Treatment Chair in a Aesthetic Clinic

Breaking Down the Barrier Between Eastern and Western Aesthetic Treatments

Peonia Medical, the company that has become widely known as ‘Nottingham’s Leading Doctor-Led Aesthetic Clinic’ for 2022, also has clinics in Leicester and London. Additionally, with another clinic on the way – this one to focus on the training and teaching of UK aesthetic professionals in treatments popular amongst East Asian nations – it has been thrust to pre-eminence in its industry in the eyes of both clients and peers. Working with diligence and rigour, its dedication to science, innovation, and customer service has secured it a place at the head of the pack in its sector.

A leader in advanced aesthetics and skin treatments, Peonia Medical has clinics across the UK, from Nottingham to Leicester and even London. Nominally, it was created by and is still run by Dr Tracy Xu, one of the foremost professionals in her field, who has developed it into a great example of modern aesthetic medicine. Combining oriental aesthetic practices and complete compliance with UK medical and treatment law, it offers wrinkle-reduction injections, dermal filler face contouring, non-surgical rhinoplasty, precision tear-through correction, thread-lifting, medical-grade skin treatments, and wellness treatments from intravenous therapies to weight management.

Fundamentally, during offering each of these services to its clientele, it takes great pains to show its commitment to the values and principles that Dr Tracy Xu has ensured make up the beating heart of the clinics and the team of professionals that run each of them. To boil it down to a singular phrase, these values could be summed up in the want to ‘create a natural, healthy, and balanced look for everyone’. It does this – with the help of the extraordinary team it has assembled – in a manner that allows it to tailor its services to each client, educating them on the nitty gritty of its treatments in order to ensure that they can give fully informed consent before it proceeds.

Similarly, as it has its clients’ health and wellbeing in mind as the foremost priority, it will never go ahead with a procedure if it is unsafe to do so, or if said procedure doesn’t fit its client’s goals. It works these goals out by way of consultation, sitting down with its client in a no-pressure, no-obligation environment that allows them to get all necessary information and have their concerns assuaged. Consequentially, it has developed a loyal client base of people who agree with its aesthetic ethos and who use Peonia Medical as their one-stop-shop for aesthetic medical procedures, all of whom have left glowing reviews or go on to give positive word of mouth referrals to family, friends, and peers.

It is thanks to this that Peonia Medical’s client base is forever growing, as more people find out about it through how many people speak to the excellence of its services. With principles that have stayed constant since the practice was established, Peonia Medical serves a diverse group of people and with a diverse array of treatments, aware that medical aesthetics is not one-size-fits-all and happy to guide a client through what certain solutions may entail. Many of its clients are East Asian people living in the UK, but it has gained the trust of a wide variety of people from all different walks of life, backgrounds, and career paths, with its offerings of non-invasive skincare to intensive surgery meaning it has something for everyone.

With a healthy online digital footprint that ensures it remains a foremost voice in the digital epoch that has secured itself even further as a result of the pandemic, it has carved out its niche across several platforms. This includes WeChat, Facebook, Instagram, and through email subscription. Moreover, 10% of its clients come through partnering training companies, 10% from its website and these other platforms, and the rest through the above word of mouth referrals. Critically, having made itself such a front-runner in its industry and garnered such trust in the wider market segment, Dr Tracy Xu’s efforts have ensured that she and her team stand out from the crowd with their continued insights and dedication to progressing the sector further.

With a commitment to client wellbeing, it continually demonstrates an in-depth understanding of East Asian aesthetic medical treatments, too. This has been made possible by Dr Tracy Xu herself, as she trained in China, and thus has a breadth of knowledge regarding the medical procedures popularised in East Asian countries and how to apply them so that she can offer them in her UK clinics. Most aesthetic practitioners in the UK, regardless of background, have training in UK based aesthetic treatments only.

Therefore, Peonia Medical has ensured that it can retain pre-eminence in its industry in the nation by holding the title of one of the only – and certainly one of the best – treatment providers when it comes to treatments developed in East Asia. Thus, a big part of the reason it has been able to develop such a large client base is because it provides treatments that so many of its clients simply struggle to find elsewhere, giving them a safe, contemporary, and rigorous solution to aesthetic skincare solutions.

Certified in Asia and here in the UK, Dr Tracy Xu’s training has been thorough and systematic, and she has used the knowledge she earned during her training to further educate her staff. Due to this, the team she has built around herself is each highly knowledgeable and demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the industry, made possible due to Dr Tracy Xu’s experience with systemic specialty-based training that go above and beyond the usual one-day courses in the UK proper. Moreover, with each staff member taking on a myriad of pivoting roles within the company, it ensures that everyone within its ranks is excited to face the challenges of the workday and can take on any number of roles within the company.

Each staff member is proficient in being the friendly first point of patient contact, the positive showcase window of its clinical work, the source of patient referral, and the epicentre of what drives expert patient care; due to this, it looks for honest, hardworking people who will fit into this culture of excellence. Additionally, it holds regular meetings and group brainstorming sessions to ensure everyone’s ideas are heard. Therefore, it has been able to rally this outstanding team around itself in order to survive the pandemic by implementing the correct PPE and doing regular webinars whilst treatments were on hold, allowing it to hit the ground running once again when it re-opened. In 2022, it will be continuing to power on through with its work, launching a new line of cosmetic surgery services to its patients, educating peers about East Asian aesthetic procedures and continuing to break down the barrier between Western and Eastern aesthetic treatments.

For business enquiries, contact Dr Tracy Xu from Peonia Medical via their website – peoniamedics.co.uk

Dr Tracy Xu Sitting on Chair in the Aesthetic Clinic
Dr Tracy Xu
A Doctor with his arm crossed wearing his uniform and equipment

The Wound Closure Solution of the Future

With the effective treatment of wounds from sores to lacerations, Pathelen Health Care is the company behind the Pathelen Hybrid medical device, a treatment that focuses on encouraging the healing process. It does this by ensuring that any biofilms that prevent the formation of new tissue are removed, reducing the risk of infection and increasing the effectiveness of the body’s ability to recover from the wound. All of this, as well as its client service abilities, has earned it the title of ‘2022’s Most Innovative Biotech Company’ in Switzerland & 2022’s Awards for Excellence in Innovation.

With a core flagship product around which everything else has been created, Pathelen Health Care’s focus has been on its Pathelen Hybrid since its inception. Nominally, Pathelen Hybrid is a medical device that has been registered with SwissMedic and the USA FDA as an exemplary device for use in non-healing chronic wounds. Built to stimulate the healing time of such wounds as diabetic foot ulcers, ulcus cruris, and bed sores, the Pathelen Hybrid has its uses in ensuring that potentially damaging wounds are taken care of in a way that avoids the condition of the body worsening. In this way, use of the device has prevented amputation by ensuring the wounds are taken care of in a timely manner.

