StemCell Therapy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Stonewall Riots occurred on June 28, 1969. It was this summer evening that sparked the Gay Rights Movement. Now, forty-eight years later, the world celebrates Pride Month every June to celebrate, honor, support, and fight for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

The queer community is resilient. No matter what obstacles they encounter, their battle to live, pursue their passions, and contribute to society endures. For many queer people that passion is science. Queer scientists such as Alan Turing who was crucial in ending World War II, and Sara Josephine Baker who made unprecedented breakthroughs in child hygiene and preventative medicine.

Stonewall Inn, site of the 1969 Stonewall riots, New York City, USA

This blog post is meant to bring attention to queer scientists that are working in the field. Field research encompasses any type of scientific research that involves collecting data in non-laboratory locations. Several scientific areas involve fieldwork such as zoology, paleontology, and botany. The field is a fun and exciting place to perform science, however, for those who identify as queer1, working in the field can present challenges that may not be known to cis-gendered1or straight scientists.

The biggest decision for all LGBTQ individuals is whether to disclose their sexuality or gender identity. The decision to be out of the closet is an incredibly complex one in which all queer individuals have to evaluate the benefits versus costs. In general, staying in the closet and not disclosing ones sexuality or gender identity can be incredibly caustic, but there are many situations where staying in the closet is potentially safer than being out.

The risks for being out in the field are very location dependent. Dr. Siobhn Cooke from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine currently does work in theDominican Republic and Colombia. She feels comfortable being out and talking about her wife while in the Dominican Republic and Columbia. However, when she did field work in Tanzania she did not come out because she thought it would be unsafe. African and Middle Eastern countries can be particularly dangerous for queer scientists. Homosexuality is punishable by death in Sudan, northern Nigeria, Somalia, and Saudi Arabia, and is illegal in a slew of other countries including Ethiopia, India, Tanzania and Uganda. These types of legal restrictions obviously make it unsafe for a queer scientist to be out.

Global Laws Against Homosexuality

Even if being LGBTQ is not illegal, local views and customs can make it unsafe or difficult for queer scientists to be out. Close relationships with locals are required for scientists to obtain permission to perform their research in a specific location or to garner an opportunity to employ locals to aid in data collection. Local stigma against queer people and the discovery that a queer scientist is in a research group can result in locals refusal to help the scientists.

Local stigma against queer people and the discovery that a queer scientist is in a research group can result in locals refusal to help the scientists.

Lewis Bartlett, a graduate student who studies bees in the United States South, has experienced these types of challenges. His research includes collaborations with rural beekeepers many of whom hold conservative views on LGBTQ individuals: Parts of the fieldwork often involve extended social situations with collaborators, local practitioners etc. In these informal settings with food, drink, and an expectation to be charming and sociable it is absolutely a worry that you may say something which jeopardizes a rapport with a collaborator. Much of this kind of research working with small hold beekeepers is done on a very informal basis and requires maintaining strong personal connections with these people. It is absolutely distracting to have to police what directions conversations go in.

Dr. Christopher Schmitt of Boston University exploresmechanistic and adaptive aspects of developmental variation. While doing fieldwork in South Africa, it was relatively safe for Dr. Schmitt to be out. However, the potential for being out of the closet did not necessarily mean it was the best idea in terms of successfully carrying out his science. There was one experience where two of his local field workers were using homophobic epithets. Dr. Schmitt knew that it would be risky to express his disapproval or discomfort. Speaking up could have led the field workers to suspect he was gay thereby putting a strain on the working relationship and potentially impeding his research. Luckily in this situation, one of Dr. Schmitts colleagues to whom he was out did speak up to express their discomfort with how the field workers were talking.

Knowing that there are situations where it would be safer for queer scientists to stay in the closet while working in the field, a discussion on the deleterious consequences of staying in the closet is critical. Dr. John Pachankis from the Yale School of Public Health studies the psychological implications of staying in the closet. Through his research he has come up with acognitive-affective-behavioral model of the consequences of staying in the closet. In this model Dr. Pachankis discusses the intersection between cognitive energy, affect, and behavior and its relationship to queer individuals remaining in the closet. Cognitive energy encompasses the amount of mental energy spent on psychological processes such as attention, reasoning, and decision making. Affect, meanwhile, describes emotional states such as joy, guilt, and depression.

