Technology and Health
We are living in a high-tech age where speed seems the ‘mantra’ for everything from food to activity, with gadgets for exercise, therapy, cleaning, food production, service, mobility and the lot. The only thing left to us is actually eating, walking or helping ourselves and others to survive. Lets pause and ask ourselves what are we up to?
Dorothy Parker once said money cannot buy health, but I would rather settle for a diamond studded wheelchair. Like her, we have choices to make otherwise we can accept that we are a lost species to be put in wax museums or be at the mercy of future archaeologists or may be robots.
Tech and health
Over-dependence on technology can affect us in multiple even hurtful ways, to curb our communication skills, creativity and other natural qualities that we are endowed with, such as happiness, love, peace and health. Some of the long-term effects on health are already visible physically, mentally and emotionally, gradually turning us into mere objects or subjects of desire and research, rather than thinkers, creators and innovators as our ancestors were.
Physical health
There is no doubt that our mental and emotional state has a bearing on the physical body and vice versa. Any disturbance in either appears in the form of symptoms, that warn us to act before they convert into an illness, which if ignored precipitates as disease. Have we ever seen a sick person who looks happy, loving, contented and peaceful ?
So, the aim should be to strive for physical wellness that reflects our mental and emotional state of health and wellbeing as well. Some pointers to physical health are briefly discussed as affected by technology development.
Posture – Body posture has certainly been affected with a lot of screen viewing, the neck having to remain in a fixed position for extended periods of time. When tired or strained one tends to stoop, gradually affecting the spine which is meant to remain upright. Posture is an important indicator of personality, as seen when a teacher walks into a classroom emitting a sense of self confidence, authority, friendliness, and making eye-contact with all present.
Standing or sitting erect indicates good posture enabling the nerves passing through the spine to work normally, sending and receiving messages from the different parts of the body to maintain it in functional health. The bony structure responsible for movement is called the appendicular skeleton.This protects the various organs and structures including blood vessels and nerves, lying along the length of bones and protected from injury by muscles and skin.
Poor posture therefore, may result in fainting due to sudden reduction of BP as on standing up quickly from a sitting or lying position, medically termed as postural hypotension syncope. This is most common in the elderly or when patients are being treated with antihypertensive drugs, particularly when the appropriate dose is being established. Postures were particularly affected during the pandemic, when digitisation was accelerated and work-from-home (WFH) became the norm, leading to prolonged periods of screen-viewing and sedentary lifestyles.
It is therefore recommended, that the spine be kept erect in all body positions and for all activities. In fact, to avoid the possibility of straining it, some work places are now equipped with standing work tables to use devices on. Still, sitting or standing in the same position over long periods needs to be avoided, exercising in between being important to physical health. It is also common experience that sleeping without a pillow keeps the spine strong and reduces back pain, an indicator of strain.
Eyesight – The time spent on screens through use of high-tech phones, computers and TV’s has considerably increased, necessitated by WFH routines. This has added to eyestrain even in children, who have been presented at a very early stage with gadgets, even to learn the alphabet, rhymes or play games. This is detrimental to eye health, especially when the organs are still developing and can be affected easily by radiations emitted from the gadgets.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced people to stay indoors and spend too much screen time causing a myopic endemic that hurt half the world. This affected children most in terms of nearsightedness resulting in digital eyestrain, the eyes becoming more prone to glaucoma, cataracts and other afflictions. The long term effects of exposure to the light from gadgets can lead to retinal detachment or even blindness.
Over the last 40 years national surveys have revealed that 7.5% children between 5-15 years have been found to be myopic as compared to 15% in the last 10 years, whereas, rural figures increased from 4.6% to 6.8% only. The difference could perhaps be related to the agrarian lifestyle with greater inclusion of fresh vegetables, fruits and milk products in diets, not discounting the exercise involved in daily household and farm activities, especially for women. A study from the LV Prasad Eye Hospital, Hyderabad, showed that 20% of the surveyed children had myopia, attributed to more screen-time, phone use, online games, less physical and social activity.
Studies have also found that the earlier a child is given a phone the higher are the chances of depression in later life. What is now being called the dopamine effect as being very real.
Till about the 18th century, in no society was there a felt need for widening the scope of social work to tackle the challenges of societal problems. Whenever problems arose they were handled by the then existing joint families and the prevailing spirit of philanthropy, fostered by members of the community and through religious teachings. In fact it was said that :
… All work including social work done under the inspiration of religion possesses an intensity and depth rarely found in work done with purely secular motives.
Interference of the political state are only the product of the special conditions arising out of modern industrial and technological civilisation.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica the term ‘social service’ is comparatively new to Great Britain. If it has been used previous to the 20th century, it would have meant ‘philanthropy’ and ‘charity’ in the ordinary sense.
