Now that you have decided to invest in an iPad (or any other kind of tablet for that matter), what can you do with it?
For starters, what about having an entire medical library in your pocket? You could pull up the complete Gray’s Anatomy book with the touch of a button, not to mention the many apps available that feature highly detailed 3D human body models. Imagine yourself doing rounds during your internal medicine rotation and after an interesting case, you can immediately dig deeper on your digital copy of Harrison’s Principles of Medicine and build up on what you’ve just saw, then when it is still fresh in your head, no need to wait until you get home and maybe forget some details. Maybe you found an interesting research that you’d like to show your peers or your attending, pull it up in seconds, make annotations and share it with anybody.
Apps such as UpToDate will maintain the most current knowledge at the tips of your fingers, readily available to apply at the bedside. Medscape also has a vast knowledgebase that is updated regularly and it could be accessed through their app, turning it into a great resource for students during their clinical rotations. Epocrates is an amazing app to find out the appropriate dosing for patients (very useful during pediatrics rotations) and to check for any contraindications and interactions that could harm them. From a med school’s point of view, the Mac Configurator App embedded on the Ned iPad, essentially allows IT professionals within a hospital or medical school to remotely manage and configure a large collection of devices. It is perfect for the hospital or education environment where devices need to be quickly refreshed and kept up to date with the correct settings, approved policies, apps and data. Imagine a school where the latest and most current publications, chosen and curated by faculty are automatically transferred to all students, and during class the professor would say: “the new updates to the curriculum are being pushed to your devices as we speak.”
From another very different point of view, there have been reports of iPads being placed into the plastic bags used to cover the fluoroscopy heads and brought ino the OR for surgeons to use and they found that the iPad touch screen works quite well even while wearing gloves. There are even some covers that are now being commercially distributed. When in the OR, students could ask their attendings if it is ok to bring in their iPads. The student could search for the surgical technique beforehand and have pertinent anatomic images and radiologic studies ready for review. The surgeon could then show the student how is the anatomy in the atlas or radiology compared with the one he is seeing in the OR, as well as compare the video of the surgical technique he searched with the current surgery. This is a highly enhanced learning experience. The student could also take pictures and show them later to nervous family members so they know exactly what has been done (and if authorized he could try to explain what he just has learned).
This is a whole new method for learning and I believe that it is enormously better. Interactive learning is much more effective than traditional lectures and didactic education. I am quite certain that the average pre-med student is probably tech-savvy, is active in social media and has seriously considered investing in an iPad or smartphone (if he doesn’t already own one). We need to take advantage of these qualities and enrich their education with the tools that they know how to use and master.
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The ball is at your side of the court: If you could create an app that could effectively enhance medical learning, how would it be?
Calling all Med Schools: the iPad is here, have you noticed? Or do you live under a rock?
It’s been just a week since Apple announced the release of the new iPad and we have all witnessed the hype going on. Some new features, better processor and screen… and the long and endless lines outside of Apple stores. How many of these extremely excited buyers – who couldn’t wait to get their hands on this piece of technology – are actually getting the iPad for education purposes? There have been some studies that advocate the use of these new technologies such as tablets as very effective learning tools. In one study conducted in the Abilene Christian University, the investigators proved that students equipped with iPads performed better than their paper-based peers. They argue that these results are due to the iPad’s stimulation of “learning moments,” helping students make more efficient use of their time; while also making them feel more satisfied.
Another study conducted in the UK assessed how mobile technology enabled medical students to learn. They found that having quick access to key information and being able to conveniently reference them is a major advantage over the conventional learning methods of books that med students could take advantage from.
Being evidently aware of the advantages of mobile learning and education, Apple launched its iTunes U app. I believe that this is going to be a hit. Now, you can not only take courses that could complement a weak subject on your university’s curriculum, but you can also take a course on a subject that have interested you for a long time and you never found the time or resources to do it (perhaps a computer coding course?). With this technology you can see a lecture at your own schedule and pace, plus it will cost you a minuscule fraction of the actual price of a college or university’s tuition. On top of that, the available courses are from top-notch sources such as Stanford, Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, MIT, Yale and Duke among many others. There are a few courses under the category of “Health & Medicine” but the list will definitely grow.
