Elevating Patient Experience with Value-based & Data-driven Solutions

Endorsed as ‘The Most Promising Technology’ by Home Care 100, ‘The Best Digital Health Technology’ by Juniper Research, and with many more such prestigious titles, Reflexion Health has exploited innovations in technology to put patients first in their physical therapy. The organization is a virtual physical therapy company dedicated to helping people recover from surgery or injury at home.

Headquartered in San Diego, Reflexion Health was founded by the Gary and Mary West Institute in 2012. Its flagship product, VERA™, is an FDA-cleared Virtual Exercise Rehabilitation Assistant that combines an engaging avatar, 3D motion-capture technology, and telehealth oversight by licensed physical therapists.

A Polymath Leader

The President and Chief Executive Officer of Reflexion Health, Joseph Smith, MD, PhD brings decades of health-IT focused strategic, engineering and clinical expertise to the innovative digital health company. He is an international speaker and expert on digital therapeutics and healthcare innovation. At Reflexion, Dr. Smith collaborates with the Product Strategy/Business Development and Information Technology teams to keep the company abreast of market trends and innovations happening within the healthcare industry.

Source: https://insightscare.com/reflexion-health-elevating-patient-experience-value-based-data-driven-solutions/

Myths about Caffeine: The Roast Theory

Have you ever heard of light, medium, and dark roast in coffee? Do you think the amount of caffeine in coffee depends on its roast? Well, if you have been wondering, the answer is yes. The repercussions of coffee are quite personal: Jitters, restlessness, nausea, increased alertness, and many more. Even then, for coffee lovers, the feeling of having that warm cup in their hands or even the smell of a freshly brewed coffee is beyond amazing. With so much affection for coffee in our hearts, it’s definitely difficult to give up on it. But, what if you are told caffeine intake can be altered based on different roasts?

The Roast Levels

The coffee beans, extracted from a coffee plant, are green in color. These smell like grass, are soft and spongy to bite, and flavorless. So how does something so tasteless turn into something so delicious? The answer is ‘Roasting’. First, the beans undergo coffee processing. Followed by that, these beans are roasted to transform their physical as well as chemical properties, to bring in the characteristic flavor of coffee. This process is followed by coffee brewing. There are various levels of roasting, but they are broadly characterized into three: light, medium, and dark.

Light roasts, sometimes also called as Cinnamon roast, Light City, Half City, or New England, are light brown, tan in color, and they lack oils on their surfaces. This is because they are not roasted long enough and hence, the coffee oils don’t break through the beans’ surface. They are the most acidic of all the beans and retain the most of the original coffee characteristics.

Medium roasts, also known as Breakfast, American- as they are mostly preferred in the US, City, or Regular roasts, are a shade darker brown than the light roasts and look richer. They also have a non-oily surface, but some of them are covered in small amount of oil- they are called as medium-dark roasts or Full City. The medium roasted beans start developing aromas and flavors while losing some of their original qualities. They have less acidity and fuller body.

Last of these are the dark roasted beans. They go by the name Continental, Italian, French, European, New-Orleans, Viennese, or Spanish roast. These names are due to the fact that dark roast coffee is mostly preferred in Europe. Also, most of the espresso roasts are dark roast. They are dark brown, some almost black, in color, usually resembling chocolate. At this point, oils are clearly visible on the beans. The taste, aroma, and flavors in these roasts are enhanced and the brightness is replaced with the body. Most of the qualities of the original coffee are lost in these.

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Turmeric – An Eminent Element of Natural Cures

“Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with your food” – Hippocrates

The practice of Ayurveda has been considered as an ancient one, which is extremely well documented in various historical scriptures. The best part about it is how relevant it is even in the modern world. This form of healthcare finds its origination over 5000 years ago. Essentially, it is not just about consuming an herbal concoction and awaiting results. Rather, it pushes people towards valuing their own body and working towards healing it naturally. There are innumerable remedies mentioned in the Ayurveda which use products that are commonly found in every household. One among them is Turmeric, a root plant and a commonly used spice. Its stark yellow color and the distinct fragrance is how one can identify it. It holds multiple benefits which make it an important substance required to maintain good health.