Critically, as a superabsorber, this product’s main draw is its ability to deal with any discharged liquid that a wound creates, making sure that it doesn’t linger around the sore and cause increased danger of infection or sepsis. Hygienic, utilitarian, and safe to use, it ensures that every medical professional who comes into possession of the device knows how to use it, but has also worked hard to ensure that the device is not overly complicated in any way, shape or form. In healthcare – especially when dealing with open wounds – time is often of the essence, especially when amputation is at stake; thus, it has strived to cut the fat from the process.

Specifically, its main target is the removal of biofilms that prevent the formation of granulation tissue. First and foremost, the prevention of granulation tissue is what prevents a wound from closing and can mean additional danger for a patient in terms of the wound getting worse, making it a longer and more painful healing process. Thus, the superabsorbent properties of Pathelen Hybrid take the uncertainty out of it, ensuring that biofilms are kept to a minimum after its application once the wound is clean of debris.

Granulation tissue is normally formed after 3-5 days, which leads to a successful complete closure between 3 and 8 weeks depending on the size and severity of the laceration or sore. Moreover, with a success far above the norm for medical devices of its kind, it has gone above and beyond the expectations of the medical community for it at every turn, with no side effects observed and no added complications thanks to the use of the Pathelen hybrid device. Instead, patients it has been used on have reported back with successful wound closures within the forecasted time and a good experience with it that has allowed it to become a staple of the hospitals and medical facilities it has provided its medical devices to.

In this manner, it has been able to achieve its goals through its own innovations, developments, and tenacity, something that it will be continuing to do long into the future. This dedication to constant improvement has vastly further endeared it to the medical industry and the international medical community, as the smallest change in variable could be the difference between a patient keeping a limb and losing it.

If the Pathelen Hybrid is applied within a timely manner, its usefulness in saving life and limb truly cannot be overstated. Going forward, Pathelen looks forward to continuing to improve and redevelop the Hybrid as it grows as a company, ensuring that its clients and their patients are the ones who benefit from the ever-growing and changing developments involved in the wider world of medical science and its specific fields. A big part of this will be working to be able to address the treatment of chronic wounds with treatments that do not contain pharmaceutical products.

By addressing such things with medical devices instead of ingestible or bloodstream delivered products, a clinic or hospital can increase the amount of people their various investments can treat safely, as with a medical device there is far less risk of allergic reaction or adverse side effects. This non-pharmaceutical delivery method of treatments has, therefore, made itself a more and more popular staple of the modern medical industry, one that will only be seeing more and more investment as it moves forward into the future.

Moreover, its patented manufacturing process can achieve such things at a higher success rate and lower cost than most pharmaceutical products, making for a deeply trusted product that has thrust Pathelen into pre-eminence. With this notoriety has come further trust, respect, and custom from clinics, hospitals, health centres, and clinicians, something that it sees only increasing as time goes on, especially given its propensity for working to keep Pathelen Hybrid at the top of its game.

For business enquiries, contact Bijan Sabet from Pathelen Health Care via their website – pathelen-hybrid.com                                    

Pathelen product
Pathelen Hybrid
White Coloured Clinic with Patient Chair and Equipment

The Joint Care Experts for Community Health

Butterfield Osteopathy, having been recognised as 2022’s ‘Best Family Osteopathic Clinic’ London, serves its local community and further afield with expert osteopathic solutions. Looking after the joint health of infants, parents, athletes, as well as anyone who needs an experienced holistic approach to improve their mental or physical health, it has become a cornerstone of care and support. The clinic’s experienced and friendly team are proud to serve, advise, and guide their patients towards better health and wellbeing, showing its patients how to receive help for their ailments and gently guide them towards being able to better take care of themselves.

A multi-award-winning practice, Butterfield Osteopathy was founded in 2010 by Maria Larrain. Maria, an experienced hands-on osteopath and practitioner with a passionate commitment to her patients’ health and wellbeing, established the perfect home for her practice in an old, refurbished Victorian shop in Stoke Newington, Hackney, part of the Council’s plans for the regeneration of the local area – which Butterfield Osteopathy has proudly helped to restore and bring back to life. This unique setting provides an oasis of calm and tranquillity in London, and the perfect setting to deliver first-class osteopathic treatment.

With a strong emphasis on family osteopathy, paediatrics, and infant health, Butterfield Osteopathy always goes the extra mile to support the physical and mental health of its clients, and as a result has made itself a cornerstone of Stoke Newington. Its team focuses on treating people of all ages and from all walks of life – from older adults, young professionals, children and infants – by helping them regain their confidence, manage pain, discomfort, and joint troubles, always delivering expert, professional care in a safe, welcoming environment.

In addition to its core osteopathic services, Butterfield Osteopathy’s sports injury treatments have become renowned and respected within the athletic community, and the practice has recently introduced extracorporeal shockwave treatment, an effective non-invasive way to treat chronic tendinopathies.  

Treating patients within the local community of London, as well as those who travel from across the UK and abroad, Butterfield Osteopathy’s team of osteopaths take a gentle, hands-on approach to restoring the health and wellbeing of their patients while taking a holistic approach. Its well-trained, empathic, and inclusive professionals are proud to welcome people from the LGBTQIA+ community and Haredi community through its doors with no judgement and an open heart.

To better reflect the changing realities of providing the best customer care post-pandemic, the practice has also recently upgraded and updated its booking systems to enable patients to more quickly and easily make an appointment or book a treatment.

As restrictions continue to lift, Butterfield Osteopathy is now also able to slowly begin to resume its popular workshops in order to create a ‘parent and baby’ support group for local families.

In addition to running Butterfield Osteopathy and being a hands-on osteopath who treats patients daily, Maria is committed to continuing her own training, education and research projects, and is currently in the midst of her doctoral research at UCL examining infant tongue-tie.

For business enquiries, contact Maria Larrain from Butterfield Osteopathy via the website – butterfieldosteopathy.co.uk

Curtis Benjamin

5 Signs Your Loved One is Being Abused or Neglected in a Nursing Home

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NIH), approximately 1.5 million older adults currently reside in nursing homes and one million in assisted living facilities. In part, this is due to the aging of the baby boomer generation. Unfortunately, a growing population in nursing homes also means increased incidences of abuse and neglect. Although family members who place their loved ones in a nursing home expect that they will be treated fairly and kindly, this is not always the case.

The unfortunate fact about nursing home abuse and neglect is that most victims cannot communicate how they have been mistreated. In cases where an elderly loved one cannot advocate for themselves, it’s up to family members and friends to watch for signs of bad care. Here are some warning signs your loved one is being abused or neglected in a nursing home.

Unexplained Physical Injuries

One of the most frequent signs of abuse is the presence of unexplained physical injuries. Nursing home employees who are stressed or overwhelmed may turn on a vulnerable senior and physically harm the patient by hitting, pinching, pushing, or scratching them. The elderly patient may suddenly suffer from broken bones due to a fall when they didn’t have a history of fall risk.

Improper use of controls to prevent a patient from moving around may also be a form of physical abuse. A nursing home resident may experience head or fall injuries as they try to do things independently.