Man’s life is cast into environments natural and secular. Tools and machines change the natural environment by making an impact on its social environment as well. The natural consists of interpersonal things and forces, while the social is a mere interaction as Daisaku Ikeda said :
…the only way for us to hone… polish our character is through our interactions with others.
It is extremely important for children to spend at least one hour a day playing outdoors preferably in the sun to get their vitamin D and other essentials from their diet. A balanced diet strengthens the bones, develops organs, the digestive and hormonal systems and other processes involved in body functions, important for sustaining holistic health.
Sleep - Sleep hygiene and bedtime regularity is important for the body to develop normally and absorb nutrients, used up more effectively during sleep. A good rule to follow is early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise, that was enforced when we were young. If this rule is not followed any amount of calcium or other supplements or efforts to improve health will prove suboptimal.
Mental health
The health of the mind involving its thoughts, feelings and emotions all affect physical health, and thereby the body’s performance and productivity, that largely impact behaviour.
Behavioural impact - A noticeable impact of excessive technology-use has led to more aggressive and reactive behaviours rather than thought-out responses, seen as drastic shifts in lifestyles. According to Beth Haggerty, technology limits pure creative thought leading to greater dependence on finding quick answers. People now depend on search bars and browsers for information instead of looking to nature and using pleasant time in social face-to-face interaction to learn from. Charles Eisenstein so aptly said :
we are living in an age of separation, with reverence to nature shifted to the machine that is a symbol of power and technology obsessed with growth and progress …. It is a juggernaut plowing over the earth destroying everything in its path.
A classic example is the use of robots even in the labour intensive field of catering. Fast foods like french fries, onion rings and fritters are all going hi-tech. A robotics company in Pasadena, southern California, has started rolling out its Flippy 2 robot, which automates the process of deep frying potatoes, and other foods. A robotic arm like those in auto plants, directed by cameras and artificial intelligence, takes frozen fries from the freezer, dips them into hot oil, then deposits the ready-to-serve product into a tray. Flippy 2 can cook several meals with different recipes simultaneously, reducing the need for catering staff to speed up order delivery at drive-inns. Mike Bell the chief executive adds, “it does it faster, more accurately, reliably and happily than most humans do” (Reuters).
There is no doubt that technology plays an important role in standardising procedures in every industry, be it food, health in terms of early detection and cure of diseases and so on. The problem it brings however, is that of retaining staff in an over-populated country and utilising the natural intelligence of experienced leaders to advantage, instead of making them redundant. Attention is now turning to up-skilling, creating entrepreneurs in the various fields, to encourage creativity, innovation and sustainability. Can machines match the natural intelligence of man who created them?
Loneliness - This results from lack of human face-to-face interaction, the sharing of joy, sorrow, celebrating achievements, festivals and more, are all now expressed through emojis. The major cause of mental health issues today are isolation, loneliness, inability to cope with difficulties alone, segregation from nature that are on the rise, for which technology is a major contributor. The only way to bring some sanity is to move away from the machine to the age of reunion to restore health. Nikki Wagner so aptly says :
Conquest and expansion are the essentials of the machine … destruction of limits, homogenisation of everything in its pursuit of continued growth. The end result is the flattening of the world, cultures, traditions, ecosystems and landscapes, any forms of resistance that limits its scope. Machine to its core is anti-limit, anti-form, anti-human and anti-nature.
CS Lewis termed it as the abolition of man and nature itself. Maintaining good health and sustaining the effort to defy the machine seems the only answer to survival.
Lifestyle - Technology has greatly impacted our lifestyles and thereby health in numerous ways both negatively and positively, depending on whether we’ve used it with evil intentions or for common good. Besides, use of technology and mechanisation of work can become addictive in addition to making lives sedentary, affecting natural human social skills.
Experience as well as studies have shown that early mother-child bonding contributes to teenage social skills and positive behaviours, that optimise relationships and also contribute to good academic performance and emotional management. Research from University of Michigan showed that teens who live in trustworthy and active communities can still learn critical social skills that were not developed in early life.
Some effects of technology on lifestyle and behaviour are noticeable and briefly outlined by the CAG’s report on the government’s public health insurance scheme, ‘Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ (PMJAY) started in 2018. The report acknowledges that the scheme has had a strong positive impact on the economically weaker sections of society, but its promises extend much beyond its targeted population. Its framework suggests universal health coverage, that has been used in seven states and UT’s for their entire population.
