BREMEN, Germany, June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Valispace, a leading engineering collaboration platform, today launches the ValiAssistant (beta), an AI powered engineering assistant that helps ...

VALISPACE RELEASES WORLD'S FIRST AI ENGINEERING ASSISTANT

said Valispace CEO Marco Witzmann. Valispace is a browser based software tool that empowers engineers to accelerate building and designing all kinds of complex hardware. From spaceships to ...

said Valispace CEO Marco Witzmann. Valispace is a browser based software tool that empowers engineers to accelerate building and designing all kinds of complex hardware. From spaceships to satellites, coffee machines to carbon capture devices, Valispace ...

The ValiAssistant gives intelligent insights to the engineers of complex technologies BREMEN, Germany, June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Valispace, a leading engineering collaboration platform ...

BREMEN, Germany, June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- valispace , a leading engineering collaboration platform, today launches the ValiAssistant (beta), an AI powered engineering assistant that helps ...

VALISPACE RELEASES WORLD's FIRST AI ENGINEERING ASSISTANT

Valispace

valispace

Amazon has been salivating at the multitrillion-dollar United States healthcare market since 2018. Although Amazon Health played a vital role in public health during the pandemic, most still don’t view it as a disruptor. A new chapter in the American conglomerate’s move into the industry is upon us — Health Condition Programs. How does this initiative fit into the tech titan’s grand healthcare plan? It’s anybody’s guess. I can only speculate about the countless scenarios surrounding the interplay between Health Condition Programs and Amazon’s diverse solutions. However, the real question we should all be asking is — will it buck the trend of the organization’s cybersecurity, patient safety, and privacy scandals? A Treasure Trove of Patient Data On paper, Health Condition Programs aim to encourage millions of Americans to maximize their unused healthcare features. This mission has merit because over one-third of workers don’t fully understand the employee benefits they signed up for. Many American adults might be unaware that they can receive care to manage chronic conditions — such as diabetes and hypertension — between doctor visits at no extra cost to them. Enrolling in these programs allows insured individuals to maximize their coverage and squeeze more value out of the rising premiums or contributions they shoulder. In practice, Health Condition Programs enable the Andy Jassy-led all-encompassing empire to grow its patient data repository by tens of millions. This offering’s coverage check involves eligibility verification, necessitating personal data collection. Enrollees must share their legal name, date of birth, employer’s name, insurer's name, email address, and other sensitive information. This will determine whether their insurance plan or employee benefits cover health programs Amazon’s partners offer. After confirming an applicant is covered, Amazon Health directs the patient to third-party digital health companies — the actual virtual care providers — to complete registration and program enrollment. While Amazon may say it stops collecting personal data after a coverage check, it may still follow patients beyond that point. This Big Tech firm is a known participant in server-to-server tracking, so I would be more surprised if it doesn’t monitor the rest of an enrollee’s telehealth journey through a backdoor. Connected devices are notable program features that covered individuals can access. Continuous glucose monitor sensors, blood sugar meters, blood pressure monitors, and smart scales generate personalized quantitative data that forms a part of medical records and is personal. This is protected health information tech conglomerates could leverage to enrich their subsidiaries. A Slowly Expanding Network As disturbing as it is to think that Amazon could acquire bits and pieces of millions of medical records under the table through its Health Condition Programs, this multinational’s reach is proportional to its network’s size. As of October 2024, only two digital health companies have participated — Omada Health and Talkspace. Omada specializes in diabetes prevention, weight management, and hypertension care, while Talkspace delivers virtual therapy and psychiatric care. Between the two, insured Americans can choose from only three programs. It’s unclear why Amazon Health could only ink two partnerships in nine months — a departure from the online retail behemoth’s “Get Big Fast” mantra. I bet telehealth providers would move mountains to be in this exclusive club, so Amazon must have been overly selective about its partners for reasons unknown. Only time will tell if Amazon will bring more digital health companies into its fold sooner rather than later. A safe guess is that it would prioritize partner diversity to prevent cannibalization and harvest data with variety. A New Piece to the Amazon Health Care Strategy Puzzle Amazon plays the long game. For all we know, it might envision itself as the savior of health care — the ultimate medical data synthesizer the sector sorely needs. It’s impossible to connect all the dots when many of them haven’t come to light. Still, recognizing this offering’s potential value to this tech colossus isn’t brain surgery. If Health Condition Programs gain currency and the number of participating digital health companies on the network balloons, the company will better understand our health needs. These insights can be the rising tide that lifts the boats in the Amazon Health sub-ecosystem and other related subsidiaries. A quick thought experiment would reveal that more program enrollees could increase Amazon One Medical’s in-person visits. Health Condition Programs almost always require a prior medical diagnosis. Health care professionals on the network — health coaches, licensed therapists and psychiatrists, nutritionists, dieticians, and personal care specialists — could help train AWS HealthScribe with large volumes of recordings. The aim would be to churn out error-free transcripts and clinical notes consistently. The company could expand Alexa’s footprint by integrating its partners’ services into the voice assistant. It’s a tried-and-true move, as evidenced by the partnership between Amazon and Teladoc Health in 2022. Prescriptions from digital health companies can also boost Amazon Pharmacy’s sales. Analyzing mountains of medical data can shed light on the usual indicators of events that can endanger patients’ lives. Tech-forward hospitals have taken this route. They proved it’s feasible to predict signs of upcoming acute events — which increase the chances of patient mortality by three to four times — early enough to address them before they happen. Amazon can do the same thing for people living with chronic diseases. It can mobilize Whole Foods to make healthier food options more widely available to those who need them most. Accessible healthy grocery items empower chronically ill individuals to meet their unique nutritional needs and keep symptoms manageable. Are Health Condition Programs a Scandal Waiting to Happen? Amazon’s venture into health care has been riddled with controversies. In 2023, hackers successfully victimized more than 19,000 PillPack customers, stealing their names, residential addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. About 3,600 of the impacted accounts included prescription information. That same year, senators grilled the company for forcing patients to waive their right to health information privacy to enroll in Amazon Clinic. In mid-2024, Amazon found itself in hot water for allegedly compromising the safety of One Medical patients. Incidents of awful misjudgments by staff assisting customers by phone have risen since the subsidiary entrusted the job to inadequately trained agents. Amazon has failed to give a good account of itself in the sector on various occasions. At this rate, I feel like someone would expose a dubious practice underpinning Health Condition Programs any moment now. Can We Trust Amazon’s Health Condition Programs? Criticisms toward this initiative are