Healthy Ways to Prevent Drug Addiction.

Developing a drug addiction is neither a character flaw nor a sign of weakness. But it takes more than willpower to overcome the problem. Abusing illegal or certain prescription drugs can create changes in the brain, causing powerful cravings and creating a compulsion to use drugs. This makes sobriety seem like an impossible goal.

But recovery is never out of reach, no matter how despairing the situation seems. With the right treatment and support, change is not far away. The road to recovery often involves obstacles like bumps, pitfalls, and setbacks. But by examining the problem and thinking about change, you’re already well on your way to living a healthy and sober life.

Deal Calmly with Life Pressures and its Ups-Down

The lack of ability to deal with normal life pressure is one of the core reasons that drive people to consume alcohol and drugs. For them, drug-intake aids to escape from the toughness of life. Though learning to cope with these pressures will need a long way, it is always advisable to remain calm and follow a path of serene living.

Develop Healthy Habits

No doubt, healthy habits play a crucial role in keeping our lifestyle healthy and stress-free. Hence, doctors and counselors highly advise consuming a balanced diet and doing regular exercise that makes it easier for people to deal with stressful life. It is because a healthy diet and exercise promote the production of serotonin aka the happy chemical in the brain. This, in turn, will reduce one’s temptation to rely on drugs and alcohol.

Also, one can pick up an old hobby or can try a new one. Doing things that challenge our creativity and spark imagination will trigger our minds.

Decide to Make Change

Recognizing the problem and then deciding to make a change are the major issues for many people struggling with addiction and for those looking for recovery. Committing to sobriety involves changing multiple things that include the way one deals with stress, self-thinking, prescription and over-the-counter medications, and many more. It’s normal to feel conflicted about giving up drugs of choice, even when we know it’s causing problems in life. Recovery needs time, motivation, and support, but by making a commitment to change, one can surely overcome addiction and regain control of life.

Besides, for bringing change in lifestyle, one is required to keep a keen track on drug use which will give a better sense of the role of addiction in life. One should also consider things that are important such as partner, kids, career, or maybe health. One should think about how all these things would get affected by drugs.

Look for Addiction Treatment Options

Once someone is committed to recovery, the next step is to explore treatment choices. While addiction treatment can vary according to the specific drug, a successful recovery program has various elements such as:

Detoxification: It is usually the first step to purge the body of drugs and manage withdrawal symptoms.

Behavioral Counseling and Medication: Individual group or family therapy can help one identify the root causes of drug use. It can also repair relationships, and learn healthier coping skills.

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7 Tips to Improve Your Health and Up Your Coffee Game

Drinking coffee has various benefits, but it can be an addictive habit if you do not control the amount you take. If you consume it the right way with healthy additives, you will gain the benefits. Therefore, learn how to improve your coffee habits to make your body stronger and ensure it does not interfere with other things in your life, such as sleep. 

To make the most out of your cup of coffee, below are a few habits and tips to help you enjoy your coffee better and improve your health.

1. Try switching to non-dairy milk

If you tend to drink more than 2 cups of coffee a day, you are a regular coffee drinker. It is vital to limit the amount of milk you are drinking. Drinking too much milk affects the gastrointestinal and causes you to gain weight. Optionally you can try a non-dairy alternative such as almond milk for a natural alternative to cow milk. Thus, you can enjoy your espresso coffee drink with a small amount of milk.

2. Moderate your sugar intake

Ideally, coffee should not have any sugar or sweetener, but most people add sugar and lose its original taste. Yet, sugar is among the most harmful ingredient in today’s diet. For this reason, you should go easy on your sugar intake. If you need to add a sweetener, opt for vanilla, stevia, or monk fruit. If you feel you are struggling with sugar cravings, cut the amount you take in half.

3. Enjoy your coffee with a snack

Do not have coffee as your only breakfast. Having coffee on an empty stomach is not a good idea. If you have not had anything to eat, drinking coffee, including decaf alone, will damage your stomach lining and cause effects such as indigestion and heartburn. Also, it intensifies your anxiety symptoms if you feel you do not want to have a full breakfast, snack on something at least before chugging down on the cup of coffee.

 

4. Opt for organic coffee 

The best available choice for your coffee is buying organic coffee, and it is no different from any other product. When you purchase any other regular coffee beans, it has harmful traces of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Organic coffee grounds are not only better for the environment and your health as well. Thus, it is best to consider switching to a greener option.

