Monthly Archives: October 2018

Over the years technology has developed ways in which human life can be better. Digital innovation has been seen in all areas including health and wellness. Thanks to technology, people can live healthier lives. Technology allows people to tap into different parts of their health and learn more about it as well as more about how to improve it. There have been digital innovations in health in all areas, including but not limited to skin, fitness, dental hygiene, and mental health. Innovations in health can help people transform their lives for the better. Here are two ways in which technological innovations can be used in creating a holistically improved health and lifestyle.

1. Body:

Internal health directly reflects on one’s physical appearance and this is why humans are attracted to those deemed to be good looking – it is a testament of how healthy and strong they are and will be an ideal candidate to start a family with. However, recent innovations have also created ways to influence appearance positively. There are products that have been developed for skin, hair, and even dental care. Products like HiMirror help people track skin defects and how to fix them. Dental care has seen a lot of innovation as well and products to whiten teeth are now very common, both from a dentist or from an at-home kit. Even the technology of dyeing one’s hair dark is a benchmark of enhancing their appearance and in turn, their vitality.

Mobile applications like 7 Minutes offer workouts under 7 minutes. While it may not seem like much, but studies have shown that just a minute plank a day is able to help speed up metabolism and increase strength. This is especially helpful to those who work in an office and do not have ample time or are too tired to go to the gym.

2. Mind:

It is important to keep a healthy mindset in order to live a healthy life. Over the last few years, the importance of mental health awareness has taken a forefront, diminishing the stigma which has been attached to it for centuries. Meditative benefits have always been mentioned, with more and more leaders across the globe talking about the amazing benefits of meditation and mindset development. There are also applications which can be used to help one achieve peace through meditation, but the more advanced meditators can also use their phones to set reminders to take a break. This is important as the daily routine of an average person is often so chaotic and filled with work and obligations that they leave little to no time to themselves.

Apple has included innovations like Breathe on their smart watches and it will periodically remind the wearer to take time off to breathe or stand. Relaxation through the day is extremely important as it directly influences one’s quality of sleep and sleep is very important in terms of mental wellness. Therefore, technological innovations in sleep have become more highlighted over the years.

Overall, technological innovations have given people a chance to focus on more areas of their health. It has helped people create a healthier lifestyle and to live positively. These health innovations are allowing people to live a more balanced life, and work productively towards a better life.

With the current technological advancements, access to health care services is becoming more and more stress-free. Technology has enabled health care givers to offer their clients remotely thus making their services more convenient, especially to people who require home care. Initially, families had to send their relatives, who required special care, away to nursing homes, which consecutively caused a lot of suffering.

But with the emerging home care services, patients have the choice of remaining at home as they continue to receive the care they need. They no longer have to be separated from their loved ones and sent to new homes with unfamiliar faces. However, families still have to face the challenge of finding the right care givers for their loved ones.

Here are a few tips for picking the right home care providers.

• Research Widely

Just like in any other important venture, one is required to do extensive research on the available care givers before they make the final decision. These people will be spending most of the time with a patient or an elderly person who requires special attention. So, the decision one makes has to be right if not perfect. Luckily, the internet is full of useful information about home care services and the organizations that offer them.

• Reputation and Accreditation

It goes without saying that the best nursing company is the one that has a good reputation and all the necessary accreditations. Therefore, one has to check what other people, especially who have hired similar services from the company, think about it. This can be found in the company’s online reviews. One also has to ask for the company’s operating licenses, certificates and other credentials that prove its ability to render quality nursing services. It is the right of the person hiring the services to have all this information before they put pen to paper.

• Ask for Referrals

This is perhaps one of the most reliable and safest ways to find the right home care provider. By consulting people who have had an experience with the company, it becomes quite easy for one to know what to expect. One can also get suggestions of the most reputable nursing companies in the area, which in turn saves them time and money that they would otherwise spend moving from one company to another.

• Check Cost and Innovations

While there are many other factors that influence the decision one makes when choosing a home care giver, the cost of services offered plays a major role. Quality nursing services are supposed to be affordable but not suspiciously cheap. If the services are too cheap, then they probably don’t meet the required standards. One also needs to check the kind of technologies employed by the company in the delivery of its services. More exciting innovations are emerging every day, making nursing services better. Therefore, any reputable home care provider should be able to incorporate these technologies into their services for better results. Overall, one should scrutinize every aspect of the company they wish to hire before they sign the dotted line.