unsubstantiated and premature. However, it would be naive to expect Amazon not to supercharge its health data collection prowess through coverage checks and its partners when the alternative does nothing to improve other parts of its business. We’ll just have to wait and see whether this Amazon Health offering’s practical benefits outweigh its perceived privacy drawbacks — but let’s not hold our breaths. Amazon has been salivating at the multitrillion-dollar United States healthcare market since 2018. Although Amazon Health played a vital role in public health during the pandemic, most still don’t view it as a disruptor. A new chapter in the American conglomerate’s move into the industry is upon us — Health Condition Programs. How does this initiative fit into the tech titan’s grand healthcare plan? It’s anybody’s guess. I can only speculate about the countless scenarios surrounding the interplay between Health Condition Programs and Amazon’s diverse solutions. However, the real question we should all be asking is — will it buck the trend of the organization’s cybersecurity, patient safety, and privacy scandals? A Treasure Trove of Patient Data On paper, Health Condition Programs aim to encourage millions of Americans to maximize their unused healthcare features. This mission has merit because over one-third of workers don’t fully understand the employee benefits they signed up for. one-third of workers don’t fully understand one-third of workers don’t fully understand Many American adults might be unaware that they can receive care to manage chronic conditions — such as diabetes and hypertension — between doctor visits at no extra cost to them. Enrolling in these programs allows insured individuals to maximize their coverage and squeeze more value out of the rising premiums or contributions they shoulder. In practice, Health Condition Programs enable the Andy Jassy-led all-encompassing empire to grow its patient data repository by tens of millions. This offering’s coverage check involves eligibility verification, necessitating personal data collection. Enrollees must share their legal name, date of birth, employer’s name, insurer's name, email address, and other sensitive information. This will determine whether their insurance plan or employee benefits cover health programs Amazon’s partners offer. After confirming an applicant is covered, Amazon Health directs the patient to third-party digital health companies — the actual virtual care providers — to complete registration and program enrollment. While Amazon may say it stops collecting personal data after a coverage check, it may still follow patients beyond that point. This Big Tech firm is a known participant in server-to-server tracking , so I would be more surprised if it doesn’t monitor the rest of an enrollee’s telehealth journey through a backdoor. a known participant in server-to-server tracking a known participant in server-to-server tracking Connected devices are notable program features that covered individuals can access. Continuous glucose monitor sensors, blood sugar meters, blood pressure monitors, and smart scales generate personalized quantitative data that forms a part of medical records and is personal. This is protected health information tech conglomerates could leverage to enrich their subsidiaries. forms a part of medical records forms a part of medical records A Slowly Expanding Network As disturbing as it is to think that Amazon could acquire bits and pieces of millions of medical records under the table through its Health Condition Programs, this multinational’s reach is proportional to its network’s size. As of October 2024, only two digital health companies have participated — Omada Health and Talkspace. Omada specializes in diabetes prevention, weight management, and hypertension care, while Talkspace delivers virtual therapy and psychiatric care. Between the two, insured Americans can choose from only three programs. It’s unclear why Amazon Health could only ink two partnerships in nine months — a departure from the online retail behemoth’s “Get Big Fast” mantra. I bet telehealth providers would move mountains to be in this exclusive club, so Amazon must have been overly selective about its partners for reasons unknown. Only time will tell if Amazon will bring more digital health companies into its fold sooner rather than later. A safe guess is that it would prioritize partner diversity to prevent cannibalization and harvest data with variety. A New Piece to the Amazon Health Care Strategy Puzzle Amazon plays the long game. For all we know, it might envision itself as the savior of health care — the ultimate medical data synthesizer the sector sorely needs. It’s impossible to connect all the dots when many of them haven’t come to light. Still, recognizing this offering’s potential value to this tech colossus isn’t brain surgery. If Health Condition Programs gain currency and the number of participating digital health companies on the network balloons, the company will better understand our health needs. These insights can be the rising tide that lifts the boats in the Amazon Health sub-ecosystem and other related subsidiaries. A quick thought experiment would reveal that more program enrollees could increase Amazon One Medical’s in-person visits. Health Condition Programs almost always require a prior medical diagnosis. Health care professionals on the network — health coaches, licensed therapists and psychiatrists, nutritionists, dieticians, and personal care specialists — could help train AWS HealthScribe with large volumes of recordings. The aim would be to churn out error-free transcripts and clinical notes consistently. The company could expand Alexa’s footprint by integrating its partners’ services into the voice assistant. It’s a tried-and-true move, as evidenced by the partnership between Amazon and Teladoc Health in 2022. Prescriptions from digital health companies can also boost Amazon Pharmacy’s sales. partnership between Amazon and Teladoc Health partnership between Amazon and Teladoc Health Analyzing mountains of medical data can shed light on the usual indicators of events that can endanger patients’ lives. Tech-forward hospitals have taken this route. They proved it’s feasible to predict signs of upcoming acute events — which increase the chances of patient mortality by three to four times — early enough to address them before they happen. by three to four times by three to four times Amazon can do the same thing for people living with chronic diseases. It can mobilize Whole Foods to make healthier food options more widely available to those who need them most. Accessible healthy grocery items empower chronically ill individuals to meet their unique nutritional needs and keep symptoms manageable. Are Health Condition Programs a Scandal Waiting to Happen? Amazon’s venture into health care has been riddled with controversies. In 2023, hackers successfully victimized more than 19,000 PillPack customers, stealing their names, residential addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. About 3,600 of the impacted accounts included prescription information. 3,600 of the impacted accounts 3,600 of the impacted accounts That same year, senators grilled the company for forcing patients to waive their right to health information privacy to enroll in Amazon Clinic. In mid-2024, Amazon found itself in hot water for allegedly compromising the safety of One Medical patients. Incidents of awful misjudgments by staff assisting customers by phone have risen since the subsidiary entrusted the job to inadequately trained agents. Amazon has failed to give a good account of itself in the sector on various occasions. At this rate, I feel like someone would expose a dubious practice underpinning Health Condition Programs any moment now. Can We Trust Amazon’s Health Condition Programs? Criticisms toward this initiative are unsubstantiated and premature. However, it would be naive to expect Amazon not to supercharge its health data collection prowess through coverage checks and its partners when the alternative does nothing to improve other parts of its business. We’ll just have to wait and see whether this Amazon Health offering’s practical benefits outweigh its perceived privacy drawbacks — but let’s not hold our breaths.

