diagnosis – Hello Doctor

5 Exciting future developments in health

January 27th, 2020 by Content Editor

2020 is finally here and although there aren’t any cars flying around or cyborgs serving you at the shops, the future of medicine looks promising.

From digital tattoos to drug 3D printing, here are 5 exciting future health developments that you’ll surely be hyped up about.

3D printing drugs

If a trip to the pharmacy sounds like a hassle, why not print out your prescription medication instead? Today, guns, chocolate and even houses can be 3D printed, and drugs aren’t far behind. For example, the FDA approved an epilepsy drug called Spritam that is made by 3D printers. It prints out the powdered drug layer by layer which makes it easier to dissolve than regular pills. What’s more, scientists from the University College of London also experimented with 3D printing drugs in different shapes like dinosaurs or octopuses so that kids will be keener to take their medication.

Personalised medicine

Medication is usually a one-size-fits-all approach, but personalised medication looks to be the future. The idea behind customised medication is that it could lead to fewer ineffective treatment incidents and better outcomes. The aim is that doctors will be able to tailor treatment and preventative strategies to an individual’s unique characteristics. To achieve this, more research must be done, and data needs to be collected. Symptoms, family dynamics, environmental exposures, DNA analysis and cultural backgrounds will have to be considered for personalised medicine to work.

Health trackers

Wouldn’t it be great if your doctor could always monitor you? One day soon, it could be possible. Called biohackers, small body sensors are currently in development. They can either be sewn into your clothing or implanted into your body. These sensors can be used to help your doctor understand your symptoms better and check for underlying conditions and risk factors. One biohacker that’s being tested can be embedded in a tooth to measure things like irregular jaw movements, how often you’re coughing and what harmful foods you might be eating. Others include GPS biohackers that can lead hikers to safe medical treatment, and socks to measure body temperature and heart rate during exercise.

Brain computer interfaces

Cochlear and retinal implants gave a convenient alternative to eye and ear operations, and in years to come, brain implants are the next best thing. Imagine having a little computer chip attached to your brain that makes you a super-computer! This chip could improve the ability to hear or see, heighten your memory and even allow you to type with your mind (without the keyboard). Although these opportunities are still leaps away, biotechnologists are working hard to make technology work for us.

Cancer breathalysers

Breathalysers are best known for catching boozy drivers, but are now in development to help diagnose cancer. There have been ongoing trials for this type of breathalyser at Georgia Tech. According to their trials, the breathalyser-style device has been able to detect both breast and lung cancer in patients with up to 80% accuracy. The device works by sampling around 75 characteristics of different cancers before confirming a diagnosis. Besides the convenience, if this device hits the market, it would save cancer patients the funds that would normally go towards expensive, and sometimes invasive, cancer testing. If this device is successful in further trials, you could be seeing this device in your doctor’s office in upcoming years!

References:

Why you deserve a second opinion

September 28th, 2017 by The Hello Doctor Team

Your doctor says, “It looks like you may be diabetic.”
Or, “Hmm… your cholesterol is on the high side.”
Perhaps it’s even a spine-tingling, “Wow, I’ve never seen this before!” And immediately, your blood runs cold and you go into panic/stress mode, convinced you’re already in the grips of death.

Doctors and medical experts, by virtue of their extensive training, and the critical nature of their work – are meant to deliver accurate diagnosis and treatments. After all, they are the experts. But, human error is a real concept, along with faulty machinery and diagnostic errors.

In fact, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US found that diagnostic errors accounted for more penalty payouts and malpractice claims than any other medical insurance claims. Researchers say, “This is more evidence that diagnostic errors could easily be the biggest patient safety and medical malpractice problem in America.”

The numbers are getting scarier. Healthcare policy experts at the Mayo Clinic found similar results over a two-year period of analysing patient records. They found that when patients sourced a second opinion, the original diagnosis was confirmed just 12% of the time!

The British Medical Journal in 2013 estimated that up to 15% of all overall diagnoses are incorrect. In South Africa too, malpractice suits are piling up.