If a loved one has been injured due to an accident or unexplained injury at a nursing home, reach out to these personal injury lawyers in New York as soon as possible. You and your loved one may be eligible for monetary compensation for the suffering caused by an abusive or inattentive nursing home employee.

Poor Personal Hygiene

Most older adults don’t have the physical and mental ability to bathe, dress, or properly groom themselves. They often rely on caregivers and nurses for assistance. However, if nursing home patients are neglected, these basic tasks might not be completed, or the elderly may try to do them independently.

Poor personal hygiene may be a warning sign of an understaffed nursing home or poorly trained caregivers. It can also signify potential abuse, indicating that the aide doesn’t care about the older adult. Be sure to check for signs of body odor, unwashed hair, dirty clothes, and the smell of urine or feces.

Inattentive or Poorly-trained Staff

Nursing home staff members should respond swiftly when a resident activates a call light and not allow any phone calls to go answered. The residents’ safety and well-being should be the number one priority for nursing home employees. Staff who are evasive with questions, refuse to discuss your loved one\\\’s care with you, or are unable to answer questions might be a warning sign that the care in the nursing home is suboptimal.

Dehydration and Malnutrition

Dehydration is another most common and deceptive sign of a neglectful nursing home. If a nursing home doesn’t have enough qualified staff, residents in that facility may not receive all the needed food and drinks to remain nutritionally sound and hydrated. Unfortunately, health issues may arise or worsen when a senior fails to get proper nutrition and hydration. Be sure to question any sudden loss of weight or signs of dehydration.

Visible Emotional Changes

If your loved one in a nursing home shows sudden changes in personality or intense emotions, this may be due to abuse or neglect. Your loved one might suddenly look fearful, embarrassed, or agitated due to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, including being ignored, bullied, ridiculed, or threatened with punishment. Depressed mood, disrupted sleep, sudden withdrawal from favorite activities, and becoming uncommunicative are signs that something is wrong.

Endnote

No one should be abused or neglected, especially in a facility that is required to offer elderly safety and care. If you suspect your loved one is suffering from abuse or neglect in a nursing home, you should immediately reach out to an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer. A skilled attorney can help your elderly loved one harmed in a nursing home take legal action to pursue justice and compensation.

6 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Developing Cancer


Image: Pixabay

Claiming more than 600,000 lives annually in the United States alone, cancer is by far among the world’s most feared diseases, and for a good reason.

As much as it’s treatable and even curable in the early stages, most treatments for advanced cancer are usually aimed at improving the patient’s quality of life.

It is also safe to say that the best treatment for cancer is preventing it in the first place. And as the old adage goes, prevention is always better than cure!

Having said this, how can you reduce your odds of suffering from malignancies? Here are some research-proven and medically recommended ways to reduce your risk of developing cancer.

1. Regular Medical Checks and Cancer Screening

As earlier hinted, cancer is pretty much curable when detected at an early stage. But early diagnosis is only possible through cancer screening and regular medical checks.

Screening is especially crucial for patients with malignancies but do not have the symptoms of cancer, meaning that it is not yet spread or advanced. It can also help detect cell abnormalities and an appropriate treatment given to prevent progression to cancer.

What if You’re Only Diagnosed with Cancer After It’s Spread? At times, a medical practitioner may fail to detect cancer as early as they should – perhaps out of medical errors. Cases of cancer misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis are not alien to the medical field.

If you’re only diagnosed with cancer after it has already spread, you might want to contact a Delayed Cancer Diagnosis’ legal team for advice. They’ll investigate your case and help find out if you are eligible for compensation through a medical malpractice claim.

2. Avoid Smoking at All Costs and Limit Your Alcohol Intake

From lung to throat, mouth, bladder, and cervical cancer, several types of cancer have a close association with smoking or chewing tobacco. Whether you smoke or chew, quitting tobacco for good can be the healthiest decision you will ever make.

And if you consume alcohol, it is recommended to only do so in moderation. Excessive alcohol intake can have devastating effects on your health, including increasing your risk of developing colon, liver, oral, and breast cancers.

3. Healthy Nutrition: Keep Your Diet in Check

Nutrition plays a key role in determining a person’s risk of suffering from certain types of cancers. For instance, consuming too much red meat and saturated fats can heighten the risk of colon cancer and prostate cancer.

A healthy, well-balanced diet, on the other hand, can shrink your chances of suffering from cancer, more so later in life. Health experts usually recommend reducing your intake of processed food and instead increasing your consumption of whole grains, leafy veggies, and fruits.

4. Prioritize Vaccination

Some types of cancer are triggered by infection, especially viral infections. A good example is Liver cancer, which can develop from infection by Hepatitis B. HPV or human papillomavirus infection is also a common cause of cervical cancer, which primarily affects women. Taking a jab for such infections at the right time can incredibly minimize your cancer risk.

5. Protect Your Skin from The Harsh Sun Rays

Many skin cancers are linked to unsafe prolonged exposure to the sun’s UV radiation. This is why it is recommended to apply sunscreen and wear appropriate clothing to keep your skin protected whenever heading out on a scorching sunny day.

6. Exercise Regularly

The benefits of regular physical activity are virtually too many to mention. And as far as research goes, exercising regularly can help slim the risk of colon cancer and breast cancer. It’s even more effective when combined with a healthy diet approach. Moreover, exercise can help prevent or reverse obesity, which has been linked to several types of cancer.

Cancer is usually considered a terminal illness. The good news, however, is that it can be prevented by reducing or eliminating certain risk factors. The above few pointers can go a long way in improving your health and helping reduce your risk of developing cancer.

A Doctor standing and pointing at healthcare icons

Pioneering The Future of Effective Wound Care Solutions

The multi-award-winning company, Kent Imaging Inc., is a leading Medtech firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The company’s technologies – namely SnapshotNIR – are enabling clinicians to drive better outcomes in wound care, limb preservation, and surgery, with its diagnostic-driven imaging technology that assesses tissue oxygenation. Consequently, Kent Imaging has, once again, earned itself the esteemed title of Best Medical Imaging Technology Development Company, 2022 – Canada.

Effective wound management stems from consistent, in-depth wound healing monitoring and persistent therapy. Tissue oxygenation is a key indicator in a wound’s capacity to heal and tracking how this healing is progressing, as the delivery and uptake of oxygen in the tissue plays a fundamental role in cellular function and tissue epithelialization. Traditional equipment used in the observation of tissue perfusion and oxygenation is often large, immobile, and expensive. It is, in essence, incredibly limiting. As a result, patients are oftentimes wrapped up in lengthy appointments, invasive protocols, and a lack of accessibility. Additionally, many of these devices on the market only measure perfusion in the large vessels. SnapshotNIR measures tissue oxygenation in the critical microvascular network.

