Here is a simple guide on how to improve your health in 2023 and a few tips on how you can stick to it the entire year:

1. Exercise Everyday

Yes, this is nothing new. One of the best ways to improve your health is to exercise every day. A minimum of 20 minutes per day or 150 hours per week is the most ideal exercise duration to achieve significant improvements in your physical health. According to the American Heart Association, the minimum recommended exercise is 150 hours per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercises.

Aerobic exercises involve cardiovascular activities such as jogging, running, jumping rope, and any kind of exercise that increases the heart rate and respiration. When your cardiovascular health is improved, it helps to prevent heart disease and high blood pressure, improves blood sugar levels, reduces stress, helps your body fight disease, and can even improve your overall mood.

2. Eat Right

Your diet is one of the most important parts of your health and it’s indeed true that you are what you eat. Avoid processed food as much as you can and eat more fruits, vegetables, and healthy protein. 

Avoid red meat as well, and replace them with whole grains that can give you equal amounts of protein but without harmful effects. Once you reduce your red meat consumption, you will enjoy the following benefits: lower cholesterol levels, and reduced risk of chronic disease, as well as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and cancer.

A diet that’s plant-based and low-carb is the Mediterranean diet, which consists of a balanced mix of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, fish, whole grains, healthy fats, and natural spices.

3. Get Enough Sleep

Society’s admiration for the hustle generation has become detrimental. More and more people are giving importance to the hustle culture of working all the time which has led to increased levels of generational stress. One of the major aspects of health affected by this hustle culture is sleep, which can cause dangerous health consequences with long-term sleep deprivation.

Adults need at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night to stay healthy. Getting enough sleep improves your immune system, helps your body heal better, improves your brain performance, and helps you fight disease better, especially when it comes to viruses.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, sleep became a big factor when it came to battling the virus as people with weakened immune systems due to stress were more likely to get infected and experience symptoms.

4. Improve Your Mental Health

Most people believe that when it comes to discussions about health, it’s all about physical health. What most people misunderstand is that mental health is just as important. If you have a healthy body but your emotions are all over the place, you are having symptoms of depression, and you’re always in a bad mood, then you don’t have overall health and well-being.

To improve your mental health, seek help when you need to, and even when you don’t. You can try therapy even if you’re not having any issues or problems in your mental health. Simple ways to improve your mental health include having a gratitude journal, meditating, doing hobbies that you enjoy doing in your spare time, spending time with family and friends, and simply enjoying and experiencing the best of what life has to offer.

The formula for improving our health in 2023 is exercise + eating right + sleeping well + improved mental health. This may seem like a simple formula but it takes dedication to ensure that you give these solutions the time, energy, and commitment they require to experience significant results.

Tips on Staying On Track

Creating a plan to improve your health in 2023 can be easy but starting and maintaining it is the most challenging part. How do you keep your resolution and maintain your desire to genuinely improve your overall health? Here are some tips:

• Be Specific

Make your plan specific. What kind of exercise do you plan on doing and for how many minutes? What food should you throw out? Create a meal plan to eat better. Create a sleep routine and make sure you get enough sleep. Enroll in a pottery or cooking class for a new hobby. The more specific your plans are, the better it is for you to follow through.

• Monitor Your Activities

Did you indulge in a dinner buffet this week? Maybe you should add more minutes to your exercise or have an exclusively plant-based diet the next week. Monitoring your activities helps you compensate for times when you missed or skipped your plan, as well as giving you the motivation that you’re almost reaching your goals.

• Reward Yourself

Once you reach a milestone, reward yourself. Treat yourself to a pizza dinner, eat a chocolate bar, go to a spa, and simply celebrate accomplishing a milestone in your plan on improving your health.

The earlier you start taking care of your health, the better. When you take the time to take care of yourself, you are giving yourself the gift of life. You’re not only improving yourself, but you’ll be improving the lives of the people in your life, as well. Having more energy, becoming free of disease, and being overall healthier will help you become more productive at work and can help you give more time and energy to spend with your loved ones.

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The first publication on CRISPR dates back to 1989. Scientists have long been interested in the question of how protozoan bacteria managed to resist bacteriophage viruses for millions of years. It was suggested that the sequences found in DNA were the bacteria’s immune system. The theory attracted the attention of many laboratories around the world, which began work to test it.

It turned out that the bacterial DNA contains information in the form of nucleotide sequences about all the viruses that have ever attacked the bacterium. When a virus enters a cell, a mechanism is triggered to compare its gene with those sections already present in the cell. If an identical one is found, the Cas9 protein cuts the DNA of the virus.

