The launch of the Amazon 'Dash button' got me thinking... I love that the Internet of Things is happening... but what does it say about us?
Press a button and 'ta-da' the thing that you need is delivered the next day.
As a working mum, it's great that re-ordering could be made so easy... put one of these buttons on the washing machine and when you're running low on detergent, press the button and new detergent arrives.
This is what I see increasingly in medicine and healthcare. We're increasingly impatient to wait for a doctors appointment, so we Google our symptoms, and no doubt scare ourselves to death that we have some terrible condition... and succumb to the latest quick fix. We self diagnose ourselves rather than waiting to speak with a medical professional.
So why do so many people self diagnose their sleep condition? It's OK, I just snore, so I'll use this mouthpiece, throat spray, nose strips, chinstrap etc.
Yet these 'treatments' when self administered might be masking a more serious condition. Snoring is a symptom of sleep apnoea/apnea, which is when you stop breathing in your sleep. The snoring noise might be masked, but breathing could still be affected, and the body needs oxygen to survive! Or if the airway is being held open by some means, then the teeth or jaw joint could be damaged if a dentist hasn't been involved!
The Snoring Lady
#thesnoringlady
#osa2020
Press a button and 'ta-da' the thing that you need is delivered the next day.
As a working mum, it's great that re-ordering could be made so easy... put one of these buttons on the washing machine and when you're running low on detergent, press the button and new detergent arrives.
But is this indicative of our need for immediacy?We want an immediate 'cure' for this and 'fix' for that. Don't want the sustained effort of calorie reduction and exercise? - No, I'll have a pill please.
This is what I see increasingly in medicine and healthcare. We're increasingly impatient to wait for a doctors appointment, so we Google our symptoms, and no doubt scare ourselves to death that we have some terrible condition... and succumb to the latest quick fix. We self diagnose ourselves rather than waiting to speak with a medical professional.
This is what worries me.I'm not a doctor. I don't know the implications or risks of one health condition on another. I therefore shouldn't be self-diagnosing and self-treating myself for anything much more than a headache/flu/cuts and grazes - and "if symptoms persist" I should see a doctor anyway.
So why do so many people self diagnose their sleep condition? It's OK, I just snore, so I'll use this mouthpiece, throat spray, nose strips, chinstrap etc.
Yet these 'treatments' when self administered might be masking a more serious condition. Snoring is a symptom of sleep apnoea/apnea, which is when you stop breathing in your sleep. The snoring noise might be masked, but breathing could still be affected, and the body needs oxygen to survive! Or if the airway is being held open by some means, then the teeth or jaw joint could be damaged if a dentist hasn't been involved!
Is it worth it?Wait a few days for a GP appointment and push for a medical investigation versus the increased risk to pre-existing conditions, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, even cancer and dementia.
Our need for immediacy could be killing us. Is it worth it?
The Snoring Lady
#thesnoringlady
#osa2020
Great blog. I love the idea of the Amazon button - hope soon its untied from main brands...
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