I have spent more than 30 years in healthcare with one consistent mission: helping people sustain and improve their lives. That mission has guided my work across large pharmaceutical companies, entrepreneurial startups, and academic institutions. It has shaped how I view innovation—not as a luxury, but as a necessity.

We often speak about healthcare innovation as if it exists in a vacuum. It does not. Innovation only matters if patients can access it, understand it, and afford it. Today’s system too often breaks that chain.

The U.S. healthcare system has evolved to prioritize risk management over prevention, short-term cost containment over long-term health, and utilization controls over patient outcomes. The consequences are real. Breakthrough therapies are delayed or denied. Preventive medicines are underused. Patients are left navigating complexity at the very moment they are most vulnerable.

However, innovation has repeatedly proven it can change the trajectory of disease—and lives—when it reaches patients.

Earlier in my career, I had the opportunity to help build Claritin into a household name. What made Claritin transformational was not just the molecule, but access. Non-sedating allergy relief allowed people to function—to work, learn, drive, and live daily life without compromise. We paired scientific innovation with brand-building, education, and emerging digital tools to enable patients to engage with their care in new ways. That experience taught me something enduring: innovation fails when it remains trapped behind complexity.

As digital channels emerged, I saw how virtual access could democratize care. Early online refill capabilities and digital front doors were not about marketing. They were about meeting patients where they were. Innovation is not only what happens in the lab; it is how solutions are delivered in the real world.

More recently, my work in cardiovascular and preventive medicine has reinforced this belief. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally, yet preventive innovation often struggles most to gain access. When therapies reduce future heart attacks, strokes, and hospitalizations—but do not show immediate cost offsets within narrow budget windows—they face resistance. This is actuarial logic colliding with human biology.

But prevention works. Inflammation matters. Long-term risk reduction matters. Helping people avoid catastrophic events enables them to remain productive, engaged, and present in their lives and with their families. The value of that outcome is difficult to capture on a quarterly balance sheet, but it is undeniable.

Innovation also matters because healthcare is not static. Populations are aging. Chronic disease is rising. Demand for care will only increase. Without continued pharmaceutical innovation—new mechanisms, better tolerability, improved adherence—we risk managing decline rather than enabling vitality.

Critics often frame innovation and affordability as opposing forces. They are not. The real tension lies between short-term system incentives and long-term societal benefit. When access to effective therapies is delayed or denied, costs do not disappear. They shift—reappearing as hospitalizations, disability, lost productivity, and diminished quality of life.

I have worked inside large organizations, small startups, and everything in between. I have seen how difficult it is to bring a medicine from concept to patient—and how fragile that final step of access can be. That is why innovation must be paired with thoughtful policy, modernized reimbursement, and a patient-centered view of value.

Healthcare should not be about simply surviving longer. It should be about living better for longer. Medical innovation, particularly in pharmaceuticals, plays a central role in making that possible. Even in a system burdened by complexity and constraints, innovation remains one of our strongest tools for advancing healthcare.

After three decades, my belief has not changed: when science, access, and mission align, lives improve. That is worth fighting to achieve.

The post Medical Innovation Still Matters—Even When the System Makes It Hard appeared first on Medika Life.

It’s much easier to light up a cigarette, which is not a controlled substance than to pop a pill for which you need a prescription. In fact, our body has specific nicotinic receptors in the spinal cord and brain.

Once, when I stopped smoking, I was visiting a friend and her sister, and she kept indicating that I should light up with them. I didn’t want to, but she said, “But what will you do with your hands?” Such a serious matter—what to do with one’s hands.

I guess I would’ve done with my hands what anyone else did: put them in a pocket or on the table or chair where I was sitting. What would anyone need to do with their hands if they didn’t have a cigarette? Well, now there’s a new push to become one of the crowd, and it’s vaping.

The question, of course, is now not one of what I would do with my hands but whether vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes. Remember the major lawsuits that were tried over years and years where people died of lung cancer (John Wayne smoked several packs a day, as did Edward R. Murrow, and both died of lung cancer). How many people have died because they smoked? I have a few in my family, and even though one stopped smoking for at least 30 years, cigarette smoking proved to be her death knell.

How Is Vaping Safer Than Cigarettes?

No one else has ever thought about giving up smoking like you have, correct? Well, many people say they want to quit, and it’s good for your health to stop smoking because it can cause damage to almost every part of your body, including your heart.

Smoking or being around smokers is a factor in almost one-third of heart disease deaths. And, there’s danger even in second-hand smoke, or, some would say, third-hand smoke. What is third-hand smoke?

There are pollutants in the air that get spread when people smoke tobacco. This is called third-hand smoke. Chemicals that are found in third-hand smoke include nicotine and chemicals that cause cancer, like formaldehyde, naphthalene, and others.

Over time, third-hand smoke gets on most surfaces. It can get stuck on soft surfaces, like clothes, furniture, drapes, beds, and carpets. It also settles on hard objects like floors, walls, and cars as dust-like particles. There may still be third-hand smoke around for months after the person who is smoking has stopped.

You might want to try e-cigarettes, vape pens, and other reusable and throwaway vaping devices to make the switch from regular cigarettes to not smoking easier. If you smoke e-cigarettes (also called vaping), is that better for you than chewing tobacco?

Might e-cigarettes assist you in quitting smoking for good? And are e-cigarettes better than prescription products to help you stop smoking? Researchers are looking at these questions; some are weighing in on vaping, but I have doubts.

Vaping is not without consequences, and the CDC released a report a few years ago that indicated people who were vaping had deaths associated with it. They hypothesized some fatalities resulted from using illegal vaping products, which might have contained harmful ingredients. There have been 2,807 cases of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and 68 deaths linked to this disease, according to the CDC.

What’s in vaping? An analysis by a major university startled even the researchers, who found products they had difficulty identifying. Researchers found and measured six possibly dangerous additives and contaminants in e-cigarette liquids and aerosols.

Metals, carbonyls, free radicals, and phthalates are just some of the known toxicants that have been found and measured in e-cigarette liquids and fumes so far. If we’re concerned about having smoke with a carcinogenic product in it, how do we feel about having smoke that has metal in it? No one needs or wants metal fragments in their lungs.

Research is clear at this point that vaping carries with it specific dangers that may be as bad or even worse than cigarettes. However, if someone were smoking and wanted to stop, would it be better to vap or take the prescription product? That research has now been published, and it leans in the direction of vaping rather than the prescription product. But there’s another issue related to vaping.

The smoke in an e-cigarette product does contain nicotine and researchers have concluded that those who vap do so constantly during the day. As a result, they are exposed to higher levels of nicotine and all the other damaging products. Higher exposure, therefore, would lead to an addiction that may be as serious or even more serious than cigarette smoking. Heavy smokers may smoke more than a pack a day, but how many vap products does a vaper use during the day?

The big difference is that while there is a prescription product to help people stop smoking, there is no product that would help people stop vaping. Therefore, we have a new addiction with no apparent remedy at this point. Not only is the addiction potentially life-threatening, but many people believe it is a benign activity. The lack of information regarding vaping needs to be addressed, just as cigarette smoking was addressed when its cancer potential was revealed.

The post The Dangers of Fighting Cigarette Addiction With Vaping Are Not Vague appeared first on Medika Life.

At the forefront of these preventable tragedies is pneumonia, a leading cause of death that can often be averted through inexpensive vaccines and antibiotics. Immunisation campaigns and community health programs can ensure that treatments reach those in need, transforming a potential death sentence into a manageable condition. Simple practices, such as promoting exclusive breastfeeding, can also bolster a child’s immune system against pneumonia and other diseases.

Diarrheal diseases, closely linked to poor sanitation and unsafe water, are another major threat to young lives. However, the provision of oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and zinc supplements offers a beacon of hope. These treatments, costing mere cents per dose, can swiftly restore hydration and save lives. Moreover, investing in clean water initiatives and basic hygiene education provides a sustainable path to disease prevention.