In Dr. Pachankis description of his cognitive-affective-behavioral model, he explains how closeted individuals spend a significant amount of cognitive energy engaging in preoccupation and vigilance to make sure that others do not suspect they are queer. These cognitive activities of preoccupation and vigilance can result in affective responses of guilt, shame, demoralization and depression. These affective states, then have behavioral repercussions including avoiding social situations, weakening of close relationships, and engaging in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex and drug abuse.

While I never went back in the closet (something Im not sure I would know how to do anymore) it did undermine how authentically I felt I bonded with collaborators and colleagues. Dr. Schmitt

Staying in the closet, therefore, puts unnecessary cognitive demands for a queer person in the field where their main goal is to be a good scientist and collect data. When Dr. Schmitt was doing research in Gambia he ended up leaving a month early. A large part of this was due to the strong anti-gay feelings in the country where the president of Gambia was putting stings on gay people and making comments about slitting the throats of gay people.

When going to field sites in conservative areas of the American South, Lewis Bartlett said Being unaccustomed to editing how I present makes consciously considering it always a shock (this fieldwork is an annual event) modifying how I dress or act in order to not cause unnecessary problems will always feel upsetting. While I never went back in the closet (something Im not sure I would know how to do anymore) it did undermine how authentically I felt I bonded with collaborators and colleagues.

During an 18 month stint in Ecuador Dr. Schmitt described his experience of staying in closet. I wasnt ashamed of being gay, per se, but the same triggers that caused those feelings were there: having to hide, having to self-censor, playing the pronoun game, thinking twice before every statement, guarding your vocal inflections and hand gestures, choosing the correct interests to allay suspicions, making noncommittal comments about women when the other men ask for/expect them, getting crushes on men that you cant think too much about or reveal or talk to anyone about or act on because it would cause problems its all there again, and its all very hard to shake those feelings, even after years of living authentically and having grown into confidence as a gay adult.

Being transgendered in almost anywhere in the world is incredibly difficult, and this is of course true for transgender scientists working in the field, which presents its own unique challenges. Situations can be tricky for transgender scientists depending on where they are in their transitioning process. One challenge is documentation and paperwork. It can obviously be very problematic if the gender identification on all documentation is not the same. However, there can be even trickier situations.

One transgender scientist who had already been at a field site in East Africa prior to their physical transition knew that they were going to return to the field site. They made the very difficult decision of postponing their transition process. I consider my decision to delay my physical transition in order to conduct fieldwork an incredible sacrifice. I would have to delay the start of my life for another year. This postponement, however, was not sustainable, and they decided to start on a low dose of hormone replacement therapy. Although this decision was positive it was not without its challenges. For me, this decision was life-saving and I am finally getting better and am able to enjoy my research as I did before. But its not an ideal situation. As I am becoming my authentic self, I have to carefully monitor how others are perceiving me. Has my voice dropped too much? Is my facial structure noticeable different?

Margaret Mead was an anthropologist who studied indigenous people of the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. She had a romantic relationship with fellow anthropologist Rhoda Metraux and they lived together from 1955 till Meads death in 1978.

Discussing safety in relation to scientific research is standard. When going into the field, scientists are given a heads up on safety issues related to diseases and wildlife. They get vaccines, take anti-malarials, and take precautions on what water to drink. The amount of effort principle investigators put into preparing their students and field workers can vary. For some it is limited to basic preparation of what is expected of them in the field while others will determine if their students and field workers will be able to handle the psychological stressors of being in the field.

It could be beneficial for everyone if there was a standardized method to prepare individuals going into the field. In addition to principle investigators addressing disease risks and physical dangers, it would be valuable to talk about other potential safety issues such as cultural views related to queer people or women since dangers and safety issues are greater for these populations. By having these discussions standardized, it would mean that this information would be disseminated to scientists of all genders and sexualities. A standardized script would mean that principle investigator wouldnt have to be worried about making assumptions of whether a prospective student or research assistant were queer. Furthermore, it is important for men, cis-gendered, and straight scientists to know the kinds of risks that their female and queer colleagues may encounter.

For Dr. Cooke who is in her first year being a principle investigator at an institution with graduate students, she plans on having these conversations since carefully considered conversations about identity have generally not been on the table. Furthermore, being out is especially important for Dr. Cooke so that students know it is possible to be a queer woman scientist.

1Terminology:Queer:an accepted umbrella term to describe individuals who are neither cis-gendered nor straight Cis-gendered: individuals whose gender identity matches with their biological sex

Disclaimer: All interviewees provided permission to use their names and quotes.

This post was previously published on SpringerOpenBlog and is republished here under a Commercial Commons license.