I hear they’re giving iPads… I’m soooo going to med school now!!! Artwork Copyright by Allie Brosh of “Hyperbole and a half”
It is not a coincidence that some of the universities that have introduced their courses to iTunes U are the same ones giving med students iPads on their first years (or at least making it a requisite to have one). For instance, Yale School of Medicine have adopted iPads as their main learning tool; they argue that “the medical school was spending about $1,000 on paper copies of the medical curriculum—about the cost of an iPad,” this is something that all other med schools need to seriously consider. Alpert Medical School of Brown University requires that its students buy an iPad for medical literature in first year. The University of Ottawa in Canada used iPads and Lenovo tablets to administer an anatomy exam with excellent results. Stanford School of Medicine (Stanford is where Steve Jobs gave his famous commencement address) is also giving its students an iPad. Many other med schools enter this list (University of California Irvine School of Medicine, Georgetown, University of Central Florida, University of Minnesota and the University of Manchesterin the UK). This list is still too short, but there is no doubt that more schools will join after they learn the infinite benefits of adopting new technologies.These are great news for the world of medicine. Imagine what a med student from a third world country like Uganda (it seems like Uganda is trending now) could learn when he has access to the many courses uploaded to iTunes U, or to new developed apps (apps will be a topic of part 2 of this post); and also imagine how this up-to-date knowledge will translate to the care he will give to his patients… the possibilities are endless.
I dare to say that tablets will join white coats as a new symbol of med students. What do you think?
The ball is on your side of the court: in your opinion, what is the greatest potential of a tablet that med schools could most effectively exploit?
For adults it is unusual not to drive a car. There are already more than 800 million four-wheeled vehicles on the roads and the number is likely to double by 2050. In the US the average daily drive time is 24 minutes and over the course of a year commuting to work eats up more than 100 hours. Although most of us consider ourselves to be good and safe drivers, the act of driving from A to B actually requires coordination of a highly complex physiological, anatomical and behavioral systems, all of which can be affected adversely by illness and medications. Although medical conditions are infrequent causes of road traffic accidents, people living with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes do give up using their vehicle because of a perceived risk to them whilst at the wheel.
Given the amount of time spent in a car, perhaps this could be used for medical related reasons? As well as providing an opportunity for patient monitoring, there could also be potential benefit from integrating a driver’s physiology into the mechanical workings of the vehicle. As an example, for a diabetic patient at risk of hypoglycemia, glucose monitoring systems could be linked to the ignition – the car could be modified so as not to start if a glucose level is below ideal. Furthermore, already available continuous glucose monitoring systems could predict the potential for hypoglycemia during a car-journey, alert the driver by auditory, visual or tactile alarms and switch on the satellite navigation system to direct the driver to the nearest source of carbohydrate. Other useful monitoring opportunities could include
Real-time monitoring of heart rate and rhythm including ambulatory monitoring for silent myocardial ischemic events
Real-time blood pressure monitoring. This may help with the assessment of drug therapy and reduce the potential for recording so-called “white-coat” hypertension
In-vehicle oxygen for individuals with hypoventilatory disorders
Real-time brain wave monitoring for those with a history of seizures
Another simple option would be in-car alcohol monitoring for individuals convicted previously of driving under the influence of alcohol. In-car recording of high breath or sweat levels could prevent driving altogether.
All in all having a car that offers medical monitoring could have favorable implications for driver licensing and insurance and perhaps open up new employment opportunities currently restricted because of disease or therapy e.g. truck driving for patients treated with insulin. It may also improve road safety. In addition, data useful for clinicians, could be generated during driving and sent wirelessly to clinics to aid patient management. This could reduce the need for multiple trips to see the doctor or nurse to have various medical devices fitted, removed and the results discussed.
Medtronic have already created a prototype car for people with diabetes and there are an increasing number of patent applications filed based on this concept. For the consumer, the availability of in-car medical monitoring could be another factor involved in choosing a car but as always it is likely that price will still be the number one consideration.
If you asked most people if they value “creativity” in their doctor or surgeon, I’m guessing most people would say “NO.” (Tell me where I’m wrong.)
I used to think that there were certain professions – like medicine – where creativity is actually not a valuable attribute. I’m beginning to wonder if that’s really true.
Are mistakes always bad?
Most of us think that medical mistakes are all bad. That the last thing we want is for our doctor to “make a mistake”. Well, I’m beginning to think that by making mistakes “bad” we are limiting the creative thinking that we really need from doctors. Especially now.
One of the big walls in my mind that was completely blasted away during my year of training as a life coach and certification in sound healing was the idea that all mistakes are “bad”. First, I heard story after story from real people describing how the biggest “mistakes” in life often turn out to yield unimaginably rich treasures later on (an assertion confirmed recently by Conan O’Brien at his visit to Google). Then, when I began making improvisational music, I realized that some of the most expressive sounds come from playing the “wrong” notes. I slowly began to see how just that thought – “Mistakes are bad” – leads us to hide the things we don’t know, be afraid of asking for help, and remain closed to new ways of doing things.