Malaria, a relentless killer in many low-income regions, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, can be effectively combated with insecticide-treated mosquito nets and prophylactic antimalarial medications. These interventions, surprisingly affordable, can drastically reduce malaria incidence and mortality among vulnerable infant populations.

Neonatal conditions, such as complications from preterm birth, infections, and birth asphyxia, highlight the critical need for improved maternal and newborn care. Skilled birth attendance, a cost-effective strategy, can prevent many such deaths. Additionally, kangaroo mother care (skin-to-skin contact) and basic neonatal resuscitation techniques offer low-cost, high-impact solutions to neonatal mortality.

Lastly, malnutrition — a pervasive threat to child survival — can be addressed through nutrition education, support for exclusive breastfeeding, and the provision of vitamin A and micronutrient powders. These interventions prevent death and promote healthy development, all at a minimal cost.

The narrative of child mortality in low-income countries is not solely one of despair but also one of hope and opportunity. By implementing these low-cost interventions, the global community can make significant strides in saving lives and nurturing the potential of millions of children. It is a testament to the power of simple, affordable solutions facing daunting challenges, offering a brighter future for the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Low-cost interventions that save lives

Pneumonia

• Vaccination: The pneumococcal and Hib vaccines can prevent many pneumonia cases. The cost can vary, but Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has negotiated prices as low as USD 1.5 per dose for some vaccines in low-income countries.
• Exclusive Breastfeeding: Encouraging exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life can significantly improve a child’s immunity. The costs here are more about education and support systems for mothers.
• Access to Antibiotics: For cases where pneumonia develops, timely administration of antibiotics can save lives. A full course of antibiotics for pneumonia treatment can cost less than USD 0.50 per child.

Diarrheal Diseases

• Rotavirus Vaccination: Rotavirus vaccines effectively prevent the most common cause of severe diarrhoea in children, with costs in Gavi-supported countries around USD 1–3 per dose.
• Clean Water and Sanitation (WASH): Providing access to clean water and promoting handwashing can drastically reduce diarrheal diseases. The cost per child can be very low when spread across communities but varies widely depending on the specific intervention and infrastructure development.
• Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) and Zinc Supplementation: These are highly effective treatments for diarrheal diseases, costing as little as USD 0.50 for ORS packets and zinc supplements for one treatment course.

Malaria

• Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs): Mosquito nets treated with insecticide are a simple, effective way to prevent malaria. The cost per net is typically around USD 2–3, and each net can protect up to two children for up to three years.
• Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS): Spraying the inside of homes with insecticides can also reduce malaria transmission. The cost varies but is generally between USD 3–7 per person per year.
• Antimalarial Drugs: Prophylactic antimalarial drugs for pregnant women and young children in high-risk areas can prevent illness. The cost per treatment is around USD 0.50 to USD 1.
• Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the cornerstone of malaria treatment recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The cost of ACTs in low-income countries varies, influenced by factors such as local policies, subsidies, the involvement of global health initiatives, and whether the drugs are purchased in the public or private sector. A typical course is just three days of treatment, and the cost to the healthcare system is less than USD 1.
• Anti-malarial vaccines: The R21 vaccine is the second malaria vaccine recommended by WHO, following the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine, which received a WHO recommendation in 2021. Both vaccines are shown to be safe and effective in preventing malaria in children and, when implemented broadly, are expected to have a high public health impact. Three to four doses are administered at USD 2 — USD 4 per dose.

Neonatal Conditions

• Skilled Birth Attendance: Ensuring that births are attended by skilled health personnel can significantly reduce neonatal deaths. Training community health workers can be relatively low-cost, with significant returns in reduced mortality.
• Thermal Care: Simple practices like kangaroo mother care (skin-to-skin contact) can prevent hypothermia in newborns with negligible cost.
• Basic Neonatal Care: Including clean delivery practices, proper cord care, and early breastfeeding initiation. The cost here is more about training and education than direct intervention costs.

Nutritional Deficiencies

• Exclusive Breastfeeding: Promoted for the first six months to provide all necessary nutrients and improve immunity.
• Vitamin A Supplementation: This can significantly reduce child mortality from all causes, with each dose costing as little as USD 0.02 to USD 0.30.
• Micronutrient Powders: Sprinkle on foods can combat malnutrition, costing about USD 0.03 to USD 0.10 per sachet.

How many children between the ages of zero to five live in low-income countries

Unfortunately, there isn’t a single, definitive source with data on the exact number of children aged 0 to 5 living in low-income countries. This is due to a few reasons:

• Defining “low-income countries”: Different classifications are used by organisations like the World Bank. These classifications can change over time.
• Data collection challenges: Gathering accurate data in low-income countries can be difficult due to resource limitations and infrastructure issues.

However, we can look at child poverty data as a proxy. UNICEF reports that 333 million children live in extreme poverty worldwide, meaning they lack necessities like food, shelter, sanitation, healthcare, and education. This data can give us a general idea of the magnitude of the problem.

What can be done?

Governments, NGOs, and civil society play pivotal roles in mitigating child mortality in low-income countries, leveraging their unique positions to initiate, support, and scale up various interventions. Here are ways these entities can collaborate and contribute effectively:

Strengthening Healthcare Systems

• Governments can allocate increased funding to health services, ensuring that healthcare facilities are adequately staffed, equipped, and accessible to the population, including remote areas.
• NGOs often work to fill gaps in healthcare provision, providing training for healthcare workers, supplying medical equipment and medications, and setting up mobile clinics to reach underserved communities.
• Civil Society can advocate for improved healthcare policies and transparency in healthcare funding, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively and equitably.

Promoting Preventative Measures

• All three can collaborate on vaccination campaigns to protect against pneumonia and measles. Education campaigns to promote breastfeeding, proper nutrition, and hygiene practices can also substantially impact the situation.
• NGOs and civil society can support the distribution of mosquito nets and conduct awareness campaigns on their use to prevent malaria, a leading cause of child mortality.

Improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)

• Governments can invest in infrastructure to provide clean water and sanitation facilities, which are crucial for preventing diarrheal diseases and improving overall health.
• NGOs frequently engage in WASH projects, constructing toilets and facilitating access to clean water through wells and filtration systems.
• Civil Society can mobilise community involvement in maintaining and protecting water and sanitation infrastructure and promote hygiene practices.

Ensuring Food Security and Nutritional Support

• Initiatives to improve access to nutritious food can significantly impact child health. Governments can implement policies and programs to support agricultural productivity, subsidise essential foods, and ensure nutritional programs reach vulnerable populations.
• NGOs may provide direct food aid, support school feeding programs, and teach sustainable farming techniques to communities.
• Civil Society can raise awareness about malnutrition, advocate for policy changes, and support community-based nutrition and gardening projects.

Education and Empowerment

• Educating girls and women has a profound impact on child health outcomes. Governments can ensure equal access to education, while NGOs can provide scholarships or support for girls’ education.
• Civil society, including local communities and parent groups, can advocate for educational reforms and support initiatives that empower women and girls.

Advocacy and Policy Influence

• Civil society organisations can lobby for policies prioritising child health, including environmental protections to reduce pollution and combat climate change, which impacts children’s health.
• They can also be crucial in holding governments and international bodies accountable for their commitments to child health and rights

Collaboration across these sectors is crucial for creating sustainable change. By pooling resources, sharing knowledge, and coordinating efforts, governments, NGOs, and civil society can significantly reduce child mortality rates and improve health outcomes for children in low-income countries. Their combined efforts can address the root causes of child mortality, ensuring that children have the chance to lead healthy, productive lives.

Concluding

The stark reality of child mortality in low-income countries, particularly among infants aged 0 to 5, represents a profound global health challenge. Yet, as outlined, the breadth of low-cost, highly effective interventions available to combat this crisis offers a beacon of hope. These interventions, ranging from vaccinations and exclusive breastfeeding to access to clean water and nutritional supplements, underscore a critical truth: the power to reduce child mortality significantly is well within our grasp.