Medical malpractice is rampant in many countries across the globe. The term ‘medical malpractice’ refers to the problem of negligence or lapse in the treatment of a patient by a doctor which negatively affects the health of the patient. In the name of welfare and betterment of the patient large privately owned hospitals and nursing homes are reaping exorbitant profits by extorting money from the patient relatives. Most private practitioners have a tendency to provide a long list of tests to be done as a precautionary measure in case of simple health issues like fever and cold. In many cases, this is just to reap greater profits. In other cases, medical malpractice results from the carelessness or lack of knowledge of the healthcare personnel responsible. Medical negligence in the legal sense of the terms falls within the category of a personal injury case.

This issue is rampant in developing countries because there are several loopholes in the judiciary system, which allows such malpractices to occur frequently without stern action and remittance. Developed countries like Britain, U.S.A. and Sweden have witnessed a decline in the number of cases claiming medical malpractice as a cause of personal injury.

In India, special consumer courts deal with cases and complaints of medical negligence. There are several sections within the Indian Constitution which deal with the issue in general and specific. The Indian Penal Code or IPC has placed a medical practitioner at a different level from a regular person. Section 304A[10] of the Indian Penal code says that If a person causes a death of a person by engaging in a negligent or rash act that is not equivalent to homicide then the concerned person will be penalized with an imprisonment and/or fine. This means that a doctor who is proven guilty of negligence can be imprisoned or/and fined in India. Healthcare is a service which is provided to people. So, problems of medical negligence also fall within the Consumer Protection Act of India which mentions that the patient can claim compensation if he/she has sustained harm or injury in the course of treatment because of the carelessness of the doctor or the hospital. The Indian civil law is useful when dealing with medical malpractice issues. When the patient suffers permanent damage because of the carelessness of the doctor which cannot be covered under the Consumer Protection Act then the civil law is put to use. The onus in case of civil law is upon the patient to prove negligence.

Medico-legal history of India shows that it is very difficult to prove medical negligence in India. This is because in India in order to prove medical negligence opinion and diagnosis of a case is to be done by medical practitioners who are a part of State Medical Councils. The difficulty here is that majority of the doctors are unwilling to testify against corporate hospitals before a court of law. However, not all is lost, in the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of verdicts, which have recognised the negligence and made provisions for compensating the patient and his family.

Healthcare is considered to be a noble field that is generally considered to be for the welfare of humanity with personal and/or monetary gains to be of least importance. However, gone are the days when people aspired to become doctors just to be of service to man. During recent times, there has increasingly been an urge in members associated with the field of healthcare to draw as much fame and money as they can from each patient they encounter. The medical care required by patients may be dire, but the doctor usually takes recourse in the long route to treatment so as to milk out maximum monetary gain that seems logically possible.

Troubled patients especially senior citizens who have been victims of negligence have increasingly begun to hire legal aid in order to tackle such issues they encounter in the field of healthcare. One increasing cause of concern is the phenomenon of improper treatment meted out at nursing homes. In the field of law there have come to be known specialty lawyers that cater to the specific incidents of negligence at nursing homes. They are the nursing home negligence lawyers.

Though this problem of negligent treatment at nursing homes is more rampant in developing countries, it however, is not an extinct issue in developed countries as well. In the past few years, there have been some rules and laws even that have been passed to this effect. This helps safeguard the consumer’s right to a just and positive medical aid in exchange to the many financial and physical troubles patients especially the elderly have to go through. In India, there are special consumer courts that have been formed to provide legal recourse to those who seek it. There is also the concept of fast-track case; the use of which is determined on examination of how critical the patient’s condition is.

Even after having received medical treatment at nursing homes, many elderly patients complain of stress and anxiety owing to unprofessional staff or services that were rendered at the nursing home. Extensive research and consumer polls have also been undertaken in order to understand and effectively address the problems that appease or disappoint an elderly patient. Reputed healthcare centers and nursing homes are also increasingly trying to incorporate the findings of such research in order to cater to the patients in a satisfactory manner.

In spite of the growing concern in the field of elderly healthcare, it is a common sight to see the rampant malpractices that occur day in and day out due to unsatisfactory medical care. There have also been cases of patients suffering from chronic problems owing to such malpractices. The best recourse for an elderly victim to take as compensation – monetary or otherwise, is to engage legal help. This will ensure justice as well as discourage healthcare providers from engaging in such practices in the future, which will also help other possible victims to receive better; possibly the best medical aid.