5. Avoid caffeine after 2 p.m

Coffee is massively popular for it is a stimulant beverage. Unfortunately, it disturbs your sleep cycle. You can enjoy your coffee in the morning, 2-3 cups, but after 2 o’clock it is best to avoid drinking it. Choose more calming drinks for the evening to help you sleep better at night. In the afternoon, opt for a cup of tea or decaf if you want a good night’s sleep.

 

6. Add cocoa or cinnamon to your coffee 

If you are on the journey of having less sugar in your coffee, add cocoa and get a boost of antioxidants. Mocha is a popular choice of coffee drink in many parts of the world. Similarly, cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant and beneficial in various ways to your body. Just use a dash of it, for too much will cause uncomfortable symptoms. Using these two gives you two different ways to have your coffee, and you can alternate them to enjoy your coffee differently.

7. Stick to natural creamers

The low-fat, artificial creamer story is not as healthy as advertisers make it seem. Such products are processed with unwanted chemical ingredients. Thus, do not buy into the artificial creamer story and only use natural creamers. The best is organic grass-fed cow milk or vegetable milk, and they are better that way.

To sum up, the above are some tips to up your coffee game that are the best to incorporate into your coffee drinking. If you love some of the tricks shared above, share them with another coffee-loving person you know. More importantly, avoid using non-filtered water, make it a habit to use filtered water, you can follow through to ensure your coffee tastes better.

Source.

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UAE: All Set to Become a Global Healthcare Hub.

UAE’s health care system is all set to undergo a significant transformation in the global market. It is predicted that in the next five years, UAE’s health care sector will grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 75%. Medical tourism is also expected to get a massive thrust.

The emerging trend of spending in private healthcare facilities and inclination towards preventive care owing to a robust healthcare system and health consciousness have propelled the revenue generated in recent years. This is only expected to surge further.

In addition, the ongoing global pandemic has yanked the entire world’s attention towards a single important factor — healthcare. UAE has been prompt enough to heed the calling and has pepped up its healthcare system.

People of the UAE have realized the scaling necessity for care during health and illness. A whopping response to the state-of-the-art system with modern care facilities followed. This is expected to continue post-Covid. The rise in lifestyle diseases and increased awareness for precaution and treatment have led to the demand for excellence in healthcare, and medical establishments are only ready to oblige.

The UAE has also been quick to adopt technologies in healthcare services that have become the need of time for fast and efficient deliverance. For instance, telehealth that had been trending pre-Covid got a significant impetus during Covid. New, smart technologies are being adopted by the healthcare ecosystem of the UAE to enable people easy access to care. Newer models are expected to emerge in the coming few years to fulfill the healthcare needs of citizens, ex-pats, and medical tourists.

Compulsory health insurance in UAE and the government’s willingness to spend on healthcare have further encouraged the residents to seek treatment. The growing population of the elderly and the need for long-term care, including home care facilities, led to the demand for excellence in healthcare.

The robust healthcare system that is only growing in leaps and bounds promises many business opportunities in the field and its allied services. There is also a growing need for qualified medical professionals in UAE.

Looking at the overall scenario of the healthcare sector in UAE, one can comfortably say that it is all set to become a global healthcare hub.

We chose a few of the healthcare service providers that have been at the forefront of the race and featured them in our latest edition of Insights Care — UAE’s 10 Best Healthcare Service Providers 2021.

Have a great read!

Why Choose Walking as an Exercise?

There are various ways to keep fit. The body is like an engine that needs frequent greasing. When you don’t go for proper servicing, you tend to suffer in the long run. But in most cases, the pain doesn’t wait till you get old, it comes with lots of predicament, and even at a younger age.

For my ease to attain a better health state, I chose walking over running. For example; to avoid any form of wear and tear on the body, it’s pretty much good going walking than running.

Think of it this way, you don’t need to go through the intense pavement to get a great workout.

Think you love to walk?

According to the studies carried out by the American Heart Association’s Journal of Arteriosclerosis, Vascular Biology, and Thrombosis, they concluded that “ there is an equivalent energy expenditure by vigorous running exercise and moderate walking produced, and this goes with a similar risk reduction for hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and possibly CHD.”

To discuss the extent of stress involved in our health; we all know that it is very dangerous to play with stress. It is easy to manage stress by walking than it is by running. Running is liable to cause more stress than walking can do because walking takes less of your energy while refilling you with better relief. High cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease are very easily handled with exercises like walking. Whichever way, you are advised to take up some exercise daily.

Everybody needs exercise. From children to adults and even the older ones needs some form of upkeep. To achieve a good stand on health, you need to engage in some form of exercise. The question that comes up sometimes, will be; which form of exercise do I need? What is really the best for me? I will not be siding so much with any particular exercise, but with a slight of my convenience, I will be talking more about the importance of walking over running.