Moreover, the detailed strategies for pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, malaria, neonatal conditions, and nutritional deficiencies illustrate a clear path forward. The low-cost solutions presented are feasible and offer a high return on investment regarding lives saved and improved health outcomes. The role of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in treating malaria, the impact of skilled birth attendance on neonatal survival, and the potential of vitamin A supplementation to bolster child health further highlight the array of tools at our disposal.

The task ahead requires a concerted effort from governments, NGOs, and civil society. Through increased funding, the implementation of health programs, advocacy, and education, these stakeholders can change the trajectory of child health in low-income countries. The call to action is clear: by embracing these low-cost interventions and fostering collaboration across sectors, we can address the root causes of child mortality and ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.

This collective endeavour presents a compelling opportunity to redefine the future for millions of children in low-income countries. As we move forward, let the narrative of child mortality be one not of despair but of hope, action, and profound transformation. Together, we can turn the tide against these preventable tragedies, paving the way for a healthier, brighter future for the world’s most vulnerable populations.

The post Main Cause of Death in Infants Ages Zero to Five in Low-Income Countries; Hope for a Better Future appeared first on Medika Life.

HLTH has joined the roster of the must-attend plug-in industry meetings to exchange ideas and tackle sector-wide challenges.  Attracting 10,000 people, it’s quickly become the replacement oasis for companies who once made San Francisco and JP Morgan their go-to roadshow stop.  Here, leaders focus less on the financial side of their businesses and more on game-changing ideas, health challenges that must be raised on the multiple stages, and the pursuit of B2B partnerships.

But HLTH is more than just the medical watering hole of US-based hospital systems and health technology companies. It’s become a place for global innovators to rub shoulders with smaller enterprises to tap into the brain trust at the meeting and secure pilot programs and clients. 

Israel As An Innovation Culture

The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute (IEICI) has long served as the organizing body for Israeli life science companies looking to debut publicly or strengthen ties within the HLTH (and its newer sister meeting ViVE) meeting.  

The IEICI Health Tech Sector is at the forefront in matching the more than 1,000 Israeli life science companies with potential worldwide partners.  It’s a task – based on the country’s success – that has gotten easier and easier.  Over the years, an abundance of Israeli companies have been sought and acquired by larger US-headquartered counterparts.

Israel’s health innovation ecosystem is characterized by a strong emphasis on research and development, focusing on fields such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, digital health, and biotechnology. The country has a disproportionate number of engineers and a vast network of outstanding global academic institutions, including renowned universities like the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science, that are incubator launching pads for biomedical innovation and pharma-industry research collaborations.

US and Israeli Health Tech Agreements Fast Forward

Israeli startups have been instrumental in developing breakthrough technologies and treatments, from telemedicine to augmented intelligence, precision medicine and virtual and medical imaging. These innovations continuously improve health within Israel, home to Sheba Medical Center, one of Newsweek’s leading global hospital systems. They are exported globally, contributing to the country’s economy and worldwide standing as a top business development partner.

For Start-Up Nation attendees, the Las Vegas mega meeting comes on the heels of Israeli and US government leaders signing agreements that advance food security, drug and medical device licensing, public health collaboration around future pandemics, behavioral health, digital health, and the integration of augmented intelligence into the health ecosystem. HLTH was timed perfectly for follow-up conversations.

Israeli Health Exhibitors Face an Urgent Dilemma

While planning their travel to HLTH was long set, Israeli innovation champions faced an unbelievably sudden tornado of violence that has stunned the world – the massive attack by Hamas terrorists along its Southern border and endless barrages of rockets targeting its civilian centers. Sadly, that is not new to Israel. But, as HLTH planned to kick off on Sunday, October 8^th, a country known for its life-saving innovation faced a vastly different situation.

Just as Israel was deploying its Iron Dome technology as a shield against waves of incoming missiles, the terrorist group Hamas launched a massive simultaneous ground attack against civilian villages around its shared border with Gaza.  An IEICI delegation looking forward to being at HLTH and networking with others needed to pivot and make urgent changes to their travel plans.  Some were already in the States for pre-HLTH meetings; others learned that homes were under siege and their young adults were being mobilized for defense. Their decisions were clear.  Some remained in Israel, and others ran for US airports to secure the last seats on flights headed home to their beleaguered nation.

The remaining Israeli delegates seem in a fog—pained and worried about their family’s well-being. Some expressed concern for the Palestinian people who, for too many years, have been under the thumb of warlord-like terrorist rulers and need change.

Israel’s unofficial ambassador for health innovation and founder and curator of mHealth Israel, a 20,000 community, Levi Shapiro, issued a post today supporting the country’s HLTH delegation.

“A difficult moment for Israelis…To my friends attending HLTH in Las Vegas, consider something unique for a trade show- find someone at the Israel pavilion, ask them how they are doing, and give them a big HUG. It means a lot right now.”

[We have not learned – or asked – IEICI delegates whether family members are missing or worse. The pain etched on people’s faces illuminated their anxiety and worries about family, friends and business colleagues. But Israeli businesses that Medika Life has written about in the past are grappling with the tragedies that have struck their community.]

Responding to the Horror in Israel

The HLTH organizers rallied to their Israeli counterparts in Las Vegas. Concern for their wellbeing – emotional and physical – has been a priority.  The organization moved immediately to express support on its social media channel and encouraged meeting attendees to donate to the country’s emergency medical services.

“We are heartbroken for all the innocent people affected by the tragic events happening in Israel over the past few days. Among the international community at HLTH this year, we have over 100 attendees and sponsors from Israel, – including companies who are part of the Israel Export Institute Pavilion – some of whom are not able to make the event as a result. Our hearts are with all of those who have been affected. We stand with the many people and nations around the world that are currently under attack and being deprived of the freedoms we have today.

HLTH will be making a donation to the “AFMDA,” which is Israel’s National Paramedic and Red Cross Service. We encourage all of you to donate what you can. Please join us in donating here.”

Companies On the Innovation Radar Screen

The IEICI delegation and other Israeli companies attending cover the gamut of health innovation. Whether their exhibits were staffed and quickly abandoned as they headed home, all these companies should be on the radar screens of those looking to advance patient care and clinical decision-making. Here are some of those companies that caught my attention:

• 6Degrees, a wearable technology with an AI-driven intelligent controller that hones its ability to understand individual motion capabilities, enables people with upper limb disabilities to reclaim their digital lives. The motion-based controller translates movements into computer commands for any operating system or smart device. The founders saw the challenges of wounded veterans as an inspirational spark.
• Appscent Medical is tackling a health problem with a growing recognition of sleep apnea as a life-threatening respiratory condition impacting more than 900 million people worldwide. This medical device combines an AI diagnostic non-contact platform to monitor a patient’s breathing and sleep patterns. When approved for marketing by the Food and Drug Administration, it may become an alternative to the cumbersome CPAP machine.
• Belong.Life is a HLTH veteran. The company has become a global leader in patient engagement and the world’s largest cancer and multiple sclerosis and patient social and professional network and treatment platform.  But more than bringing these large communities together for confidential conversation, Belong.Life provides a practical service that accelerates drug trial patient recruitment and therapy adherence.  The big news has been the introduction of “Dave” – the world’s first real-time conversational AI oncology mentor providing empathetic and personalized answers to questions and concerns about cancer. For followers of decentralized clinical trials, Dave, along with Tara, a clinical trial AI assistant, (and Belong.Life) may be a vital ally in helping the process.
• Datos Health has its roots in consumer market insights. That genesis may explain why this automated remote care platform has moved fast to connect consumers with their providers and deliver hybrid healthcare across acuity or care-level situations with an ability to integrate with almost any EMR. While EPIC is the dominant health information platform, many other institutions, such as Amazon’s One Medical, have created their own system.  Datos Health flexibility and its “Design Studio” enable the company to develop remote care programs from the drawing board up or tap into a client’s existing protocols.
• Ibex Medical Analytics is transforming cancer diagnostics with world-leading clinical grade AI-powered solutions for pathology. Empowering physicians and supporting pathologists, Ibex is on a mission to provide accurate, timely and personalized cancer diagnosis for every patient. Ibex’s Galen™ is the first and most widely deployed AI-powered platform in pathology. Pathologists worldwide use Galen™ as part of their everyday routine to improve the accuracy of cancer diagnosis, implement comprehensive quality control measures, reduce turnaround times and boost productivity with more efficient workflows.
• IntraPosition looks to improve the hospital’s operational system – the supply chain of patient care.  The company offers a real-time location system technology with monitoring and analytics that keeps health professionals and hospital systems in the know. Israel has one of the world’s best and most efficient operating systems – from EMRs to supply chain management.  The IntraPosition technology has been tried and tested in a high-performing environment.
• Kahun AI engine runs a tailored literature search for each patient based on its incredible library of more than 30 million evidence-based medical insights. Developing technology following the building blocks physicians are trained in, the Kahun system does not rely on its vast library alone – it draws on patient input. It offers providers recommendations to consider for further evaluation in patient care.
• Kemtai offers a real-time feedback and corrective guidance system for physical therapists and rehabilitation specialists that identifies and analyzes patients’ exact movements by tracking 111 body motion data points. As more and more preventive treatment – geared to avoid surgeries – is a first effort by payers and even orthopedists to understand how movement may exasperate already worrisome and painful problems. Like many of the newer technologies appearing in the field, Kemtai does not use wearables to collect data. Its system requires no special hardware, sensors or devices.
• Maverick Medical AI focuses on one of the more essential aspects of the health system – the medical coding that influences reimbursement and the economic sustainability of health systems and practices. Using AI to reduce mistakes and address payer and provider needs, it claims to offer the industry’s first 85 percent direct-to-bill rate accuracy.  
• Neteera is a Food and Drug Administration-reviewed contactless remote patient monitoring platform that includes heart and respiratory rate and bio-data behavioral patterns.  What’s unique is that there is no camera or microphone, so the platform is HIPAA- and GDPR-compliant for maximal privacy.
• QuantalX Neuroscience has developed a device to help neurologists, clinical trial champions, and patient communities through real-time diagnostic capabilities that detect neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s, Small Vessels Disease, Stroke and Vascular Dementia.  Perfecting electrophysiological imaging is possible through high-resolution magnetic pulses. The Delphi–MD device could evolve into a detection standard for early neurologic biomarkers.
• RespirationScan may provide an efficient, life-saving use for AI – using digital information technology to diagnose pneumonia in patients through exhaled breath and combining “cheminformatics and AI to engage respiratory disease.  The company’s software finds biomarkers in breath and correlates them to VOCs, gases emitted into the air from products or processes that can alert physicians to medical risks.
• Nerivio by Theranica is the first and only Food and Drug Administration-cleared wearable device approved for ages 12 years and up for migraine treatment and prevention that works safely and effectively by activating natural pain pathways to inhibit migraine and associated symptoms.  The company has been dedicated to investing in a continuous flow of research to reinforce its clinical outcomes.
• XOLTAR tackles one of the health sector’s most vexing problems – patient medication adherence.  The challenge of patients to understand and follow through on their health providers’ guidance has both survival and economic impact. Combining the precision of technology and the human touch of skilled nursing, XOLTAR tackles the big issue – behavior.  The success of their efforts could fill the financial hole of some $650 billion in lost annual revenues from patients not leaning into the advantages of participating more actively in their care.

The passion to change the course of patient care tapping science and technology was evident among those Israeli health innovation leaders able to attend and those that were rushing to airports. According to Joseph Mossel, Co-Founder and CEO of Ibex Medical Analytics:

“The future of cancer diagnosis is AI-powered. As cancer cases continue to climb while growing in complexity, we face a shortage in pathologists who are struggling to keep up with demand. Supporting a critical need for quality diagnosis, Ibex is catapulting the pathology industry into the AI-driven era, providing clinicians with the tools to ensure that every patient receives a timely, accurate and personalized cancer diagnosis. 2023 has been a record year for our company, with strategic partnerships, live customer deployments and funding, and Ibex has plans to significantly broaden its reach in the coming year.”

HLTH was an out-of-the-park success! The content and speakers were on-point and the use of the exhibit hall as central to the conversations was well-orchestrated.  The incredibly difficult news coming out of Israel was a topic raised repeatedly by attendees concerned about friends made with the Israeli delegation in past years. 

HLTH rose to the challenge by acknowledging the human toll and desire of the community to respond and support a nation well-recognized for its life-changing innovation that has become central to many life science advances. We look forward to following the companies who had planned to attend and share updates.  We look forward to their speedy return to HLTH2024 in Vegas!

The post HLTH2023 is Packed as 10,000 Attendees Fill the Halls – Special Attention on Israel appeared first on Medika Life.

Here are the lifestyle tools I use to expand my health- and lifespan:

1. I stay physically active.
2. I don’t smoke.
3. I manage my stress.
4. I do not drink alcohol excessively.
5. I maintain good sleep hygiene.
6. I avoid opioids.
7. I try to maintain positive social relationships.

Today, I want to examine a new study that illustrates the power of these eight lifestyle interventions to extend lifespan when adopted by midlife.

I Turned 60!

Earlier this year, I turned 60. While I always focus on my health and well-being, this turn into my seventh decade has me more focused on maintaining good health.

On a recent trip to Madrid and Seville, I observed the lives of our European counterparts.

Fruits had more pop to them. Desserts seemed far less sugary than those here in the States. And social interactions abounded. What can I learn from our friends across the pond?

I am fascinated by the last observation. Groups of men, families, and women all seemed to gather in the evening constantly. We joined in, dining between 10 and midnight.

First, here are some observations of William Shakespeare:

Crabbed age and youth cannot live together:
Youth is full of pleasance; age is full of care;
Youth like summer morn, age like winter weather;
Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare.
Youth is full of sport, age’s breath is short;
Youth is nimble, age is lame;
Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold;
Youth is wild, and age is tame.
Age, I do abhor thee; youth, I do adore thee;
O, my love, my love is young!
Age, I do defy thee: O, sweet shepherd, hie thee,
For methinks, thou stay’st too long.

A New Study Linking Lifestyle and Lifespan

Before we explore the new study examining the relationship between lifestyle and longevity, some caveats are in order.

The study I will present is observational, making it impossible to establish causality. While the researchers attempted to control for confounding factors, we should interpret the findings carefully.

Scientists analyzed data from over 700,000 enrollees in the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program MVP. This program aims to help researchers evaluate how lifestyle, genes, military experiences, and exposures impact health and well-being.

The team presented its findings at Nutrition 2023, the American Society for Nutrition annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts (USA).

The data was from 2011 to 2019 and featured U.S. military veterans ages 40 to 99. Over 30,000 individuals died during the follow-up.

8 Habits That Might Add Decades to Your Life

The researchers examined all-cause mortality. They calculated longevity for male and female veterans separately.

Those who adopted all eight habits had a one-eighth reduction in the chances of dying compared to those adopting none of the habits.

Put differently, men adopting all eight habits at age 40 would be predicted to live 24 years longer (on average) than men who adopted none. Women adopting all eight habits by 40 would live 23 years longer.

8 Habits That Might Add Decades to Your Life — Not So Fast

When I first saw headlines about the study, I became excited about increasing my lifespan by 24 years.

On closer evaluation, the results are less impressive. I am comparing myself to someone on opioids who smokes and drinks excessively. That 24 years suddenly seems less impressive.

However, this finding resonated more with me:

Adding just one healthy behavior to a man’s life provided an additional four-and-a-half years. Adding a second tacked on seven more years, and three additional habits appeared with 8.6 extra years.