A Canadian company, Kent Imaging Inc., is on a crusade to optimise the technology utilised in this area. As such, Kent has established itself as an innovator, specialising in the production and marketing of advanced imaging equipment for wound care, limb preservation and surgical applications. Over the years, the company has filed multiple patents for ground-breaking technologies, with the goal of aiding both national and international healthcare systems.

Its flagship product, SnapshotNIR, serves as the latest generation of near-infrared tissue oxygenation imaging. The portable and lightweight technology is a far cry from the clunkiness of its predecessors and as easy to operate as a point-and-shoot camera, therefore able to be seamlessly integrated into clinical and surgical workflows. Furthermore, it is a wholly non-invasive piece of technology – SnapshotNIR uses no dyes or injectables, no consumables, and needs no direct patient contact to capture images wherever the patient is situated.

Supported by over two decades of research, SnapshotNIR uses near-infrared (NIR), reflectance-based technology. With this technology, SnapshotNIR measures relative amounts of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the microcirculatory network where oxygen exchange is happening. With a simple click of a button, clinicians are provided with a clear, easy to read, tissue oxygen saturation map that can provide valuable insight to help make informed, patient-centric medical decisions.

The SnapshotNIR device has a variety of applications, and can be used in cases of wound care, limb preservation, and reconstructive surgery. To provide some examples, the device can be leveraged in hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to qualify patients for this advanced treatment modality, and then to assess the effectiveness of this treatment over the prescribed number of sessions. This is extremely valuable from both a time and economic standpoint as it can assist in patient compliance and enable the documentation of continued therapeutic success or the end of treatment. SnapshotNIR can be used to provide insight into the adequate preparation of a wound bed for the application of advanced therapies and then continue with the documentation of the efficacy of the therapy. In the interoperative environment, Snapshot can indicate the level of oxygenation in a surgical flap to provide insight into the likelihood of flap survival. This can impact decisions made while still in the OR. Within limb preservation, for instance, time is of the essence and the identification of poor tissue oxygenation in the peri-wound and surrounding tissues can serve to expedite vascular referral and intervention. In the United States alone, statistics show that every 30 minutes, $1 million is spent on diabetic foot complications, and 80% of non-traumatic amputations are a result of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) – over 50% will die within the first five-years of amputation. Kent Imaging’s solution means that access to non-invasive vascular assessments is increased, not only saving limbs, but potentially lives.

Additionally, the product enables clinicians to provide a greater standard of care to patients. Healing chronic wounds can often be a slow and frustrating process as wounds can be deceiving. In many instances, the status of the wound healing progress cannot be fully evaluated with visual inspection alone. With SnapshotNIR, practitioners gain insight that allows them to offer patients timely, informed, and, in some cases, life-saving solutions. This technology provides real-time insight through non-invasive, accurate and actionable data, which can result in better patient compliance and more positive outcomes.

The impact that SnapshotNIR has had has been significant– patients and clinicians alike have nothing but high praise for the product, and these testimonies are displayed across Kent’s website. Dr. Duane Cumberbatch has used the technology in a plethora of cases, and for one of his patients, an elderly woman suffering from chronic vascular wounds on each of her ankles, it forged almost unprecedented results. After suffering from these wounds for over six years, thanks to SnapshotNIR and Dr. Cumberbatch’s treatment, within six months of her first visit, her ankles were almost completely healed.

It is clear that Kent Imaging’s SnapshotNIR offers multiple benefits to both its users and their patients. Dr. Duane Cumberbatch’s experience with the product is mirrored within additional expert testimonies, including that of the Save a Leg, Save a Life Foundation. The organisation specialises in building awareness around the issues, care requirements and potential complications that can arise from diabetes or PAD-related chronic wounds.

The Foundation is now utilising SnapshotNIR in its community outreach screening events. “To be able to use a screening device like Snapshot that can give us information in a short amount of time is invaluable. As we grow our program and do more events around the country and elsewhere, wherever we have technology at our screenings, I think everyone benefits,” summarises Dr. Desmond Bell, a key player, and the creator of the foundation. The SnapshotNIR device is an exciting advancement in wound care technology. There is an increasing amount of evidence that displays the technology’s positive impact on client outcomes and the work clinicians can fulfil. In turn, Kent Imaging is changing the future for wound care, limb preservation, and reconstruction patients.

For business enquiries, contact Sandra Jenks at Kent Imaging Inc, via the website – https://www.kentimaging.com

Pierre Lemire
Cylera presenting at convention

Healthcare Cyber Security Company of the Year – UK

An ‘Internet of Things’ platform that allows medical facilities to perform at peak efficiency without fear of cyber-attack, Cylera offers defence and synergy in a holistic fashion. Having worked hard to develop the best solution in the UK for remote, digital, and top-down medical device management in a way that doesn’t interfere with uptime or leave the facility open to infiltration, clients from large hospitals and small local health centres alike have lauded Cylera as an invaluable part of keeping the medical machine – both technologically and metaphorically – running smoothly.

Cylera, an industry leader when it comes to next-generation IT, IoMT, and OT cybersecurity, has been making a name for itself across the industry vertical with its hard-working team and exemplary solutions. Nominally, it has been developed to provide the strongest, most advanced, and most reliable healthcare Internet of Things solutions, alongside the best cybersecurity risk management solutions for the industry, especially when it comes to the defence of medical devices. Its focus on healthcare has certainly made it a front-runner, able to give clients peace of mind that the technology they use to help their patients is secure. Fundamentally, the Cylera platform through which these solutions are delivered ensures the strongest and most advanced IoT work is made available to its clients, discovering and securing the entire connected environment across an enterprise’s technological infrastructure.

Covering the overall structure, the medical devices found therein, and the building operations systems of a client’s facility, Cylera’s platform has been built for IT and clinical engineering both. Thus, it covers asset identification and management, network analysis, risk assessment, network segmentation, threat detection, intelligence, operational analytics and fleet optimisation, and has become well known for its excellence in each of these facets of its work, becoming a trusted provider of NHS trusts across the UK. Whether its clients specialise in acute, community, or mental health, Cylera’s technology enables it to stay focused on the patients, helping it to keep its medical devices cyber-safe and operational. This is something that its clients often mention in reviews.

Critically, its customers can trust the level of diligence and expertise that goes into the development of each and every one of its services, as well as its dedication to keeping its finger on the pulse of new developments and innovations in its industry so that it can remain staunchly competitive. Having seen significant growth in the market whilst keeping an eye on the trends therein, it has noted a prevailing spike in growth that began in the early months of 2021. Here, many NHS trusts flocked to Cylera for new and better cybersecurity solutions to help them handle the brunt of the oncoming challenges, benefitting hugely from the resulting increased security in their medical devices and healthcare infrastructure, meaning they have one less thing to worry about in an era of ever-evolving new concerns.