Have you read the original anthology that was the catalyst for The Good Men Project? Buy here: The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood

All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.

Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.

Photo credit: Flickr

Read more:
Being Queer in the Jungle: The Unique Challenges of LGBTQ Scientists Working in the Field - The Good Men Project

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) Crews at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcementfacility in Aurora are trying to keep scabies from spreading. Its a highly contagious infestation of mites that burrow into the skin. The people living in one dorm are being kept away from everyone else.

A spokeswoman says these cases typically involve someone who is already infected when they arrive at the southern border. Scabies is treated with a topical medicine.

ICE officials released the following statement Monday:

With the recent influx of migrants entering from the U.S. southern border, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed six cases of scabies at our Aurora Contract Detention Facility (ACDF). On-site medical personnel are credited with reducing the risk of further spreading the disease by quickly cohorting the six infected detainees along with 19 others who were also exposed to the disease.

Each ICE detainee receives a medical examination upon arrival at the facility to check for potential signs of illness.However, ICE has no way of knowing what diseases or viruses a person may have been exposed before they enter the facility.

A topical ointment will be administered to ICE detainees once the ointment is received at ACDF, which is anticipated to be Dec. 10. Once the treatment is administered, detainees will be removed from cohort. ICE and the on-site medical professionals employed by GEO took the necessary steps to quickly isolate the exposed detainees, provide proper medical care and prevent further spread of the disease. Preventative steps included early recognition and following the guidelines established by the CDC and the ICE Health Services Corps (IHSC).

Continue reading here:
Scabies At ICE Facility In Aurora: Officials Trying To Contain Infestation Of Mites - CBS Denver

Against my better judgement, I tapped the button to start the video. Immediately from out of frame a beef tenderloin comes flying, slamming down onto a large, filthy grill. Then, as the camera phone pans left, our hero is revealed. Its Salt Bae. And hes got a knife.

What happens next should be against the laws of God and man alike. The internet-famous butcher and chef Nusret Gke butterflies a perfectly good slab of meat, manhandles it some more and fills it with slices of cheap cheddar and asparagus. The video cuts to him planting mini-flags in his beef roulade, slicing it and then inexplicably squeezing the life out of it for the camera, looking quite pleased with himself the whole time. It ends with his trademark salt sprinkle cascading sodium down his forearm onto Frankensteins monster. To date, the video has been watched 8.2 million times since it posted in January 2018. And in the two intervening years, his follower count has nearly doubled to 24 million, despite the fact that, by most accounts, his restaurants are as bad as his cheesy asparagus beef roll looks.

Meanwhile, a few days after Salt Bae posted that video, Daniel Riesenberger, a.k.a.@danthebaker, uploaded his own clip. Off a tiny road outside of downtown Columbus, Ohio, in a black corrugated metal building that also houses the Sbarro Culinary Innovation Center, Riesenberger bakes bread. On Instagram we can follow the journey. His video was nothing flashy, just Riesenberger excited that he had a little mill now in his production kitchen where he could grind his own rye fresh for his breads. That video is flanked by other posts showing dough proofing, videos of him shaping loaves, shots of crumb (holes in a loaf) and pastry experiments hes working on. The chronicling of his work has brought Dan the Baker more than 40,000 followers. And it led me to visit his storefront earlier this year.

In the past, Riesenberger may have toiled in obscurity and anonymity. And I, a person living in Los Angeles, probably would have never heard of him. But just how Instagram introduced me to Salt Bae, the platform also led me to discover Dan the Baker. To my delight, when I sought him out, I found Riesenberger wasnt just showing off pretty pictures. His bakes were the genuine article. The texture and crumb of his oat porridge bread were some of the best Id had and the laminated dough in his croissants and cruffins rivaled the quality of big-city patisseries. Social media had not steered me wrong.

The Salt Bae-Dan the Baker dichotomy exemplifies the food worlds love-hate affair with Instagram in its first decade of existence. There was a kind of Newtons Law to the platform, where every action appeared to have an equal and opposite reactioneach positive effect seemed to carry an annoying inverse. Yet, no matter how restaurants or diners feel about it, Instagram has become a necessity that has reshaped how we eat, how chefs run their business and how we decide where to dine.

Instagram has let us indulge our most superficial tendencies, allowing whole empires to be built on the dumbest possible things. This decade a class of food emerged with the express purpose of getting us to pull out our phones and take a picture. Theres plenty of excitement about extremely superficial stuff that makes no sense to me, says Christian Puglisi of Relae in Copenhagen. But we need to live in an Instagrammable world for anybody to care, so unfortunately that appeals to doing some things that just look good on camera but do not really make a lot of sense if you think it through.

