Congratulations! If you are reading this, then you already stand a good chance of making the cut. Disease and old age are going out of style. Advancing technology is pushing the limits of modern medicine every day. As more people live longer, we are finding new ways not just to delay death, but make old age enjoyable. We are rapidly approaching the point where, if you can just avoid an accident (which is also getting easier) and stay alive just a little longer, you will be part of the first generation to live well into the triple digits—and be healthy enough to actually enjoy your golden years.
5.
Telehealth
While getting the right information to the right people can make a difference, sometimes information alone is not enough. That is why doctors have been trying to practice remote medicine, also known as telehealth, for years. Telehealth can allow everything from virtual consultation and diagnosis, to surgeons performing via robot from across the country. Even in the developed world, rural and remote areas can suffer from limited access to cutting-edge care. In less-developed regions and countries, the lack of health infrastructure can be similarly deadly, even when cures and treatments exist that could save lives. Telehealth, through the world-wide web, can finally provide a solution.
4.
Aging Has Gotten Old
Even if disease can be prevented and accidents avoided, there is no cure for getting old…right? Actually, scientists are getting closer than ever to isolating the genes responsible for aging us (14), and finding a way to limit or even stop the process. Immortality is a dream as old as humanity itself, but thanks to the latest genetic science, researchers are optimistic that an actual 'cure' for old age may be within reach. Not only are they close to unlocking eternal youth in our own DNA, but they may soon be able to make such treatment widely available, thanks to the next breakthrough…
3.
Precision Medicine
For a long time, finding a cure didn't really mean curing everyone so much as it meant curing most people. This one-size fits-all approach to medicine has made medicine as much a game of trial and error as a real road to wellness. That is all changing, thanks to a new focus on Personalized Healthcare, also known as Precision Medicine. Every patient is a little different, and what works for one may not work for another. Precision Medicine takes this fact into account, and doctors are beginning to consider details like a patient's genetic make-up when diagnosing and prescribing treatment. Not only will this approach to medicine help us make the most of the drugs and procedures that already exist, but it is the basis for the latest initiative targeting cancer . America's new Precision Medicine Initiative is designed to not only provide a cure for all types of cancers, but to help us better screen for cancer and begin treatment before it becomes debilitating. Precision Medicine is really a high-tech extension of the preventive approach to healthcare.
2.
3D Printing
3D printing technology has already proven its worth in the business and industrial world. From lowering the cost of prototyping, to helping designers model their concepts, 3D printing is already a fantastic production tool. Where the process becomes truly revolutionary is when it is applied to healthcare problems. People lose limbs in all sorts of ways, and some are even born without them. Traditional prosthetics have been uncomfortable, expensive, and difficult to use—but 3D printing has already proven it can solve all of those problems. Custom-made, fully-integrated replacement limbs are finally an option for amputees and others in need of prosthetics. But scientists have taken the technology even further, by designing and printing human organs that can be safely and successfully transplanted. 3D printing of organs means that a patient can live without the need for someone else to die or make a donation. We can finally forget about designer clones and other sci-fi concerns about growing organs using controversial stem-cell technology. Customized organs—as well as limbs—mean injury and illness don't have to leave a permanent mark on anyone.
1.
Globalization
Modern travel, communications, and internet connectivity have made the world smaller. Ideas, products, and services can travel anywhere at incredible speed, and do so every day. This is the new economic model for the world. It also means that, whatever our leaders and politicians may say, we are all dependent on one-another. Not only does this make the world safer from the kind of massive conflicts that have defined most of human history, it means global health and national security are the same thing. Money and fear are both powerful incentives. In the new global economy, they intersect, so that it is in our interest to improve the health of everyone in order to keep trade flowing. If disease outbreaks or natural disasters are threatening one country, that impact quickly magnifies to the rest of the world (21). It is no longer enough to secure our borders—we need to eradicate deadly disease around the world to be safe. Not only does this mean less fighting, it also requires more cooperation to predict earthquakes and distribute vaccines. No matter who creates the next cure or early warning system, the global economy will demand that it become available to all. Money may be the root of all evil, but it is also paving the way toward health and long life.
While getting the right information to the right people can make a difference, sometimes information alone is not enough. That is why doctors have been trying to practice remote medicine, also known as telehealth, for years. Telehealth can allow everything from virtual consultation and diagnosis, to surgeons performing via robot from across the country. Even in the developed world, rural and remote areas can suffer from limited access to cutting-edge care. In less-developed regions and countries, the lack of health infrastructure can be similarly deadly, even when cures and treatments exist that could save lives. Telehealth, through the world-wide web, can finally provide a solution.
Even if disease can be prevented and accidents avoided, there is no cure for getting old…right? Actually, scientists are getting closer than ever to isolating the genes responsible for aging us (14), and finding a way to limit or even stop the process. Immortality is a dream as old as humanity itself, but thanks to the latest genetic science, researchers are optimistic that an actual 'cure' for old age may be within reach. Not only are they close to unlocking eternal youth in our own DNA, but they may soon be able to make such treatment widely available, thanks to the next breakthrough…
For a long time, finding a cure didn't really mean curing everyone so much as it meant curing most people. This one-size fits-all approach to medicine has made medicine as much a game of trial and error as a real road to wellness. That is all changing, thanks to a new focus on Personalized Healthcare, also known as Precision Medicine. Every patient is a little different, and what works for one may not work for another. Precision Medicine takes this fact into account, and doctors are beginning to consider details like a patient's genetic make-up when diagnosing and prescribing treatment. Not only will this approach to medicine help us make the most of the drugs and procedures that already exist, but it is the basis for the latest initiative targeting cancer . America's new Precision Medicine Initiative is designed to not only provide a cure for all types of cancers, but to help us better screen for cancer and begin treatment before it becomes debilitating. Precision Medicine is really a high-tech extension of the preventive approach to healthcare.
3D printing technology has already proven its worth in the business and industrial world. From lowering the cost of prototyping, to helping designers model their concepts, 3D printing is already a fantastic production tool. Where the process becomes truly revolutionary is when it is applied to healthcare problems. People lose limbs in all sorts of ways, and some are even born without them. Traditional prosthetics have been uncomfortable, expensive, and difficult to use—but 3D printing has already proven it can solve all of those problems. Custom-made, fully-integrated replacement limbs are finally an option for amputees and others in need of prosthetics. But scientists have taken the technology even further, by designing and printing human organs that can be safely and successfully transplanted. 3D printing of organs means that a patient can live without the need for someone else to die or make a donation. We can finally forget about designer clones and other sci-fi concerns about growing organs using controversial stem-cell technology. Customized organs—as well as limbs—mean injury and illness don't have to leave a permanent mark on anyone.
Modern travel, communications, and internet connectivity have made the world smaller. Ideas, products, and services can travel anywhere at incredible speed, and do so every day. This is the new economic model for the world. It also means that, whatever our leaders and politicians may say, we are all dependent on one-another. Not only does this make the world safer from the kind of massive conflicts that have defined most of human history, it means global health and national security are the same thing. Money and fear are both powerful incentives. In the new global economy, they intersect, so that it is in our interest to improve the health of everyone in order to keep trade flowing. If disease outbreaks or natural disasters are threatening one country, that impact quickly magnifies to the rest of the world (21). It is no longer enough to secure our borders—we need to eradicate deadly disease around the world to be safe. Not only does this mean less fighting, it also requires more cooperation to predict earthquakes and distribute vaccines. No matter who creates the next cure or early warning system, the global economy will demand that it become available to all. Money may be the root of all evil, but it is also paving the way toward health and long life.
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