The real excitement arose when scientists decided that the discovered mechanism could be applied at the cellular level for genome editing.

Thus, the DNA editing method is not a human invention. It has been copied from living organisms. Viruses do it to bacteria, bacteria do it to plants.

What is the essence of the method?

The main components of the CRISPR system are the enzyme protein Cas9, and the RNA guide, a short fragment of genetic code for sequence recognition. These components are placed in the adeno-associated virus and used to deliver it to the cell nucleus. By detecting a match in the DNA sequence, the RNA-Guide is inserted between the strands of the double helix. The RNA-guide breaks them, and the Cas9 protein cleaves the genome. The cell triggers a repair mechanism, taking a homologous fragment of DNA to repair. Organisms have copies of the genomes from the mother and father. If a part of one of them is lost, the cell uses a similar fragment from a paired chromosome to repair it. If a foreign DNA fragment, identical at the edges of the cut chromosome but different in the middle, is introduced into the cell along with the Cas9 protein, the cell will use it to repair the break. Regardless of what’s in the middle, the cell doesn’t recognize the switch.

Thus, scientists have limitless possibilities for experimentation, only the RNA guide will change. By cutting unwanted genes from the DNA and inserting others, we get a mechanism for correcting chromosomes, forcing the cell to include fragments encoding the traits we want.

Prospects for applications of the technology
The results of the research can provide solutions that will help humanity fight the most pressing problems. Such as food shortages and global climate change.

There are many research projects aimed at unlocking the potential of gene editing technology. It provides an alternative to GMOs as a more precise method of encoding necessary characteristics in native DNA.

According to a study by Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, the use of editing technology in agriculture will make plants larger and more resistant to pests, diseases, weather conditions, and applied herbicides.

CRISPR technology is a tool for genetic engineering of populations. It will create genetic modifications in offspring that will be characteristic of the entire population rather than half (according to Mendel’s law). This greatly speeds up breeding, making it possible to breed plants and animals with the necessary traits already in the first generation.

According to Bill Gates, the technology will allow scientists to breed more productive animals. Crops that can withstand harsher growing conditions could be created. Or incorporate natural pesticides and herbicides, which would improve yields. Edited crops could be stored longer after harvest because they would contain fewer natural toxins.

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The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT, Health IoT) is an infrastructure of smart devices, software, healthcare systems and individual smart services. IoMT is improving and evolving the healthcare industry, helping to provide care remotely and collect more patient information. Conventionally, all medical IoT devices and solutions can be divided into two types:

Those designed for hospitals and the professionals who work in them;
those aimed at the average user, i.e. the patient.

Smart devices (e.g., smart gadgets, sensors, heart rate meters) collect and process data, such as general health indicators, allergic reactions, test results. They help medical staff quickly generate personal statistics on patients and their medical records. At the same time, doctors can use information from the connected systems to treat patients more effectively, provide them with timely and appropriate care, and prevent exacerbations of chronic diseases.

The main benefits of using smart gadgets and smart medical solutions are:

hospital staff mobility and productivity are improved;
faster processing of patient data;
the risk of error and miscalculation due to human error is reduced;
lower treatment costs.

According to a 2017 Accenture study, three-quarters of healthcare executives believe IoT will revolutionize medicine in the next few years. This mainly applies to three areas: remote patient monitoring, prevention of chronic exacerbations (through wearable devices) and information collection.

So what are the trends in the use of IoT for the medical field in today’s market and how can it help patients and healthcare professionals now?

Smart patient monitoring
IoMT helps monitor the condition of equipment in wards, monitor the condition of severe patients with the help of special sensors. Thus, such devices are able to monitor and control the health of patients from the moment they arrive at the clinic, collect and update data on them without the involvement of junior medical staff (which saves time and resources).

Smart sensors, which are used in medical facilities, are most often located on hospital beds. For example, SMI makes special sensors that prevent bedsores in heavy patients. They measure the pressure on the mattress and help to distribute it properly so that the person does not get ulcers. There are also devices that monitor heart rate and breathing. They monitor patients’ vital signs and alert hospital staff if critical changes occur.

And Florida Hospital Celebration Health uses special badges with sensors that track the movement of all people inside the clinic: both medical staff and patients. This allows them to optimize the work inside the facility: to place drug storages with maximum convenience, to create staff work schedules, and to assign patients to wards.