Being healthy or the contraction of a medical problem is not in one hands. However, the right to receive proper treatment is every human’s birthright which gets further reinforced with the fact that there are laws and legal aid available to that extent.

Dental hygiene is one of the most commonly neglected areas of general health. Dentists lay great emphasis on maintaining oral hygiene because neglect and poor dental hygiene can cause serious irreparable damage to teeth, gums and serious infections within the body. Teeth not only make us look good and feel confident but also are an important part of the digestive system as the food must be chewed and mixed properly in the mouth before it enters the digestive tract.

Here are a few simple tips which can be followed to maintain a good oral hygiene:

• Since childhood, we are told about the importance of brushing our teeth. But what is more important for a good oral hygiene is to properly brush them so that no bits of food or plaque are allowed to accumulate between the gaps. The correct way of brushing is to gently move the toothbrush in a circular motion to remove anything that may be stuck between the teeth. It is important to brush before going to sleep at night to remove germs and plaque which may have accumulated during the daytime.
• Most people brush their teeth but avoid flossing either because they are in a hurry or because they find it difficult. Flossing is needed to clean the more difficult areas within the mouth. The ready-to-use dental floss is easily available and is simple to use. One can use this to floss their teeth daily.
• Eating healthy is crucial to maintaining dental hygiene especially among children. Parents must avoid giving processed meals to kids regularly as it is mushy, high in sugar and gets stuck between the teeth easily. This can cause cavity, plaque and gingivitis. Children must be encouraged to consume fruits, crunchy vegetables and items low in sugar to exercise the jaws and keep the teeth healthy.
• Water is the best beverage for the human body. It not only keeps the digestive system healthy but also makes the mouth feel fresh and keeps it germ-free by washing off the remains of food that maybe there in the mouth after a meal. Drinking a glass of water after every meal reduces the negative effect of sticky and acidic food on teeth.
• Tongue cleansing is an essential part of maintaining oral hygiene. Plaque accumulates on the tongue over time if it is not removed regularly. This can cause bad breath, loss of taste and infections in the long run. The tongue must be cleaned once a day- this can be done by using a tongue cleaner or simply by brushing the tongue gently after the teeth have been brushed.
• Getting an overall dental check-up done twice a year is vital to ensure good oral hygiene. Dr. Jennifer Silver is a dentist who offers regular dental check-ups that you can avail. During a regular dental check-up, the dentist generally examines the teeth, gums and mouth carefully to look for signs of dental problems. Getting this checkup is important because if you have a dental problem then early detection is crucial to prevent it from aggravating.

Today, everything happens quicker than we realize. It’s the same pace at which our careers, families and work evolve – oftentimes with an extravagant list of stress-filled days and anxiety-ridden, sleepless nights. While this has almost become the norm, many do not realize that there is ample potential to curb the negative symptoms and aid better sleep.

Not getting enough shut-eye can welcome a plethora of problems – right from poor immunity to heart ailments. Chronic sleep disorders are, surprisingly, pitched as one of the top medical threats to the nation’s health. For many who are battling insomnia or similar disorders, there are plenty of medications and supplements like Kavinace that help folks who simply lie awake at night.

Kavinace’s line of products that is expected to improve the user’s sleep quality, comes packed with nutrients, vitamins and herbs. Apart from the natural ingredients, the supplement also contains melatonin, which helps to rewire the brain’s signals to ensure you’re in bed.

What’s more, the ingredients rank Kavinace as one of the leading products in the market today, making it one of the most ideal dietary supplement to tap into.

Herbal teas, essential oils, epsom salt baths, and yoga can encourage healthy living and embrace the need for a healthy diet everyday. Most edibles churn great profits, along with making sure that you’re almost asleep. However, with dietary supplements, most users found that they were able to pull-off an almost sleep packed night for more than 6 hours.

A variety of other body-centric habits have also won big when it came to good sleep. With the number of apps listed by the day on mobile stores increasing, there are plenty of apps to choose from when it comes to soothing music or white noise. One can choose from soft soundtracks or instrumental melodies, to focus on meditation and calming the muscles.

Another aid to better and improved sleep is the temperature. Heat has been known to trigger sleeplessness, while the fan’s breeze or something more cooler can help in getting a good shut-eye. Yoga also provides great postures that are aimed at promoting better sleep and soothing the central nervous system.

Depending on local and other needs, each person is going to have a string of requirements to strengthen their sleep cycle. Ensuring the right food intake and the many ways to discipline your body through a schedule every week can work wonders for grabbing some great sleep.