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Technology Advancements That Are Winning The War On Chronic Pain

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INJURY PREVENTIONTechnology Advancements That Are Winning The War On Chronic Pain

Chronic pain affects millions of Americans every single day. If you’ve ever suffered from unrelenting pain, you know that you would do just about anything to stop it and get on with your life.

The first thing that many people reach for to cope with chronic pain is medication. Whether it’s over the counter or prescribed by a doctor, handfuls of medication are being swallowed daily in hopes of making the pain go away.

The problem with this is that not only do medications come with their own side effects, but they seldom address the actual source of the pain. If given a choice, wouldn’t you rather choose a method of treating your pain that was also beneficial in healing your body?

There has been some major advancement is technology for pain relief. No, they won’t all reach the source of your chronic pain, but they can help your body get stronger and heal more naturally in ways that medication can’t.

If you’re ready to get serious about pain relief, here are 4 technology advancements that are worth your time.

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Floatation Tanks

Floatation tanks work by not only soothing sources of pain in your body, but also by addressing the natural stress responses which often makes pain worse.

Floatation therapy involves a tank filled with water and soothing Epsom salts. The patient effortlessly floats in the water while other sensory distractions, such as lights and sounds, are removed. The effect is a whole-body healing experience.

Floatation tanks aren’t all that new, but advancements in technology have made them more accessible, to the point that models can even be purchased for home use.

Wearable Pain Relief Technology

New wearable technology by Quell is reported to relieve widespread chronic pan by stimulating the sensory nerves in your calves. As this happens, natural pain blockers go to work hushing the pain signals before they have the chance to reach your brain.

This type of technology works in very much the same way as prescription strength pain relief, but without the risk of side effects.

Radiofrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation, also called RFA, is a method of treatment that can result in 8-12 months of pain relief. This is great news for chronic pain sufferers, and the process is relatively simple.

RFA involves a physician who inserts a heated needle next to pain causing nerves. This effectively stunts the nerve so that it can no longer send pain signals to the brain. This therapy has proven successful for chronic pain conditions like arthritis, and pain in the back and hip area.

 

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Spinal Cord Stimulation

While not for everyone, spinal cord stimulation is a pain control method that can help those with hard-core, unrelenting chronic pain.

The concept of spinal cord manipulation has been around for decades. It wasn’t until more recently that technology caught up to the point that the process is now less invasive and safer than it would’ve been in the past.

Spinal cord stimulation involves a device, similar to a pacemaker, being implanted into the lower back. The device is attached to small wires located along the spine. When pain is felt, the patient can use a remote device to replace the pain with a less unpleasant sensation, such as a light tingling. High frequency models are also available for patients with more severe pain.

It’s beginning to look like the future of pain relief isn’t in the pharmaceutical industry, but instead in the hands of technology. New advancements are being made every day in technological therapies that can help you live a life free of chronic pain. It’s a great world we’re living in and I can’t wait to see what’s next on the horizon.

Whiplash Injury Prevention Technology

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whiplash injury prevention technologyThousands of claims for in-road accidents are submitted each year and the leading injury claim submitted is for whiplash injury. This type of traffic accident occurs during low speed driving with a rear impact collision. In fact, Europe has the title of being the capital of whiplash as millions of pounds of insurance money are claimed each year for this injury alone.

A simple solution for this problem, according to US research from the Georgia Institute of Technology, is with some mathematical calculations. Rear end collisions could easily be avoided with algorithms that are inserted into the computer of a car that will inform the driver if the car that is in front is going slow down. Research shows that a trailing driver’s perception of the leading driver’s speed is usually wrong. They are less capable of calculating the right speed of the car that is in front of them for speeds that is less than 8 mi/hr. That means for slow driving, the trailing car usually miscalculates the true slow speed of the vehicle in front.

From the result of these studies, an early warning system was developed by scientists. This mathematical algorithm of the speed of the front vehicle will hopefully minimize the possibilities of rear end collisions that lead to whiplash injury for the drivers of front vehicles. This new algorithm copies the behavior of the driver and it takes over once a rear vehicle is speeding too quickly to the vehicle in front. This new technology will take some control away from the driver and is now being explored by Mercedes Benz and other high end vehicle manufacturers. This type of algorithm, through researches in Georgia, could be incorporated into a huge range of car brands to reduce the amount of rear end collision cases, and eventually reducing the cases of whiplash.

