Technology is moving at a break neck pace, and medical technology is no exception! In fact, progress in the medical field is speeding along so quickly it can be hard for even professionals to keep up with the times.
But never fear. Here are 7 of the craziest medical breakthroughs that could actually have a big impact on YOUR health!
DIY Orthodontics
If you have ever considered going back for a second go years, maybe even decades after your first run with braces a kid, you are not alone! Oftentimes teeth shift in our lifetime and as we age, even after wearing braces as kids. This can be especially irritating to reckon with if you were one of the unlucky few who had to endure wearing retainers for years on end. Yuck!
There is nothing quite like the sting of a hard-won smile chipped away by years of complacency or just the symptoms of growing old. Even worse, we have grown accustomed to the idea that orthodontics is a medical practice geared towards children.
But there is no medical reason not to readjust your teeth after you are finished growing. In fact, you and your orthodontist might have a better idea of how to adjust your teeth now that they have come to full fruition.
Best of all, there are so many companies headed by licensed orthodontists that can help your smile get on the right track without you having to ever set foot inside a dental office! What could be better than that?
Blood Sugar Sniffing Dogs
Dogs can be trained to actually detect blood sugar dips in humans. This is a life changing development for the billions of people of all ages struggling to manage their diabetes, a life threatening disease that can be potentially fatal if someone’s sugar were to dip too low.
Trained service dogs spend years undergoing intense conditioning to literally sniff out when blood sugar dips and spikes are occurring in their owners. As someone who cannot get her dog to drop the ball during fetch, this is an incredible feat.
Telemedicine Wound Care
After the coronavirus rocked our global economy, we learned the hard way just how valuable a digital ecosystem was for medical professionals. These resources proved invaluable at the height of the crisis, but they will prove even more crucial going forward.
But there are limits to telemedicine and what it can do in terms of providing regular wellness care to patients…right? Nope! Telemedicine wound care is now possible.
Whereas traditional video methods only allow providers to analyze wounds on a very superficial level, technology now exists that allows providers to remotely trace the growth of potential infections.
Even advanced wound care needs can be met by telemedicine wound care.
Smart Inhalers
Inhalers protect millions of people living with the chronic breathing condition known as asthma every day. Preventative and emergency inhalers alike provide an invaluable service, but their use should be worrisome.
Ideally, we would not need to use inhalers at all, so when we do our providers surely need to hear about it. But practicality says that it is just unrealistic to expect every person with asthma document each and every individual use.
Today, we can look forward to “smart” inhalers that actually send information regarding the frequency with which patients use their asthma medication automatically to physicians.
Peanut Allergy Cure
There may be an enzyme people can inject into their bodies that protects the immune system against negative reactions to peanut butter. This would be well received by the millions of grown ups today who have gone their entire lives fearing a stray peanut shell at Five Guys.
Microdosing LSD
Microdosing LSD is exactly what the name implies that it is. Users take teeny tiny little amounts of LSD, a hallucinogenic drug, to inspire creativity, relieve depression, and even assuage PTSD symptoms. Under the care of a qualified physician, microdosing hallucinogenic drugs including (but not limited to) LSD has changed the lives of those living with mood disorders worldwide.
Artificial Organs
Growing spare parts is a very appealing idea for all of humanity. After all, is it not just that much more comforting to live knowing that someone might be able to grow back your arm if you accidentally cut it off?
The science is not quite there yet, but it is very close. We are able to grow tissues and replicate organ functions under carefully controlled lab settings, and all signs are pointing to a promising future for lab grown organs and tissues!