Did You Know About Amazon’s Health Condition Programs? What This Means for Users

Spoiler: I do acknowledge that telehealth and telemedicine are not exactly synonyms. However, I use both interchangeably here, for the sake of better readability. As the world unites in the fight against the pandemic, public health officials are calling on healthcare to embrace technology. In particular, telemedicine solutions have gotten extra exposure over the last few years. Today, telehealth is steadily moving towards the status of a fully adopted medical practice. Thus, in 2020 doctors provided times the number of telemedicine visits compared with prior years. 50 to 175 Today, online appointments are slowly taking over smartphones as a cost-efficient and safe form of care. But can they help us make healthcare more accessible? And what is the best telemedicine platform in 2021 and beyond? Here’s what’s in store. What Are Telemedicine Apps, Anyway? First things first - we have to unmask the superhero. So, telemedicine is the remote provision of health services (e.g., patient monitoring and consultations). It also includes the practice of remote interaction between medical providers using telecommunications technology. To ensure sensitive data protection, all telemedicine apps should be . HIPAA compliance is a federal law that covers data privacy and security provisions for sharing sensitive medical records (personal health information) and protects them from unauthorized use. HIPAA compliant So if the telemedicine platform doesn’t comply with federal regulatory standards, it’s in trouble.     (Just look at the ). monstrous penalties Also, telemedicine apps may come in two forms of communication: Doctor-patient - sending research results or conclusions via apps, and online doctor appointments, etc. Doctor-doctor - the use of electronic information, integrated digital and telecommunication technologies to exchange data between physicians and to manage medical education, healthcare, and medical services. And you know ? what’s the best thing about telemedicine apps Doctor on demand technology can be used in almost any medical field. Thus, the possible areas of application include: pediatrics - no need to take a poor kid through a whole city/town to see a doctor; psychotherapy - psychotherapists can conduct sessions online; dermatology - dermatologists can examine patients suffering from psoriasis, eczema, bedsores, etc., thanks to high-quality images ; Neurology - blood pressure indicators are redirected to a specialist using remote monitoring; Intensive care - if the person is not stable for transfer, urgent video surveillance can be carried out by a specialist. And most importantly, digital health apps can facilitate timely and proper medical care during . the COVID-19 quarantine How Telemedicine Is Being Used in the Context of COVID-19 We knew about remote medical care well before the global pandemic. But we were far from the proliferation of online healthcare. Thus, in the pre-pandemic times, Australian healthcare organizations used telemedicine only to deliver health care to patients living in . remote areas of the country But, the treacherous and rapid Covid-19 virus fast-forwarded the widespread uptake of doctor-on-demand apps across Australia and the rest of the world. Moreover, in February 2020, officials from both the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to accelerate their adoption of telehealth services to help prioritize patients and keep the worried away from crammed hospitals. urged hospitals and clinics And just like that, the adoption of telehealth solutions . peaked in April 2020 During the COVID-19 pandemic, mandatory social distancing and the lack of effective treatments has made telemedicine the safest interactive system between patients, both infected and uninfected, and clinicians. [1] Among other are the following: benefits of doctor on demand solutions No transportation time or costs - when you’re visiting the doctor via phone or video calls, you save money on gas, parking, and others. No need to get off work - you can squeeze in your physician appointment during break time or schedule it before/after work. Access to specialists - if you’re living in a remote area, I bet your health facility lacks a couple of doctors. Telemedicine apps allow you to consult the top physician in the whole country. Coronavirus-free space - Instead of visiting the COVID-19 ground zero aka your local hospital, you can SAFELY get the care you need without leaving your home. With that said, let’s have an overview of the leading telemedicine apps on the market. No Dr. Google, you can now talk to a physician right away in these dire times of the coronavirus pandemic. The Ace of Aces: Telemedicine App Edition It seems that with medical applications, you can receive urgent care from a doctor remotely — without driving a zillion miles in a daze. I searched for the most popular telemedicine apps with high ratings, quality, and overall reliability. Teladoc Teladoc App Store Rating: 4.8 stars Teladoc Android rating: 4.6 stars Cost to download: Free is one of the most prominent players in the medical market. Based in the United States, Teladoc provides online access to both urgent and non-urgent care with a portfolio of services and solutions. Teladoc's main clientele includes medical employers and health insurance