This algorithm will follow the style of driving and braking of the driver and copies it. It can also put in pre-programmed protocols for safety so the driver would be alerted of the speed and distance of the car in front. This way collision could be avoided. Mercedes Benz also included emergency brakes that will stop the vehicle right before the impact. This is Mercedes’s way of kicking it up a notch over the technology from Georgia researchers.

These safety algorithms could really make a big difference as it could greatly reduce the number of rear-end impacts on our roads especially during low velocity driving. And because these minor car accidents lead to serious whiplash injuries that costs a lot of money, this technology is being improved by the leading research scientists which shows that they do take this problem seriously. Our modern technology is improving and advancing at a great speed. Eventually these problems will be avoided completely through the help of modern gadgets and computer programs.

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Your Health, Sponge, Vacuum, Pillow, Meat, Windows and TV

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houseThere is a saying: “Nothing is Like a Home.”  This home could also be a collector of colds and food born illnesses that people contract. Short and long term health outcome depends on the things we do around the house. Below is the list of six activities that might be making you and your children sick.

1. Your Sponge is a Jungle of Microorganisms which are Bad for Your Health

The only place in the house that never gets 100% cleaned up is the kitchen. Cleaning fish, preparing raw meet on our countertops and throwing waste in a sink will cause a breading backyard for all sorts of microorganisms. To name a few: E. Coli, salmonella and variety of viruses and bacteria.

Sponge is the most frequently used tool for cleaning kitchen’s countertop. Sponge can contain E. Coli and Fecal Bacteria and many other microbes. The second dirtiest item in your kitchen is dishrag.

The more frequently one uses the sponge the more one spreads the germs all over the countertop’s surface. One will also contaminate other appliances in the kitchen if the same sponge is applied for cleaning purposes.

How to Solve This Problem: Mixture of a bleach and water is a great solution for sterilizing a sponge. Air-drying will kill most of the germs in a sponge. Using microwave every week or even couple of times a week will keep your sponge germ free as well.

2. Vacuum Cleaning

Many vacuum cleaners do not do a good job at picking up small particles of dust. Most of these tiny dust particles escape through porous vacuum bags. They are the cause of the allergies that people get. A good alternative to a conventional vacuum cleaner would be a Rainbow vacuum cleaner. This unit has water reservoir instead of paper or plastic bag.

Small dust particles contain the highest amount  of heavy metals, lead, pesticides, and other chemicals. The everyday habit of cleaning with a conventional vacuum cleaner results in a burst of particles in the air and then they settle back down over the course of hours.

3. Sleeping With Pillows and a Mattress

Human body sheds about 1.5 million skin cells per hour and perspires one quart every day. These skin cells accumulate in our mattresses and pillows and provide and breeding farm for dust mites to grow and settle. Every ten years the mass of the mattress doubles due to the accumulation of insect parts, dust mites, fibers, lint, dust, chemicals, bacteria, spores, fungal mold, dander, animal hair, bodily secretions, human hair, and dust mites feces. After five years, ten percent of the pillow’s weight is dust mites. This is what we inhaling while sleeping.

Solution: Cover your mattress, box springs, and pillows with impervious outer covers.

Allergy-proof coverings seal the mattress and pillow, preventing anything from getting in or out, which protects you. Wash your sheets weekly in hot water. Make sure the temperature range of the water is between 130 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit

4. Grilling Meat

Reduce barbecuing frequency during nice summer days. BBQ meat creates cancer-causing compunds polycyclic hydrocarbon (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

Solution: Try to use tin foil when BBQ your meat. This will prevent fat to drip off, and will help to reduce the amount of fat that hits the flames and sticks on your BBQ meat. Microwaving your meat first will help to reduce the amount of fat.

5. Opening Your House Windows

The amount of seasonal allergies and poor air quality in metropolitan areas of the USA will not do you any good. More than 50% of the US population breathes unhealthy air. Also the pollution inside of our home is much worse than outside. Poor indoor air quality is the fourth largest environmental threat in our country.