As additional lifestyle changes increased, so did the benefits for men.

For women, lifespan also increased by adding healthy behaviors. For example, one healthy behavior added 3.5 years to a woman’s life. Adding two added eight years, and three appeared linked to a 12.6-year increase.

The study reveals an association — not a cause-and-effect relationship. Moreover, given the focus on U.S. military veterans, the findings may not apply to all.

Ranking the Lifestyle Choices

The study ranked the eight lifestyle behaviors by their influence on longevity.

1. Exercise. Physical activity is the most important behavior to improve your health. Adding this behavior dropped death risk by nearly one-half (46 percent) compared with non-exercisers. This finding jibes with results from other studies. I ask my patients to walk 30 minutes daily, five days weekly. Add in two days of resistance training, too. I use regular walking as the base of my fitness routine. After my vision-threatening pituitary tumor scare, I re-focused on physical activity.
2. Opioids. Drug overdose and opioid misuse remain a serious public health crisis in the United States. This epidemic includes heroin, prescription opioids, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Drug overdose deaths from prescription and illicit opioids have sharply increased since 1999. Over 300,000 people have died from them nationwide in the last 15 years. That’s about 55 people per day. Not getting addicted to opioids was the second most important contributor to a longer life, dropping early breath risk by a whopping 38 percent.
3. Never using tobacco. This lifestyle maneuver dropped premature mortality risk by nearly a third (29 percent). I would parenthetically note that quitting smoking at any point yields significant health benefits. Your primary care clinician can help you quit tobacco.
4. Managing stress. Stress management is something that I have recently focused on. The study showed managing stress reduced early death by just over one-fifth (22 percent).

More Lifestyle Choices

5. Eating a plant-based diet. I am not a vegetarian or vegan but follow a healthy plant-based approach, such as a Mediterranean diet. Have you considered upping your whole grains and leafy green vegetables?

6. Avoid binge drinking (four or more standard drinks daily). Avoiding excessive alcohol is easy for me, as I do not particularly enjoy alcohol (the occasional cup of sake notwithstanding).

7. Getting a good night’s sleep. I aim for seven to nine hours nightly, although, to be truthful, I am lucky to get seven. Numerous studies associated poor sleep with bad health outcomes, including premature mortality.

8. Being surrounded by positive social relationships. With age, I find myself pruning away negative (including toxic) folks from my life. I have a core group of supportive friends and family. I know that social isolation is associated with a significantly higher chance of dying early.

My Take on Lifestyle, Longevity, and Healthspan

One of my takeaway messages is that benefits are available even if we cannot adopt all eight healthy habits.

The available data hints that adopting healthy habits when we are older yields smaller gains in life expectancy but is likely still provides value. The earlier you start, the better. But even if I make changes in my 60s, I should get some benefits.

I have long advised my patients to eat well and to get regular physical activity. This study helps to quantify the gains associated with adopting healthy habits.

Finally, while an expert committee evaluated the abstracts chosen for Nutrition 2023, this process is less valuable than a peer review process required for publication in a scientific journal.

Healthy habits can improve overall quality of life, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and increase happiness and well-being.

The study reminds us that we can meaningfully impact our life- and healthspan by adopting simple lifestyle maneuvers. What can you do better?

Paying better attention to my sleep hygiene has paid huge dividends. With sufficient sleep, I am more productive, a safer driver, more energetic, and (here, my nurse Melissa and my wife might agree) less grumpy.

The post 8 Habits That Might Add Decades to Your Life appeared first on Medika Life.

The tremor is still felt today as delegates weigh whether registering for what many consider the key global meeting on climate change and booking their flights for COP28 in Dubai is worth their expense and time. One primary concern for many attendees is the weighted presence of the fossil fuel industry and how their voices may shape climate policy and actions.

Some 636 lobbyists from the oil and gas industries attended the COP27 climate conference, an increase of more than 25% from the previous year, outnumbering all other national or corporate delegations. In 2020 in Glasgow, that number was 503. This year, the fossil fuel sector’s delegation is second only to the COP28 host nation, the United Arab Emirates, with 1,070 registered delegates, representing a 10-fold increase over the country’s presence last year.

Reflect on the reaction of some 2022 delegates reported in The Guardian about the scores of fossil fuel delegates who attended COP27:

“The influence of fossil fuel lobbyists is greater than frontline countries and communities. Delegations from African countries and Indigenous communities are dwarfed by representatives of corporate interests”, said the group Kick Big Polluters Out, which campaigns against the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists at the climate negotiations.

Regarding the quality of representation, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once remarked, “The delegates at UN COP meetings exemplify the collective strength and determination of nations, driving us towards a sustainable future. Their dedication and commitment serve as a beacon of hope for our planet and generations to come.”

Others advocate for bringing the industry closer to the decision-making table, citing that their full participation is needed to align policy to actions. Among them, the influential meeting president Sultan al-Jaber. Al-Jaber, closely connected to the fossil fuel industry, has advocated for change and investment in new technologies.

Does the influx of fossil fuel industry delegates detract from the former Secretary General’s expectation for the UN-sponsored COP meetings? Many are voting on that question by choosing to stay home this year. Does that serve society’s and industry’s best interests?

SCIENCE VS GAS-PUMP SALES

Science has established beyond doubt that the window for action to alter our planet’s disastrous climate trajectory is drawing closer and closer to closure. The angst among those unsure if they should make their presence and voices heard in Dubai is influenced by the sheer volume of fossil fuel industry lobbyists registered. Are they there to listen, learn and rally to support change or stymie urgent action through backroom deals and obstinance? Is the fossil fuel industry the fox in the world’s sustainability henhouse?

Fossil fuel companies have participated in previous COP conferences as part of the business and industry constituency. That presence has been subject to scrutiny and suspicion. The sector’s business model is clear — it’s focused on fossil fuel extraction with direct climate change impact. But, to survive and thrive, it must change too. The writing is on the wall and the pressure is, as it must be, being turned up.

Though many fossil fuel companies publicly support the Paris Climate Accords and the COP conversations with commitments to reduce their carbon emissions, it is unclear whether their actions align with their public statements. COP conferences are a platform for stakeholders to engage in discussions and solutions and, importantly, transparently show their progress toward commitments related to climate change. If the fossil fuel industry plans to attend, delegates must raise questions and the media must compare aspirational statements to follow-up.

STATUS QUO OR CHANGE

Many suspect the fossil fuel industry is vested in maintaining the status quo, climate change be damned. Its profitability relies heavily on the continued extraction and consumption of fossil fuels. Transitioning away from the only business they’ve ever known requires significant infrastructure and operating model changes that need enormous investment. It requires countries and companies to ween consumers off cars that drive up to the pump for refueling and purchasing rubber and plastic–oil derivative products.

The fossil fuel industry’s influence on policymaking processes is a given. These companies have lobbied governments for decades, funded political campaigns, and built trade associations to shape energy and climate policies. Attendees at COP28 — people connected to addressing their planet and public health priorities — worry that the industry’s enormous presence will result in worthless outcomes, weakening climate commitments in favor of short-term economic gains instead of long-term sustainability.

The fossil fuel industry spends billions on lobbying efforts that affect business operations and profitability. Among the issues this industry historically prioritizes:

1. Climate and Energy Policies: Efforts aim to shape policies on greenhouse gas emissions regulations, renewable energy standards, carbon pricing mechanisms, and other climate-related measures that impact industry operations and competitiveness.

2. Regulatory Environment: Work to influence regulations related to drilling and extraction practices, environmental protection, land use policies, permitting processes, and safety standards.

3. Taxation and Subsidies: Lobbying activities targeting tax policies, incentives, and subsidies that impact the cost of exploration, production, and transportation of fossil fuels.

4. International Agreements: Influencing international agreements, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations, to shape global climate policies that align with their business interests.