Unearthing the Unprocessed Goodness of Turmeric

The rhizome’s primarily comprises of curcumin which provides the unlimited benefits present in it. This yellow root also contains over essential oils such as germacrone and zingiberene. It is interesting to note that one ounce of turmeric provides over 26 % of the daily pre- requisite of manganese and 16 % of iron. There are plenty more reasons to implement turmeric into the daily diet. Here’s a glimpse into how important turmeric can be for the overall health of humans.

Natural Painkiller- Turmeric’s primary component curcumin, has anti – inflammatory properties. It assists in the reduction of pain which may be caused due to surgery or even burn injuries. It also provides relief from neuropathic pain and these painkiller properties are said to be similar to an analgesic. This is also why turmeric is advised for those individuals suffering from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Safeguards the Human DNA from Damage – Another function of the herb is to act as a shield for the DNA due to its geno – protective quality. According to a certain study, turmeric in an aqueous form may provide over 80 % protection from any kind of harm to the DNA.

Providing Digestive Benefits – Turmeric is a boon for those facing digestive issues. The spice helps in healthy functioning of the gallbladder, hence producing the required amount of bile to ease digestion. It also assists in relieving the stomach from gas and any acid reflux. Additionally it also soothes any ulcers or inflammation within.

Assures a Healthy Respiratory System- To those who may have a habit of smoking, turmeric is the most significant element to add into their system. The curcumin works excellently as an antioxidant while healing the lungs of any inflammation that may have been caused due to the cigarette smoke. One of the most significant ways that turmeric heals is by aiding in healing cold and cough. It is one of the most ancient ways that the spice has been used so far.

Alleviating Brain Health and the Mood – Various studies have tried, tested and suggested that the curcumin content in Turmeric acts as an antidepressant. Depression is said to be a mental illness that leads to reduced level of brain – derived neurotrophic factor and also shrinks the hippocampus which is related to the learning and memory functions of the brain. Turmeric has the ability to boost these levels and also reverse any effect the illness may have had. It is also said that curcumin may be capable of enhancing the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. If an individual is displaying signs of Alzheimer’s, turmeric can be used as it also functions as an agent to reduce beta amyloid plaque. This may help in slowing down the symptoms and eventually completely eliminate the illness.

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Healthcare and Patient Satisfaction – The Essential Elements

The success or failure of any organization depends on the quality of service they provide to the customers. In case of healthcare organizations, patient satisfaction is of prime concern. These establishments work day-in and day-out to improve the quality of patient service, provide exceptional patient care, and enhance the patient experience.

Quality of Service is Indicated by Patient Experience Measures

Patient satisfaction surveys play a very important role in assisting healthcare institutions to transition to value-based healthcare services. Recent research states that quality of care is directly influenced by patient experience. But, in spite of various factors influencing organizations to pay more attention to patient satisfaction, many healthcare providers are still skeptical about it due to conflicting research. Some studies state that patient experience has no relation with the quality of care, while other studies found that it is directly associated with better outcomes.

Major Factors Influencing the Patient Experience of Care

Even though there are many inconsistencies in terms of defining patient experience, research states that improvement in patient experience and development in quality of care are clearly connected. There are five major procedures that can help healthcare organizations in radically improving patient experiences and utilizing innovative technology to their advantage.

Proper Monitoring of Patient Satisfaction and Implementation of Appropriate Measures

Improving patient experience is a basic and necessary approach towards improving outcomes. If a patient is given proper treatment and is receiving proper care from the doctors and nurses, then they will feel better about the hospital authority. As a result, they will properly follow the treatment recommendations. Institutions should use patient satisfaction as a balance measure, and not as a catalyst for outcomes. Balance measures assist health systems in making proper quality of care improvements and also taking care of potential negative impacts. Using patient experience as balance measure also helps healthcare institutions make sure that improvements one area doesn’t hamper another area.

Evaluation of the Complete Care Team  

A major step towards the improvement of patient care experience is to gather data as a whole instead of gathering information about individual care interactions. Surveys should be conducted to assess not only individuals, but also the entire team. They should include individual oriented questions along with questions that concern the entire team, like ‘how well were the nurses and physicians working together’, and so on.     

Judicious Utilization of Healthcare Analytics

Systems have to understand, use, and act on the patient satisfaction data to improve the patient experience. Concerned authorities can use an enterprise data warehouse and patient experience applications to research and identify how patient experience, clinical outcomes, and employee satisfaction are related.