The camera-friendly ploys worked. People lined up around blocks for Cronuts, rainbow bagels, unicorn Frappuccinos, ramen burgers and, of course, Black Tap CrazyShakes.

Black Tap, the New York burger joint, rose to fame with a made-for-Instagram concoction that featured whole other desserts perched atop a shake. Accessing the frosty treat required digging through slices of cheesecake or perhaps a Choco Taco. Its like the restaurant version of the horror film The Ring, where anyone who watches the haunted tape dies. Except every person who sees a photo of a Black Tap shake gets type 2 diabetes. And if you bought it just so you could post it to Instagram and throw it away before eating, it didnt matter to them. The bank deposited the money either way.

And yet, not everyone was so cynical with how they used Instagram. A person or restaurants posts could give the public a glimpse into the creative process, and bring to attention people who wouldnt have otherwise received itlike Dan the Baker. Or like a young chef in Australia who has become known around the world because of his social media use.

From his little restaurant in Sydney, Josh Niland got creative with seafood. Through his posts he showed off butchery skills that had greats from Dan Barber to Grant Achatz requesting an audience when he finally came stateside this year. And his work came in service of something noblea more eco-conscious way of preparing fish that cuts down on food waste. Gaining Instagram followers showed me Oh, wow, people like this, Niland says. People message me to ask what to do with the fish theyve got, and I love the interaction. It helps me be in front of more people to talk about what Im doing. It puts my work to good use.

Chef Magnus Nilsson likes to tell a story thats not directly about dining, but speaks to what he sees at restaurants now. He recently found himself at a small party where John Legend just happened to sit down at the piano and play three songs for the gathered revelers. I sat very very close because although Im not a John Legend fan, this was a beautiful momenthow often do you get to hear an artist of that caliber playing piano and singing a few meters away? Nilsson says. And I turned around and looking back it was a wall of cell phones. Everyone was experiencing the moment through their phones. None of them were having the experienceI dont think that they were even listening. It was just sad.

Its not that different at restaurants this decade. Diners have turned into food paparazzi, swarming dishes with cameras the moment they land on the table. I think theres a really positive aspect to Instagram, but its also a little annoying to see people take pictures of their food for 20 minutes before they even touch it, says Gio Osso of Virtu in Scottsdale, Ariz. Its getting cold, what are you doing? Or for a dessert course you want to say, Your ice cream is melting, you dont need 15 pictures of it. That constant urge to document the meal also means theyre disconnected from the people right in front of themdiners are mediating the restaurant experience through an LED screen.

I think the phone has decreased the interaction of human beings, says Matthew Accarrino of SPQR in San Francisco. That sentiment may not just be alarmism. A 2017 study that appeared in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, showed a significant association between social media use and increased depression, as people who spent more time on it reported increased feelings of social isolation. Social media may show you the whole world, but it may also make you feel alienated from it, as you see all these other people living their best lives.

And yet, it does have the power to connect communities of people who love food as well as bring diners closer to chefs and restaurateurs than in the past, like how I found Dan the Baker. It has been great for us, because another level of interaction with people who want to talk to you, says Jessica Koslow of Sqirl in Los Angeles.

It can help you get your message across to people, says Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco. And it doesnt have to just be pictures of food, you can use it for positive change by connecting for education purposes or showing people whats going on in your community.

That ambivalence is baked in to social media for Nilsson. Being part of this world is enables me to actually do something with my creative expression, he says. I mean, people wouldnt be coming to Fviken if it wasnt for a certain amount of interest in my person and a certain amount of hype, so its very complex.

Back when Matthew Accarrino was coming up as a young cook in New York in the pre-social media era, it was harder to know what food looked like inside the citys best restaurants. If he wanted to see Le Bernardin dishes, he might as well just go press his face up against the glass to see what the people were eating inside. But now I can type Le Bernardin into Instagram and see anything anyones ever taken a picture of, he says. The information is there, and it speeds the flow of that information to anyone.

The way starving chefs used to find out about the heights of fine dining was by waiting for cookbooks to be published. I came from a town of 3000 people. I thought you had to be from France to be a chef. I didnt know that was anything that I could ever even aspire to be, says Josh Habiger of Bastion in Nashville. My first job was in a diner. I remember seeing the Charlie Trotter cookbook and being like Whoa, this is food? This is more like art.'