Need Easy but Efficient Exercise? Think Walking

• Less stress on the immune system

When you are walking, unlike running, especially when long-distance running is involved, you don’t seem to tax your immune system. Dr. Uwe Schutz said that; Long-distance runners have the easiest potential of being infected or they are more susceptible to developing infections. He is from the University Hospital of Ulm, Germany, and he made this known in his words to Reuters Health. You train to run a marathon race, but you should know that tissue is being touched as well. If you are to walk, then, you have a better place to reduce the undue burdens placed on the body’s immune system.

• Healthy Heart

The main point of the exercise can be related to the heart. The heart is the central system that circulates blood throughout the rest of the system. The function of the heart has made it very crucial to keep it very healthy and intact. The exercise that may be increasing the troponin subtypes of protein in the body can cause cardiovascular damage and that can easily come from running.

Troponin being a major component of cardiac muscle stays at a stable rate when you take more time in walking than the extensive involvement in running. I advise that walking takes more of your time than running. In most cases, you have to walk up the staircase, down to the next shop on the street, and even in your bedroom or office room, but you don’t know the beautiful metabolic sequence that is going on in your body.

Researchers discovered that 24 runners that are 40 percent out of 60 runners developed signs of myocardial necrosis, which is irreversible damage to heart muscle cells. In other research, they also discovered at least 10 studies from 2004 to 2006 that documented a decrease in myocardial damage through only walking; this shows that there is no evidence that brisk walking can destroy heart muscle or cause any form of damage to the cells.

• Less Susceptible to Osteoarthritis

The more we need exercise, the more we need to be sure of what really we need out of every choice we make. According to the study of risk versus reward in exercise considering the possible effects that exercising has on our hips, knees, and other joints, the verdict is still undecided. It is obvious that the reward is superseding the negatives, but at a certain level, it all depends on which type of exercise that one chooses.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, running doesn’t cause osteoarthritis, but if you’ve been running for a long time and possibly incurred injuries of which most runners are victims, and then you are not far from depleting the joint of the lubricating glycoproteins, and this can disrupt the collagen network, slowly wear away the cartilage, and cause numerous microfractures in the underlying bones. To stay safe while exercising, take more time walking than running.

• Healthy Cartilage

The cartilage is found in between the bones. The position of this part of the body made it very relevant to consider when moving is the topic. The faster the movement, the higher the friction on the particle. So we need to choose the exercise which will not cause any harm to any part of the body and in any form. Walking involves less friction or difficulty with balance in this part of the body. So stay on the safe side, choose what your best approach is.

Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to monitor biochemical changes in articular cartilage, but recorded a static level in the state of this part, even after three months of reduced activity. The medial compartment and patellofemoral joint of the knee showed the greatest wear and tear, which suggested a higher risk for degeneration and more reason to stick to walking than running.

• Lower the Risk of Heat Stroke

I know you love yourself so much and will do everything to keep fit and stay strong. When summer is around the corner, walking is very much advisable and easier. Summer feels good, but while running, you need to be careful because it can lead to multi-organ dysfunction. Walking can lead to this ailment, but less likely to do that when compared to running.

The benefits of walking are numerous and likely the easiest way to stay healthy and fit. The most interesting thing is that it takes very little from you and you will stay up to expectations. While in your house or anywhere else you are likely to walk, so this should be a habit if you really want to enjoy a good state of health.

Source.

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Role of Social Referencing in a Child’s Development.

When we are born, everything is new for us. We are not used to this environment. There are entirely new people and a new environment. So! Have you ever thought about what helps us to get familiar with this new place? The answer is ‘Social Referencing.’

Social referencing is a valuable tool for a newborn baby. It helps them settle in a new environment, place, new people, and new things that are a part of their new world. The best example of social referencing is — when a child makes decisions based on reading facial expressions.

Six months after birth, a child starts practicing social referencing in their day-to-day life to understand their surroundings better. And as they grow, they make use of social referencing more and in a much better way as they start responding to things.

When you ask something from the babies, they grasp signals from the emotional responses and respond accordingly. Let’s understand it in a better way with the help of an example. Suppose a child sees a shiny object or any object, they will look upon you before touching it to know whether it is ok to touch it or not. Your one look is enough for the baby to understand whether it is right to touch the object or not.

As the baby grows, they learn to express their feelings. They don’t say it but express it through their facial expression. They express their happiness, their anger, everything. Therefore we can say that expressing emotions is due to the social and educational pressure of the surrounding. Expressing emotions helps a kid in many ways-

1. It helps kids understand the environment better and allows them control during the transition stage.
2. It helps in shaping their future.
3. It helps them in playing with friends and family.
4. It also helps them to concentrate on what their parents are instructing.
5. It helps them to learn things better.