Medical training doesn’t encourage creative thinking
What I never saw encouraged in the first two years of medical school was any kind of creative thinking. The selection process to get into medical school, and the evaluations throughout the process, rely heavily on multiple-choice tests and promote the belief that physicians always need to be “right”.
But I always knew intuitively that clinical medicine is an art. I wondered at what point in the training this shift from “being right” to “practicing an art” would be instilled in us.
Maybe I didn’t stick around long enough in medicine to see for myself, but when I looked at the residents and fellows in training around me – the ones who were supposed to be my mentors – many of them walked around like the living dead. They appeared to divide their time between trying to look good to the person just above them on the hierarchy of authority, and trying to get home from the hospital at a decent time each day. In their spare time, if their eyes were actually open, they would look pityingly at us medical students, occasionally sharing a story or two about how someday we would also have the starry-eyed hope beaten out of us.
When I think back on those days, I wonder how they might have been different if the training culture (starting in medical school) had treated the idea of “mistakes” in a different way.
What if…?
Pixar’s Toy Story 3
What if people, at every stage of their training and practice of medicine, were expected to make mistakes? What if the number and type of mistakes you made (and shared openly with others) were a measure of the quality of your learning? What if you had to make your mistakes publicly, and everyone in the room was invited to give feedback? What if everyone, from student to resident to fellow to attending, had to do this?
I’m borrowing this model from a source that may surprise you – the internal practices of Pixar Animation Studio. Ed Catmull, President of Pixar, wrote a Harvard Business Review paper and recently gave a talk I attended at Stanford University on the elements of success at Pixar. How is it that the studio has managed to produce such a steady string of consistently blockbuster movies (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars,Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up), each with an original storyline developed in-house?
The answer surprised me.
Catmull described a culture in which each of the “What if…?” questions I asked above was answered with “Yes.” Contrast these attributes of Pixar’s culture with the typical training environment for a physician.
Expect to make mistakes. Everyone at Pixar is taught to expect things (using Catmull’s language) to “suck” at first. Everyone also learns early on that the path to “not sucking” (ie, being good) always starts with “sucking”. Young doctors live in perpetual fear, clinging to the notion of needing to be “right” all the time. The training environment should reassure them that the more wrong they are willing to be at first, the better chances they have at improving over time.
Fail publicly…early and often. It is an accepted part of the culture at Pixar to show your unfinished work to peers on a daily basis to receive feedback…even when it sucks. These gatherings are called “dailies”. Everyone does this, so that inhibitions about “being the only one who sucks” are let go, and trust is built. Doctors-in-training are constantly playing a game of “looking good” in front of the more senior person on the totem pole. There is little to no value placed on peer feedback, even though the daily patient rounds are a perfect setting for this to occur.
Open communication. At Pixar, the film’s director has final decision-making authority; however, everyone in the room is encouraged to give feedback during dailies. “Brain trusts” of senior members on other teams are convened when one team needs help on a particular problem. In medicine, it is rare for a student to directly address an attending physician. There is a clear hierarchy of roles, which usually mirrors access and communication.
Catmull admitted to a challenge now that certain Pixar executives have achieved “legendary” status. When it’s observed that feedback is being held back because of the presence of certain “legends in the room”, the meetings are scaled back to two or three people, in order to create a safe environment for feedback to flow….even when it sucks.
“Going to Hell in a Handbasket”
Asking what might happen if the medical training culture began to place a greater value on creativity, making mistakes, and learning through open communication, probably induces in some the kind of fear associated with the apocalypse. That’s because it would mean the end of one way of thinking. It would threaten the age-old structures that have governed our assumptions, expectations, and ways of measuring outcomes. It would surely induce some people to say, “We’re going to hell in a handbasket!” But aren’t we already saying that about our health care system?
Learning versus Performing
The “learning” environment in medical training is actually a performance environment, even though we call it the “practice” of medicine. As a medical student, real practice and learning is expected to be done in private – reading and memorizing – while the actions of “being a doctor” are presented as “show time” – when you try to impress the person above you with how much you already know.
So back to my list of “What if…?”s. The whole list can be boiled down just to this: What if doctors were trained to be more creative? I can imagine some simple steps that any clinical team could implement tomorrow on morning rounds.
Start by acknowledging that all doctors are humans. No one – not even that surgeon who acts like he owns the hospital (and maybe he does) – is going to get it “right” all the time. This is a hard one, I know, but you’ll never get to the other steps without swallowing this pill, so do it now.
Mistakes are not inherently bad. It’s how we handle our mistakes that develops our creativity and leadership potential. So stop fearing and start making mistakes. And then…
Talk openly about what went wrong, without blame or judgment. Show your work, explain what you see, and ask for feedback. What information was missing or misinterpreted? Who could be called in for additional help? What step in the process could have been handled better? Get everyone at every level involved in this process. No one is immune to making mistakes, and medicine desperately needs open engagement among all levels of professionals and staff.