companies. Teladoc The latter partner up with Teladoc to provide medical care to their employees or clients via the app. The pool of medical specialists includes family doctors, therapists, or dermatologists as well as physicians specializing in mental health. Health services are available via video and audio chat. The health app caters to patients with and without. In the first case, General Medical visits can be as low as $0 per visit. Without insurance, General Medical is $75 per visit. MDLive App Store Rating: 4.7 stars Android Rating: 4.7 stars Cost to download: Free medical app provides board-certified virtual doctors at your own convenience. MDLive health services are a covered health insurance benefit for over 60 million patients, so the expert advice starts at as low as $0. The healthcare providers are reachable at any time of the day and night through holidays. MDLive Within this app, patients can also get short-term prescription refills and treatment for over 50 non-emergency medical conditions like constipation or allergies. Also, MDLIVE is more affordable than traditional behavioral healthcare. According to the official MDLIVE website, the telemedicine app currently serves more than 40 million members in the U.S. Overall, it’s a more convenient alternative to primary care clinic visits. Amwell App Store rating: 4.9 stars Android rating: 4.3 stars Cost to download: Free Back in 2016, Amwell was among the [best telehealth apps]( in the United States and globally. Today, it is still one of the most downloaded apps in the niche, according to its ratings. connects health providers, insurers, and patients. The latter can access it to get a wide range of health services from urgent to acute and post-acute care. https://business.amwell.com/press-release/amwell-is-again-the-most-popular-telehealth-app-of-the-year/#:~:text=BOSTON (Jan.,second year in a row.) Amwell More than 350 mental health doctors also give convenient therapy visits concerning both chronic concerns or recent stress. Therapy visits on Amwell are typically 45-minute, video-based sessions accessible from any device. Board-certified physicians are available seven days a week, from 7 am to 11 pm with copays of $0. It means that patients with healthcare insurance can get qualified health services for free. In other cases, health plans stand at $79 for urgent care, $99 - for therapy, and $99 - for psychiatric visits. Doctor On Demand App Store rating: 4.9 stars Android rating: 4.8 stars Cost to download: Free The health app is one of the best telemedicine apps with US-licensed doctors. The app provides nationwide healthcare services that bring together patients and physicians. The telemedicine app allows physicians to prescribe medications at the right pharmacies and provide urgent medical care. Doctor On Demand Board-certified behavioral health psychiatrists, doctors, and a care coordination team offer remote quality care via video visits, voice, and messaging. Prices vary according to the appointment type. Thus, a 45-minute consultation with a psychiatrist will cost you around $299, while medical care comes in the form of 15-minute sessions at $75. For immediate appointments, users are assigned a doctor, but scheduled appointments presuppose a free choice of the healthcare provider. Talkspace App Store rating: 4.1 stars Android rating: 4.7 stars Cost to download: Free According to the official , Talkspace is one of the best telemedicine apps in the category of mental health. It is a popular HIPAA compliant medical platform that matches users with a licensed therapist in the state. Therapy visits are available via text, audio, and video. Just like the majority of health solutions, this platform cannot boast global reach, since it’s best suited for people in contiguous U.S. time zones. website Health plans start at $99 per week for weekly live sessions and 24/7 text messages. Some insurance providers also cover Talkspace. The cost of a Talkspace subscription varies by location. On average, psychiatry sessions stand at $199.00, while follow-up sessions are more affordable - $125.00. The USP of Talkspace is couples counseling held in a private room whenever is convenient for each party. Now you have it - the list of best telemedicine apps in 2021. So next time you wake up with a pain in your stomach, you can access virtual health providers via mobile or schedule an appointment and get medical treatment. Best Telemedicine Apps: The Future of Virtual Healthcare COVID-19 and legacy of modern healthcare systems. But we also saw a silver lining here. We have the capacity and expertise to transform the medical industry. Virtual doctor counseling has laid the ground for the healthcare revolution. has laid bare the inefficiencies Over already have a smartphone, so why not use these devices to access a doctor online? The biggest boon of medical apps is that they give people access to quick and convenient medical care and help battle a doctor shortage. So, maybe five years from now, we will all witness the birth of rehauled healthcare with mobile applications leading the change. 6 million users References [1] Galiero, R., et al (2020). The importance of telemedicine during COVID-19 pandemic: . Journal of Diabetes Research A Focus on Diabetic Retinopathy vol. 2020, Article ID 9036847, 8 pages, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9036847

