were talking about an ideal system in the long-term that could suffer cataclysm on the road to getting there. Its conspicuous that he uses the words work with and explore in the first two bullet points instead of mandate and implement. Such a move could be great if steady hands over a period of time longer than a president can be in the Oval Office were handling it. Thats a lot to ask of DC, but the spirit of the plan is acceptable.

Frivolous malpractice suits yep. No objections to protecting doctors in this regard.

Fix EHR yep. The system is flawed without any good reason other than nobody has addressed it.

There are several slippery slopes in the last three bullet points. Hes describing getting further involved in the way states handle healthcare for their residents. Its a populist concept that would need to be handled carefully. His last two bullet points would shift the job market tremendously. It would raise the costs of hiring specialists because of higher demand and could cause an imbalance of too many primary care physicians.Such programs would have to belimited and adjusted on the fly as needed.

The first bullet point isnt policy, nor should it be. Doctors will do as doctors will do and Ive never met one who didnt tell me to eat better and exercise.

Id want to learn more about the incentives he proposes in the second bullet point. It seems like a nothingburger (or nothingpomegranate, if you prefer) that could eventually lead back to Michelle Obamas school meal decadence plan.

More funding for food banks is good. Better management of charities to feed the needy would be better.

As for the end-of-life proposals, yes, were at a stage in society when all of these ideas make sense. We are better at keeping people alive than we are at maintaining an acceptable quality-of-life. As long as he doesnt get into assisted suicide, these are all positive changes.

The first seven bullet points on mental health and disabilities are good.

Breaking the TRUVADA patent is dangerous only because it sets a precedent. Yes, its important, but the last thing we need is for pharmaceutical companies to pull back the reins on treatments or prevention options because they believe theyre going to lose profits when the government decrees their patents are void.

Then, theres the abortion component. Remember when I said above that one component would have to be stripped? This is it. Yang needed to include it if he has any chance of winning the nomination, but its a non-starter for millions of Americans, including me.

Covering maternity costs is another populist view that would require a full cost analysis to see if its even possible.

Including vision and dental should not be mandated. Theres already a vibrant and affordable market for coverage. This isnt solving a problem. It just mandates convenience at unnecessary expense. It wont save anyone money and could end up costing more as theprices associated are hidden.

Selling a public option as reducing burden on employers is smart. I dont agree with it as the burden would be transferred to taxpayers, but since Republicans seem to no longer be in the business of repealing Obamacare, this really wouldnt be much of a change from the status quo.

So, the $100 Democracy Dollars incentive is odd, but only because I probably dont understand how it works. Call me obtuse. Everything else in his portion of his plan makes sense and should be extended outside of healthcare.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should take a look at Andrew Yangs plan. Its the only healthcare proposal from a Democrat that isnt ludicrous. Considering what Capitol Hill has done with healthcare (nothing), this is worth a peek.

We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.

See the article here:
Healthcare2 days ago Andrew Yang's healthcare plan could pass today with bipartisan support - NOQ Report

A new multicentre study will investigate the link between brain inflammation and psychosis, and use artificial intelligence techniques to identify patients that might benefit most from novel treatments.

The study, funded by UKRI Medical Research Council, is led by the Universities of Birmingham and Cambridge. Researchers will examine how and if activated inflammatory cells may act differently in psychosis. For example, how they behave in circulation (blood), or whether they cross into the brain and activate immune defence cells and systems.

It is possible these mechanisms could lead to psychosis, and understanding this link could open up new treatment options that target the bodys immune system.

Existing research has shown that some people with psychosis will also have evidence of an activated inflammatory system before and during the early stages of their condition. There is also evidence that inflammation may be related to mood symptoms such as depression, which are common in psychosis.

Psychosis treatment using anti-inflammatory drugs have led to mixed results, however. This is potentially because they were given to patients with psychosis regardless of whether there was evidence of inflammation.

The PIMS (Psychosis Immune Mechanism Stratified Medicine) study will look more closely at the links between inflammation and psychosis and explore how AI techniques can help identify the patients who would benefit most from anti-inflammatory treatment.

Rachel Upthegrove, Professor of Psychiatry in the University of Birminghams Institute for Mental Health, says: New and more effectively targeted treatments are desperately needed for people with psychosis. Evidence suggests that inflammation may be present before and during the early stages of psychosis in some, but not all young people. Through the PIMS study, we are examining how immune dysfunction could be causally related to some symptoms of psychosis, and use Machine Learning and other AI techniques to identify who might benefit most from novel immune targeted treatments.