How to remotely monitor the condition of patients
But sensors, gadgets and other smart devices are not only used in medical institutions. One of the most important features of IoMT solutions is that they allow you to provide some medical services as well as monitor health remotely.

Remote health monitoring, or telemedicine, makes it possible to:

collect data about a patient’s health even before he or she visits the doctor directly;
Consult people remotely on urgent issues;
Chart a patient’s activities and chronic disease manifestations;
quickly provide care in critical cases (e.g., strokes).

At the same time, instead of medical workers, basic actions are performed by various devices in conjunction with smart applications. For example, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, a special flexible gadget, is used to rehabilitate patients after a stroke. They are attached to the neck to monitor the ability to swallow, as well as to monitor speech disorders (aphasia).

In this way, a patient who has had a stroke can be at home and go about their daily activities, rather than lying in the hospital, wrapped in wires. All information is tracked in real time and speeds up the person’s rehabilitation.

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Three-dimensional CT and MRI data help create a virtual model of the patient and prepare for surgery, taking into account risks and potential problems. Surgeons have been using these machines for several years to prepare for particularly complex interventions.

For example, Surgical Theater’s virtual reality-based platform helps plan neurosurgical surgeries in the U.S. and Israel. In 2021, this solution was used at Soroka Medical Center (Israel) to perform the most complex surgery to separate twins with conjoined heads. With the help of Surgical Theater, doctors created interactive 3D and VR models, which allowed them to study the problem areas through a special headset. Next, the surgical procedure was designed. In the last step, using SNAP (Surgical Navigation Advanced Platform), the created scheme was transferred to the surgical navigation system of the operating room.

It should be noted that the operation to separate the heads of Siamese twins is extremely rare and has been performed about 20 times worldwide.

AR technologies are no less in demand. In particular, in May 2021, the Nevada Spine Clinic performed a highly complex spine surgery. The Medtronic Mazor X robotic platform and the xvision AR headset were used. With the combination of these technologies, the surgery, which normally takes 6-7 hours, was completed in less than 2 hours.

Rehabilitation of patients after strokes and injuries
Medical studies have shown that during rehabilitation, most patients have serious problems with motivation and engagement – only 30% of the required exercises are performed, which is very, very low. VR technology can improve this rate with gamification.

Virtual technology is now widely used to rehabilitate people after strokes and restore limb mobility after injuries. Pompeu Fabra University (Spain) uses a solution that projects the patient’s outstretched arms onto a screen. Using sensors, the patient can control them as his own, with one drawback: the virtual limbs move more accurately and faster than the real ones. Just a 10-minute session boosts the patient’s confidence and speeds up recovery.

There are examples of using VR technology to treat children with cerebral palsy.

Psychological rehabilitation
Virtual reality technology is being actively tested to combat a variety of phobias, including post-stroke syndrome. Virtual reality is safe and manageable. By immersing themselves in the simulation of disturbing moments or making contact with the object of their fear, patients gradually get rid of their phobias.

In terms of real cases, Psious VR Therapy is an online platform that provides psychotherapists with tools for dealing with various kinds of phobias, eating disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

VR and AR solutions for medicine at the testing and research stage
In addition to the medical solutions listed above, research into the potential of virtual and augmented reality technologies for the following purposes is underway:

For pain management, or more specifically, pain reduction;
For the treatment of dementia, nervous system lesions and mental disorders;
To help the blind and visually impaired;
To diagnose diseases, including Parkinson’s disease;
To develop communication skills, empathy;
To simulate various conditions and diseases, thereby allowing a better understanding of the patient’s sensations;
For aesthetic medicine, allowing you to “try on” possible changes in appearance.

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Precision Surgery
Innovations in medical nanotechnology are already making surgical procedures orders of magnitude more precise and safe.

The revolutionary SurgeLight system developed and already in test use at the Jules Bordet Institute in Belgium allows the precise visualization of different tissue types, blood vessels and nerves in real time during surgery.

To create this system, Belgian scientists developed special fluorescent nanobots. These are nanoparticles 100-150 nm in size, capable of accumulating in a strictly defined type of body tissue. Inside such a particle is a fluorescent molecule that emits light of a strictly defined wavelength.

When treating the operation area with these nanoparticles, the surgeon sees in a special microscope a colored picture, where blood vessels, muscles, connective tissue and other structures are colored, each in its own color. The area of the malignant lesion can also be highlighted in color.

This makes it easy to navigate and remove only what is needed without traumatizing healthy tissue or damaging vessels and nerves.

The SurgeLight system received the highest award at the prestigious Med Tech ’19 world exhibition of medical innovations.