Repeat this process daily. Someone wise once said, “If you have behaved yourself into a situation, you must behave yourself out of it!” Just as the existing culture wasn’t created in one day, implementing this into the daily routine will take some time and practice. But with this small shift in attitude, every day is an opportunity to build your creativity muscles.
If medical judgment could be cultivated merely by performing “perfectly” in front of your superiors for a number of years, then how do we explain the high levels of physician burnout, patient dissatisfaction, and medical errors in our health care system today?
The culture of performance needs to be balanced by a culture of learning and creativity.
If medical training began valuing creativity from doctors, we might have more vibrant and collaborative health care teams whose focus was the patient, and whose willingness to learn would produce better health over time…one mistake at a time.
It’s one of those evenings where you surf the internet, where you click through from site to site, from discovery to discovery with seemingly endless websites out there and then you stop in awe, because you are just happy to see people doing great things around the world.
Smoking has lots of negative connotations. Apart from the obvious (negative) health implications, it is much less socially accepted than in the golden days. Now there are great minds out there that see great opportunities, but it’s uncommon that you stumble upon a company that aims to re-invent smoking. “Re-inventing” is somewhat of an oxymoron. It simply doesn’t fit in our minds and seems so wrong especially when it has to do with something that harmful. There are two major reasons why cigarettes (for the sake of simplicity and correlation of worldwide usage let’s leave out pipes, sishas et al.) have been (and still are in some parts of the world) such a tremendously successful product.
1. They are highly addictive
2. They were widely regarded as something “cool” (mostly through the entertainment industy)
Being addicted and killing yourself isn’t something worth striving for – being “cool”, however, is for a lot of people, especially young ones. Now what if you could eliminate the “health part” of the whole smoking paradigma? Plenty of companies, entrepreneurs and chemists have tried to do so, but largely failed. Part of the reason is that the “cool” part has been neglected. It’s hard to imagine Jon Hamm in Mad Men smoking an electronic cigarette. It’s not authentic, it’s fake, it’s not cool.
Ploom began as a conversation between a smoker and a non-smoker outside a studio at Stanford’s Joint Program in Design in 2004.
“What do you hate about smoking?” Adam asked.
“What do you love about it?” James responded.
The two had already been collaborating on eccentric thesis explorations but those were quickly dropped to answer the question: What if smoking were reinvented today? The thesis generated support from some of the most well respected thinkers and doers in and around the University. James and Adam founded Ploom in a tiny orange painted room on an apple orchard in Palo Alto, determined to bring a better alternative to people who love (and hate) smoking. Hundreds of prototypes, consumer insights and a business plan later, the two developed a unique startup in the historic Dogpatch area of San Francisco with a handful of the best engineers, advisors, marketing and biotech veterans in the country. The model One and Ploom’s first six flavors are the first glimpse of the future of smoking: a new ritual for a modern society from a new kind of company.
Ploom is a company that takes into account that smoking has been a social habit for thousands of years. It’s always been there, and before modern medicine has stepped in, it also hadn’t been regarded as something bad or unhealthy. The San Francisco based startup doesn’t aim to offer an alternative for the modern nicotine addict, but rather offers a viable,harmless and cool smoking device. Why not smoke if it doesn’t harm your body, doesn’t affect your surrounding and doesn’t make your clothes smell? What if the aspartam in diet coke was more health-threatening than a cigarette?
The endavour of the two founders Adam and James is an ambitious one, but it’s simply amazing that in the eco-friendly, Toyota Prius® covered Dogpatch area of San Francisco somebody really wants to make smoking cool again. That’s pure “out of the box” and we love it.
Made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the NHLBI Large-Scale DNA Sequencing Project provided six awards at five academic institutions to identify genetic connections to heart, lung, and blood diseases — accounting for three of the four leading causes of death in the United States. Historically, such a “deep” sequencing effort would be prohibitively time-consuming, costly, and laborious for a single laboratory. However, advances in sequencing technology coupled with the infusion of funds allowed the NHLBI to recruit and employ a team of researchers to work together over the last two years to accomplish this vital step in the path toward achieving personalized medicine. Individual studies address critical health issues such as heart attack, stroke, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight and obesity, and others.
Featured in the video are Christopher O’Donnell, M.D., M.P.H., of the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); Cristen Willer, Ph.D., University of Michigan; Edwin Silverman, M.D., Ph.D., Harvard Medical School; and Sekar Kathiresan, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital.