Dr Golam Khandakar, in the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cambridge, says: Around one third of patients with schizophrenia do not get better with current antipsychotic medications. I am excited about working with colleagues at Birmingham and other universities involved in the PIMS project to try and understand whether in future we could target the immune system as a useful way of treating patients with schizophrenia.

Sathnam Sanghera, The Times journalist and author of The Boy in the Topknot, a family memoir about growing up in Wolverhampton in his Punjabi sikh family and about how he didnt know his father and sister had schizophrenia until he was around 30, commented: People talk quite a lot nowadays about the issue of stigma in relation to mental illness. If someone has psychosis they will have the kind of symptoms youll cross the street to avoid or theyll have the kind of symptoms that will make you scared of someone you love. We need funding for more research and new treatments and thats why this study is so important for people suffering like my father and my sister.

Zaynab Sohawon is a member of the Institute for Mental Healths Youth Advisory Group, a group of young people working with Birmingham researchers to create, shape and challenge research into youth mental health. Shesaid: My story started off with adverse childhood experience which led to my mental health deteriorating. This research will help others like me in achieving early intervention in psychotic illnesses.

See the rest here:
Could AI help develop personalised psychosis therapies? - University of Birmingham

Neosmart Health, the Finnish preventative healthcare startup, has closed a 1.2 million seed round to pursue its mission of keeping people healthy. The round was led by various investors from the Nordics, North America, and Africa, including Sami Laine, Martti Lepist, Kari Helin, Ahmed Eltigani, Niilo Pellonmaa, and Timo Mkel.Over 75% of chronic illnesses burden arise from preventable conditions and only with preventive healthcare, we can manage the costs and extend the healthy lifetime for all of us, said co-founder and CEO Marko Nurmela.The company combines technology, such as AI and wearables, with traditional medicine to design individualised health optimisation plans for patients.Our methodology is based on deep data analytics and what differentiates us from others is our holistic approach towards health. We look at health from multiple fronts, including comprehensive blood analysis, gut microbiome, food sensitivity, immunity profile, wearables data, genomics and everything else that is required for an individual, explained founder and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pertti Lhteenmki.In addition to data-driven tools, patients are paired with Neosmart-licensed doctors at Neosmarts brick-and-mortar clinics. Part of the companys short-term vision is to attract and license more doctors in the Neosmart system.Since starting its operations in 2018, the company has hired 19 employees, located in the Helsinki headquarters or the Dubai office. Both locations have afforded strategic partnerships: the retailer S-Group in Finland, and the Dubai Sports Council and Dubai government (though no further information has been disclosed on this point). So far Neosmart also two patents in the US and other markets.Commenting on the companys aspirations, Marko said: This is just the beginning and were already in discussions for our Series A round next, to accelerate the development of our deep data analytics platform and AI, and start offering our services in new markets Sweden, Estonia, Dubai and start the ground work on our expansion to the US, UK, India, China and Japan.

The rest is here:
Helsinki's Neosmart Health raises 1.2 million to expand its patented preventative healthcare system - Tech.eu

Here are the top stories covered byDocWire Newsthis week in the Homepage section. In this weeks edition of the round-up: physicians suffering with symptoms of depression make more medical errors, mining alcohol related Tweets is the best way to gather public health data; short-term exposure to air pollution increases hospital admissions and costs; and gunshot wound survivors have high rates of PTSD, unemployment, and substance abuse.

Physicians suffering from symptoms of depression are more likely to make medical errors, according to the findings of arecent studypublished inJAMA Network Open. By combining data from multiple studies, this systematic review and meta-analysis found that physician depressive symptoms were associated with increased risk for perceived medical errors and that the association between depressive symptoms and perceived errors was bidirectional, the authors wrote.

A new study published in theAmerican Journal of Preventative Medicinesuggests that mining peoples alcohol-related tweets and online searchers is a faster, and more efficient method than the tradition method of collecting rigorous public health data through large survey-based studies. Informal social media and search data may be really important for detecting and responding to things that we dont anticipate or that occur naturally, said the senior study author: Our results give confidence in our public health tools and in using novel data approaches to measure health behaviors and policy effects a real win.

Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 m (PM2.5)is associated with increased rates of hospital admissions and health insurance costs, according to the findings of arecent studypublished inBMJ. New causes and previously identified causes of hospital admission associated with short term exposure to PM2.5were found, the researchers wrote. These associations remained even at a daily PM2.5concentration below the WHO 24-hour guideline. Substantial economic costs were linked to a small increase in short term PM2.5.

The lasting effects of gunshot wounds (GSWs) reach far beyond mortality and economic burden, and survivors incur higher instances of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unemployment, and substance abuse, according to thefindingsof a new study published byJAMA Surgery. The researchers wrote that: Survivors of GSWs may have negative outcomes for years after injury. These findings suggest that early identification and initiation of long-term longitudinal care is paramount.

Originally posted here:
Homepage Round-Up: Depressed Doctors Make More Medical Errors; The Lasting Effects of Gunshot Wounds; and More - DocWire News

We need our clinicians to buy in to the concept that thy food is thy medicine, and thy medicine is thy food. Instead of arguing over what Hippocrates meant by this, exactly or whether he even said it why not encourage his medical descendants to take up this mantle?

Arguably, most doctors are more equipped to write a prescription or make a referral than to discuss nutrition and lifestyle interventions. Without question, pharmaceuticals have their place, but so does food as medicine, and our brilliant doctors in whom we trust must take greater steps towards preventative care and lifestyle interventions that will address the growing burden of type 2 diabetes, obesity and malnutrition in this country.

An estimated 60 per cent of adults and one in four children in Ireland are either overweight or obese. The direct and indirect costs to the exchequer which are associated with obesity are estimated to exceed 1 billion per annum.

The Healthy Ireland Framework 2013-2025 states that the health and wellbeing of everyone living in Ireland . . . is the most valuable asset that we possess as a nation. The report goes further to say that health in Ireland will be unsustainable in the future due to lifestyle diseases and ageing populations. It makes a strong argument for greater emphasis on illness prevention.

Therefore, I ask our politicians, the HSE and the Department of Health: if our health and wellbeing is such a prized asset, why isnt more being done to protect it?

Both hospitals and the food service sector are considered key areas for public policy interventions in this regard. Yet many doctors have no nutrition training. In the US, this has resulted in changes to curriculums whereby culinary medicine is being incorporated into doctor training in Harvard and Tulane universities, and even in some US hospitals. Nutrition knowledge and cookery education, like prescribed exercise, should become another tool in a clinicians toolkit. Ironically, the one place that we go to to get help when chronically unwell is a hospital. Yet doctors working there are ill-equipped to intervene or even get involved in this critical area.

In the UK, 50 million has been spent on failed bids to improve hospital food. Reports suggest 17 separate government initiatives since 2000 have resulted in no discernible improvement in the quality of meals served to patients. Albert Roux, James Martin and Loyd Grossman have all tried. Prue Leith has now taken up the baton.

But remaking hospital menus isnt easy.

Hospitals have to operate on strict budgets and food supply is frequently outsourced to companies that specialise in high volumes of food at a low cost often resulting in packaged and processed foods. Research shows us that 30-40 per cent of hospitalised patients are considered to be at risk of malnutrition. However, hospitals are a place where nutritionism rules.

Nutritionism is a term coined by the Australian sociologist Gyorgy Scrinis, and popularised by food writer Michael Pollan. It means reducing the value of a food to specific nutrients it contains. Its a little like the food pyramid which forms the basis of diet recommendations in Ireland.

A cereal advertisement I viewed recently is a perfect illustration of how nutritionism works. It talks about superfoods (health halo, anyone?) and we KNOW superfoods are healthy, right? By eating these cereal products, we get more zinc, more fibre and folic acid than . . . what? Not eating these processed cereals?

So how do we get zinc, iron, vitamin C, B6, fibre and folic acid if we dont eat the cereal?

Well, for starters we could eat meat, shellfish, legumes, nuts, dairy and eggs and even some dark chocolate for the zinc and iron. But the ad implies that eating more chocolatey cereal will serve you better than half a cup of black beans. As Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU, points out, such ads are not saying whether the iron from the fortified cereal is going to be absorbed as well as from the black beans, or what additional benefits youll get from eating the black beans and how much sugar is in the cereal versus the black beans. (For the record, 78 per cent of the cereal will turn to glucose once you eat it).

What we eat is central to human health, enabling the cells in our bodies to perform their functions via the nutrients, vitamins and energy consumed, but food also goes beyond calories and macronutrients. Anthropologists often declare You are what you eat, and certainly, by examining a persons diet, much can be gleaned about their background, financial status, religious beliefs and education level.

