What Are Some Of The Biggest Health Concerns For Today

What concerns you most about your health?

My nation’s national cancer.Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. Two thirds of Australia will be diagnosed with a form of skin cancer before they’re seventy. Exposure to UV radiation in the form of sunlight is the leading cause.Hugh Jackman has had five cancerous moles removed in three years and gets checkups every three months.Hugh Jackman posts sun safety appeal after getting skin cancer removedThe best way to check for skin cancer is to examine moles and look out for any difference in shape and colour. Like most people I’ve got moles all over my body and I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve stared at a tiny brown patch on my leg and tried to work out whether it was that shape before.

What are some of the biggest issues in health today?

There are two ways to interpret the question: unresolved health problems, despite available options to treat themhealthcare Systems problems, constrained by government or reimbursement policies  In terms of Health Problems (based on epidemiological studies on the incidence of disease and the cost of treating it):Our diet is destroying our health. A recent interview series, The Food Revolution, featured credible presenters (i.e. published PhD and / or MD practitioners and researchers). who made the case that the Industrialized Western Food Supply is making us very ill. They provided both research results AND many anecdotes from their practices of being able to prevent or even reverse many of the most common chronic ailments that we face today, including:ObesityDiabetesArthritisHypertensionCardiovascular diseaseStrokeAsthmaDementia The interviewees also made the case, that Epigenetics is more important then genetics, as proper nutrients can turn off harmful genes and turn on protective ones.In terms of policy, the FDA allows / disallows new medical treatments based on the evidence presented to it - it does not guide the next generation of treatment R&D.The NIH and CDC publish reports that are heavily redacted from their original drafts because of pressure from Congress who respond to industry lobbyists.SO - crafting healthcare policies that encourage health forming and maintaining habits, rewarding prevention, and eliminating industry influence on policy are all parts of the challenge that we face.

What are the biggest health concerns for independent living seniors?

Independent living means to live alone, generally in one’s own home or at a retirement village. Seniors choose to live alone because they are used to their home, familiar with neighbours and nearby shops, have memories there, love their independence and dislike changes. They may have lost their partner or may be helping to care for them. Usually, they believe themselves to be capable of living alone, both physically and mentally.However, there are many concerns for seniors living alone.SecurityIs the environment safe? A video doorbell or door camera can be installed for your parent to see who’s ringing the doorbell outside and to help prevent strangers from entering. Ensure that the doors and windows are locked to help block intruders from gaining access.Medical Alert Button. Provide a 24/7 panic button such as a bracelet or pendant button to allow your parent to gain help in case of an emergency. Train them to use the button and test with them regularly.RisksFalls and illness. Provide a walking aid and simple seating before they are required. On the wall above the telephone, place a list of emergency contacts. Help arrange for regular medical check-ups including podiatry and dental care, which seniors often neglect.Depression. Seniors living independently are at huge risk of boredom, social isolation and loneliness. As a health risk, social isolation is a major problem – even worse than smoking and obesity – and can double the risk of depression. Medical Research shows that only face-to-face contact, at least 3 times per week, specifically with family and friends, can reduce social isolation and halve the risk of depression. Do you visit your elderly parent at least 3 times each week, or are you too busy with your own work and family life? Do you live far away? Is it hard for you to visit often? A regular phone call can help you worry less, but won’t make up for the lack of face-to-face contact.More information at https://www.konnekt.com.au/indep...

What are the biggest challenges with health information online today?

I think there are two main areas that are impeding the further development of online health information.  That's not to say that it's not being actively worked on or addressed though.Data portability: Health information, especially health records, are not easily transferable from one EHR system to another EHR.  There are no standards around how the information should be structured, what metadata is required, and no quality checks to ensure data integrity.  What's needed is a set of guidelines around what constitutes trustworthy health information.  ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT) is working on this issue and fingers-crossed everyone will reach some consensus regarding the data.Data availability: Before the last few months there just wasn't that much health information available for easy consumption.  Even if the information was available online it wasn't easily accessible - you had to be a researcher with pretty specific in-depth knowledge of the material to make heads or tails of the information.  With the release of sites like http://www.healthdata.gov/ and http://www.healthindicators.gov/, it has become easier to get access to health information that is provided for by the US government.  Hopefully other resources of data follow suit and health information becomes readily available for public consumption.  Putting data out on the web for free and accessible through web services sows the seeds for developers to pick up and create applications using health information.  Example: Blue Button initiative is great for allowing folks to download their own data from Medicare.  To truly build on this though we need a representative set of Blue Button data so that developers can build useful applications - it's okay that you can download your data, but you need to be able to put it into context & manipulate it to find out what you want.