Researcher Kamal Meattle shows how an arrangement of three common houseplants, used in specific spots in a home or office building, can result in measurably cleaner indoor air. This is accomplished with 3 types of carefully selected basic and common waist high potted plants. Areca Palm , Mother-in-law’s Tongue and “Money Tree”. This without dobut is using green to go green to be sustainably healthy. We categorize such endeavors as Perfect Green, and thus have made a place for this in our magazine, honoring the work of TED and Kamal Meattle.
Of particular note is that studies show, 20% productivity improvement in workers and a 1% increase in blood oxygen ( measured after only 10 hours ). Impressive. It would seem that if you must plant a tree, put one of these 3 in your office or home at the very least, and at the best, follow Kamal’s simple guidance for trees per person for 100% balance, essentially erasing your own exhaled C02 footprint such as it is, and being healthy while doing it.
Here at CTNGREEN NYC we have Areca Palms and Bamboo, some spider plants for the windows and have noticed that this also levels the room humidity ( as measured by our tech toys for that ) which also makes for a far more comfortable workspace… although not mentioned in his talk, Humidity and aspiration are rather closely related and merely attending to oxygen levels is insufficient for human optimal environmental management.
In Very Dusty areas, wiping the leaves is needed to maximize the benefits, and an electrostatic duster will get this done in seconds. Each of these 3 trees works best with 2 cups of water and 1/2 packet hydroponic ( basically 1 tbl spoon Miracle grow ). Considering the benefits, its the right path to follow.
Almost everyone would love to take advantage of ways to boost their brain power and become smarter, no matter how smart they already are. Below are 25 scientifically proven ways you can do just this. From surprising activities such as watching TV or riding a motorcycle to brain-healthy nutrition choices, try a few of these ideas and see if you notice any improvement in your intelligence.
What You Can Do
These activities all offer ways to improve your cognitive abilities, so pick up a crossword puzzle, drink some water, and listen to some music to make yourself smarter.
Watch specific types of TV shows. Outlined in the book Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson, TV shows that include certain elements such as many overlapping plot strands, a relatively large number of primary characters, moral ambiguity, and no narrative hand-holding produce benefits for the views that build intelligence. Some examples of these types of shows include E.R., Alias, The West Wing, Six Feet Under, and 24.
Play video games. Not all video games may qualify for this, but researchers showed that 9 and 10 year-olds who played Dr Kawashima’s More Brain Training on the Nintendo DS displayed “dramatic” results when looking at math improvement and classroom behavior. The number challenges, problem-solving, and memory puzzles are likely what makes this game different from some others.
Social networking. According to a study reported in Discover Magazine, social interaction boosts synaptic activity, then sleep helps eliminate any unnecessary synapses, thereby boosting the positive ones. Granted, this study was done on fruit flies, but the idea is that by interacting socially, humans are creating more synapses, therefore increasing brain power.
Ride a motorcycle. The developer of Nintendo’s Brain Training software, Ryuta Kawashima, conducted an experiment on Japanese men in their 40s and 50s who had motorcycle licenses but hadn’t ridden in years. The men were split into two groups–one riding a motorcycle to work every day and one not. The motorcycle riders showed improved cognitive functioning and they also indicated that they made fewer mistakes at work and felt happier.
Age. Researchers have discovered that as the human brain ages, several processes begin to occur to improve the way the brain functions. Older brains have learned more, use more complex modes of processing, and the two hemispheres of these brains begin to work together more efficiently. The result is that when people reach their 40s and well beyond that, their brains are just beginning to work at peak efficiency, resulting in more wisdom and intelligence.
Drink water throughout the day. Just about everyone has heard that drinking water is good for your body, but some researchers say thatdrinking water throughout the day keeps your body hydrated more effectively, thereby providing more of the benefits of drinking water–including carrying nutrients and oxygen to your brain.
Get enough sleep. Getting the right amount of sleep (generally between 7 to 8 hours a night) allows your brain time to process the day by strengthening memories, and the connection between neurons, resulting in better recall. Find out your optimal amount of sleep, then engage in healthy sleep-promoting behaviors such as getting exercise and avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed to help boost your intelligence.
Listen to music. Several studies have shown a connection between listening to music can improve memory and boost skills in math and science. Listening to music also works to improve listening skills and focus as well as promotes relaxation.
Practice dual n-back exercises. These exercises were created by psychologist Susanne Jaeggi specifically to improve intelligence and are now available in several games, such as the open source version from Brain Workshop or a paid version for the iPhone called IQ boost.
Learn a foreign language. While most research focuses on teaching languages to young students, learning a new language at any age will provide your brain the opportunity to make new neural connections, which increases intelligence.