Since the 1970s, nutrition and public health experts have translated reductive principles Eat less fat! Eat less salt! Avoid processed foods! into dietary guidelines for the general public, telling us what to eat more of (fibre, vitamins, calcium, iron, Omega 3s, for example) and to avoid foods considered bad for health, such as saturated fats and refined foods high in sugar, salt and fat. Arguably, this abstract dietary advice is an oversimplification of something much more nuanced and complex. There are so many reasons as to why we eat the food that we do: for pleasure, convenience, and the cost of food, or due to food knowledge and our culture. Therefore, thinking about food in terms of calories-in and calories-out is reductive a mechanical approach [that] plays right into the hands of the food industry, as food writer Joanna Blythman says in her book What to Eat.

Food in hospitals is a budgetary nuisance. Improving the quality of hospital food service is complicated it has to deal with procurement, production, distribution/service, and safety/sanitation all of which are interrelated. Therefore, quality improvement strategies should be developed from a holistic point of view with engineering expertise: food service professionals in hospitals need to continuously research, plan and manage production processes to improve quality of products and efficiency of processes.

More chefs must be trained in culinary nutrition (thankfully happening out in IT Tallaght) and empowered as valued team members in hospital food service quality management who can communicate with patients.

If we could radically improve the food environment within hospitals, what impact would that have on both staff and patients?

Hospital food is often hardly recognisable as nourishing food, but rather as a source of safe calories. Food safety dominates our food production and is prioritised at all costs often at the expense of pleasure, culture and consumption. In addition, patients face a myriad of problems: inappropriate eating positions, food left out of reach, sounds, smells and cold temperatures that negatively affect food intake. Research shows that energy intake is improved among patients eating at a table rather than in bed ideally patients should eat communally unless they are completely bed-ridden, which would inevitably help with access, palatability and food waste. All of these principles should form part of a culinary medicine philosophy.

We should take the ounce of prevention approach. I think we can all agree that the rising cost of healthcare is unsustainable and that the economic burden of diet-related noncommunicable health risks and diseases is growing. Yet, while there is an obvious lack of healthy food procurement and promotion policies in institutions, worksites, schools and Government, it seems blindingly obvious to many of us that prevention is better than cure. For manypatients, nutritious food is medicine.

But what about detractors who say food is not medicine? That it doesnt matter if you get the iron and folate from cereals or whole foods whats important is just to get the nutrients. And this is where the arguments start to fall down: we know that iron is a mineral that serves several important functions such as carrying oxygen throughout your body and making red blood cells. However, although synthetic nutrients are almost chemically identical to those found in whole foods, the production process is very different to the ones found naturally in plants and animals. So despite the similar structures, your body may react differently to synthetic nutrients, especially when it comes to absorption.

When you eat whole foods, youre not consuming single synthetic nutrients, but rather a whole range of vitamins, minerals and enzymes that work synergistically to improve absorption: synthetic nutrients are unlikely to be used by the body in the same way. Take vitamin E, for example: studies show that natural vitamin E is absorbed twice as efficiently as synthetic vitamin E.

If clinicians better understood food and its importance to health and wellbeing, and made that understanding available to patients, families and healthcare systems for high-impact, low-cost, high-value care, then what effect would that have on the health of our nation?

And before you think I am suggesting that chewing parsley could replace a surgery, consider the following: is it wrong to think of food as medicine? Does it do a disservice to both food and medicine? Possibly because in reality, food is so much more than medicine: its social, its cultural and its a huge part of our lives. It is not just fuel and it is much more than nutrients but overemphasising the immediate impact of eating a superfood whilst ignoring long-term eating habits misses the mark. Eating junk food occasionally is very different to the impact on health when repeated regularly and combined with other unhealthy lifestyle habits (lack of sleep, insufficient exercise, smoking, drinking, stress).

Food is a significant human exposure and those of us fortunate enough to have food to eat every day can use it to impact our general health and wellness, including the prevention (or promotion) of chronic illness, and the management of virtually all diseases.

Food can definitely be medicine.

Too frequently though, the power of healthful eating is underrecognised or underapplied. Guidance related to food is not often part of a physicians armamentarium. This needs to change.

We need food education for our children and the best food environments for our hospitals.

Excerpt from:
Is it wrong to think of food as medicine? - The Irish Times