Wednesday, February 8, 2012

GEO Medicine and Lifetime Exposure to Poor Air Quality

Bill Davenhall: Your health depends on where you live (9 min video, TED, Oct. 2009)

Also shown here: Bill Davenhall: Your health depends on where you live (9 min You-Tube)

And discussed here: Heart Attack Rates (Acute Myocardial Infarction per 100,000 Medicare Enrollees) (ERSI, 2005)

The focus today is on a new branch of environmental health called GEO Medicine that looks at geography applied to environmental health and epidemiology, using various new tools including Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and tracking tools such as those found on smart phones. The speaker points out that while lifestyle and genetics are often included on one’s medical history file, rarely is there a record of where one lived and what was the environment . By extension to his own “place history”, he shows how this can help to identify in advance what diseases to expect in old age.



Key Quotes:

“what is really talk about what is the formula for life and good health - Genetics, lifestyle and environment”

“For every community in the United States,you could have your own personalized map of that.… our cell phones can now build a place history”

“ we must teach physicians about the value of geographical information. It's called geomedicine. There are about a half a dozen programs in the world right now”

“Genetics (genes that metabolize certain chemicals and drugs is important) Nutrition/diet is critical to help manage health problems, deficiencies & weakened conditions. Exercise is critical for circulation, brain, mood, spine and plain detoxification”

“The biggest factor mainstream medicine does not pay attention to is toxin exposure..where you've lived as far as outdoor air quality, where you work to consider inside air (copiers, smokers, perfumes, good ventilation) and chemicals, pollution around the work building (incl.. pesticides). Similar questions about home air, smoke, ventilation, paint/formaldehyde & proximity to industrial plants, toxic mold growth all play a role”
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