Practice Transcendental Meditation. This form of meditation requires practitioners to sit quietly with eyes closed while chanting a mantra.Studies have shown that Transcendental Meditation can improve the performance of high school and post-secondary students.
Stretch your memory. Learn from London taxi drivers, who must memorize all the streets in the city before taking on their job. Researchers have learned that these taxi drivers have a larger than normal hippocampus, suggesting a strong link between using memory and growing intelligence.
Work crossword puzzles. Working crossword puzzles on a regular basis keeps the mind sharp and holds dementia at bay as well. Don’t worry if you think you aren’t good at them, start easy and work your way up to more difficult ones.
Play chess. If you don’t already know how, learn how to play chess to help boost your intelligence. While many studies look at teaching students the game in order to help raise intelligence and problem-solving, it is also an excellent way for adults to do the same.
What You Can Eat
Good nutrition is tied to both a healthy body and a healthy brain, but some aspects of nutrition have been shown to improve intelligence and protect brain function. Find out what you can eat (and drink) to make yourself smarter.
Vitamin B. Vitamin B helps improve memory and mood. Studies have also shown a connection between mental decline in the elderly and a lack of B vitamins in their bodies. Eat plenty of foods high in B vitamins such as bananas, turkey, beans, lentils, and potatoes.
Fish oil. Whether you take high-quality supplements, eat fish such as wild salmon, or both, getting fish oil in your diet is an excellent way to make yourself smarter. Research has shown that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are the best type of oils for the best brain function.
Avoid artificial colors and flavorings. A study of one million students in New York showed that students who ate lunches that did not include artificial flavors, preservatives, and dyes did 14% better on IQ tests than students who ate lunches with these additives. Eating naturally is not only better for your body, but helps raise intelligence, too.
Matcha. This stone-ground, powdered form of green tea is a super-concentrated version of the green tea that comes in tea bags. This form of green tea is an excellent way to increase mental alertness, improve focus, and is incredibly healthy.
Antioxidants. Eating foods that are high in antioxidants can help improve focus, problem-solving, and memory by combating free-radicals in your body. The best sources of antioxidants include blueberries, red kidney beans, cranberries, artichokes, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
Breakfast. It may be known as the most important meal of the day, but it is now considered the best meal for your brain too. Those who eat breakfast each day show improved focus, memory, creativity, and overall performance.
Ginkgo Biloba. This herb has been used since ancient times and increases blood flow to the brain and has been shown to reduce dementia, increase short-term memory, and improve focus.
Avocado. Avocados have monosaturated fat (the good fat), which increases blood flow. Increased blood flow promotes brain health. Avocados also help lower blood pressure, and high blood pressure is associated with reduced cognitive function.
Meat and fish. Eating a diet with lean meat and fish provides creatine for your body, which has shown to boost both memory and intelligence. There have been reports of athletes and students taking high levels of creatine supplements to get more mental and physical benefits from it, but naturally occurring creatine from meats are the best source for your body and brain.
Ginseng. Long used in the east as a mental stimulant that improves memory and brain function, a study done at Baylor College of Medicineindicates that ginseng actually may protect the brain. In this study, ginseng protected the brains of rats from toxins that replicate the effects of diseases such as Huntington’s and may also hold a clue to treating Parkinson’s.
Vitamin E. Vitamin E is beneficial to brain health as it works as a mild antioxidant. It also has been shown to reduce depression and to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. Find vitamin E in nuts, leafy green vegetables, kiwi, and mango.
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods.
Its flavour is due to an aromatic essential oil that makes up 0.5% to 1% of its composition. This essential oil is prepared by roughly pounding the bark, macerating it in seawater, and then quickly distilling the whole. It is of a golden-yellow colour, with the characteristic odour of cinnamon and a very hot aromatic taste. The pungent taste and scent come from cinnamic aldehyde or cinnamaldehyde (about 90 % of the essential oil from the bark) and, by reaction with of oxygen as it ages, it darkens in colour and forms resinous compounds. Other chemical components of the essential oil include ethyl cinnamate, eugenol (found mostly in the leaves), beta-caryophyllene,linalool, and methyl chavicol.
Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.
Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.
In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.
In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation ofleukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.
One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.
It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.
SIDE EFFECTS OF CINNAMON
Skin Irritation
The essential oil of cinnamon must never be applied directly to the skin. Small amounts of the diluted oil can be used for refreshment and to fight infection but the oil alone can quickly cause severe burning and irritation to exposed skin. Allergies are rare but sometimes manifest as sores.
Stomach Irritation
Those with any prior condition of the digestive system such as an ulcer or irritable bowel syndrome should be careful when eating cinnamon. Large amounts (more than 1/2 a teaspoon) may cause the lining of the stomach to become irritated.
