People are now living longer than there ever have before. This is due primarily to the amazing advances that have been made in modern medicine and surgical procedures in recent years. It seems there is a new breakthrough every day that helps to improve our quality of life as we age. Here are some examples of technological advances that will enable people to live longer and healthier lives.
Repairing Brain Damage
Your brain is a very complex computer that controls every function in your body. A person’s ability to live a normal life will be severely compromised if even a small amount of brain damage is suffered. However, technology has been developed to help with this serious issue. The Portable NeuroModulation Stimulator (PoNS) is capable of stimulating various regions of nerves that are located on the tongue. This is done for the purpose of focusing the brain so it is able to repair any damaged nerves. The results have been quite promising in the tests that have been conducted. Patients participating in studies have seen their conditions improve. The hope is that PoNS will also be able to help people who are suffering from multiple sclerosis and severe strokes.
Knee Replacements
People who have problems walking are not able to fully participate in many activities. Therefore, their quality of life is negatively impacted. Fortunately, great strides have been made in the area of knee replacement technology. One of the most innovative procedures that is currently in use is called MAKOplasty. Professionals, like those at Noyes Knee Institute, use MAKOplasty on patients who have severe arthritis in portions of their knee. This procedure uses images that are produced by a computer in three dimensions for the purpose of planning the total or partial replacement of hips and knees. Studying these images can help the surgeon to more accurately figure out how to align and position the implant. The size of the implant can also be determined with the use of MAKOplasty. Bone areas that need to be removed are able to be precisely mapped out. The use of a robotic arm is utilized during the procedure to provide enhanced tactile, auditory and visual control.
Cancer Screening
Cancer is an insidious disease that kills thousands of people every year. In the past, there was no reliable way to detect cancer until the disease had already spread and it was untreatable. However, there are now procedures like mammograms to detect breast cancer and colonoscopies to detect colon cancer. These procedures can detect the cancer while it is still in the very early stages. The cancer can then be completely eradicated.
We are very fortunate to be living during this time of amazing advances in the field of medical science. People are now able to overcome serious illnesses and injuries with the help of treatments that have been recently developed. The average life expectancy will only continue to increase. The quality of life for the elderly will continue to improve. It will be interesting to see the next medical science breakthroughs that await us in the future.