Now chefs dont have to wait for a long publishing cycle to see the coolest new thing. We get ideas all the time from Instagram all the time. Probably every single day one of the cooks will show us something on Instagram to say, Look what these guys are doing,' says Alexander Hong of Sorrel in San Francisco. We get to see different flavor combinations or techniques, its a great great tool.

And yet, theres a downside. Scrolling through Instagram can reveal a lot of conformity because people are able to see and then quickly mimic the leaders like Ren Redzepi. I think theres a unifying thread through modern cuisine and I dont know if its a good thing or a bad thing. But food being produced in Copenhagen shouldnt look like food in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Tokyo, says Michael Cimarusti of Providence in Los Angeles. There should definitely be differences there, but I think thats part of the modern world that we live in, where everything is accessible within seconds from all the way around the world due to social media. I think it occurs at the detriment of your own creativity.

But even if theres some level of conformity, thats not necessarily a bad thing. Just this fall, persimmons hanging from strings inside restaurants flooded certain corners of Instagram. Chefs were drying the fruit to make the traditional Japanese delicacy hoshigaki. Id see pictures of Josh Skenes or Inua in Japan posting pictures and Im like, Thats so cool,' says Andy Doubrava of Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, Calif. Hes not exactly sure what hell do with them, but Instagram allowed this Michelin-starred chef to find inspiration, guidance and the confidence to try something he hadnt before. And when its done right, the delicious results are passed along to us the diners. Its the best we can hope for from Instagram.

See the rest here:
How Instagram Changed Food Forever in the 2010s - Robb Report

Healthcare is the biggest business in the world, and it is phenomenally broken, says Peter Diamandis, cofounder of the X-Prize, Singularity University, and Health Longevity Inc. So, do I think Apple and Google and Amazon can do a better job? A thousandfold.

In his upcoming book,The Future Is Faster Than You Think, which will hit bookshelves in late January 2020, Diamandis makes the case for why he believes big tech companies are going to be running healthcare by 2030. In December, he came to Fast Companys offices to make the case for why Big Tech is the doctor of the future.

Were going to see Apple and Amazon and Google and all the data-driven companies that are in our homes right now become our healthcare providers, he says, referring to smart speakers such as Googles Assistant, Amazons Alexa, and Apples HomePod. While many of these home voice assistants started with simple tasks like restocking home pantries and surfacing cooking tutorials, theyre already starting to move into the business of managing family well-being.

Amazon has put significant effort into making Alexa a health resource. In the United Kingdom, it has partnered with the National Health Service to answer basic health questions such as What are the symptoms for shingles? or What do you do if you have a cold? It has also made Alexa compliant with U.S. HIPAA laws and signed partnerships with major healthcare insurers and providers so patients can access or remit health information through the device. To date, there are nearly 2,000 health wellness skills on its platform.

Healthcare is the biggest business in the world, and it is phenomenally broken.

Similarly, the Google Assistant uses search to serve up information about medications, symptoms, and diseases, as well as physicians and medical services. Both the Google Home and the Echo have a Mayo Clinic-developed skill called First Aid that helps people navigate minor injuries. Meanwhile, Apples HealthKit takes a slightly different approach to tackling personal health. The kit connects to Apples own products such as the HomePod, iPhone, and Apple Watch as well as a bevy of devices from other companies, such as scales and blood pressure cuffs. The HealthKit can also tap into electronic medical records and other apps connected to hospitals and doctors. Essentially, it becomes a single repository for all your precious health data.

[Photo: courtesy of Apple]Diamandis believes the involvement of home health devices has the potential to lower costs by shifting care away from hospitals, where expenses can be much higher. This is the general idea behind telemedicine, but Diamandis thinks that big consumer tech companies will play a big role in driving that vision. He also thinks that these companies, which have mastered using personal data to anticipate user behavior, can use personal health data to make predictions about a persons long-term health prospects and advise them accordingly.

Diamandis posits that the more information is available about youyour genetic makeup, your health history, what you ate for breakfast, the bacteria in your bowel movement, how you slept last night, what kind of sound youre exposed to every daythe better artificial intelligence will be at spotting your potential for illness and suggesting care before the problem becomes intractable. This approach might shift the medical establishment from a structure that treats disease once its wreaking havoc in your body to one that prevents the disease from striking in the first place. It is literally hundreds if not thousands of times cheaper to do that, he says.

It is literally hundreds if not thousands of times cheaper to do that.