Increased Heart Rate
Large amounts of cinnamon have been reported to increase heart rate which could be dangerous for those with a heart condition. Increased heart rate is also linked to cinnamon oil poisoning in children.
Uterine Contractions
Some traditional medicine practitioners will give a mother cinnamon in order to induce or normalize contractions. Therefore, pregnant women may want to avoid cinnamon.
Blood Thinning Cinnamon may have anti-clotting properties and may cause over thinning of the blood if you are taking blood thinners. Large doses of cinnamon should also not be used before surgery, during heavy menstruation, or in any situation where a lot of bleeding may occur.
Kidney and Liver Problems
There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that people with kidney or liver problems or people who are taking drugs that are processed in the liver may want to avoid taking high doses of cinnamon due to its coumarin content. Coumarin levels are higher in cassia than in true cinnamon, but cinnamon does contain compounds that are known to be toxic to the kidneys at high doses.
Blood Sugar
People taking medication to regulate blood sugar should be careful when taking cinnamon, as it also has a powerful effect on blood sugar and the two in combination may lower blood sugar too much.
Antibiotics
Cinnamon is a powerful antibiotic, but check with your doctor before taking cinnamon if you are taking prescription antibiotics, because it may change the way prescription antibiotics act on the body.
In various posts we have been calling for a change within the pharmaceutical industry. Much of that is not new, yet still nothing seems to change on a bigger scale. Sure, the iPad is becoming an essentiell tool in sales, eDetails have emerged, biotech startups are being bought instead of inhouse R&D, but especially with regards to the patent cliff it’s time for a new kind of pharmaceutical copmany and we simply don’t see that happpening.
Here are five parts of todays pharma business that need to be deserve attention and that need be disrupted entirely. Sure, there are many regulatory aspects that need to overcome, but a startup called help! in New York is showing how things can run entirely differently.
1. Sales – The other way round
We’ve previously written about Pharma’s sales savior. Is it the iPad? Is it the Telerep? Pharma needs a radically new distribution approach and entirely new sales channel. Still, most of its sales goes through reps working closely with doctors. Showing some allegdly nifty and worthwhile graphics and trying to convince the physician of some drug. In times of guidelines and EBM those fancy graphics are not enough anymore. Sales needs to be digitalized and pharma has to become the physician AND patient’s partner.
2. Build trust
Especially among patients the pharma industry has a reputation problem. Tons of money going into CSR an branding campaigns do not change the fact that a vast amount of people still questions the ethics of the pharmaceutical industry. In order to create trust it needs to be more authentic, more honest about their scientific research, publish papers that not only proove the effectiveness of its products, but also show problems, obstacles and issues – this, on the long run, creates trust, which in turn will create long term customers – just like in any other business in the world.
3. Enable great design
If you talk to product managers and pharma executives you will hardly find one who has an interst in aesthetics and design. By design I do not only mean fancy packaging but smart ways on how pills are being dispensed. Throughout the last decades we have hardly seen any progress in drug packaging. It’s pretty much an un-touched subject. Both in functional and aesthetic terms there is no unique value propostion between drug manufacturers.
4. The modern KOL
The future KOL will be the patient. The mature patient, who makes use of the internet will be the single most important acceptance criterion, for gaining trust on the market. It will be harder to market drugs that are simply not working, just through physician-catered sales strategies. The patient is already and will question clinical research that is sponsored by the industry.
5. Enhanced registration processes
It takes ages and at least $4 billion for a new compound to reach the market. The inclusion of innovative trial designs embracing pharmacogenomics in the licensing process are highly desirable. Data mining and a more in depth analysis of post-launch effect seen by drugs ought to be an integral part of drug research and getting them to the market.
What do you believe will be elements a pharma company 2.0 needs to entail in order to succeed?
Frances Arnold a professor of chemical engineering, bioengineering and biochemistry at CalTech amazed us by explaining how she is evolving proteins by making them “have sex” (these TEDMED talks really spice things up). She accelerates the evolution process to come up with better genomic sequences that produce more efficient proteins. We interviewed Frances and will post about it in the next few days.
One of the greatest talks of all the conference came from world-renowned biologist and Harvard’s Professor Emeritus E.O. Wilson. He started by geting rid of formalities taking of his tie and gaining the sympathy of all the audience. Every delegate got a TEDMED bag with many goodies on it, including E.O. Wilson’s new book titled “The Social Conquest of Earth” (can’t wait to read it). He called for all young scientists to be part of the search for knowledge by inspiring us with his principles. He said it is important to study across disciplines (it is amazing how this principle is present and strong among many of the TEDMED speakers and delegates), to drift away from conflict and violence (“march away from guns” in his exact words), to know that for every problem there is a specific entity that serves to solve it so find out about it, and finally to know that imagination is more important than technical ability.
