Today I learned about wireless medicine.
I was driving home from having dinner with some friends and wondering what the heck I was going to post about. Thank goodness for Science Friday and Ira Flato.
Tonight's discussion was about using smart phones and genetic markers to monitor people's health, and whether this was a good idea. Your smart phone would be able to detect rises in glucose, whether you're about to have an asthma attack, or a heart attack even. The panel all came to an agreement that this new technology should not be used in place of going to a physical, but in tandem with traditional medical care. The new thinking is "since people are addicted to their phones, let's use them for good."
My take is that I'm already addicted to my phone and just slightly obsessive compulsive. If I could spend all day looking at my blood pressure and blood sugar levels in addition to facebook, email, and words with friends, I'd never put my phone down. It's the same reason I don't own a scale. I weigh myself 4 or 5 times a day if there's a scale around and that's not an exaggeration.
For your listening pleasure -
http://sciencefriday.com/segment/06/01/2012/can-technology-deliver-better-health-care.html
I love Science Friday! And don't forget the transit of Venus on Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteThere has been more than one occasion that the sentence "Listen to us, We listen to Science Friday and think we have all the answers for the universe." I didn't catch this episode you speak of, however, but it does always make me feel more informed. My way of spending the night at a Holiday Inn Express, I suppose.
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