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Circadian Rhythms: The Clock that makes us Rise and Shine Every Morning

“A human body can think thoughts, play a piano, kill germs, remove toxins, and make a baby all at once. Once it’s doing that your biological rhythms are actually mirroring the symphony of the universe because you have circadian rhythms, seasonal rhythms, tidal rhythms you know they mirror everything that is happening in the whole universe.”—Michio Kaku

Last year on the 3rd October 2017, three scientists, Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young, won the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine. Their research on circadian rhythm, a regular patterned tempo that all living beings tend to follow, enabled them to win the prestigious award.

Circadian rhythm is the cycle that tends to make one tired at night and wake up in the morning. The internal biological clock pushes the Circadian rhythms, by anticipating the day/night cycles. There are various physiological and behavioral parameters of an organism that are governed by Circadian rhythms. It affects not just the sleep cycle, but large parts of our society from working schedules, school routine, to rush hour traffic— almost everything is in sync with the circadian rhythm.

How it works?

“Circadian” means “about a day”. This biological clock establishes over a period of time during the first few months of the life. It controls the day-to-day changes in the biological patterns, like body temperature, blood pressure, and also the release of hormones. The concept of the biological clock may sound metaphorical; however, there is a distinct region in the brain that is in charge of keeping track of the time. It is an area called as the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (or SCN), placed above the point where the optic nerve fibers cross in the brain. This unique location of SCN near the optic nerves enables it to receive cues directly from light in the environment, and eventually this helps keep time.

There are numerous genes that govern the normal functioning of the internal biological clock. The most important one which was discovered by researchers, who were awarded the Nobel Prize last year, is the ‘period’ gene. The period gene is responsible for production of the protein PER, which in turn inhibits the period gene. This works like a feedback loop, and causes the level of PER protein to cycle incessantly. A high level of PER protein stops more PER from being formed, up until levels are low, and it starts manufacturing more again. This loop works over a period of about 24 hours, therefore it is called the period gene. This mechanism was first discovered in the fruit flies. Humans have a biological clock which is run by the mechanism which is very much similar to that of the fruit flies.

Sleep: The Dynamic Interplay between Metabolism and Relaxation

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”— Benjamin Franklin

Our body’s biological clock is governed by structures inside our brain, which regulates our sleep-wake cycles. Sleep is basically a series and amalgamation of distinctive physiological stages, which a person goes through. Each step has an important function and purpose behind it, that helps keep the brain and body healthy. At night our sleep is alternating between stages of quiet or deep sleep and periods of REM (dreaming) sleep. While the chief function of quite sleep is to restore the body, dreaming sleep helps restore the mind, and plays a definitive role in learning and memory.

Growth, hormonal regulation, and physical renewal all occur during deep sleep. Throughout this period the brain receives a reduced blood flow, which helps cool it down.  The beginning of this stage marks the release of the growth hormone by the pituitary gland, which stimulates tissue growth and muscle repair. Scientists have also found that there is an increased level of constituents that activate the immune system in the blood, during the deep sleep. This has led to the speculation that deep sleep plays a vital role in fighting against infections. The lack of deep sleep may lead to illnesses, depression, and gaining an unhealthy amount of weight.

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New-age Techniques that can Prevent Life-threatening Diseases among Infants

Every parent wants their child to be delivered healthy and live healthy. While living healthy after birth depends upon many factors like nurturing, proper diet, health awareness, exercises, good sleep, and more, the circumstances during the childbirth are quite different. There are things which one couldn’t control earlier, that is the case of some defective genes in father, mother or in both. But with the advent of landmark IVF treatment and successive progression towards its improvements have gifted this world many popular, sometimes controversial but effective medical techniques that can prevent the transfer of faulty genes into the child and ensure a good health of baby on its arrival. Karyomapping and three parents IVF are the few techniques which have even got the acceptance (both in legal and societal aspect) in many countries, including the UK.

Karyomapping

People are often affected with lethal genetic diseases, which many a times transfer to their dear ones and drastically affect their health and well-being. While in the process of expecting a child, its health is always a matter of great concern for the families and especially for the parents. With hectic life schedule, bad food habits, work pressure, loneliness, depression, and more, people often suffer from many life-threatening diseases like diabetes, mental illness, and many more.