It’s that last point that worries attendees heading to COP28. The latest scientific reports, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments, underscore the need for rapid and drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to avoid catastrophic consequences. Given the urgency, many in scientific, advocacy, and media communities feel that fossil fuel industry involvement in climate discussions directly conflicts with the speed needed to address the crisis.

As the world grapples with the need for a sustainable and equitable energy transition, addressing these concerns and finding ways to balance industry participation with climate ambition will be crucial for the success and credibility of COP28 and the future of global climate action.

STAY HOME OR GO

Many will cite fossil fuel industry meddling or lack of concrete progress as sufficient reason to watch what happens in Dubai from afar. Fair-balanced influential voices must require checks and balances and a watchful eye over fossil fuel lobbyists. The COP meetings — however tainted — remain essential to the world’s welfare.

Urgent action is needed to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, transition to renewable energy sources, adapt to the changes we’re already seeing and work toward building a more sustainable and resilient future for the planet.

Climate change affects ecosystems and biodiversity. Rising temperatures, habitat loss, and changing precipitation patterns will result in species extinction, disrupt the food supply chain, and impact life-sustaining processes such as pollination and water purification. The clock is ticking. Can we afford to sit out COP28 for a better time, settling or set of delegates?

Shutting out an industry that is among the most significant contributors to the problem doesn’t move us closer to solutions. Giving them free rein to the meeting and back-room conversations is equally unacceptable. Staying home removes critical voices from having an impact.

You don’t make peace with your friends. You make it with your enemies. Perhaps we need to bring fossil fuel companies to the table for a good tongue-lashing and see what they are capable and committed to accomplishing to advance people and planetary health. We must hold them accountable under the glare of the world community. To go or stay home? The decision may be critical to global progress. The clock on global sustainability is ticking.

The post Why Fossil Fuel Industry Efforts Must be Monitored Before and During COP28 appeared first on Medika Life.

But the impact of smoking is all around us, even if we don’t see it. Statistics rarely tell a provocative story to compel people to action. The numbers behind the global smoking epidemic are so stark, however, they are almost incomprehensible. Behind every data point, a real person, family or community is impacted.

Let’s start with the challenge: More than 1.3 billion people – 17 percent of the global population – smoke cigarettes or consumes other tobacco products. Since the first World No Tobacco Day in 1987, nearly 300 million people have died from smoking-related illnesses, including tens of millions who died or suffered respiratory or cognitive impairment from second-hand smoke. If the average day is any gauge, thousands of children took up smoking yesterday, including the fastest rising of all groups: teenage girls. Beyond the impact of lives lost or harmed, smoking costs the global economy roughly $2 trillion in economic damage every year.

With that money, with those lives lost, what could be done to improve the world? A lot, as it turns out. That sum would fund the attainment of many of humanity’s most ambitious sustainability and poverty alleviation goals. We could facilitate an equitable transfer to cleaner energy technologies for industrialized and emerging markets. And to be blunt, we would have an honest shot at dramatically reducing cancer rates and chronic disease when a massive chunk of the world’s people isn’t inhaling products that contain more than 7,000 different chemicals with each puff.

Perhaps eliminating smoking is a pipe dream. Governments have imposed stiff taxes against tobacco products; research is being used to counter cigarette advertising; social stigma has built in many countries and health systems have made smoking habits increasingly punitive. But that hasn’t slowed the epidemic. We need better tools.

Around 60 percent of smokers globally – 780 million people – say they want to quit, but only 30 percent have access to resources to help them achieve that goal. That represents a massive market opportunity for the right solutions. Education and support networks are essential. However, smokers need access to more powerful cessation products to deliver a knockout punch. Fortunately, there is some good news on that front.

While smoking cessation products have been available for nearly two decades, they can have serious side effects and rebound rates. Last week, results for a confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial – ORCA-3 – showed statistically significant results over six and 12 weeks. The study features a new cessation treatment called cytisinicline, a plant-derived alkaloid.

Most of the trial’s participants have been smoking for more than 30 years and have tried to quit on average four times. In the study, cytisinicline demonstrated a six-fold increase in the odds of maintaining continuous smoking cessation at six months compared to the placebo.

The new cessation treatment also produces far fewer side effects than routinely reported by people using other smoking cessation products. This is particularly important since compliance with treatment is a significant barrier that keeps millions of people from following through with their goal of quitting.

Cytisinicline opens a new front in the war to end smoking. The task is to ensure it and other tools reach the people who need it most. Advocacy groups and government agencies can help with this important next step by breaking down the barriers to access that frequently inhibit people from acting on the dream of kicking their smoking habit. It’s time to lend them a hand.

The post It’s Time for New Tools to Overcome Smoking appeared first on Medika Life.

The wrath of climate change is melting glaciers, changing the course of mighty rivers, and threatening traditional ways of life worldwide. Even wildlife is affected. Along with this comes famine, a loss of occupations, and a terrible sense of helplessness where self-sufficiency existed previously.

Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250K additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress alone. The direct damage costs to health are estimated to be between US$ 2–4 billion per year by 2030.

Governments and environmental groups are desperately trying to find speedy solutions to the damage already seen and the certainty of decades devoid of so much that it is more than worrisome. Futures that seemed assured to be similar to the past for families as they planned for themselves and their children are now shrouded in uncertainty. As the adults seek legislation, where does this leave the children?

Underestimating Childhood Effects?

Children are especially vulnerable to certain weather-related events such as wildfires and the smoke and particulates spewed into the air. Systematic reviews of the literature mostly summarize adult morbidity in the setting of wildfire smoke. Those pertaining to children demonstrate an increase in respiratory infections and asthma presentations in the setting of wildfire smoke. Less is known about the health effects for children with other chronic health conditions. But aside from the detrimental physical changes in children’s health, there are the psychological ones that will affect these children’s mental health and future.

Climate change has been seen by the World Health Organization as the greatest global health challenge of the 21st century and this will be particularly true for young people in terms of both their physical and mental health. It is the mental health aspect of this challenge that has received inadequate attention. We are only now beginning to realize our lack of preparation in terms of diagnosis and treatment for climate change-related mental difficulties.

The mental health conditions that are seen as particularly vulnerable to climate change and its effects on humans include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, reduced subjective well-being as well as increased suicide rates, and hospitalizations for mental health disorders.

Children, no matter where they look, whether on TV or the Internet, or any social media platform, are faced with inescapable and negative information on climate change. They believe they have little control over it, and any power they have is limited, all of which leads to an increasing degree of anxiety, now referred to as climate anxiety, also known as climate distress.

The Mental Effects on Children

In a survey of 10,000 children and young people ages 16 to 25 on climate change in 10 countries, 59% of the respondents were rated as very or extremely worried, and 84% at least moderately worried about climate change. Over half of the respondents indicated they were sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and guilty.

Forty-five percent of the respondents indicated their feelings about climate change had a negative impact on their daily life and functioning, and others were frightened. Eighty-three percent said they thought that adults fail to take climate change seriously enough. Government actions, also related to climate change, were not viewed in a favorable light, and the subjects’ feelings displayed a sense of betrayal rather than reassurance.

Climate change, which we might normally consider to have an impact on physical health, too, has a seriously eroding effect on children’s ability to learn. It has been reported that every 1°F increase in annual ambient temperatures in classrooms has been causally linked to a 1% reduction in overall learning in school children. How much of a learning impediment will this increasing temperature account for in the next several decades unless the problem is properly addressed?

Research has also indicated that natural storms, wildfires, and earthquakes appear more frequently than previously and affect children, their families and the entire community in which they live. This displacement puts children at higher risk for developing PTSD, depression, anxiety, phobias, sleep disorders, attachment disorders, and substance abuse.

Climate change, therefore, can be seen as instrumental in creating problems in emotional regulation, cognition, learning, behavior, language development, and academic performance. The sum total of all of these disorders and diminutions of normal development weigh heavily on our young people and our children.