Top 5 Telemedicine Apps for Doctors and Patients in 2021

Interesting times, we live in. Scrolling through social media can be a stark reminder of harsh realities. It's easy to get lost in the noise and challenges of being a person in the world today. Maybe you've resorted to self-soothing by eating cheap fries and acting like a couch potato, maybe more often than you like to admit. Well, I'm here to tell you health problems you incur in the future (as a result of your pandemic coping mechanisms) could leave a bigger hole in your pocket than Elon's left in the crypto community. When you're ready to start focusing on your fitness again, you're likely to faced with another challenge: information overload. There are so many conversations around the topics health and wellness, and that's how it should be: health and wellness are extremely broad concepts. And there's no one-size-fits-all. To help you define what wellness means for , I'll be sharing The Seven Scope Framework for approaching your personal wellness in a holistic and customised way. you When doctors talk about being healthy, they do not mean not being sick. Health is beyond the physical; it extends to the social, physical, and mental well-being of an individual. It should be the goal of everyone to achieve good health. Wellness is living a lifestyle that is centered on being healthy. For example; a clean diet, mindfulness, meditation, exercise, and regular drinking of water are components of wellness. Think of wellness as everything you can do to achieve and maintain good health. When Did People Start Practising Wellness? Human beings have always sought out ways to improve their health from the days of the Greek philosophers to date. In 1950, an American physician by the name of Halbert Dunn coined the word, "wellness" by integrating wellbeing and fitness. Subsequently, in 1990 an American sports physician by the name of Kenneth.H.Cooper released his book on wellness titled . Aerobics Program For Total Well Being In his book, he emphasized the fact that in exercise for maintaining good health. In his words: wellness is a lifestyle, and consistency is important "Exercise is a journey, not a destination. It must be continued for the rest of your life. We do not stop exercising because we grow old - we grow old because we stop exercising." These days, social media has provided a good platform for health workers, physical trainers, and nutritionists to educate people on how to achieve and maintain good health. Some websites and applications are designed to help people understand exactly what wellness means. If you search Product Hunt right now, you'll find a plethora of apps aiming to help users understand the concept of Wellness in more effective ways; , , and to name but a few. The Wellness App Wellnest Buddy What is the Seven Scope Framework for Wellness? The scope of wellness is quite broad: there are many aspects to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In the seven scope classification, wellness is divided into seven components: Spiritual, Physical, Mental, Environmental, Career, Intellectual and Emotional components. The Seven Scopes and 21 Apps to Help You Attain Them Each component has its own significance and unique contribution to sustaining a sense of wellness, in varying ways for each individual. The is concerned with maintaining internal peace and harmony by surrendering to a force or purpose greater and bigger than yourself, on an individual level. The concept of spiritual wellness is quite controversial, but there is a clear correlation between faith, happiness, and good health. Apps like , , and are used to maintain spiritual wellness. Spiritual Scope of Wellness Gaia ConZentrate Spirit Junkie The involves taking care of your body and maintaining an amount of physical activity that is required for good health, but not enough to cause fatigue. The basic components of the physical scope of wellness are diet, rest, and exercise. , , and are great apps for keeping fit and healthy. Physical Scope of Wellness MyFitnessPal 10K Runner 30 Days Exercise at Home is concerned with how well you react to stress, how you feel about yourself, and how you interact with people. Maintaining mental wellness may involve meditation, engaging in hobbies, volunteering, and self-expression. , , and are apps that you can use to improve your mental health and strengthen your mind. The Mental Scope of Wellness Moodfit Happify Shine involves trying to understand your environment, protect your surroundings and contribute positively to the development of the area in which you live. , , and are mobile apps that will help you contribute positively to the preservation of our planet. The Environmental Scope of Wellness #climate Ecoviate Farmstand is engaging in work that is in line with your interests and personal values, as well as providing satisfaction for the employee. , , and are great apps for career growth and wellness. The Career Scope of Wellness VantageFit Elevate Endomondo involves having a positive mindset towards acquiring knowledge and being open-minded. , and provide opportunities to learn from the best teachers and acquire knowledge. The Intellectual Scope of Wellness TED Talks Coursera LinkedIn Learning is related to that of mental wellness. It involves self-awareness and self-acceptance, as well as the ability to adapt to stress. , and are three apps that can support you if you're looking to work towards greater self-acceptance and practice self love. The Emotional Scope of Wellness Sanvello HeadSpace TalkSpace How Can We Achieve Complete Wellness? The scope of wellness is broad: it is most likely that any given individual would be lacking in some areas of wellness. However, it is possible to improve one's state of wellness by being intentional about one's health. The journey to improving wellness is a marathon, not a sprint. Gradual consistent efforts will pay off in the long run, but they will require patience and discipline. If you're serious about increasing your sense of what wellness means, the following four tips will be helpful for you. Have a set goal in mind. As a medical student, I have realized that people who have set health goals usually achieve better health in the long run. In my opinion, if weight loss is the goal, write it down. If you want to feel better or get a job that you love, include your goal in your Notes app. Mobile applications like MyFitnessPal, Mindful, Rise, and Nike + Training can help you achieve your fitness goals. After documenting your goal, work towards it consistently. You may have a few bad days, but there will be many good days. Tell your friends and family. Accountability is very important; having someone to remind you when you are slipping up is key. Tell your friends that you have decided to eat healthier and their eye rolls when you reach for the fries will be what you need to stay in check. Ask your family to remind you to go to the gym or meditate and watch your consistency grow. Get enough rest. Fatigue and sleep deprivation are linked with stress, unhealthy eating, and angry outbursts. If you want to improve your physical and mental wellness, get the required seven to eight hours of solid sleep. You can sneak in naps from time to time so that you feel energized and ready to kick the ball. Avoid risky unhealthy behaviors. Habits such as excessive drinking, smoking, drug use, and having multiple sexual partners are not going to improve your wellness. These habits are linked with diseases, accidents, mental illness, and a shorter life span. For improved wellness, avoid risky unhealthy behaviors. Find your tribe: In the area where you live, there are people like you committed to achieving their wellness goals. Find them and watch yourself grow. Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies: The Possibility When wellness is discussed, the focus is usually on physical wellness and fitness. Beyond the toned body and ripped abs, you deserve to be happy and feel in tune with your job, home, and environment. It may seem overwhelming, having to achieve all your goals in the seven scope framework of wellness, but you are more than capable of achieving anything that you set your mind to. And getting support from today's smartest apps in never a bad idea. Having a healthy mind and body is possible; with effort and consistency, you can achieve your goal.