This award, for Cylera, is further proof that it is on the right track with its efforts, especially combined with 2021’s growth spurt. Having made itself a trusted partner to many healthcare providers, the third-party recognition granted by awards such as this signals the start of even more increasingly invaluable growth, ensuring that clients never need to just take its word for it when it comes to the exemplary nature of its services. Instead, they can trust the endorsements given to it by awards committees and previous clients both, able to peruse the various different reviews and referrals it has received over the years. Additionally, due to the industry it works within, many of its clients come to it through word-of-mouth referral by fellow professionals in healthcare.

Furthermore, its focus on healthcare allows it to stand out from its competitors, as it has built itself to specifically fit around the challenges of modern healthcare infrastructure and the requirements involved. Crucially, the specificity of its technology makes it the most reliable IoT service that a medical facility can purchase, the depths of its insights and the understanding of clinical and IT/SOC workflows it is able to display being totally second to none. It is also able to develop unique policy generation, customer collaborated design, and risk-free clinical systems or processes, able to scale this up or down to fit any scale of organisation or facility from the largest hospitals to the smaller, more locally focused practices.

Additionally, many vendors of IoT technology are actually providing re-purposed solutions. Often, these are generalised technological offerings that cannot adequately safeguard uptime, meaning they are unreliable when it comes to critical medical device management, enterprise IoT systems, and specialised healthcare environments, which can be incredibly dangerous should an attack catch a client unawares. These solutions give a ‘theatre of security’ style illusion whilst actually safeguarding nothing.

In contrast to such things, Cylera’s efforts are based around three key technological capabilities, providing the basis of the granular detail that it has been able to incorporate into its highly advanced, specific, and well-developed systems, all of which it is willing to talk a customer through in detail. Firstly, it works hard to incorporate adaptive datatype analysis into itself. This is something that Cylera has been working hard on for many a year, resulting in a patented and proprietary method of identifying IoT devices and extracting data whether known or unknown from the relevant sources, all whilst IoMT are introduced and moved throughout the environment.

Cylera uses this to be able to tell a client far more about the status of the device, where it is, and how it is communicating with other systems; something that many of its competitors either cannot do or do not handle nearly as well. This is further bolstered by its Internet of Things Device Emulation Engine, or ‘Digital Twin’. Regarding this specifically, its patented Device Emulation engine creates digital twin simulations of the live device in the platform itself, allowing accurate configuration and behaviours that keep a close eye on the actual device’s status. Maintained in real time as the device changes and as fluctuations occur in the live environment, Cylera can ensure industry-leading vulnerability scanning without jeopardising device uptime or clinical continuity, ensuring that the medical facility in question can continue to run smoothly.

Third and lastly – but certainly not least – amongst Cylera’s technological capabilities is its Intelligence Database. Cylera’s CyLabs provision is a unique blend of cutting-edge proprietary research into healthcare devices and the cross-industry threats that such healthcare delivery organisations face, benefitting the customer to include an understanding of how risks may affect the business. By implementing software born out of this deep understanding of the wider clinical context, Cylera allows clients to continue their expert delivery of healthcare solutions, giving them invaluable peace of mind that they will have no cybersecurity threats to take away from this such as unpatched devices or ratings without context awareness.

The most recent development in the Cylera platform has recently become the new Cyber Alert Dashboard. Nominally, this has been developed based on the number of specific requests that the business receives on a daily basis, pushing it to respond by rising to the challenge and developing a system specific to the needs of NHS Trust customers. Having shown its diligence, professional acumen, and tenacity when it comes to serving such clientele, the new dashboard highlights whether the Trust has any equipment affected by the NHS Digital Cyber Alert security notifications and guides them on how to resolve or mitigate against each threat, issuing cyber alerts to health and care organisations in order to keep them up to date.

This has, critically, allowed Cylera to develop a kind of ‘early warning system’. From weekly threat bulletins to immediate, high-severity alerts, Cylera’s clients have been benefitting from a new, comprehensive, and holistic answer to cybersecurity awareness, allowing responses to be timely and specific enough to resolve risks before they become threats in the first place. Naturally, this is something that has further increased Cylera’s notoriety in the industry, setting it up as a cornerstone of the modern NHS’s working infrastructure and a critical linchpin between the facilities scattered all over the UK.

Over the last few years, healthcare providers have also become increasingly targeted by sophisticated cyberattacks. This, combined with the ever-evolving threats that cyberattacks can pose, as well as additional pressure put on the medical industry by the pandemic has made the cybersecurity and cyber defence of facilities even more pivotal than ever before. Nominally, many of these attacks directly focus on the connections that medical professionals and devices have to the IoT.

Cylera wishes to make the IoT and solutions therein as safe and secure as possible, not just for specific elements of the medical sector, but for the entire industry vertical across all manner of scales and specific healthcare provisions. Becoming the safeguarding watchdog for networks, access protected data, patient care, and other such services, NHS Digital has continued to make Cylera its core stalwart and defender, helping it to raise the bar for healthcare’s data security requirements. Additionally, it has also been expanding the scope of the identifications and monitoring that connected medical devices can achieve.

As more and more NHS trusts look to adhere to new DSPT standards, Cylera is excited to be serving a new boom in interest in both its platform and the how’s and why’s behind its services, able to show the benefits that a facility can glean by trusting a cybersecurity expert. Moreover, as a constantly developing and tenacious company, it has been able to update its specific capabilities to be perfectly in line with the issues these new customers wish to see resolved or mitigated, for instance being able to provide a map to the majority of DSP toolkit requirements. This aids the acceleration of how quickly NHS clients can prepare their submission, backed up by all relevant evidence needed for validation.

Like many start-ups, it is fully focused on collaboration and achieving a set vision. This – safeguarding what matters most – has made it a true industry darling and a gem in the medical sector throughout the UK, something that will be continuing to be true long into the future. Taking care of the professionals, and by proxy, the patients, Cylera’s efforts ensure that medical facilities can operate quickly, efficiently, and without fear of disruption from outside sources, able to rest assured that even though cyberthreats evolve on a daily basis, so does Cylera.

For business enquiries contact Katherine Brocklehurst via the website – cylera.com                                          

Happy girl

Here are the Healthiest Cities to Live in the UK!

Happy girl

If you love the tranquillity and allure of the countryside and the fun of the city, you’re not alone. There’s certainly something to be said about the fresh air, privacy and expansive greenery of living in a rural area, but cities tend to offer easier access to a wider range of amenities and better transport links.

However, it needn’t be a trade-off. The health and wellness gurus at Made4 Vitamins have analysed which of the UK’s 25 largest cities will allow you to live the healthiest lifestyle, considering factors such as air quality, walkability, access to green spaces, sunshine, life expectancy and more. If you’re looking for the charm of the countryside with the hustle and bustle of the city, then don’t miss out – now, you can have both.