No parent, even after knowing that they are suffering from a particular genetic disorder, will ever want to let affect the health of their new baby in a negative way.  Now with the advent of Karyomapping, a couple can avoid passing a genetic disorder on to their offspring. In this revolutionary technique, embryos get screened before getting implanted into the mother’s womb (uterus). This method is also known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis or PGD for short.

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is needed to carry out this technique successfully. In this process several eggs get collected from the ovaries and then are fertilized outside the body using previously extracted sperm, to produce embryos. Each embryo is then screened, on various parameters, to check its health. Karyomapping technique scrutinizes the chromosomes of the mother, father, and the reference at 300,000 different points. Through this method, doctors can find the defective embryos and precisely remove those from the IVF process. Only the embryos that are free from any genetic condition are transferred to the uterus. In this way one can ensure a healthy life for the new born and can also reduce the probability of miscarriage, significantly.

Three Parent IVF or Pronuclear Transfer

Mitochondria are small organelles that sit inside our cells and provide vital energy to it. Mitochondria also play a vital role in the respiratory process. But when this significant organelle of our body gets defected, it invites a plethora of life-threatening diseases.

A recent study revealed that many children every year are born with faulty mitochondrial DNA, caused by mutations in them that affect mitochondrial function. Its symptoms includes: heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, poor growth, loss of muscle coordination, muscle weakness, neurological problems, autonomic dysfunction, and dementia.

Mitochondrial disorder becomes worse when the faulty mitochondria present in the muscles, cerebrum, or nerves as these vital parts of our body require more energy as compared to other parts. Mitochondrial diseases strike early in childhood and get worse steadily and even prove fatal before adulthood.

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Nutritional Desideratum during Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a significant moment in the life of a woman. This is the period of time where the individual will need to take good care of herself and ensure that a healthy pregnancy includes an equally healthy diet. This is where the nurturing of the child starts and helps it grow in an ideal environment. The fetus growing inside the womb relies entirely on the food consumed by the mother. It is hence necessary to implement foods containing more calcium, folic acid or folate, iron and proteins. The intake of fruits and vegetables needs to be taken seriously as adding a large variety of them into the diet can prove to facilitate more vitamins and minerals within the body.

Implementation of Nourishment for the Fetus

Food is the element that helps humans live and provides them with energy to carry out their day to day tasks. The ingested nutrients upon getting absorbed into the body start building up the body and repair it from within. Similarly, for women who are expecting, they need double the nutrition as it needs to be balanced out for the growth of the baby as well as energy for the mother. Here are some of the things to add into the diet compulsorily to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

Dairy Products – The need to consume foods that are rich in protein and calcium are at its –peak as this is a major requirement for the fetus’ bone health. The high quality protein mainly casein and whey are found in dairy products along with magnesium, phosphorous and zinc. Yoghurt is a rich source of all the above nutrients especially calcium which assures that the babies developing bones, teeth and muscles are healthy. Some variants of yoghurt also contain probiotic bacteria which are very important for digestive health and assist in constipation during pregnancy. Consumption of milk may also help in reducing the chances of pregnancy related complications.

Legumes – These small pods are rich in iron, protein and folate. During the first trimester it is essential that both the mother and fetus receive folate as it is possible that the chances of low birth weight are reduced. The fibers present in it also help in preventing hemorrhoids for the duration of the pregnancy.

Fish – This is also a natural source of vitamin D which is good for the hair as well as nails. Consumption of fish helps in providing the body with Omega 3 fatty acid. The fetus’ brain and eyes are built using this nutrient but fish like salmon should be consumed in moderation. The risk of impurities or large quantity of mercury does exist, but nonetheless, the occasional sea food can help in completing this very important dietary requirement.

Broccoli and Dark Leafy Greens – The presence of fiber, vitamins C, K, folate and potassium in these vegetables holds various benefits for both. These are rich in anti – oxidants that may help in preventing cancer, arthritis and Parkinson’s disease as well. It can also help in reducing the risk of low birth weight. The likes of Spinach, Kale and Arugula are crucial for the purification of blood as well.

Whole Grains – Grains like whole wheat, whole oats, barley and quinoa help a pregnant woman fulfill the daily calorie requirements. This is especially necessary during the second and third trimester as the growth of the fetus is the fastest and the body requires energy to carry out everyday functions as well. They also contain magnesium which may help in relaxing the muscles and also preventing the uterus from contracting prematurely.