The 7 Scopes of Wellness and 21 Apps to Help You Attain Them

Medical technologies are not limited to remote examinations, robotic surgical controllers and diagnostic algorithms. Today they transform mental health domain, specifically, work methods with patients and the doctor’s role. Mental health topic is hot as ever The problem of mental health is not new, however, its specifics and the comparative study novelty, it lacks attention. People around the world are better aware of “traditional” diseases and, even if they can be easily treated, they still raise more concerns. Society stigmatizes mental diseases. According to World Health Organization , every fourth person globally is exposed to psychological and mental issues at least once in a lifetime. report 900 million people are suffering from mental diseases today, and two-thirds make no attempts to seek qualified help. On average, 9 mental health professionals per 100,000 people in the world. In developing countries this indicator is less than 1, while in developed countries it sometimes surpasses 72. About there are The United States is the most studied market in terms of mental health. And this same country was the closest to technological breakthroughs in treatment area. According to the National Institute of Mental Health , one in five adult Americans (or 46.6 million people) suffers from all sorts of psychological and mental illnesses. report Who got the worst of it? Millennials and buzzers. Among young people aged 18–25 years, one in four or 25.8% have mental problems. People over 50 years old suffer least of all (13.8%). Overall, out of 46.6 million patients, only 42% sought any medical help. This is more than a medical problem. In the capitalist States, researchers have studied the impact mental problems have on the market. US economy $51 billion due to declining workforce productivity. Major mental illnesses (those complicating the fulfillment of key life and social functions) bring another $193.2 billion of lost profits per year to the economy. And in the UK, due to psychological and psychological issues, people about 70 million additional sick days each year. loses take The total losses from mental problems for the global economy in the next 20 years $16 trillion. This is much more than the "price" of any non-infectious disease. may exceed The scale of the situation resembles an epidemic. However, in the US, the solution to it is not treatment, but an interest surge in sedatives. The king of this market is Xanax. More specifically, a class of drugs called benzodiazepines on the basis of the active substance alprazolam. They briefly suppress anxiety and relieve fatigue. The number of Xanax prescriptions by 67% between 1996 and 2013, the consumption by 2016. Xanax is now regularly taken by up to 5% of all adult Americans. The drug has low tolerance, and together with opioid drugs, it becomes deadly dangerous. As a result, there’s been an increase in deaths from benzodiazepines overdose between 1999 and 2015. increased tripled eight-fold Technologies offer another perspective. Apps and far beyond Tech is not about digital hygiene or self-restraint. The treatment of mental problems from anxiety to clinical depression or bipolar disorder always rests on resources. Therapy is inaccessible to many, and even more scary because of stigma. But even short-term sessions with a specialist, are often not enough due to the nature of the disease. Mobile applications can turn things around. Startups, academic institutes, research labs are developing programs that use active patient data collection to diagnose the condition in real-time. These applications capture dangerous patterns and stabilize the patient through short-term interventions. is a solution brought by Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center. This is a scientific program for the treatment of schizophrenia, that had been over a year. The smartphone analyzes user behavior (launched applications, calls, SMS) and uses sensors (camera, GPS, microphone, accelerometer). The user should regularly report by answering 10 questions about own condition. The data is sent to the server for analysis and further issuing of a clear medical report. Collected data allows for timely response to behavioral changes, and sometimes even prevention of suicidal attempts. CrossCheck tested is an application from a Boston-based Cogito startup that helps identify potential mental issues: from social isolation to anxiety or psychological trauma. This program went through trial by combat: during testing in 2013, about 100 of its users in the area. The team was able to accurately record the increase of symptom fixation. Companion does not make a diagnosis on its own. Having doctor’s diagnosis, the app can notify of the threat of relapse, by MIT. Companion ended up Boston attack as stated is a California-based company founded by the former head of the Mental Health Institute. The of the same name works on the “digital siren” principle. The app and an alternative keyboard are installed on smartphones to monitor all patient’s activity. The focus is on borderline personality disorder. Patients are impulsive, they have anxiety and poor self-control. They are not aware of a stressful situation happening. Mindstrong application is also a Californian project that a network for quick patient care. The project employs and trains special operators for patient counseling. Today, there are 340,000 operators in 198 countries. If the situation is really serious, the patient is connected to a certified therapist. 90% of users feel better after an in-app session. 7 Cups creates Software developers are not the only ones to occupy mental health niche. The deep tech domain (technological products based on scientific research) is far more wider. For example, the London-based company intends to become the world's first medical psilocybin provider and treat depression, anxiety and other conditions. Compass Pathways According to , the idea is simple enough. Our brain, like any complex software, accumulates bugs over time due to incorrect blocks of code (in our case, individual neural connections). Substances such as psilocybin, taken in the right doses and under supervision, allows for brain reload. Where psychotherapy or serotonin stimulants fall short in battle with depression, this is a chance of survival. Bloomberg The project was founded by a graduate of the St. Petersburg Medical Academy Ekaterina Malevskaya and her husband George Goldsmith. The company has already raised $58 million investment and received permission from US regulators to conduct full-fledged clinical trials. If the tests are successful, the products may be approved for official medical use. To whom it may concern Mental health is highly relevant for mobile developers. According to , about 10,000 applications operate in the niche. But the majority of them does not rely on a serious scientific base, but rather streamlined wording about awareness and psychological peace. This of the University of Liverpool academics. The New York Times drew attention Scientists examined the of apps the National Health Service of England recommends for depression. Only 4 of them provide comparatively reliable evidence of effectiveness, and only 2 actually meet scientific standards. The utility of the remaining 85% of apps cannot be proved. They mainly rely on mindfulness practices: breathing exercises and meditation which is not yet considered a clinically proven and effective treatment for depression or anxiety. It might to cope with symptoms, but not more than that. list help Real scientific developments are more complex: CrossCheck has not yet completed the testing phase, Companion has been in it for 5 years. In turn, Mindstrong and 7 Cups work directly with the Californian authorities in a five-year program, which has received over $100-million funding, and endures ongoing medical and financial audits. Regulators led by the mighty FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) do not just confirm the “clinically effective” status. Especially when it comes to personal electronics. Progress is inevitable. According to insiders in the US medical field, the FDA is preparing to announce that applications will soon become part of medical protocols for determining mental illness. Recently, FDA launched Digital Health Innovation Action Plan providing regulatory framework for app developers. World Health Organization as well as UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence issued their guidelines on digital health technologies. Simply put, they will move from extravagant tests to reality. Simplifying mental assistance can save lives. There is a problem, there is a market. According to , an estimated $89 billion is spent on mental health treatment in the United States annually. This, for example, is almost twice as much as the cost pregnancy and childbirth, even considering that over 50% do not turn for help. CB Insights Investments are ballooning. During 2013–2017, about $0.6 billion was invested in mental health industry. In the second quarter of 2019 alone, the investment amount $321 million. A ‘boom in VC funding’, as by Pitchbook. reached being put Startups in this field have visited Y Combinator, Techstars and other accelerators. Investors fall for a clear and healthy business model. For example, the Talkspace application allows users to chat for $32 per week, and for $99 per week to have a video chat with therapists. SoftBank was among those who supported the project in $28 million round. Ginger.io project with similar functionality, but a more personalized approach, provides access for $129 — $350 per month. The project raised $28 million. Health and digital medicine are one of the hottest niches where you can hear the battle cry of tech giants like Apple and Google. Mental health, which is starting to be taken more seriously, looks like a particularly understandable and profitable area. There is proven potential for the use of smartphones, AI, digital communication. FDA approval will make things completely clear. Hundreds of millions of people will have a chance for therapy or even recovery. Smartphones will no longer be source of problems, but become their solution. To sum up, in the foreseeable future, we should expect the following trends: The boom of preventive measures where technologies will play a pivotal role. The diagnosis apps will work on the basis of scientific developments, and dataset will substantially boost their accuracy. A vast array of apps will be prescribed to patients ranging from VR applications for PTSD to for treating depression. games The prominent market players will increasingly partner with insurance companies. The new regulation is likely to come after the presidential elections. Warren, Murray and Smith, US senators, have been with the program, aiming to reinvent medical services regulation by shifting the focus from products to developers. dealing PreCert Much effort will be made to address data privacy issue and ensure due protection of sensitive information. Since the retention rates in mental health leave much to be desired, mental health applications will extensively rely on peer support techniques, which eventually will become a success factor and an enabler for gaining an upper hand. Yuri Filipchuk, partner at CYFRD investment firm, explains what this means for investors, entrepreneurs and all of us.