 

Key Findings:

  • Of the top 25 cities in the UK by population, Edinburgh offered the best air quality, followed by Leicester and Birmingham.
  • Bradford offered the worst air quality, followed by Brighton and London.
  • Edinburgh also offered the greatest amount of green space per person, with 3m2 of green space available per head.
  • Sheffield ranked second in green space per person with 155m2 of green space per head.
  • Edinburgh also ranked highest in walkability, followed by Sheffield and London.
  • Of the top 25 cities, Plymouth ranked highest in the UK (2nd) in terms of sunlight per year, with Bristol coming in eighth.
  • Cities in the north of the UK were more likely to experience vitamin D deficiencies than cities in the south.
  • Cities in the north of the UK tended to have lower life expectancies than cities in the south.

 

Air Quality – Edinburgh

Air quality can have a huge impact on your health and wellbeing – fresh air has been associated with a healthy digestive system, improved blood pressure and heart rate and more, whilst polluted air can result in various cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancers.

As such, the World Health Organisation has established guidelines for acceptable air pollution levels, based on the concentrate of PM2.5, fine particulate matter of 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, in the air.

Of the top 25 most-populous cities in the UK, Bradford ranks worst for air quality according to IQ Air, with their 2021 air quality exceeding the WHO guideline by 2-3 times. The second-worst UK city by air quality was Brighton, followed by London, Bristol, and Belfast.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh offered the best air quality of the top-25 cities, followed by Glasgow, Leicester, and Birmingham.

 

Green Spaces – Edinburgh

Green spaces add a charm and freshness to any city, breaking up the monotony of skyscrapers and tower blocks. Not only that, but they create a safe space for community and exercise, for kids to play and to meet friends in.

According to Natwest’s Green Cities report, Edinburgh is the number one city in the UK in terms of green space. The city offers a massive 233.3m2 of green space for each person living there, beating out second-placed Sheffield who boast 155m2 of green space per head. Public-access parks and green spaces constitute a whopping 49.2% of the city, meaning that there are plenty of great options when it comes to getting a bit of fresh air.

Sheffield also ranked well when it came to other metrics such as green energy production, residents’ energy consumption and the percentage of car owners with ULEZ vehicles, and topped the NatWest study’s list of Greenest Cities. At the other end of the list was Wolverhampton, where there was just 25m2 of green space to each person, and high numbers of people commuting by car.

 

Walkability – Edinburgh

If a city is lacking proper infrastructure for pedestrians, you’re much more likely to get into unhealthy habits, such as driving or taking public transport everywhere. Luckily, that problem is much more common in the US, where cities fail to provide proper pedestrian areas or walking routes.

Edinburgh topped the list of UK cities for walkability too, no doubt helped in part by the sheer number of green spaces on show throughout the city. A survey by Living Streets quizzed residents on how they felt about their city’s walkable access to shops and parks, the quality of pavements and streets, and whether they felt safe walking there.

Again, Edinburgh ranked highest for walkability, followed by Sheffield, with London in third place. 82% of respondents found Edinburgh’s streets to be of good quality, with 67% of respondents finding it easy to reach a park on foot and 65% finding it easy to get to the shops on foot.

 

Sunlight – Plymouth

Though the UK’s sunniest city, Chichester, falls outside the top-25 population ranking, two of the UK’s most populous cities make the top 10 – Plymouth and Bristol. Plymouth was ranked the UK’s second-sunniest city in the country in a 2018 survey, having enjoyed 1730.1 yearly hours of sunshine. Meanwhile, Bristol took eighth position on the list with 1627 yearly hours of sunshine.

Ensuring you get enough sunlight can be crucial for your health – a failure to receive enough sunlight can result in an insufficiency or even deficiency of vitamin D. A 2021 study backed this up, with areas in the north of England most likely to suffer from insufficient vitamin D. Scotland was the most likely area for this to happen, though residents in London were also likely to have lower vitamin D levels.

 

Life Expectancy – Westminster 

When it comes to judging cities or even regions on their life expectancy, it can be a little trickier to gauge due to disparities that exist in each city. For example, there are significant fluctuations within London when comparing areas such as Kensington and Newham. The highest life expectancy in the country, according to data from 2017-19, is from the London borough of Westminster, where men tended to live to around 85, and women to 87.

 

Overall, however, data highlights the fact that places in the south of the UK tend to have higher life expectancies than places in the north. Though these figures vary across London, the capital city as a whole boasted approximate life expectancies of 81 for men and 85 for women according to figures from 2017-2019.

Meanwhile, Newcastle and the surrounding areas had the lowest life expectancies in England. Many other cities north of the Watford Gap had a noticeably lower life expectancy than London, including Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, where life expectancy tended to be around 78 for men and 82 for women. These numbers were lower still in Scotland, where life expectancy was 77 for men and 81 for women.

Though the life expectancy is lower in Scotland, Edinburgh remains a similar level to Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, and boasts significantly better walkability, access to green spaces, and better air quality – it therefore tops our list of the healthiest places to live in the UK.

Dr Bhasha Mukherjee, Medical Lead at Made4 Vitamins, commented: ‘it’s crucial that wherever we live grants us the ability to live a healthy lifestyle, whether that’s in terms of air quality or being able to exercise safely. Edinburgh’s amazing pedestrian infrastructure and expansive green spaces make living healthily a breeze, and that’s why it tops our list!’

Menopause Workplace

Menopause In the Workplace

Menopause Workplace

With the conversation around menopause and the workplace becoming a focal point in recent months, workplace discrimination and employment law solicitors Beecham Peacock reveal the current status of employment rights relating to menopause and how these might change in the future.

Key findings:

  • Despite 1 in 10 women in the UK who worked during the menopause leaving jobs as a result of menopausal symptoms, menopause is currently not a protected workplace characteristic in its own right.
  • As recently as May 2022, it was confirmed that there were no plans for menopause to be introduced as a further protected characteristic under the Equality Act, 2010.
  • However, some aspects of menopause may already be protected under the Equality Act, 2010, whilst other Legislation acts also place obligations on employers to ensure those experiencing menopausal symptoms do not suffer a detriment.
  • 8 in 10 UK women employed during menopause say their workplace had no basic support in place.
  • Thankfully, with conversations around menopause and a more open culture in the media and workplaces starting to appear, it is hoped that more support will be available. Several large employers, including NHS England, the Civil Service and the House of Commons, have already signed up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge.
  • Huddersfield Town Football Club recently became the first football club in the UK to achieve “Menopause Friendly Employer” status, whilst larger employers such as HSBC UK, M&S Bank and First Direct have also been accredited.
  • As light continues to be shed on the issue, Tribunals have seen a 44% increase in menopause-related employment tribunals year-on-year in 2021 according to research by the Menopause Experts Group.

 

Where Does Workplace Law Currently Stand on Menopause?

Whilst important discussions have been taking place in recent months around menopause and its impact in the workplace, menopause is currently not a protected characteristic and there are no plans for this to change in the immediate future. It was confirmed as recently as May 2022 in a letter from The Minister for Work and Pensions (Lords) and the Minister for Women, Baroness Stedman-Scott, to the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Caroline Noakes MP, that the Government has no plans to introduce menopause as a further protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

This does not mean that an employee who is impacted by the menopause and its symptoms cannot take action under current UK Law. Protection can be found under the Equality Act 2010 as the menopause and its symptoms may be covered under other protected characteristics such as sex, gender reassignment, age and disability (for example, where the symptoms of the menopause have a substantial and adverse impact on day to day life). However, this is, of course, not as straightforward as recognising menopause as a protected characteristic in its own right.

