Gadget Designed to Make Sure Doctors Wash Their Hands Enough

     Biovigil has introduced a new gadget to the healthcare field and it is designed to make sure that doctor's hands are always extremely clean before interacting with a patient. Around 75,000 patients died last year from healthcare associated infections (HAI's) and cost hospitals over 30 billion dollars. This gadget is designed to sense the amount of bacteria on the doctor's hands before helping patients. The doctor simply puts their hands up to the device which is wearable and if the hands are clean the light will remain green, if their is bacteria detected on the hands then the light will either turn yellow or red to notify the doctor you must wash your hands before proceeding further with the patient.

   
     If the light goes yellow then the doctor must wash their hands and then re-test for bacteria and upon completion the light will turn green. If the doctor was to ignore the yellow light then after several minutes it will glare red indicating that the doctor ignored the yellow signal and essentially will not only show the doctor that they still need to wash their hands but also indicate to the patient that the doctor is not yet fit to work with them.
     This device not only applies to the healthcare field in the long run because there are many professions that require the user to have clean hands including those who work in the restaurant industry. This device definitely has the capability to expand its uses throughout the world where cleanliness is a must. By utilizing this device many infections and diseases can be prevented from being spread in workplace environments of all kinds.
     Personally i think that this device is a must have now that it exists because it allows not only the doctor to double check themselves but also for the patient or customer to double check them because clearly they do not want to interact with bacteria ridden hands. In the future I see this product moving into any industry that deals with food or health to ensure maximum cleanliness at all times.

     As you can see the Biovigil gadget is extremely small and has a simple easy to understand UI that will benefit many people for years to come. It also has a simple clip on the back which can be used to put in on the pocket of a shirt or strap on your belt. I see this being a pinnacle of health in workplaces at least for users hands and am excited to see where Biovigil takes this product in the future to help all of us feel a bit more comfortable in many situations.

Sources: Biovigil Gadget

US Open Debuts the Polo Tech "smartshirt" with Activity Tracker

     In a world where wearable technology is beginning to take over from google glasses to smart watches we are getting used to seeing computers just about anywhere and everywhere in the world around us. Polo tech has taken it one step further with their new "smartshirt" which is currently being used in the US Open by professionals not only to test the product but also to show that it can be worn in even the most extreme conditions.

     The activity tracker is located directly under the pectorials and contains conductive threads that come in contact with the skin. There is then a "Black Box" or "Tech Box" that snaps into the shirt near the left rib cage, this box receives heart-rate and breathing data from the wearer which is then translated into Calories burnt, steps taken, and amount of activity split into 3 different categories: Inactive, Moderate Activity and Active.

     This tech box will need to be charged once about every 30 hours through a USB charger and also comes with a bluetooth setup to upload information to your smartphone enabling long term tracking for individuals of their activity. According to Ralph Lauren "The Box will be half the size in a few months.... We are a lifestyle brand, major luxury fashion brand.  iwant to be able to gather this (biometric) information in a boardroom or from a baby in a crib. We'll find new needs and we're just at the beginning." 

     As this is the first smart garment in the Polo-brand technology line they have a lot of work to do to make the garment easily wearable for all individuals not just athletes. The garment is washable as long as the tech box is connected and so far they have not seen any issues with the conductive threads with normal wear and tear.

     As Polo definitely seems to be after this new wearable technology we will see large strides over the next few years and I'm sure companies like Nike, Adidas and other brand names will follow suit. This sort of technology will be able to benefit all professional sports players and enable their doctors to track not only their health off the court and field but also while they are competing as well.

     Wearable technology used to be bulky un-attractive and not appealing to users but now that this technology is being transformed into items that we wear everyday it is almost unnoticeable and soon everyone will be wearing technology without blinking an eye. I know that I am definitely excited to see where wearable technology is going in the years to come.

Sources: Ralph Lauren Tech Shirts

              Purchase a tech-shirt today!

Healthy Living

    When people think of being healthy immediately we are struck with images of the gym, muscles, diets and running shoes but is that all it takes to be healthy in this day and age? We are constantly seeing people who are gym rats and spend 4-5 times a week perfecting their physical selves but there is more to it than that. To live healthier you must not only work on your physical self but your mental and spiritual health as well to live to your maximum potential.