Convinced yet?

Think about it this way. When you’re looking for a home, you don’t snap up the first one you see. When you’re car shopping, you test drive more than one vehicle. If you suspect you’re not physically well, why wouldn’t you want that checked out by more than one expert? It’s worth noting that in the best case scenario, an incorrect diagnosis could end up being nothing more than a little emotional strain.

On the other end of the spectrum however, do you want an incorrect medical opinion to land you on the surgery table for an unnecessary, potentially life-threatening op? Sounds dramatic, but 2016 research by Pinnacle Healthcare in America estimates that patient deaths due to misdiagnosis are between 40-80 000 a year.

Now, we’re not saying you need to stretch your medical aid or break the bank each time you get a runny nose – but for something that feels serious– it’s definitely worth getting more than one opinion.

Remember, a consultation is a two-way process where the doctor is guided by a physical examination and the information he gleans from you before a treatment plan is formulated. If there’s poor communication from either side, you could land up with a problem. This makes two opinions better than one!

At the very least you’ll have peace of mind – and isn’t that priceless?

References

Five things your blood can tell you

February 27th, 2017 by The Hello Doctor Team

Few of us enjoy being jabbed with needles, but a blood test is an important indicator of how healthy you are. A blood test usually involves taking blood samples from a blood vessel in your arm. Your arm is used because it can be easily covered up after a blood sample is taken.

The usual place that blood is taken from is the inside of your elbow or wrist, where your veins are close to the surface and easy to find.

You should have a blood test done at least once every year, to check for any health issues. Doctors use blood tests to evaluate different things regarding your health and may request that a blood test is done to check for specific issues.

Blood tests help doctors to:

Check how well your organs like your heart, lungs and kidneys are functioning.
Determine whether you may be at risk for heart disease.
Decide if the medication you’re taking is working.
Assess how well your blood is clotting.
Do checks for symptoms of diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, coronary heart disease and anaemia.

Your blood is made up of several kinds of cells, compounds, salts and certain proteins. The biggest liquid portion in your blood is called plasma, and the remaining part is serum which can be used to find out how your immune system fights diseases.

All the different parts of your blood can measure and check for various issues that you wouldn’t think a blood test could help your doctor see.

Your blood will indicate:

Your dehydration levels
As an average adult, you are made up of 50-65 percent water, so it’s no wonder that dehydration could cause health problems. Dehydration could put stress on your heart, increase fatigue and make it difficult for you to think clearly.

If your nutrients and minerals are balanced
Nutrients play a big role in the healthy functioning of your body. Deficiencies in critical minerals like magnesium can result in body odour, constipation, muscle cramps, insomnia, headaches, and fatigue. Blood tests can pick up defects like this, so it’s important to have your annual blood test.

Whether you have allergies and triggers
Your annual blood test is also a way to check if you have allergies and its triggers.

If you have an infectious disease
A blood test is the best way to detect infectious diseases early, which will make treatment more effective. The most common conditions that blood tests are used to check for are sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, HIV/AIDS, herpes and Hepatitis B, and C. Blood tests can also be used to check for other infectious diseases which are hard to detect like tuberculosis.

If you’re pregnant
If you are unsure about whether you are pregnant or not, a blood test is the best way to confirm it. It can also check if you are at risk for pregnancy-related diseases and conditions like gestational diabetes.

References:

Can you guess the illness?

April 1st, 2015 by The Hello Doctor Team

Continue reading “Can you guess the illness?”

Men, don’t shy away from the prostate exam

September 25th, 2014 by The Hello Doctor Team

We all know that breast cancer is the most common cancer for women, but did you know that prostate cancer is one of the most common in men? Particularly in older men, as the risk increases with age. The good news, however, is that treatments for prostate cancer are very effective if it’s detected early enough. Let’s take a look at how it’s diagnosed and what you can do to decrease your chances of developing this cancer. Continue reading “Men, don’t shy away from the prostate exam”