According to a recent study conducted by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, the radio frequency electromagnetic fields produced by cell phones are “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” Ultimately it was concluded “that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.” The folks over at Funny or Die simply couldn’t help themselves upon hearing this news and the following “iPhone No Cancer Commercial” was created. When you think about it, their conclusions are quite sound.
Tag Archives: health
Steve Jobs takes medical leave from Apple
For the second time this year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave from the company. Jobs will remain CEO, and again he has called upon COO Tim Cook to take over Apple’s day to day operations while he’s gone. Here’s the letter Jobs sent to his employees on Monday:
Team,
At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.
I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.
Steve
Details surrounding his leave have not surfaced, and Jobs hopes it remains that way. Get better soon Steve!
[Via Engadget]
The world’s heath & wealth over 200 years get spectacularly visualized
Using highly effective visuals in augmented reality animation, BBC’s Hans Rosling tells the story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers, in just four minutes. More specifically, he plots life expectancy against income for every country since 1810, and the visually splendid data reveals interesting rises and drops in correspondence to major historical events such as world wars. Go on mash play and educate yourself.
[Via Gawker]
Virtual Autopsy Table now available for physicians everywhere
Today medical technology company Sectra formally unveiled the Virtual Autopsy Table, which is now called the Sectra Visualization Table. It was previewed and detailed last October.
With Sectra Visualization Table, a 46-inch medical multi-touch display, multiple users can interact collaboratively with the real-size 3D images generated by CT and MRI scanners to gain deeper understanding and insight into the functions and processes inside the body. They can, for example, visualize different kinds of tissues and cut through sections with a virtual knife.
According to Engadget the table is now available “to the masses”. For more information on the awesome tech, head over to Sectra’s website. There you’ll find a new video demonstration. Full PR after the break.
[Via Engadget] Continue reading Virtual Autopsy Table now available for physicians everywhere
Super Sexy CPR
You’ll never forget how to give CPR again.
[Via @8bitwiz]
The Starbucks Love Project will make you smile
“On December 7th, 2009 at 1:30pm GMT Starbucks invited musicians from all over the world to sing together at the same time to raise awareness for AIDS in Africa. In that one breathtaking moment, musicians from 156 countries played “All You Need is Love” together. Watch now, as musicians from all around the world come together and share a song.”
That’s right: 156 countries. 1 song. Same tempo. Singing/playing The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love.” This unique wordwide event was organized by Starbucks to raise awareness for the fight against AIDS in Africa. “In just one year in partnership with (RED), Starbucks has generated money equivalent to more than 7 million days of medicine to help those living with HIV in Africa.”
[Via Gizmodo; YouTube page]
How the decade was supposed to turn out
This commercial for Nuveen Investments aired during the Super Bowl in 2000. It imagined a future with major advancements in the struggle against AIDS, cancer, and spinal cord injuries. That’s right–the late Christopher Reeve makes a touching appearence when he walks onto the stage. The ad promises “In the future, so many amazing things will happen in the world.” Though it’s interesting to see what an investment firm envisioned for the first decade of the 2000’s, what’s even more impacting is that we still aren’t there yet. Support your charities; we can all lend a helping hand in the fight against deadly diseases and injuries and make the world a better and safer place to live in.
[Via Gizmodo]
Man cures blindness with stem cells
Russell Turnbull lost eyesight in his right eye when a squirt of ammonia shot into it as he intervened in a fight between two men. The chemical caused significant damage to his right eye and was diagnosed with a condition called Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency (LSCD). LSCD is very painful and requires many trips to the hospital for care. Because he had this rare condition, doctors used him as a guinea pig in stem cell trials. Fifteen years after the frightful incident, Turnbull was miraculously cured of blindness thanks to the stem cells. The treatment involved taking small samples of stem cells from his healthy eye’s cornea, growing it in the lab, and implanting them into his damaged eye. Only eight weeks after the operation, Turnbull regained full eyesight in his right eye. He was cured of blindness. He remains “one of eight patients with impaired vision who have been treated successfully by surgeons at the North East England Stem Cell Institute.”
Though this treatment surely won’t cure all blind people, it is a huge step in the right direction for science and health. Stem cell research is a controversial topic in today’s heated political and religious debates. No matter what side you stand on, you cannot deny that this miraculous story of Turnbull and the advances in science and technology are pointing to a brighter future where incurable diseases become curable ones.
The Lung Flute, a fun and easy way to remove built up phlegm!
All you have to do is press the opening of the lung flute to your mouth and blow into it about ten times (short breaths, like blowing out birthday candles), and viola! The enclosed reed that “flaps back and forth” when you blow into the tube manages to send vibrations into your chest which in turn dislodge excess mucus. Neat-o!
Today, doctors in Japan use the $40 Lung Flute as a tool to collect sputum from patients suspected of carrying tuberculosis, and in Europe and Canada it’s used to help test phlegm for lung cancer. Clinical trials in the U.S. have shown that it is at least as effective as current COPD treatments. At press time, Hawkins expected the device to receive FDA approval any day, and says the reusable device could also provide home relief for patients with cystic fibrosis, influenza and asthma.
Paging Dr. House
Poor little girl. She can’t stop sneezing!
Why call on diagnostics extraordinaire Dr. Gregory House? Because according to the TV doctor she is in fact not sneezing; rather this “sound coming of out her mouth” (my words) is a tick. The mystery lies in how it all started just two weeks ago at a sleepover and why it hasn’t stopped since that fateful night. Sound off in the comments below with your own diagnosis.
[Via YouTube via Today]
Wireless body monitoring system tracks vital signs, sends to phone
Clinical trails have begun for Sensium, a wireless body monitoring system that “monitors multiple vital signs, including skin temperature, heart rate and respiration.” Basically, Sensium is a “disposable digital plaster,” or Band-Aid-like patch, that is applied to a patient’s body. The patch contains a power source and sensors inside it that track a patient’s health and sends the gathered data to the doctor’s PDA or smartphone. Sensium is being described as cheap, disposable, long-lasting, intelligent, and efficient way for doctors to keep track of the patient’s health. What differentiates this product from the current way of monitoring patients is that it allows patients to be much more mobile and free to move around the hospital (compared to the bulky, expensive, and wired methods of today). Check out the full press release after the break.
[Via Engadget; SingularityHub]
Continue reading Wireless body monitoring system tracks vital signs, sends to phone
Steve Jobs is alive, here’s proof
Calm down, people. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, is in fact alive and well. Prior to January, a gauntly Jobs appeared on stage and his thin appearance invited rumors about his health to spread like wildfire. At one point his unconfirmed death was reported! After his death had been greatly exaggerated by the media, Jobs took a leave of absence from Apple to receive a liver transplant in January 2009. According to Jobs himself he has recovered from the ordeal and is back to work at Apple. This photo was taken by TMZ today at 3:00PM when Jobs was spotted leaving Apple HQ in Cupertino, California. And yes, this photo was taken with an iPhone.
[Via TMZ]