     Lets face it we have all met people who look physically fit and healthy but the rest of their life is in ruins or perhaps they are in poor physical shape but are extremely intelligent or extremely spiritual . Now this is in no way saying that only being only healthy in one aspect in life is wrong, but rather stating that it is not truly the full definition of what healthy living is. A good definition I found for what healthy living is:

 "At a population level, healthy living refers to the practices of population groups that are consistent with supporting, improving, maintaining and/or enhancing health. As it applies to individuals, healthy living is the practice of health enhancing behaviours, or put simply, living in healthy ways. It implies the physical, mental and spiritual capacity to make healthy choices." (Public Health Agency of Canada).

So basically as people we have three different aspects of life that have needs which are the physical, mental and spiritual needs we have. Things like food, reading and spiritual connections (not necessarily religious) all play a daily part in our overall health and in order to enjoy our lives to the fullest each of these must be regulated on a daily basis. In other words keeping a happy medium and not over indulging or depriving ourselves from anything that provides us with a healthier life.
     Now what steps can we take on a daily basis to better ourselves in every aspect? These are some suggestions made by professionals in the industry.
     1. Analyze Yourself
               a. Physical - Make doctors/dentist appointments to make sure you are up to date with your own health.
               b. Physical -  Assess your current weight, height and BMI (Body Mass Index)
               c. Mental -  Determine current typical moods/energy on a daily basis
               d. Spiritual/Mental - Look at your social life including friends, family and whether or not these connections are affecting you positively or negatively.
 
      2. Get Out and Go!
               a. Physical/Mental - Make every experience FUN, whether it means bringing friends along or adding fun twists to your hikes, walks, runs or gym sessions.
               b. Physical/Mental - Keep track of your physical activity. Mark your calendar with the days you exercise in detail and look at it daily to use as both a motivator and reminder.
               c. Physical/Mental - Set goals for yourself as it will help motivate and once goals are met also helps build confidence levels.
               d. Physical/Mental - Keep activity in everyday even if it's only 15 minutes of exercise a day it is better than 0 minutes.

     3. Eat Better
              a. Physcial - Replace snack food with fruits and vegetables.
              b. Physical - Take vitamins on a daily basis to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need.
              c. Physcial/Mental - Guilt can play a large part in unhealthy eating, skip the guilt and concentrate on the positives. Don't try to eat your problems away.
              d. Physcial/Mental - Plan your meals so that they work with your schedule and you have complete control over what goes in. This includes stocking the house with healthy foods instead of junk food. Out of site out of mind.
             e. Physcial - Savor your food and slow down. Those who eat quickly tend to eat more because their body doesn't have the time to start digesting and realize that it's full.

     4. Manage Stress
              a. Physical/Mental/Spiritual - Create some coping techniques to deal with everyday stress an example of this would be something like yoga, prayer or even exercise.
              b. Mental - Defeat suddenly stressful situations there are a plethora of ways that people handle stressful situations this could be punching a pillow or retreating to a quiet place to breath and reflect.
              c. Mental/Spiritual - Don't dwell on things that don't matter. Take a step back and ask yourself will this matter to me in the future?
              d. Physical/Mental/Spiritual - Breathe. Breathing is shown to be one of the best ways to calm not only the physical body but also the mind and spiritual body. If you find yourself in a situation that you cannot handle slow down and breathe calm yourself.

     5. Quality Sleep
              a. Physical/Mental - Don't exercise before bed causes the body to sweat which tends to prevent easily falling asleep.
              b. Physical/Mental - Hot shower or bath before bed as it relaxes the body.
              c. Physical - Setup a sleep schedule so that you are always getting the recommended 6-8 hours of sleep.

     6. Relationship Check-Up
            a. Mental/Spiritual - Remove relationships harmful to yourself or that negatively effect you.
            b. Mental/Spiritual -  Find friends who share have similar interests so that you can more easily communicate and relate to each other.
           c. Mental/Spiritual -If a relationship is negative but is too close to be let go then work to fix it.

     Hopefully these steps can help people to make better decisions on a daily basis to help improve their overall health and not negate to fulfill all of your needs. Next time you consider if your living healthy ask yourself am I fulfilled in ALL aspects of my life.

   Sources: WebMD
                 Public Health Canada