“A child undergoes various social and emotional developments or changes from the infant stage to adulthood.”

A duration of 0–6 months after the child’s birth is crucial for the development of a child. During these six months, the baby does many activities. Some of them are — they look at their fingers, hands, and legs, suck their thumb, suck their legs and fingers, smile when you touch them, cry when you shout. When a kid is 3–6 months old, they will respond when you call their names, laugh when you make a funny sound, etc., start recognizing their family members, start expressing their emotions like anger, happiness, fear, pleasure, etc.

Before the second birthday, the baby tries to explore new things and places. At this age, they develop a sense of self-awareness. Between the ages of 1–2, the kids try to identify their mirror image and express emotions. Respond to your actions etc.

Between the age of 2–3 (Toddler Stage), the baby tries to be creative, and you can see confidence in their every action. At this stage, a kid will be more friendly and try to play with other kids, and they will be able to identify their gender; they start responding to you in yes/no according to their mood, becomes choosy in what they eat, wear, toys, etc.

Within the fourth year, the toddler is grown and is physically involved in many activities, which increases their self-confidence. During this stage, your toddler will be more independent, confident, follow your orders, share things.

During the age between 4–6, kids become more aware of personality, show more interest in playing games, develop many skills like thinking and reasoning, become more friendly, understand others’ feelings, show interest in playing games, etc.

Between the age of 7–12, kids start going to school and develop more changes. They learn more things through parents and online teaching sites like — follow the rules, interact with friends, show interest in subjects of their choice, and more.

During the age of 12–20 years, children have a lot of confusion, and they reasonably answer questions, are aware of their appearance, like to be alone or in a group, etc. Learning management systems (LMS) used by online teaching apps help in the improvement and analysis of the overall development of students. These are a few examples of how social referencing is helpful in a child’s development.

Source.

MedTech for Better Care

From the time of conception to death, medical technology is always with us. MedTech has empowered the future of health management systems. Diagnostics, healthcare services, solutions, and products aid in diagnosing, preventing, and restoring patients’ health quickly.

MedTech has made healthcare accessible, available, and affordable. Every day, the medical technology space is undergoing significant transformations to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.

MedTech has it all - from complicated surgeries to minimal invasive ones, from early detection to monitoring, from equipment to devices and software. There is no denying that MedTech has enhanced the quality of life increased the number of years a person would have otherwise lived.

Until a few years back, the industry was in its nascent stages in the country but was expanding steadily. It is predicted that the MedTech sector in India would reach USD 50 billion in less than five years.

The global pandemic only elevated the urgency for the MedTech sector to sprint over the growth curve. Among the many lessons that the pandemic taught us, technology in healthcare has been a vital one.

The MedTech industry in the country is proliferating to improve health outcomes. The country that has given the world its Father of Surgery, Sushrut, around 1000 to 800 BC, had been lying low for quite a while. In recent years, though, MedTech professionals have used disruptive technologies to meet global standards and health needs.

Software solutions enable healthcare professionals to manage their patients efficiently. It is evident that the return of the normal is still a dream since vaccination is no guarantee that one would be shielded from the coronavirus. Under such circumstances, digital patient engagement, monitoring, and care have become more critical than before.

The advancements that the MedTech industry has made in the last few years have been remarkable.

As a tribute to the industry leaders and their disruptive innovations, we at Insights Care featured a few outstanding ones who chose to travel the extra miles to provide the best healthcare. Our latest edition, titled – Dominant Leaders to Watch in Healthcare in 2021, speaks about the journey of these leaders and their tech solutions.

We are sure you will gain valuable insights while reading this issue, as we did while curating it. Please do read the interesting articles written by our in-house editorial team.

Happy reading!

The absolute best case studies for IoMT.

What is the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)?

As many are new to these devices called the ‘Internet of Medical Things, here is a little explanation for them. We all know ‘Internet of Things right’? Well, IoMT, is a subbranch of this market. In this part of the market, the focus is on the healthcare industry where technology is growing with the inclusion of AI.

These are the web-enabled devices of healthcare. Yes, of healthcare, medical facility with devices that have internet connections. Such devices that use IoMT are growing rapidly, as these devices can collect and analyze data from the human body 24/7 from any place and send data to the doctors via the web. With this, the patient receives virtual medical assistance at any time and place.