Session 7: “Our Machines, Ourselves”
Boston Children’s Hospital urologist Hiep Nguyen was an invited speaker to TEDMED, however he didn’t need to be physically at the Kennedy Center, in stead he sent the VGo robot and controlled it from Germany. VGo (aka “Gary”) is an R2D2-like robot who post-op kids can take home and help them with their transition from the hospital. Next came former fighter pilot Mary “Missy” Cummings who now is putting to use her experience from the Navy at MIT. She advocates that computers and robotics can be more skillful and accurate in performing some tasks that required dexterity (like landing a plane or aiming), and she imagines that this could likewise happen in surgery. The session wrapped up with another MedCrunch interviewee Sandeep Kishore, a post-doctoral M.D. student at Cornell who, like Jacob Scott, advocates for more creativity or “lateral-thinking” in med schools.
“Our medical education is locked into a paradigm that is 100 years old” – Sandeep Kishore
From the Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (MITIE) in Texas,Dr. Barbara Bass explained how surgeons don’t have do-overs, they just have one shot at what they do, so she introduced us to her lab where you can see surgeons operate in a virtual amphitheater, then rehearse in a lab with anatomy models and/or cadavers, while having your stress levels analyzed by thermal imaging.
Session 8: “The Choices We Make”
Another important figure in the health sphere started this session, Gail McGovern, head of the American Red Cross suffered from breast cancer… Twice! She spoke about how she took two opposite approaches while dealing with her disease and how the multiple support she received helped her in numerous ways. Next up, Emory neurosurgeonsJonathan Glass and Nick Boulis offered a unique way to present how the patient, FDA and biotech companies each play a role in the advance of stem cell research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is a terrible disease that affects the spinal cord. After them, Otis Brawley who is the Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society focused again in the importance of prevention and healthy lifestyle in stead of treatment of disease for fighting cancer. Jon Cohen from Quest Diagnostics followed with a great appreciation about how we – as patients and healthcare professionals – must stop looking at healthcare like consumers. He argued that patients like to use service as a measurement of a physician’s quality in stead of his judgement and expertise.
Session 9: “Focusing on the Unseen”
Ben Goldacre uncovered the unbelievable truths behind scientific publications when he explained that most negative results of scientific research are never published and we are mislead by those that actually made it out there. The day concluded by the splendid appearance of two great and famous personalities – Katie Couric interviewing Billie Jean King. Couric’s story about how she is actively supporting cancer research after losing her husband to colon cancer set the stage for Billie Jean’s story about success in a male-based sport and society (I was lucky enough to hop on the same trolly Billie Jean did on her way back to her hotel and shared some thoughts with her). See a review Franz did on Couric’s book “The Best Advice I Ever Got” for MedCrunch.
The last day in TEDMED was initiated by Dr. Bud Frazier and Dr. Billy Cohn from theTexas Heart Institute. They invented a pump to replace a human heart that uses an electromagnet to drive the blood through the body. However, there is a caveat: patients using this pump would not have a pulse although blood will be still running through their arteries. Next in the lineup was Franziska Michor a professor of computational biology from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – and who shares a common origin with our founders Franz and Lukas (Vienna, Austria) – explained that we could speed clinical trials with a computational and mathematical modeling framework to predict dosing strategy. We learned from Dan Perry, CEO of Alliance for Aging Research that we are able to control our own aging and if we slow aging, we would be able to delay or prevent all the pathologies that we see with aging.
Session 11: “We’re All In This Together”
How anxious felt everyone knowing that they’ve just returned from their last break at the social hub as the last session started.Leslie Saxon was the highlight of the moment as she proposed an ambitious plan to record the heartbeats of every person in normal or rest conditions and not to wait until they suffer from a heart attach or arrhythmia.Everyheartbeat.org hopes to start this process by the end of next year when the technology is widely spread and available. Advocating for the power of society over health, Mark Hyman coined the term “Diabesity” as to illustrate the strong relationship between diabetes and obesity. He said that the genetic threads that connect us may be less important than the social threads when dealing with health.
The conference concluded with Jay Walker and the whole TEDMED team thanking all the people responsible of bringing us this awesome event, the sponsors, speakers and delegates. Walker gave us some previews about next years conference (applications already open!) such as the goal of getting simulcast to reach all continents of the world and the promise of continuing the talks on the Great Challenges Program.
We at MedCrunch are very thankful for having the opportunity to cover this event and spreading the ideas of innovation, imagination and inspiration that will make us push forward and shape the future of healthcare.