In addition to the Equality Act, 2010, other Legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and Public Sector Equality Duty also place obligations on employers to ensure those experiencing menopausal symptoms do not suffer a detriment.

 

What Workplace Support Currently Exists?

Historically, there has been little formal workplace support in many UK companies, with the subject almost being seen as taboo. 8 in 10 UK women employed during menopause say their workplace had no basic support in place. This has led to menopause being referred to as the ‘Silent Career Killer’, with 1 in 10 women in the UK who worked during the menopause leaving jobs as a result of menopausal symptoms according to a 2022 Report by the Fawcett Society into Menopause and the Workplace.

An increase in Employment Tribunal claims by 44% from 2020 to 2021 shows that employers have not been getting things right and that employees are beginning to take action where the correct support is not in place.

 

What Circumstances Breach Your Employment Rights?

The symptoms and effects of menopause, including but not limited to fatigue, hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, concentration and memory issues (often referred to as ‘brain fog’) and mood swings, may fall within the definition of a disability under the Equality Act 2010 where they amount to a “physical or mental impairment…[that] has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on [their] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

It is generally accepted that long-term means lasting, or likely to recur, for 12 months or longer for the purposes of this definition, meaning that workplaces treating employees less favourably or failing to make reasonable adjustments for those experiencing menopause symptoms could in many cases face a discrimination claim. This may include issues relating to uniform, toilet breaks, time off for medical appointments and increased flexibility in working arrangements.

Those who are treated less favourably or victimised due to their sex, gender reassignment or their age, which can be linked to the menopause, may also have grounds to make discrimination and harassment claims.

 

How Is the Climate Changing When It Comes to Workplace Menopause Support?

Thankfully, the increasing openness to discuss issues surrounding the menopause, both in the media and in workplaces, has led to a number of employers, including HSBC, M & S Bank, First Direct and Huddersfield Town FC being granted ‘Menopause Friendly Employer’ status, whilst Huddersfield Town Football Club recently became the first football club in the UK to achieve “Menopause Friendly Employer” status. Likewise, several large employers, including NHS England, the Civil Service and the House of Commons, have already signed up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge. We are likely to see many more follow suit in the coming weeks and months.

This has led to an increased and more open discussion of menopause and its impact in the workplace. Increasingly employers are introducing a menopause policy and/or training to deal specifically with the symptoms and impact of menopause, rather than including this under existing policies. This tailored approach enables employers to better support employees. Menopause and Wellbeing Champions are also being introduced into some workplaces.

 

Could Menopause Workplace Support Be Formalised Through UK Law?

Although there is presently no legislation that requires employers to have a menopause workplace policy, and no existing workplace laws specifically relating to workers experiencing menopausal symptoms, as the conversation progresses we are seeing positive changes in practice even though there are currently no plans for formal changes to UK law.

At present, those facing workplace issues in this regard can still receive professional advice on their working rights and support specific to their situation, including the option of filing a discrimination claim in many cases.

Work Injuries

Four Common Work-Related Minor Injuries that Often Go Unnoticed and Can Lead to Long-Term Health Issues

In the workplace, accidents can be quite frequent, and some can result in serious and minor injuries. It has been estimated that 270 million workplace injuries occur across the world each year.

When it comes to Britain, work-related injuries and health issues tend to be on the daily agenda too. Every year, about 1.7 million employees will suffer from some sort of occupational ill health, and 0.4 million will end up picking up non-fatal injuries.

In the event of an accident that has happened due to the employer’s negligence and has had a negative impact on the person’s life, workers can file a work accident claim to receive well-deserved compensation.

That said, it is common for less resounding incidents to go unnoticed. But the truth is, in the long run, they can gradually escalate into a bigger problem, causing extended pain and suffering.

Here, we take a look at habitual, work-related minor injuries and health problems that are often overlooked when, in reality, they shouldn’t be.    

 

1. Slips, trips and fall-induced injuries

Slips and trips are the most recurring cause of injury in the workplace. In fact, they are responsible for more than one-third of all significant injuries and can often lead to further accidents, such as falls from height and into machinery.

Slips and trips are so common because they can easily happen in any environment, from ‘standard’ offices to construction sites. Tendentially, they occur when floors are wet or contaminated due to poor maintenance and housekeeping. As they are a very frequent form of accident, it is easy to brush off the episode if there is no noticeable, immediate consequence.

However, slips, trips, and falls can originate an array of severe injuries and health issues. For instance, they may result in head and brain injuries, cuts, lacerations, soft tissue injuries to the back, and fractures. Some of these injuries may show very feeble symptoms at first. But if ignored and left untreated, they can quickly worsen and have a negative impact on the lives of those affected.

 

2. Whiplash injury

The nature of some jobs may require workers to hit the road on a daily basis. From couriers and florists to dog groomers and street food restauranteurs, there are many occupations where driving is an inescapable part of the job description.

When out and about, especially during rush hours, mishaps can take place at every turn. Even slamming the breaks to avoid colliding with another vehicle or a pedestrian can be harmful. You are likely to suffer an abrupt movement of the head and neck, which may result in whiplash injury. The effects of whiplash can take up to 24 hours to manifest and could be confused for tiredness or a normal headache. However, in some instances, whiplash can become a serious, long-standing condition that causes chronic pain, concentration and memory problems, and inability to sleep soundly.

Susanne McGraw, Head of Personal Injury at Watermans, said: “As part of a team of personal injury lawyers, I support many people who have suffered a whiplash injury when at the wheel of their vehicle. Most of them will recover within days, whereas others have to deal with its effects for weeks or even months.

“My recommendation is to seek medical assistance as soon as possible. This will give you the chance to get the treatment you need and alleviate feelings of discomfort in a timely manner.”

 

3. Noise-induced hearing loss

Work-related hearing problems affect about 14,000 employees in the UK every year. This is usually the result of spending prolonged hours in a loud environment, especially when sounds surpass 85 decibels. For instance, workers who handle electric hand tools or other sound-emitting equipment have a good chance of suffering from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).

The problem with NIHL is that it tends to happen and escalate gradually. This means it is difficult to catch before the damage has ultimately been made. It is likely that the sufferer will not even realise that it’s occurring until it is too late. It is important to look out for subtle symptoms such as sensations of ‘fullness’ in the ears and an intermittent or continuous buzzing. If you notice you are struggling to hear people talking a few feet away, you should start asking yourself why, especially if you work in a noisy environment.

To prevent NIHL, make sure you always wear noise-reducing earmuffs. Where possible, it is wise to collaborate with your employer to find methods to both measure and control noise levels.

