Health

Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to injure themselves badly enough for the area to scar knows that even with the best medical care, you will usually be left with an area of skin which feels noticeably different when healed.

Patients at the receiving end of fatalities sometimes enter a coma, a mental and physical unconscious state of being. But brain trauma or neurological disorders can also culminate in individuals who show minimal consciousness or MCS, which means they are vaguely aware of their surroundings. Patients can occasionally blink their eyes, but cannot communicate in any other manner.

Following a routine of yearly health checkups which monitor your heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol is a good way of gaining insight into certain symptoms of infection or the early stages of disease. But lately, even those who visit once a year, lament on the insufficiency of this form of testing being able to detect minor changes in the body, including temperature, can easily be overlooked during the process.

Parkinson’s disease affects more than 10 million people worldwide, with 10% of these being diagnosed before the age of 50. Parkinson’s disease has a variety of symptoms but can often cause pronounced and uncontrollable shaking in sufferer’s hands, which can make everyday tasks such as making a cup of tea or writing nearly impossible.

The past few years have seen innovators, scientists and tech-developers take an interest in, more than just designing games and apps for entertainment, but bettering the quality of life of humans and the world they live in by employing newer techniques in healthcare, technology, business, etc.

Do you crash diet to shed cellulite before a holiday, or possess an urge to constantly eat junk food? This comes as no surprise, as it is estimated that as of 2010, adults in the United States get 11.3% of their daily calories from fast food. Medically, diets high in oil and sugars pave the way to multiple diseases such as cancers and diabetes.

Worldwide, heart transplants provide a vital lifeline to over 4000 patients per year. Whilst for those that are lucky enough to receive a donor organ, this can mean both a huge relief a new lease of life, the process of waiting for a suitable organ can be traumatic and worrying.

Every year, around 1 in 10 babies worldwide are born prematurely. This equates to around 15 million babies and their parents having to spend time in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) in incubators. Despite improvements in neonatal care, approximately 1 million of those prematurely born babies will not survive.

Drunk driving — one of the most common reasons for traffic accidents in the United States causes a third of the total number of deaths among inebriated teenagers and adults on the road. Over the years, there have been several attempts to find feasible solutions to this persistent problem but statistics show that, as of 2016, cases of driving under the influence (DUI) have reached an all-time high.

The excessive use of air conditioners or space heaters, a luxury in the developed world, is one of the main causes of global warming and unpredictable meteorological patterns. By excessive, we mean 87% of homes in the United States use energy for artificial climate control, in comparison to 2% that a populated country like India requires. This has influenced the rise of several inventions in the Information Age to save the planet and yet maintain comfortable lifestyles. 

In the US, from 1998 to present, 705 children have died from heatstroke as a result of being left in a car. In 2016 alone, 39 children died and unfortunately, it looks as though the numbers in 2017 will be just as shocking. At the time of writing, there has already been five deaths of children who were left in a car and subsequently overheated.