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Molecular Diagnostics – a Leap of Growth in Medical Analysis

Molecular diagnostics has emerged dramatically over the last two decades, as advanced technologies have driven this industry towards the next level of significance. Companies which already have adopted molecular diagnostic methods are now benefitted by increased accuracy and improved sensitivities in their tests compared to others. These new methods have greatly enhanced the discovery of many microbial infections, as well as genetic illnesses. Those who were hesitating due to the challenges and expense of opening a molecular lab now run the risk of being at a competitive disadvantage.

Molecular Diagnostics Industry

Molecular diagnostics has paved way for collaboration among many companies to add up their strengths. Through the collaboration, they intend to strengthen their hold in the molecular diagnostic market and develop an integrated clinical workflow solution and provide mass access to molecular diagnostics. Tie-ups with companies from other domains are mainly aimed at marketing of diagnostic tests. Only a handful of companies controlled more than two-thirds or more of the market for molecular tests. Companies like Roche will continue to lead the product portfolio includes molecular diagnostic tests for oncology, virology, microbiology, and blood screening. Multiple insurance providers are associated with them as payers of high-end medical tests.

Emerging Market Led by DNA Testing

The global molecular diagnostics market has reached beyond six billion USD in recent times according to some business reports. New technologies, innovations in medical science and expanded applications for tests have been fueling steady growth in the field. The business scope for it has its spectrum is not limited to one field of study. Molecular techniques are utilized in diverse fields like biochemistry, cellular sciences, genetics, infectious disease, oncology, hematology, and pharmacology.

Majority of the market for testing is derived from blood screening and tests related to infectious diseases. Personalized medicine is the new trend emerging with technologies that depend on DNA sequencing and molecular diagnostics. DNA sequencing is becoming a primary reason for the growth of molecular diagnostics. Personalization is the best when the approach to patients care is preventive care, which relies on proper diagnostic care or therapeutic remedies.

Clinical Testing Goes Molecular

Opening a molecular lab is a complex project demanding high-end instruments and expert to operate them. Setting up a sophisticated molecular lab is easier today because of the developments in the technology. Complex tests and bulky equipment are becoming more digital and user-friendly, gradually loaded with automated functioning. It also offers monitoring and control systems to ensure quality results.

It’s been more challenging to demonstrate the clinical utility of tests for broad patient populations. Targeted tests will continue to be the first choice for the majority of the patients. It will be more imperative than ever for clinical labs to have moldable solutions, with both targeted tests available.

A major challenge in the form of Antibiotic resistance is bound to have a long-term impact on the molecular diagnostics space. There are three elements – an integrated approach of rapid testing, antimicrobial stewardship programs, and clear actions based on results, which are required to address such a public health crisis.

Molecular diagnostics is advancing to provide most laboratory tests in infections and genetics. Genome sequence databases within and between species provide the information necessary to develop sensitive and specific diagnostic assays. In fact, microorganisms are nowadays classified on the basis of sequence rather than phenotype.

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Molecular Diagnostics – a Leap of Growth in Medical Analysis

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India Launches World’s Largest Health Insurance Scheme – Ayushman Bharat

India has witnessed the launch of the biggest government-sponsored healthcare scheme in the world known as Ayushman Bharat in which the number of beneficiaries is so large that it can cover the people in India equal to total population Canada, Mexico and the US. The insurance scheme is named as Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). It will have a well-defined health cover of five lakh rupees per family per year. There was a general debate on whether the scheme has the ability to offer respite to India’s poor and vulnerable. The benefits of the scheme are valid across the country and cashless benefits are available in public/private hospitals listed under the scheme for the beneficiary covered under the scheme anywhere in India.

How does Ayushman Bharat work?

The entitlement will be based on the deprivation criteria in the SECC database. The package rates for payments of treatments will be decided by the government. Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-NHPMC) will be the apex body for policy directions and fostering coordination between center and states. State Health Agency (SHA) is the authority at the state level to implement the scheme. The transfer of funds will be done through an escrow account directly from the center to state so that the funds will be available on time.