Innovative medicine in Belgium

Nanotherapy for cancer
This technology has become one of the most important medical innovations of our time.

Nanotherapy devices are popular because of their high precision and lower overall cost compared to immunotherapy and targeted drugs when used to treat cancer.

Nanoparticles have a large surface area to volume ratio, which allows many functional groups to be attached to such a particle. These functional groups find tumor cells and, by binding to the corresponding receptors on their surface, help the nanoparticle to penetrate inside. Inside the cancer cell, they release a substance that causes the cell to die and eventually destroy the tumor.

Common nanoparticles are made of metals such as silver and gold, which are in the 15-200 nm range.

The Center for Innovative Medicine InhaTarget Therapeutics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) has developed and already plans to introduce two such drugs into clinical practice.

These drugs, Cisplatin-based DPI and Paclitaxel-based DPI, are designed to treat lung cancer. Acting only on tumor cells, they (in comparison with classic drugs) have virtually no side effects. The ability to use them in high concentrations provides the best therapeutic effect. And the inhalation form of delivery makes these drugs very comfortable for patients to use on their own.

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Thus, precision medicine is a branch of medicine that uses information about human genes, proteins and internal environment to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. Precision medicine is used for many diseases, including cancer, coronary heart disease, HIV/AIDS, hyperlipidemia, cystic fibrosis, and alcohol abuse disorders. Precision medicine in the context of oncology refers to the use of therapeutic interventions that are expected to benefit a subset of patients who have specific molecular or cellular features of the malignancy, such as genomic changes or protein expression patterns.

In the previous period, treatment recommendations were based primarily on pathologic characteristics of the tumor. Thanks to precision medicine, recommendations can target amenable genomic drivers regardless of localization, tumor origin, or histological type.

Thus, in 30-49% of patients who undergo genomic profiling of a tumor, there may be treatable changes, for some of which an approved or investigational drug can be selected. Advances in genome sequencing technology have facilitated the use of precision medicine in oncology.

Oncology is at the forefront of precision medicine: by 2019, for example, more than 160 cancer biomarkers have been approved, and more than 90 percent of key studies target molecular targets.

Precision medicine has been successfully used to identify patients with amenable mutations that would benefit from targeted therapies, as well as tumor markers to aid in diagnosis.

Patients with targeted therapies may benefit more than patients who receive therapies without target matching. Targeted drugs have fewer side effects, and their use can prevent exposure to unnecessary, ineffective treatment regimens. Through the use of precision medicine, patients can achieve very high response rates to systemic treatment.

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Now 3D-printing in medicine is quite an extensive list of directions and possibilities. Among them are:

The creation of implants;
bone printing;
Modeling human internal organs;
creation of medical instruments for doctors.

3D printing in medicine makes it possible to accurately model and create dental implants, prostheses, and organ prototypes. 3D printing also helps existing specialists and medical professionals to learn and improve their skills more effectively, to practice and to make accurate plans for surgical operations.

With the advent of new and more advanced printing devices and the expansion of the list of materials, additive technologies in medicine are developing more and more rapidly. 3D printing is most actively used in the United States.

For example, in 2019, a patient from Florida had his first finger bone transplanted with a 3D-printed device. And Michael Winkler, a professor of radiology and cardiology at the University of Kentucky, created a 3D-printed model of the heart that doctors can work with. Such prototypes of organs help surgeons to plan surgeries more accurately and increase the chances of a patient’s quick recovery.

Scientists from all over the world are working on the invention of an optimal material for volume printing of bones. For example, researchers from Northwestern University in the United States in 2016 came up with an elastic and simultaneously durable material for this purpose.

Specialists from the National Nuclear Research University have created a biocompatible material for bone printing that is compatible with the human body. It is based on the composition of animal bones, so that it is not rejected when implanted. The material is quite plastic, but it hardens quickly and then gradually dissolves: the body has time to fuse the damage quickly and without side inflammatory processes.

This significantly speeds up the treatment process, reduces the risk of complications and avoids the need for a second surgery, as is the case with titanium implants, which must be removed after a period of time.

This technology is implemented as follows: biocement is loaded into a 3D printer and the damaged bone is scanned. Based on the information obtained, a three-dimensional model of the fragment to be printed is designed. The implant is made according to the exact design from the bone cement loaded into the printer, and the material hardens right during the manufacturing process, becoming strong and hard.

Using such a SLM-printed device, medical professionals will be able to quickly create individual implants for any person (using their tomography data and other studies as a basis).

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