It is this cost savings that he believes will allow for new models of healthcare. Diamandis predicts Apple and Amazon will come up with a service where a person pays a company to keep them healthy, rather than to cover the cost of illness, based on their health history and daily activities. And big tech could not only influence a person to make healthier decisions, it could force them. Amy Webb, professor of strategic foresight at New York Universitys Stern School of Business, has spoken at length about the possibility that in a futuristic situation when Amazon, Google, and Apple run your entire house as well as your healthcare, smart refrigerators could cut you off from snacking between meals and smart garages could keep you from accessing your car in favor of walking to work.

Diamandis believes that by knowing a persons predisposition for disease, these companies could help them live a healthy lifestyle with their particular abnormalities in mind. Can you prevent those things, so we dont have these extraordinary costs? he asks. It will be these services, he believes, that will lead healthy people to dispense with traditional health insurance, leading to its ultimate demise.

Diamandiss vision of healthcare in 2030 raises a lot of questions. First and foremost, do these big tech companies want to become healthcare providers? So far, the only one that has really signaled its desire to become your doctor is Amazon. In addition to its work with Alexa, the company has launched its own health clinic for employees and is working on a secretive health project with JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway called Haven. But Apple and Google, at least so far, seem content to integrate their technology with traditional health providers as a way of advancing their practices. Meanwhile, the insurance industry is more likely to adapt to a preventative health model than it is to collapse completely. A survey from last year shows insurers are increasingly signing contracts with healthcare providers for continuous, value-based careall for a flat raterather than a negotiated fee for a particular service.

But Diamandis is right to bet on artificial intelligence in some regards;it is already predicting the onset of disease with some success. Whats unclear is how far forward these predictions can reach and how meaningful big data is to understanding how our bodies work. For example, while it may seem clever to sequence the genome of every new child born, one of Diamandiss ideas, it actually isnt as effective as a blood test for catching certain disorders, reporting has shown. Furthermore, the promise of predictive medicine may rest on a flawed assumption.

In a recent paper, Henrik Vogt, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Oslo Center for Medical Ethics, lays out why big data may not deliver in the way Diamandis suggests. He says that as technology gets better at spotting indications of illness or the prospect of sickness in the body, it will surface more and more signals. But a predisposition for a disease does not equal a diagnosis. The main problem for big data screening is that monitoring many features of the body with highly sensitive technologies is bound to detect many abnormalities but without the ability to tell which, if any, will become clinically manifest. As a result, more people may be labeled with more harmless conditions, he writes.

We have to accept that there will always be some degree of risk, morbidity, and mortality.

Even if a person has a high likelihood for a disease, they may never present symptoms, Vogt notes. As more services and devicessuch as direct-to-consumer gene sequencing and wearables with heart rate variation detectionget more sophisticated, there is more visibility into a persons body. But there is also a lot of noise in this information. Not every little genetic abnormality may be meaningful. Different bodies may have different idiosyncrasies. While there is more room for prevention as we are all more aware of our disease risk, Vogt makes the case that there is also a risk of overtreatment, which could be costly and may also cause patients harm. Vogt also explained via email that there might be issues in investing too much in big data rather than another approach, such as social or institutional change.

That is not to say there isnt a huge opportunity to mitigate disease through data and intelligence, Vogt writes, but doctors need to rethink risk. We have to accept that there will always be some degree of risk, morbidity, and mortality, Vogt writes.

That perspective flies in the face of precision medicine, which tends to assumes the human body is like a machine, Vogt explains over email, something that can be measured, analyzed, and ultimately controlled. The historian Yuval Harari, for example, rather uncritically built his book Homo Deus on this assumption: that organism is algorithm,' he says. But human bodies dont work like that; they are unique in composition and environmental circumstance.Both for biological and statistical reasons, there are limits to how precisely and accurately the trajectory of a human life can be predicted. This obviously limits the promise of predictive medicine.

This point of view is crucial, because it is at the heart of some of the skepticism surrounding a big data-focused approach to medicine. It is the reason thatApple has doctors on staffto advise on the development of its medically minded hardware. For big data to really drive better health outcomes, as Vogt points out, there will have to be standards about what information is actionable and what is not.

Diamandis seems to concede that big data is not everything, Ultimately whats best is human and AI collaboratively, he says. But I thinkfor reading x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, genome data, and so forth, that once we put human ego aside, machine learning is a much better way to do that.

See the article here:
Amazon and Apple will be our doctors in the future, says tech guru Peter Diamandis - Fast Company