The most important aspect of the scheme is its cashless and paperless transactions through a robust and scalable digital platform. A cover of five lakhs per year towards hospitalization expenses of their family members is provided. Apart from the expenses on hospitalizations treatment, the scheme also covers pre and post hospitalization costs to in certain cases. The beneficiaries will not be required to pay any charges and premium for the hospitalization expenses.

‘Ayushman Mitra’ – the health serviceman to assist the beneficiaries, will be appointed in each empanelled hospital and will act as coordinator between hospital and beneficiary.  These staff members will run a help desk in order to enrolment patients in the scheme. They will also check the documents to verify the eligibility.

What are the benefits?

Eligible families from SECC database have already been listed and shared with the state governments and respective departments. They will get a unique AB-NHPM family identification number allotted to them. Only families whose name is on the list with identification number are eligible for the benefits of AB-NHPM.

There are a total of 1,354 packages in the scheme included by the health ministry under which treatment for coronary bypass, knee replacements, and many other health ailments will be provided at almost twenty percent cheaper rates.

Why public health insurance is needed?

The NSSO presented some alarming statistics in 2015 on how medical emergencies and expenses on healthcare thereafter disturb the financial security of poor families in India. There was the steep rise in hospitalization expenses, especially for critical ailments in the past few decades. As the expenses are usually paid through the sale of assets that bring income to the family, health ailments are nothing short of a disaster for poor families. An estimated six million families are falling into poverty each year due to hospitalization. By targeting lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder this scheme provides immunity to these families against the financial losses from sudden medical emergencies. This will take away the economic forces that push these people towards the depths of poverty and will help in uplifting both the economic status and quality of life for the poor.

How to make it Effective?

India Launches World’s Largest Health Insurance Scheme – Ayushman Bharat

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Medical Potential of Psychedelic Drugs

After years of struggle with progressing cancer, Hazel was miserable, anxious, and depressed. Traditional cancer treatments had left her weakened and it was uncertain whether it would save her life. But then she had the opportunity of participating in a clinical trial to test an exotic drug. This drug was not meant to cure her cancer; it was meant to cure her terror. After a few hours of ingesting the drug, Hazel declared to the researchers, “Cancer is not important; the more important stuff is Love.” Her concerns about her impending death suddenly disappeared and the effect lasted for months.

The drug that led Hazel to re-evaluate her life was not a traditional anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drug. It was a drug that has been illegal for decades but is now the center of resurgence in research; psilocybin from the hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Psychologists and psychiatrists have been studying psychedelic drugs for many years as a treatment for disorders like alcoholism and depression. Psychedelics show promising results in assuaging some of the conditions that are hardest to treat viz., addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder, end-of-life anxiety, and depression.

Psychedelics may help. But the mechanism through which they work has left doctors and researchers baffled. These drugs use chemical pathways to trigger deep spiritual experiences that apparently lead to tangible, measurable, long-term changes in behavior.

“Psychedelic drugs are a potentially powerful way of understanding normal brain function”, says Dr. Paul Expert, methodologist and physicist.

Hallucinations, vivid images, intense sounds and better self-awareness are the trademark effects associated with most popular psychedelic drugs. The typical notion is that psychedelics do something additional to trigger their effects like increase activity, add hallucinations and promote awareness. Examining brain scans of people under the influence of psilocybin showed that it reduces activity in certain areas of the brain rather that increasing it. That decrease of activity leads to the drug’s effect on cognition and memory. Psychedelics, psilocybin in particular, might actually be removing the extra “noise” in the brain predicts researchers.

Ayahuasca is a concoction prepared with the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and leaves of Psychotria viridis containing the psychedelic compound DMT. An observational study conducted for evaluating the safety and long-term effectiveness for drug addiction and dependence reported positive and lasting effect. Brain scans show that ayahuasca increases the neural activity in the brain’s visual cortex as well as in its limbic system which is responsible for processing memory and emotions.

DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine), which causes hallucinogenic experiences, is made up of a chemical compound that is endogenously present in humans. It is structurally similar to serotonin and melatonin and has properties similar to psilocybin and LSD. This means our brains are inherently wired to process the drug because it has the essential receptors to do so. DMT has been suggested to be used as a therapy in treating depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions and also to help in self-improvement and discovery.

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Medical Potential of Psychedelic Drugs

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The Mystic of Our Subconscious Mind

“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.” Earl Nightingale.