With the help of these medical devices, patients’ real-time data is received by the doctors, which means, the doctors will have more accurate information of their patient’s health when it is disturbed. Here are a few examples of where and how it is being used in the healthcare industry –

Hospitals and clinics – Here, with the help of the IoMT, the quality of services is being improved and at the same time, the cost is being reduced. These devices are operated by the application that monitors patients, its user.

These devices are not just used by hospitals and clinics for recording their health, but IoMT is also widely used for regulating equipment like X-ray machines, MRIs, CT scanners, etc, remotely. This also gives them the advantage of detecting problematic issues with the machine that staff might not be able to notice on time. Companies like Philips and GE use such technology.

IoMT at our homes – Telemedicine gives medical assistance at home through technology so that the patient can receive basic hospital services at home. How? By the Remote Patient Monitoring (RTM) facilities. The RTM devices are movable and can monitor a patient’s heart and glucose level and can alter the medicine immediately when needed, on its own. This facility enables patients who suffer from chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes to avoid frequent hospital visits for check-ups.

Virtual Home Assistants are valuable when it comes to elderly patients. As these devices can interact with them, remind them regarding their medicines also. Their family member and physicians can also be connected to them.

With the advancement in biosensor technology, the wearable smart device monitors its user’s health. These devices are of various types, some can be attached to our body, and some can be implanted, depending upon the need of the patient and the type of the device.

IoMT Technology is the result of Artificial Technology (AI), advanced sensor technology, and internet connectivity technology. The performance of IoMT is mainly sensor-based technology and the deduction in its cost has directly empowered the industry.

The IoMT device works when the sensor detects its user’s body movements, some parts of the body, breathing, blood flow, and even the tissues. After collecting this data, the device sends it to the doctors with the help of the internet connection automatically.

In this procedure, a vast number of protocols are being followed and authorizations are taken. Here the AI software sorts through all the data from IoMT devices and sends it to the doctor accordingly.

Why is IoMT important?

With these capabilities, the importance, and advantages of IoMT devices have increased in the healthcare industry. It saves time by giving all the alarms and warnings in advance.

With this, now doctors can check their patients without visiting them, from anywhere in the world, all the real-time data will be displayed on their smartphones with medical images. This will save many in a medical emergency. It will save the check-up and analysis time, which means quick needed assistance will be given to the patient.

These devices also help patients to make their insurance claim more quickly, as IoMT also provides necessary data to the insurance company, which makes the process faster than before with accuracy.

IoMT devices also reduce the money spent on treatment as they save time, number of hospital visits, and hospital staff needed for the patient. It also enables the patients to check their health data online.

The cost-saving part is also affected by the investment needed for the complete set-up of the infrastructure, the application building, training the people according to these devices, and the more economical development of hardware. This needs a good amount of planning which means time, money, and workforce for its implementation.

So, what are these devices?

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Read on: https://insightscare.com/the-absolute-best-case-studies-for-iomt/.

Cybersecurity - Protecting Information for Normal Functioning of Healthcare Establishments.

The proliferation of technology has eased things in the healthcare sector like any other, but security threats have also invaded the health space. Cybersecurity in the health space has become a cause for concern in the industry and the public.

Since the past few years, hacking and other information technology-related crimes have risen, and healthcare facilities struggle to combat the menace. Data breaches in the healthcare industry saw a record in 2015 and have been steadily rising since then.

The ongoing pandemic only exposed the healthcare industry to cybersecurity concerns and how the industry needs to be resilient in times of crisis like this, and even otherwise. The past years have seen a whopping rise in ransomware, malware, and other cyberattacks. It has thus become pertinent for healthcare providers to be more vigilant and adopt technologies to prevent hacking. Ransomware is not just financially detrimental to the healthcare establishment, but the loss of data can also put the patient’s life at risk.

Recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned private and public healthcare sectors of ransomware attacks during holidays.

Several cybersecurity technologies are now available to keep cyber attackers in the health space at bay. Cybersecurity in healthcare protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. To strengthen cybersecurity, healthcare establishments need to approach informatics professionals who manage and protect data. It is no wonder then that career in health informatics is one of the most sought-after careers. But it is only of late that governments and healthcare organizations began taking steps to contain cybercrimes in healthcare. The healthcare industry is vulnerable to cyberattacks, and its ignorance has triggered off more attacks.

On this backdrop, we chose few cybersecurity companies that ensure healthcare establishments function smoothly through prevention, detection, and mitigation against cyberattacks. Our latest edition of Insights Care – 10 Best Cybersecurity Companies in Healthcare for 2021 highlights the ever-growing threats and solutions to prevent them in the healthcare segment.

Happy reading to you!