The situation is even graver in the developing world. Children who live in poverty will have the most dramatic, negative effects on their existence. Climate change, therefore, will continue to maintain the existence of a related underclass that may have few opportunities to advance in a technologically developed world.

Legislation may address certain future aspects of climate change, but healthcare professionals and researchers are concerned with the present-day circumstances and what type of mental health or community help is most effective for everyone, especially children.

More inter-disciplinary research is needed in this area to better understand how risk and protective factors affect young people’s likelihood of experiencing mental health and, importantly, wellbeing impacts from both direct and indirect exposures to climate change. Of particular urgency is the need for research that investigates how to promote the protective factors of young people in the face of the ongoing, cumulative and long-term impact of climate change.

The lives we’ve learned to live over the past 50 years may have meant we were borrowing from our children’s futures, and that is unacceptable. If we give them one legacy, it should be health and the possibility of a better day tomorrow.

The post Kids Are Affected by Climate Change in Ways We Rarely Consider appeared first on Medika Life.

Consider my great, great grandparents. They lived on a small farm and were largely self-sufficient. They ate two or three meals a day and never snacked. Food was locally sourced; vegetables and fruits were fresh and ripe; chickens spent the day in the fields. Fish came out of nearby streams and rivers, and meat came from animals hunted in the forests or grazed on the farm.

There were no pesticides, no foods shipped thousands of miles, no meat from animals fattened with corn and soybeans, no fish from fish farms. Candy, soda, and junk foods were almost unknown. There were no processed and packaged foods as we know them, and there were no fast-food restaurants — foods that are all heavily marketed today yet are inherently unhealthy but tasty with their ingredients of white flour, fat, sugar, and salt.

Everyone moved all day long, mostly outdoors; that was just natural. And much of that movement was hard work, the kind that kept muscles strong from lifting, bending, digging, or hoeing. The kids were sent out, if not helping with farm chores, to play, play that included lots of movement.

Of course, stress was present, but somehow, they dealt with it, allowing it to “run off their backs.” After a day of good food and plenty of movement, they slept easily and soundly from when the sun went down until the sun came up. Very few people smoked; cigarettes were not available. Alcohol was abundant, mostly homemade cider, beer, and wine, but most did not drink excessively.

Life was a constant challenge to the mind as well as the body. Families worked and played together and interacted with their neighbors. There were no radios, TVs, or video games; families interacted with each other, and grandparents were honored and part of the family.

Many people, of course, died early, especially of trauma, childbirth, and infectious diseases. Still, many also lived to a “ripe old age” yet rarely developed the chronic diseases of today — obesity, diabetes, lung cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s, or heart disease.

We do not live like that today and there is no reason to try to go back. But is there anything you can do directly to avoid developing a chronic disease now or in the future? Yes. It is all about modifying your lifestyles.

There are seven key steps.

• Eat a healthy diet every day
• Get adequate exercise at least 6 days per week
• Manage your chronic stress
• Enhance your sleep
• Don’t smoke or overdrink alcohol; don’t get hooked on drugs
• Challenge your brain regularly
• Stay socially engaged.

Be sure to take good care of your teeth, don’t drink or text and drive. Develop a positive attitude and be sure you have thought about your purpose in life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC,) Americans consume an average of 57 pounds of added sugar annually! Packaged in 4-pound bags, imagine 14 bags on your kitchen table — four times that for a family of four. Of course, you are sure you don’t eat that much added sugar, but someone else is consuming even more to make it average out. To top it off, we eat an excessive number of foods made from white flour (e.g., cereal, cakes, pies, cookies, pastries, and pizza) — which is digested directly into sugar. And, of course, many of those foods are high in added sugar and often fats and salt.

Here is a bit more detail: For adult Americans, men consume about 19 teaspoons (76 grams) of sugar per day; women 15 (60 grams), both well above the recommendations of the American Heart Association of 9 teaspoons (38 grams) for men and 6 tsp (25 grams) for women. In addition, the World Health Organization recommends no more than 5% of a 2000-calorie diet be from added sugars (including honey, fruit juices, etc.) or 25 grams per day.

Lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet go together. Today we drive to work, stop for a pastry and latte, sit at a desk most of the day, eat a fast-food lunch, enjoy an afternoon snack, drive home, call out for pizza, watch television, and go to bed.

Stress is everywhere — you need to check your emails and texts right up to bedtime. Your stress levels are off the charts. You probably don’t smoke and that is good. You have all too little time for socializing with true friends. The alarm rings all too early, and you are up and at it again.

What can you do? Will it really make a difference? Yes, focus on these 7 keys of lifestyle modifications.

1-Prepare meals from scratch; it does not take much time. Think of it not as a diet that eliminates something but one that includes abundant nutrient-dense foods. Eat locally sourced, preferably organic vegetables and fruits in abundance.

Vegetables should be the major components of your diet with a wide variety of types, colors, and textures to obtain all of the primary nutrients. Include dark green leafies daily — spinach, collards, arugula, and kale are good choices. Nuts, seeds, and foods like avocados and olives have healthy oils, and omega-3 fatty acids are in wild-caught finfish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Avoid vegetable oils; use cold-pressed virgin olive oil instead.

Don’t forget to have plenty of fresh fruits every day.

Choose chickens and eggs from hens that have been free-ranged. Eat red meat sparingly and choose cuts from range-fed animals that never saw a feedlot. Finally, and very importantly, avoid sugars like the plague and dramatically reduce your intake of foods made from white flour. It follows that you will cut back on processed foods and meals from fast-food restaurants. The Mediterranean Diet is the prototype for this type of eating.

2-Get up and move. Get 30 minutes of walking every day. That alone will have a massive impact on your immediate and long-term health. Add in a few sessions per week of strengthening (“resistance”) exercises. Remember that “sitting is the new smoking.” Park your car a distance from the building entrance. Take the stairs a few flights instead of the elevator. Get up from your computer and move around for five minutes at least every half hour. Consider a stand-up desk. Spend less time sitting in a reclining chair watching TV at night.

3-We all have chronic stress, but many don’t recognize or admit it. Give some serious thought time to your pressures. Eliminate the causes where possible and, for the remainder, consider ways to tamp them down. In addition to good food and regular exercise along with adequate sleep, add in perhaps yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, coherent breathing, or just a few moments every so often to take a couple of deep breaths with the exhalation longer than the inhalation (I will explain the rationale for longer exhales in a later article.)

4-To enhance sleep, allot at least three hours between finishing dinner and bedtime so that your meal has been largely digested. This, of course, means no late-night snack before bed. No caffeine after noon. Avoid reading or watching action or horror books, TV shows, and movies before bedtime. Early in the evening, please turn off your smartphone and the texts, emails, and Facebook with it. Instead, consider some soothing music before bed. Your bedroom needs to be pitch black with all your devices turned off. Keep to a schedule, and remember that you need 7 ½ to eight hours of sleep each night. Please don’t listen to the friend that claims they can get by on 5 or 6 hours; that person is only fooling themself.

5-No tobacco. None, including vaping. And keep alcohol consumption limited.

6-Stimulate and challenge your brain. It needs to be used just like your muscles. Learn a new language or play an instrument. Learn a dance routine. Do something creative like art or writing.

7-Social engagement is critical to slow aging, prevent disease, and enhance a sense of wellness. Maintain connections with close friends and relatives.

Does all of this make a difference? Yes.

In the Nurse’s Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study totaling over 100,000 participants and observed for more than 30 years, those who followed the five “low-risk lifestyles” lived substantially longer than those who followed none. For example, a 50-year-old female could expect to live 14 added years (life expectancy rose from 29 to 43 additional years), and for a male, 12 additional years (26 rose to 38 additional years.) I will explore this and similar studies in-depth in a later article.

Whatever the exact number of added years, the direction is clear. Healthy lifestyles mean more years of healthy life. And remember, it was not just more years of life but fewer chronic illnesses for a longer “health span.” Definitely worthwhile.