We all know about our subconscious mind, but most of us don’t have enough knowledge about the function of it. The subconscious mind is our hidden mind that exists inside of our brain. Basically, it gives wings to our imagination. It elucidates and acts upon the most dominating thoughts that belong to our conscious mind, and the subconscious mind’s aim is to create a huge impact on circumstances and situations that match with our imaginations which we are having in our brain.

The best part of our subconscious mind is it doesn’t categorize, judge or edit our thoughts. It is always ready to accept our thoughts in the way they come and basically color them, whether these thoughts are positive or negative. It never calculates things like our conscious mind does. It depends on our thinking and expectations.

Essentially, the subconscious mind, conscious mind and higher consciousness are three aspects of consciousness. Each plays a fundamental role in creating many situations where we understand how the three are interrelated and how they work to make our subconscious mind more powerful. Actually, it is the most familiar and mysterious aspect of our life, without it, we could not experience life. But with it, we are perpetual.

The Way Our Subconscious Mind Works

The sub consciousness is the extremely powerful sequencer that runs every function of our life automatically without our conscious input. It controls functions like digesting the food we eat, our speaking language, walking on a road and ultimately all our habitual actions. Doctors call it is a storage place of our memory which never sleeps. Without sub conscious activity, our body would be unable to properly function as well.

Renowned writer Joseph Murphy explains that “when thoughts are conveyed to your subconscious mind, impressions are made in the brain cells. As soon as your subconscious accepts any idea, it proceeds to put it into effect immediately… it draws on the infinite power, energy, and wisdom within you. It lines up all the laws of nature to get its way. Sometimes it seems to bring about an immediate solution to your difficulties, but at other times it may take days, weeks, or longer… Its ways are past finding out.”

Aspects of Our Objective Mind

Brian Tract said, “The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear.”  The conscious mind is also known as the objective mind or self-consciousness. It is handling our five senses, allowing us to understand the physical world consciously. Most importantly, it is supposed to be the sole commander of our subconscious mind. People have no idea about its incredible function; it allows us to behave as a human. Instead, we experience life in a zombie state.

Charles Haanel explains it this way in The Master Key System: “The subconscious mind does not engage in the process of proving. It relies upon the conscious mind to guard it against mistaken impressions. When the “watchman” is “off guard,” or when its calm judgment is suspended, under a variety of circumstances, then the subconscious mind is unguarded and left opens to the suggestion from all sources.”

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The Mystic of Our Subconscious Mind

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Organs-on-Chips: An Alternative to Animal Testing

Currently, approximately 130 million animals are used each year in experimental research worldwide. Meanwhile, independent surveys have shown that public support for animal testing has decreased considerably over the last 50 years. Furthermore, there is a growing opinion of scientist and researchers that animal experimentation is scientifically flawed for genetic, physiological and procedural reasons. Numerous scientifically and ethically superior replacements for the use of animals have already been developed, and many more are in development. Thus, the rapid replacement of animal experimentation with non-animal and human-based methods is a scientific and ethical imperative.

Great progress has already b een made in the development of non-animal research methods, including computational models, system biology, in vitro techniques, tissue engineering, microfluidics (organs-on-chips), bioinformatics, stem cell and genetic methods, advanced imaging techniques and other approaches.

One of the most promising techniques is the microfluidics organs-on-chip approach. This novel technique is just beginning to be developed by several companies in the lab-on-chip field, which will eventually allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the way our cells respond both in healthy and diseased states.

An organ or tissue-on-chip is a living, micro-engineered environment that recreates the natural physiology and mechanical forces that cells experience within the human body. These devices are being designed to be accurate models of the structure and function of human organs. Once these are integrated, researchers will be able to use these models to predict whether a drug, vaccine or biological agent is safe. By summarizing the multicellular architectures, physiochemical microenvironments, and tissue-tissue interfaces, these devices produce a level of tissue and organ functionality that is not attainable using the conventional 2D or 3D culture systems. They also enable high-resolution, real-time imaging and in vitro analysis of biochemical, genetic and metabolic activities of living cells in a functional tissue and organ context. For pharmaceutical companies, this technology offers a remarkable potential for predicting side-effects and efficacy.