Solution: Use Air-conditioning system in your house. The filters will eliminate the exposure to bacteria, molds, mildew, tobacco smoke, viruses, animals dander, house dust mites and pollen.

home6. Prolonged Sitting in Front of the TV

Millions turn into couch potatoes in the USA. Watching TV is one of the leading causes of obesity in this country. Obesity and overweight is the leading cause for heart disease, arthritis, and many other health related problems.

Solution: Go for a walk or a bike ride. Hide the remote control so it won’t be tempting to turn the TV on.

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Social Media and Your Health

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND HEALTH

We are approaching 10th year of a new millennium. This is almost the amount of time since I have graduate from Chiropractic school. So many things have changed in a digital world around us within the past 10 years. To mention the most popular ones: iPhone, Ipad, Android, super slick computer monitors and digital TV monitors. In a last couple of years the development of 3G by AT&T and 4G by Sprint networks and super fast internet connections for home and business offices. Even cars come with build in GPS and XM radio. All of these advances in technology do not come at the cost of their consumers – human health.

Our gadgets get smaller, faster, cheaper and more multitasking machine every three months. Just imagine for a second you left your house without your cell phone. Immediate panic takes over. That was not the case a decade ago. Smart phones have certainly become an extension of our brain. In this fast pace world multitasking is the only thing that will help you to stay on top of things. We use these devices to send text messages, make phone calls, watch video on Youtube, use twitter to send a link to our followers, Facebook for keeping in touch with friends, millions use it for gaming purposes. It is not such a healthy thing to look at tiny screen for many hours up to the point when battery has no more life. I have seen people playing games in all kinds of positions, wonder how much pain they have in their neck or back. However, there is a great benefit from these devices as well. One can find a lot of information via different blog posts and get in touch with a health care provider via twitter or instant chat. Below are the links to several articles that you might find interesting from a famous Mashable site.

5 Important Tips for Better Eye Health in a Digital World

In attempting to sum up the world in 2010, one word comes to mind: connected. Everywhere we go we carry devices that keep us connected to something important to us. Be it a sleek new tablet letting you share photos with the person helping load your groceries, or a smart phone making sure you don’t miss that late night e-mail from a colleague; we are now constantly connected to the world around us, more than ever before.  READ MORE …

5 Ways Social Media Helps Promote Good Health

This March, a report on chronic disease and the Internet by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation showed that people fighting such illnesses are using social media to find information and connect with others who suffer similar ailments.

While the research showed that people who have chronic illness are less likely, on average, to have Internet access, once they’re online they are more likely to blog about chronic disease and participate in online discussions or other forums. According to the report, “Living with chronic disease is also associated, once someone is online, with a greater likelihood to access user-generated health content such as blog posts, hospital reviews, doctor reviews, and podcasts. These resources allow an internet user to dive deeply into a health topic, using the internet as a communications tool, not simply an information vending machine.”  READ MORE …

8 Best Android Apps for Health and Fitness

Spring has sprung, summer’s around the corner — it’s time to get outside and get in shape. We know your iPhone-owning counterparts have plenty of apps for tracking their calories and kilometers to stay in shape, but there are plenty of health-related apps in the Android Market, too.

Here are eight highly rated free and paid Android apps that will help you get and stay in shape. If you’ve got recommendations — particularly for apps that will help folks get outdoors while the weather’s nice — please let us know about them in the comments. READ MORE …

4 Tips for Reducing Social Media Stress

We used to only be digitally connected via computer for part of the day, but today’s hand-held devices enable a “constantly connected” lifestyle. This presents huge benefits, and its share of challenges. An important question to ask yourself is: Are you going to be constantly overwhelmed by “Stress 2.0,” or can you successfully translate this lifestyle into “Wisdom 2.0?”

We are all well aware of the benefits of the social media age, but the challenge is finding a balance, and living a healthy and rich life both online and off. If we are not careful, our increasingly connected life can take a negative toll on our mind and body.

Below are four steps to go from a stressful social media life to a wise one, as well as the apps to help you do it.  READ MORE …

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