Does this seem like a tall order? Perhaps, but pick one or two areas to work on at a time. Don’t try to do it all at once. Don’t set the goal too high to start. Set some intermediate goals, ones that you can achieve. Then move up to a more comprehensive goal. After a while, you’ll be doing great; you’ll have more energy, more enthusiasm for life, much better health, and a longer, healthier lifespan. And as a bonus, if you get started early in adult life, you will reap the added benefits of compounding, just like saving for retirement. What could be better than that?

The post What Can You Do To Prevent Developing a Chronic Disease? appeared first on Medika Life.

 Only 6.8% of the group in 2017-2018 had what would be considered optimal cardiometabolic health. And the trend is down, substantially. (See the article text for the graphic presentation.)

Let that sink in for a moment. We Americans stack up health wise very poorly.

African Americans and Mexican Americans fared somewhat worse than whites as did men compared to women, less educated vs more educated, and less affluent than more so participants.

But for you well-educated, affluent whites, be aware, you still did poorly.

Equally important, the trend is down in every category over the almost twenty years of this survey.

It is notable that the survey criteria used here did not include measurements of exercise (most Americans are deficient,) diet (most Americans eat an unhealthy diet,) stress (most are chronically stressed,) or sleep (most are sleep deprived.) Add these in along with tobacco usage (fortunately now down below 15%) and excessive alcohol consumption and we are a woeful group wondering why we develop diabetes, angina, a heart attack or a stroke, cancer, kidney disease or Alzheimer’s.

The authors of the study made the obvious conclusion that “the findings inform the need for nationwide clinical and public health interventions to improve cardiometabolic health and health equity.”

In an accompanying editorial, Failing Cardiovascular Health: A Population Code Blue^∗ in the Journal of Cardiology, the authors observe, “The reported findings of secular trends of stalling and worsening cardiometabolic profile should not be a surprise as the obesogenic lifestyle—unhealthy dietary patterns that feature foods and beverages high in saturated fat, sugar, salt, and calories; little or no physical activity; alcohol; too much or too little sleep; and hours of screen time—seems to be the norm for many Americans and other populations. These obesogenic behaviors are promoted by increasing opportunities for screen time, a snack food industry [the link will bring you to an interesting short article] that uses science to craft products that are tasty and addictive yet neither satisfying nor filling, and community designs that favor travel by automobile and discourage walking and bicycling. We are particularly concerned about the potential for the developing metaverse to decrease physical activity and increase obesity.

“Regaining the momentum toward positive cardiovascular health will not occur spontaneously. It will require the engagement of every physician and every public health policy with action at 3 levels—personal, clinical, and community.”

My last article in this series on our dysfunctional healthcare delivery system was titled “Follow the Money in Healthcare – It Will Lead You to Chronic Diseases.”

In a reader’s comment, with only the first two paragraphs copied here, Jo Lis wrote, “Prevention of chronic disease is as a practical matter, for most people; eat sensibly, exercise, don’t smoke, don’t drink excessively, get enough sleep, time outdoors, etc. We all know this, and yet only some of us check a few of those boxes regularly. Food is the key to all of this, and it is the most misunderstood ingredient in preventative care. The big #1 one principle is to eat sensibly. Most of us don’t even know what that means anymore. Consuming whole foods is the point. But that is not profitable for the big food companies, so we get told lies to make us buy processed foods that end up causing preventable chronic disease. You see the vicious circle there? … Follow the money, as usual.”

Since industry and government probably will not help much, it is incumbent upon us to take the first steps. In this regard, the American Heart Association (AHA) has set out a set of metrics designed to assist us in determining our health status and watching it into the future. Called “Life’s Essential 8,” it is an update in June 2022 of their earlier “Life’s Simple 7” published in 2010. That was a “a novel construct of cardiovascular health to promote a paradigm shift from a focus solely on disease treatment to one inclusive of positive health promotion and preservation across the life course.” This is an important paradigm shift as the vast majority of the dollars expended today for are for diagnosis and treatment of chronic disease; hardly any goes to disease prevention, wellness maintenance and health preservation.

“Life’s Essential 8,” by the American Heart Association. Each of the four health behaviors and four health factors are graded on a scale of 1-10. Those summarize as a composite score shown on the Overall scale at the top which, in this example, gives a score of 68. See text for details.

The new AHA metrics recognize that social determinants and psychological health are important determinants of cardiovascular (and all) health. The Life’s Essential 8 include health behaviors of diet, physical activity, tobacco (including vaping and chews), sleep, and health factors of BMI (body mass index), blood lipids (non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol), blood glucose (sugar, as also measured by hemoglobin A1c), and blood pressure.

As the authors point out, “numerous studies have shown strong, stepwise, inverse associations between the number of ideal CVH [cardiovascular health] metrics or overall CVH score and total cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD mortality” but also “all-cause mortality and a wide variety of non-CVD outcomes.”

In other words, measuring cardiovascular health status is an excellent guide toward health in general. This suggests that using the Life’s Essential 8 methodology can be an excellent guide to developing effective wellness preservation and chronic disease prevention approaches.

The Life’s Essential 8 emphasizes the importance of social and economic conditions that impact ultimate CVH. Community resources such as education, agriculture, employment, water and sanitation, housing, etc. are foundational to good health overall and CVH in particular. So too are a person’s psychological health where anxiety, depression and pessimism detract from health whereas psychological well-being, gratitude, optimism and a sense of life’s purpose all benefit good health. These factors have consistently been shown to improve longevity and “healthspan,” i.e., life lived without disease.

Obviously, the community resources group are dependent on government actions whereas the psychosocial are closely related to community status and issues but still are largely in the preview of the individual and his or her family and counsellors.

Sleep has been ignored until recently but new science has shown its importance to overall health and to cardiovascular health. Sleep is important to manage stress and inflammation, two interconnected conditions that are extremely important in the development of most all chronic diseases including coronary artery damage and plaque buildup.

Unfortunately, with just food alone, the cards are stacked against us in many ways. Nevertheless, we each need to assume responsibility for our health status. We also need help from the industrial agriculture and manufacturers of food industries, the food purveyors, insurers and governments at all levels. So far, except for tobacco, efforts have been minimal. And it is unlikely to change. There is just too much money being reaped that any attempts to push back is always met with strong resistance. Lobbyists keep Congress under control and marketing encourages us to eat more and more unhealthy processed foods.

So, it is up to you and you alone. If you would like to augment your and your loved one’s lives toward better health and a longer health lifespan, I encourage you to focus on at least some of the elements of healthy living. Read the AHA’s article in full. In later articles I will review the key concepts as outlined in the books noted below in my bio sketch.

Veal, squash, broccoli, salad, iced tea. Author’s image.

The authors of the newly released study from the CDC referred to at the top of this article also note that the prevalence of an ideal diet among all age groups of Americans is “negligible (<1%).” So, for now, focus on what you eat. That will be a great place to start. You don’t have to be perfect, just a bit better than yesterday. Each day you can make added headway.

Cut way down on sugar (soda, candies, ice cream) and white flour products (white bread, pastries, muffins, most cereals, even pizza.) Those are the “Nos.” Instead focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts, olives and olive oil, fatty fin fish like salmon, mackerel, or sardines, plus some dairy, poultry (preferably free range), and a limited amount of red meat, again preferably free range, grass fed. Look at the image above; do not think of this as unpleasant. Instead, make it a tasty, enjoyable meal preferably shared with a friend or two.

This will be an excellent start. You will feel better and then you can address some of the other key steps including exercise, stress management, and enhanced sleep. Follow the money; you will save dollars, not only now but big dollars in a future of lessened chronic illnesses. Your health will stack up way better than most.

Stephen C Schimpff, MD, MACP, is a quasi-retired internist, professor of medicine, former CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center and author of Longevity Decoded – The 7 Keys to Healthy Aging and his co-authored book with Dr Harry Oken BOOM — Boost Our Own Metabolism

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