The organ-chip consists of transparent channels lined with living cells and filled with a liquid containing nutrients, or blood, all interacting just as they would in the human body. Most organ-chips are made out of a synthetic material which is transparent for easy viewing of cells under a microscope. These chips contain minute structures to which the cultured human cells are attached. Given the right conditions, these cells will naturally arrange themselves and behave as they would in the body. Microfluidics is used to transport a blood-mimicking fluid along the channels and tiny pipes, bringing sustenance to the cells. These chips do not hold complete organs, just a small colony of cells necessary to replicate the function of one.

Organ-on-chip makes an ideal microenvironment to mimic human-specific pathophysiology and enable molecular and cellular scale analysis and identification of new therapeutic targets with their ability to host and combine the different cells and tissues to make up human organs. They allow recreating therapeutically relevant interfaces like the blood-brain-barrier, which has been engineered from human stem cells with a novel differentiation method to investigate drug pharmacokinetics and facilitate discovery of new therapeutics. They also open up the opportunities to investigate how environmental factors like cigarette smoke affect tissue health and physiology in individual patients.

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Organs-on-Chips: An Alternative to Animal Testing

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Engineered Babies: Would you Prefer Genetic Perfection?

Envision yourself sitting comfortably in a fertility clinic, sipping coffee, you pick up the menu and start choosing. Will you go for tall or short? Would you prefer blue eyes or brown? Would you fancy clever or funny? When you are done selecting, head down to the counter and order yourself a new baby!

With rapid improvements in scientific knowledge of human genome and our increasing ability to change and modify genes, this scenario of ‘designing’ your own baby could very well be possible in the near future. Although the concept of genetic engineering has always been on the mind of science fiction writers and biochemists for almost a decade, only recently has it been in the spotlight. This is due to the current successful events of gene editing.

Genome editing is biological editing in which DNA is inserted, deleted or replaced in a living organism using nucleases or molecular scissors. In the human genome, genetic information is stored in 23 pairs of chromosomes, and written only in four alphabets viz., A, T, G, and C. It carries coded information for all the processes one would require throughout life. This data is subjected to numerous factors which can alter the genetic make-up and lead to disorders. Thus this altered information if carried by either parent and passed on to the offspring can cause a genetic disorder. Even if the faulty gene is not expressed in the offspring, it nevertheless can act as the carrier of that disease. The only preventive measure for informed parents with a family history of genetic disorders is to screen the amniotic fluid for defective genes.

In the last decade, CRISPR/Cas9 technology has been the primary tool for those seeking to modify genes. It uses natural enzymes to target and slice genes with pinpoint accuracy. It has already been used to genetically modify nonviable embryos in China. Recently, a team of scientists in Oregon successfully modified the DNA of a human embryo by repairing a single gene mutation using CRISPR to cure a fatal heart condition caused by a genetic mutation. This could, in theory, mean that CRISPR would be able to prevent the same mutation from affecting any embryo.

Although, the process remains arduous and challenging as there are numerous genes responsible for one single trait. For example, something like height is approximately coded by 93,000 genetic variations. And considering current capabilities, it is next to impossible to test each of those genes to make any significant difference. Although it can take very little time to alter a single gene, altering thousands, and figuring out which ones to alter, is very time-consuming. The more complicated concept is the use of genetic editing for repairing genetic disorders like Alzheimer’s, Blindness and even Cystic Fibrosis. But access to such tools is limited and thus expensive, resulting in an increase in the economic divide.

The concept of using CRISPR for human reproduction is rejected at large by the medical research community. Besides, there seems to be little need for gene editing in human reproduction. It would be difficult, uncertain and expensive to achieve what can most likely be gained by other ways, particularly by selecting an embryo that has or lacks the gene. “Almost everything you can accomplish by gene editing, you can accomplish by embryo selection,” says bioethicist Henry Greely of Stanford University.

Moreover, recently when the researchers sliced out the faulty portion of the gene and tried to replace it with the correct version, the embryonic cells disregarded it and copied the healthy version from the other set of chromosome. Essentially, the cells ignored the DNA that was externally added and favored the DNA that was already present. This increases the possibility that instilling major changes in the human genome won’t work because the embryos will reject the editing. Nonetheless, with the technology coming into existence, many are worried that “designer babies” will be unavoidable. That, however, is far from the obvious.

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Engineered Babies: Would you Prefer Genetic Perfection?

Best Healthcare Magazine | Healthcare Industry News & Journals