 

4. Repetitive strain injury

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is a common injury that happens when muscles, tendons, and nerves carry out the same action. Manual occupations often require you to perform specific motions repeatedly. This, in turn, can favour physical damage over an extended period of time.

Because the damage is gradual, RSI can go unnoticed for a long time, and it usually affects the hands, wrists, elbows, neck, and shoulders. If not diagnosed early, RSI can deteriorate and become chronic, making the recovery process very challenging. Some of its most prominent causes are constant movements such as typing, poor ergonomic conditions, and not taking regular breaks.

One of the problems with RSI is that its symptoms are easily neglected. At the start, it will only manifest itself through tingling and sensory disturbances in the forearm and hand, which quickly subside as you rest your limbs for a short while. This can wrongfully tempt people to postpone seeking medical advice.

One of the best ways to prevent RSI issues is to assume a straight sitting posture with relaxed arms and shoulders. Not only that, but it’s also to vary your movements as much as possible and avoid repetitive motions.

 

From whiplash and repetitive strain to noise and slip-induced injuries, there are many issues that can emerge as a result of work accidents and habitual job duties. If you start experiencing mild symptoms that you cannot explain, don’t put up with it – make sure to see your doctor. A medical appointment can nip the problem in the bud, sparing you from chronic pain and suffering in the long term.

Why your diet and exercise are vital to your health as you get older

Everyone knows that a good diet and regular exercise are cornerstones of good health, but it is important to understand why you need to continue with these as you age even if you are not as fit and mobile as you were in your 20s. Keep reading to find out why it is so important to keep up with exercise and a good diet as you begin to age.

Why Physical Activity is Key

Regular physical activity is essential as you get older and this is for a few reasons. Staying active will help you to maintain a healthy weight, prevent muscle loss and improve your heart and cardiovascular health. Not only this, but exercise is proven to reduce the risk of many illnesses and diseases common in old age, including coronary heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Other Exercise Benefits

There are also a number of other benefits of regular exercise as you begin to age. The mental health benefits of exercise cannot be overstated and it can be a great way to de-stress with the release of endorphins. Regular exercise can also act as an enjoyable hobby and this could be a solo activity or a way to be social (many seniors struggle with loneliness and isolation). Many also find that regular exercise can promote healthy sleeping patterns, which is vital for overall health and wellbeing.

Adapting Exercise

Of course, you may not be able to exercise as you could in your 20s as you start to get older. This is why many have to adapt their exercise habits to prevent injury. Generally, low-impact exercises are best such as swimming, cycling and walking. There are now many walking sports that can help people to enjoy their favourite sports without the impact (these can also be great social activities. You need to listen to your body and speak to specialists for any pain that you are experiencing, such as back pain that can interfere with all aspects of your daily life.

The Importance of Nutrition

The other side of the equation is nutrition. You could exercise regularly throughout the week, but if you do not maintain a healthy diet then you will struggle to maintain your health. A healthy and balanced diet will give your body the nutrition that it needs to provide energy, maintain a healthy weight and prevent diseases like heart disease and high blood pressure. This is why your diet needs to be based on vegetables, fruit, protein and whole grains and treats enjoyed in moderation.

The importance of leading a healthy lifestyle as you get older cannot be overstated and will be key in helping you to enjoy an active lifestyle as you age and enter retirement – a time in your life that you will want to make the most out of.

A Comprehensive Guide To Health Insurance For Digital Nomads

Source: Unsplash

Today’s ease of international travel, advances in tech, and the availability of remote jobs are fuelling a trend that has long been in the making: the technology-empowered return to a nomadic lifestyle.

But, while over 15.5 million people are now living the dream of pursuing their career goals while discovering the world, this lifestyle isn’t risk-free.

And, when it comes down to accessing healthcare services abroad, many digital nomads find themselves at a loss.

Luckily, health insurance providers are evolving with this trend, and are now providing tailored and comprehensive coverage. Here’s all you need to know before taking the leap and committing to a nomadic lifestyle.

Go Beyond Traditional Travel Insurance

One of the main downsides of being a digital nomad is that, given how new this lifestyle is, there is no handbook or answer sheet to consult to find solutions to everyday problems.

When it comes down to getting health insurance cover, you’ll find out that your lifestyle does not fit the standards and requirements of a traditional insurance plan. And that’s mostly why many digital nomads resort to travel insurance policies to cover their healthcare expenses abroad.

But no matter how expensive your travel insurance policy might be, the chances are that healthcare coverage will still be limited. After all, travel insurance is designed as a safety net for short-term travelers (usually capped at 180 days) who might find themselves in an emergency situation.

However, travel insurance providers also assume that, if you are struggling with a chronic condition, or need recurring screenings, you’d fly home and access care through your standard policy.

Since this might not be a viable option for serial expats, you should consider working with specialized health insurance companies such as InsuranceMarket.ae, which provide ad hoc coverage for digital nomads.

Invest in Global Primary Health Insurance

Once you have excluded travel insurance as a viable replacement for primary health insurance, it’s time to look at your options. The most common alternatives include:

Discussing options with your home country’s health insurance provider

Some health insurance providers provide coverage abroad or in specific countries. For example, EU citizens can access healthcare in other member countries, and Australian citizens benefit from the country’s reciprocal agreement with 11 jurisdictions. It’s important to notice that, with this option, you might not be covered everywhere.

Buy a local health insurance plan

If you are planning to reside in a certain country for six months or longer, you might consider investing in local healthcare coverage. Some countries even provide monthly-based plans specifically to short-term expats. This option might not be suitable for digital nomads who travel at a faster pace.

Opt for international primary healthcare cover

Global health insurance is one of the best options for digital nomads since it covers multiple destinations and allows pay-outs for emergency and non-emergency care, including everyday preventive care, long-term treatments for chronic conditions, dental care, and routine screenings.

Choosing Your Health Insurance Policy: What to Look For

Investing in travel and health insurance policies is an essential aspect of staying healthy while traveling. However, finding the right option for your needs can be overwhelming. Here are five aspects to review before committing to a certain insurance plan:

  • Jurisdiction coverage – not all plans will cover you everywhere you travel. Make sure to find the right policy for your travel plans.
  • Treatments and care covered – some global health insurance policies won’t cover screenings, preventive care, or non-emergency treatments. Make sure yours includes, at least, emergency, inpatient, and outpatient care as well as prescription coverage.
  • Pre-existing and chronic conditions coverage – if you suffer from chronic or long-term conditions, consider reviewing your insurance plan to make sure that you can access the care you need abroad.
  • Cost and fees – insurance policies vary greatly in terms of monthly premiums, pay-out caps, and deductibles. Consider finding a policy that you can afford but suits your medical and lifestyle needs.

Work With a Specialized Health Insurance Provider

Not all insurance providers offer policies created with the needs of digital nomads in mind. And, in some cases, not even digital nomads know what kind of coverage is needed abroad. Working with a reputable and specialized insurer is a surefire way to access affordable and comprehensive coverage designed around your lifestyle goals.