Data Can Help You: How Technologies Fight Mental Health Issues

Fear has often been the cause of my worst business decisions and eventually lead me to lose control of one of my companies. I’ve paid a high price to understand this lesson. In the Power of Habit, talks about the human brain being made up of a number of layers, and that we just have a less evolved “dinosaur brain”, much of which we share with other animals, and a higher order brain, a more evolved brain, which gives humans higher level thinking and abstract thought. Unfortunately, our pesky dino brain is our survivalist brain, and whenever we are under stress, our dino brain takes over. Charles Duhigg identified six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise), and these are the ones that our dino brain lives by. Don’t feel bad though, when we were cave-humans, we needed those emotions in order to survive. We needed anger to fight, disgust to know what not to eat, fear to survive, happiness to keep moving forward, sadness to take stock and surprise to kick our adrenaline into high gear when under threat. Paul Ekman All those emotions served us then, but times have changed. Instead of getting angry at prey, we get angry at our co-coworkers. Instead of being afraid of predators, we get afraid of losing our jobs, our businesses running out of money and giving up our lives for them. Ever wonder why you feel outraged by the news media? They know exactly how to manipulate your dino brain to get a response out of you. Seen those studies on how ? Bombarded all day with happy images of other peoples lives can’t be great for self-esteem, but that’s what you get every time to fire up Facebook. Of course, its mostly a , but your dino brain doesn’t know that. social media makes you unhappy facade When you are a startup entrepreneur, the stakes are even higher. At first, you think, this is great, I’m my own boss, I can do what I want, and I don’t need to do things I don’t need to. You look at all of your employed friends and family and feel pity — But you aren’t. You’ve traded some security for freedom, but your boss is now your customer, client or yourself, your investors may act like your boss. If you are in business and making money at all, you are beholden to someone. You are now fully responsible for your life, you can’t blame anyone else if you fail, and if you are not working or your business is not making money, you will fail. And the fear of failure includes anxiety, shame and all sorts of unhappy thoughts. The key is to spot and acknowledge the emotion of fear and eliminate it as much as you can when you are making important decisions. Fear is like electricity in the body and when you acknowledge its presence and start to be conscious of it and its tactility you can move it in your body like any other energy coming from your emotions. One of the best pieces of advice on public speaking is “ ”. Let the fear drive you forward. Let it give you the energy to push through the right decision. This is tough, our ego does everything to reinforce its existence and fear is one of its favorite things because it gets refueled — recharged through fear. feel the fear, and do it anyway , or ask yourself “If I had a lot of money what would I do in this situation?”. This can help you prioritize the long-term and to execute on your vision. Try to make your decisions as if you had a comfortable cash flow Ask yourself: This question takes you back to your core values and ethics and can help you face the fear of failure in important and critical moments. “Who would I like to be in the future or what would I want to be perceived or known for?” When taken by fear, we often push today decisions for later, which is probably the worst thing that you can do. Think of it another way: the sooner this is done, the sooner it will be behind me and I won’t have to think about it anymore. (Also good advice for the procrastinators out there) Do not postpone to tomorrow what can be done today. Seneca has a very good quote about this: “Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day… The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.” Adversity, intense competition, political games at your board and even treason are more common in business and they can trigger fear and make you doubt. These are the hardest things to spot because they attack directly what’s below the fear, your self-esteem and makes you question your self-worth. Low self-esteem is probably the main reason when fear kicks in during those moments and situations. Luckily, is just a tool which we can use for both good and evil. We can use it to keep in touch with the people we love, and we can use it to brag about our “wonderful lives”. We can use it to be educated, informed and saddened, all at the same time. technology Proper use of tech can help you to eliminate the outrage, and bump up your self-esteem at the same time. As entrepreneurs, we have a lot of emotion vested in our businesses, and if things aren’t going well, it’s easy to take it personally. When we are not meeting our goals, when our business is floundering, looking for its legs, we can easily get depressed. Here is where technology can help: Use on YouTube to center yourself and be more mindful. has recently been used successfully as a tool to combat depression. If you are fully in the present, then you are not regretting the past or worried about the future. meditation videos Mindfulness Edit out the voices on which are bragging about how great their lives are by them, or even better, why not take a ? Take a break and reset yourself. Trust me, you will feel much better for it. Facebook snoozing social media vacation You’ve probably been burning the candle at all ends trying to succeed. Use on iOS to get a good nights sleep. Listen to a . Go to the gym and out. Just do something other than working on your business for a little bit. Bedtime Sleep sounds app work your anger and frustration Use tech to free your time up for self-care. There are a plethora of free and cheap tools out there (like , , or ) which can help to alleviate the day-to-day stresses of an entrepreneur. Use them. Fabulous Headspace Calm Use apps like to connect with a counselor or business coach who can help you through a rough patch, if you need it. Or just connect with a trusted friend who is not connected with your business at all and talk it out. Talkspace If you don’t feel that you know anyone you could talk to this about, then use a and just record yourself talking. Do it in the car or some other private place. Listen to it (or not) then delete it after. Just talking it out will help. recorder app A great thing to do also and that I have been doing a few times is to go in the nature, in a park and to shout as loud as you can. You will feel the liberating effect it can have. When we let fear take over our business decisions we begin to make bad ones. Even if tech outrages you, it can help you knock out fear and take a bite out of depression. When combined with good discipline in your personal work, like meditating everyday on a regular basis; and good self care by cultivating time for yourself, you develop enough awareness not to be caught by your fear.

How To Overcome Fear & Make Better Business Decisions

245 Tools & Resources for Travelers and Digital Nomads

According to Rock Health, the digital health funding in the first quarter of 2018 reached a whopping $1.6 billion. This is the highest first quarter on record as it surpassed the much-hyped $1.4 billion funding in venture capital during Q1 2016. AI is being applied in 5 different areas of healthcare to improve its overall operations. It is helping in administration, care provision, clinical decision-making, big data analysis, and remote patient monitoring. We consider the top 5 startups which are relying on AI to provide the best healthcare services to their patients: Ucare.AI Founded by Neal Liu, an MIT graduate, the company started receiving funding in 2016. Its AI algorithms and the neural network is used to predict the healthcare patterns in patients. The aim is to prevent hospitalization so that the costs and the time can be saved. The sole purpose of this app is to provide the medical practitioners with an opportunity to focus on only such patients who are at a higher level of risk. Bay Labs, Inc This is a San Francisco based startup which has been able to use AI in cardiovascular imaging. This helps in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. The data which is produced through cardiovascular imaging can be hard to understand for some. Nonetheless, AI technology uses such algorithms and videos from the huge library that help the medical personnel in proper interpretation and cure. Talkspace Mental health is a growing issue and needs to be addressed properly before we lose a number of precious lives around us. People like Michael Phelps have also suffered from the worst form of so, consider this epidemic to be as real as possible. Lately, Phelps partnered with Talkspace to increase awareness on mental health. The company was founded by Oren and Roni Frank in 2012 and has already treated around half a million patients. It helps you connect with licensed therapists through their app or website. depression Vitagene Until now, the company has raised $6.6 million and is a renowned name in genetic sequencing. This app will run your DNA model through its AI platform comparing it with other samples in their database. The results help the app in recommending a healthy diet, an exercise routine, and a supplement plan. Not only will you be able to get the DNA health test but it will also present you with the ancestry report. VaGenie Childbirth crazily affects a woman’s body and weakens the pelvic floor. As per the research, 2 out of 3 women suffer from a weak pelvic floor and this causes various problems in them including back pain, incontinence, and prolapse. VaGenie provides a combination device and app to help women in strengthening their pelvic floor through Kegel training. It teaches the women how to perform the exercises correctly while making them fun for them. These startups are disrupting the health industry and using AI to improve the care which is provided to the patients. There are plenty of more startups working in the field and in near future, AI is going to bring more ease to this industry.

5 Health Startups Using AI to Improve Daily Wellness

For the last ten years, I’ve had chronic back pain that would randomly flare up from time-to-time. For the most part, the flareups were easy to ignore as they would go away almost as quickly as they arrived, but in the last six months, the pain got so bad that I couldn’t even work. When I began having trouble breathing, I went to the doctor and found out I have scoliosis as well as bulging discs in my neck and back, causing muscle spasms around my heart and lungs. It was at that time that I took a hard look at how I was treating my body — not my drinking habits or sleeping patterns, but the which was the main cause of my stress, strain and pain. way that I was working, Now, as a freelance writer, taking time off to recoup is not an option, however, continuing to work and add stress to my body and mind is also not an option, either. So, what’s an independent professional (with lackluster insurance) to do? Create a stress relief routine For me, that’s yoga…every damn day. I started going to yoga classes at my gym, signed up for classes at a local yoga studio, dusted off my yoga mat at home and even got a book on yoga to “deepen my practice.” Being committed to a daily stress-relief routine will ensure that no matter what’s going on in your life, you have dedicated “x” amount of time for your mind and body to rest and rejuvenate. One thing that helps me to stay on track is signing up for classes in advance, so I feel obligated to go and am less likely to bail at the last minute. The other incentive is avoiding pain. If you’re someone who has chronic pain or stress, know that your stress-relief routine is your safety net and being dedicated to it will only serve you in the long-run when say, an important deadline comes up or you have a busy week ahead. Here are some ideas for your own stress relief routine: Yoga Running / walking Meditation (morning and/or evening) Listening to soft music with your eyes closed Reading Stretching Deep breathing Get the stuff you need to support your routine When it comes to building your stress-relief routine, your mind is going to try and think of all sorts of ways to get out of doing it. But if you get all your ducks in a row (like getting the supplies you need, signing up for classes, etc), you’ll have fewer excuses to opt out and more reasons to keep yourself on track. Here are some of the things that helped me: — I found this really colorful mat that I love looking at while practicing yoga. It’s also new and clean, so I feel refreshed when using it. Getting a new yoga mat — I did a search on YouTube to find a bunch of scoliosis / back pain videos that I keep on hand for when I need to do a quick 20–40 minute routine. The videos are free and if you do them enough, you’ll likely come up with your own variations. Here are some of my favorites: , , Finding yoga videos specifically for me Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 — if you’re trying to de-stress, having music you can get lost in is super helpful. . Meditation music This is my favorite 3+ hour mix — this may sound hippy-dippy, but having a scent to burn while I’m trying to de-stress is a key incentive to get me going. I like to burn Palo Santo wood, which puts a nice cedar smell into the air while I’m doing downward dog. Incense Get your own here. Adjust your working conditions Whether you have a healthy spine or not, sitting at a desk all day is not good for anyone’s body. For me, sitting at a desk was making my back slump and putting an incredible strain on my neck and upper back. Having a desk (or space) that puts your computer / screen at eye-level (or slightly above) and a place to rest your hands / arms, is super important for relieving stress from your body. — Luckily for me, my bookshelf is a tall space with multiple, evenly-spaced racks, which allows my laptop to be at eye-level with my head and the shelf beneath it allows me to comfortably rest my wrists and hands while typing. Standing “desks” Look for spaces in your own home or workspace that can be easily converted into your own standing desk; sometimes the most unexpected places can become your favorite spot. — When I’m tired of standing, I go over to my L-shaped couch and sit upright with two vertical pillows behind me to support my spine and neck. I then allow the bottoms of my feet to touch (almost cross-legged, but diamond-shaped) and put two pillows on top of my legs, which prop up my computer at eye-level. I have two pillows on either sides of my arms, which support my elbows from slumping down and pulling on the muscles in my neck as I type. I also try to push my back straight up and into the pillow when sitting, so my neck is fully supported, not craning forward, as I work. L-shaped “desks” See if there’s a couch or area in your home or office that will allow you to sit upright, but in a way that supports your upper body, including your head, neck and arms. — Another thing I’ve found to be helpful in relieving stress from my body is using a prop (like a stiff, vertical pillow that goes from the bottom of your spine to the top of your neck) on the back of my chair, finding a resting place for my arms (usually on the table), and a resting place for my legs (usually on another chair in front of me or slightly to the side. Leg support Keeping your entire body supported while you sit should help to relieve any pain or discomfort you may be experiencing while working. Find someone to talk to If your mind is stressed out, it can easily manifest itself in your body starting with your neck, jaw and shoulders (ever woken up with a sore jaw? You’re clenching your teeth at night from stress), so getting some mental clarity is super important for overall pain relief. A simple option (especially for freelancers with crummy insurance) is TalkSpace, an online therapy platform that pairs you with your own therapist, who you can speak with as often as you like for $100 / month. I signed up and so far, so good. Even if I don’t have time to talk to my therapist every single day, just knowing I have someone there I can reach out to if I’m feeling stressed out and/or overwhelmed, truly does help. Do something non-work related Sometimes when I’m super stressed out / in the most pain, I want to keep on working to just “get it done,” or perhaps I feel so overwhelmed I don’t believe I can take a break. But the reality is, if you don’t take breaks, you’re only hurting yourself and probably the output of your work, as well. Try not to wait until you’re in pain / freaking out to take breaks; the more regularly you do it, the more your body will thank you. Here are some of my favorite non-work related things I do to relieve stress: Doing a quick stretch or yoga routine on my mat at home (or going to a 1-hour class) Picking up flowers and arranging them in vases Watering my plants Running an errand Watching an episode of a show I enjoy Taking an hour to read or lay down Sitting down in a sunny spot inside or outside Write something non-work related (like this article!) Meet up with a friend for coffee, lunch or a happy hour Cooking for myself or others (or looking at recipe books) Laying down with my eyes closed for 15 minutes Be mindful This sounds so easy, but being super aware of your body and stress levels is the first step toward reducing stress. For example, when you’re sitting at your desk, pay attention to how your neck and spine are positioned; is your neck craning forward while you’re working? Do you get excited while typing and begin to sit forward in a slump instead of sitting relaxed and upright? Is your tummy coming forward while you sit and type, or is it pulled in, helping your neck and spine stay straight? When you’re feeling stressed, are you skipping meals and having too much coffee? Are you allowing worry to manifest inside your chest? Are you even breathing? Paying attention to all of these little feelings, movements and placements of your body will ultimately add up to more comfort and less pain before, during and after you work. Now your turn! I’ve let stress rule and ruin my life for many years, but I’m finally in a place where I can be committed to living a more stress-free life both with work and in my personal life. I invite you to do the same — I promise you’ll be happier and healthier in the long-run! Annie is a New York-based product copywriter who works exclusively with startups and small businesses. Have a question? annie1maguire@gmail.com

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