The scale and rapid implementation of this large complex scheme has been possible only because of innovative use of IT systems, that also assist in the conduct of its in-depth audit. PMJAY is the first government scheme to intensively use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques to prevent, detect and deter fraud and abuse. A state-of-the-art call centre that also served as a Covid helpline, made it a versatile scheme, although it did present some drawbacks such as:
All beneficiaries though linked to one telephone number, did not have access to phones. Since the primary intent behind telephone numbers was to establish a means of follow-up, this was defeated by the single phone number.
The system lacked the provision to record cases without a phone number so alternative numbers were added on by frontline workers.
Old survey data was used to assess number of beneficiaries in the scheme.
Exclusion of deprived communities and those impoverished enough to apply or qualify, but not affluent enough for private insurance, led to poor data quality due to complicated eligibility criteria.
Since a small percentage of PMJAY do not survive, hospitals raised claims for those who were dead. Since treatment had been given their claims were justified only after due verification.
Instant access to information makes us less self-reliant and self-sufficient.
Contentment issues lead to compulsive buying, where one cannot control the urge to shop, technically called oniomania, the impulse to spend money unnecessarily.
A survey by ‘Finder’ observes that almost 96% people make impulsive purchases, while one by ‘Deloitte’ stated that social media influences 51% Gen-x and 43% mellenials to buy things they can’t afford. About 52% even take loans or use credit cards because they do not want to miss out on a deal, while 6% feel pressurised by friends or online promotions. A statistical study identified 2.14 billion people shopping online in 2021 during pandemic. According to Donald Black (2007) women are more likely to buy compulsively than men.
Causes of Oniomania Many causes of compulsive buying have been identified by Howell, an on-line therapy and consultation platform, such as :
Low self esteem
Negative emotions or mindset leading to anxiety, depression, obsessive thoughts
Social status expectations
Rise in internet use
Hoarding behaviour
Unplanned buying behaviour.
There is a clear neurobiological link between compulsive behaviour and substance abuse. Research showed that those with compulsive behaviour may be suffering from other disorders as well. In fact, people have started taking up freelance projects to support the toxic behaviour. Governments too, encourage it by wanting to push investment in certain directions that are connected with industry and profits for both.
Constantly scrolling for updates on cell phones whether in company or alone has become a universal habit among those who carry them as an extension of their body. It has become a total intruder, almost an addiction, making one feel insecure without it, even when leaving the house for a walk, or to a gym. This can lead to a breakdown of relationships, harm reputation and cost a career while ruining mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
Phubbing - The term phubbing has been coined for phone plus snubbing and refers to the practice of ignoring partner or friend in favour of phone, only to complicate relationships leading to mistrust and alienation. There is no real time conversation, eye-contact, smiles or other facial or physical expressions, referred to as body language so important to communications.
Catherine Pearson, writing in NYT, reports a study that found those who engage in phubbing are at risk of getting phubbed themselves, creating a ripple effect. High levels can be linked to marital dissatisfaction, and relationship breakdowns.
Technology can thus, be beneficial or harmful depending on how we use it. Without realising it, one gets enslaved to gadgets that take away reason, logic, etiquette, socially-cohesive and beneficial behaviour all crucial to happiness, contentment, relaxation and enjoyment in life. So, while the benefits of e-devices and social media are ample, it is the addiction to it, that disrupts personal and social behaviour and thereby relationships.
Adi Shankara’s Vivekchudamani is a dialogue between a student and a master about learning to differentiate between the real and unreal, eternal and temporal. The topics include the path to liberation, bondage, confusion, sorrow, atma, anatma, discrimination, self knowledge and bliss. The essence is, one needs to use the power of discernment to separate the positive from the negative, real from the unreal and life affirming aspects from life-destroying ones.
Today, with rapid competition developing in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), hackers can simply talk computers into misbehaving, as evidenced by massive frauds monetary or other, occurring globally. Security concerns of using technology for maintaining holistic health has become a priority, not only for the user but also the tech provider.
Benefits of Technology
Digitisation and AI are altering ancient medical science of Ayurveda by technological integration with modern systems to promote evidence-based Ayurveda and enhance the objectivity of traditional medicine. Methods like nanotechnology and genomics can then be used to analyse and understand how they work. This is a step towards prevention and cure, perhaps with lower side-effects of modern pharmaceutical approaches.
It is heartening to note that IIT Jodhpur has recently inaugurated Ayur-Tech, at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in AI-based precision healthcare at the School of AI and Data Science (AIDE). This will combine electronics, digital health and technologies to create solutions through an interdisciplinary framework. Professor Mitali Mukerji of the Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, referring to evidence-based integration of Ayurveda said :
Ayurveda has been practiced for thousands of years and to integrate it with modern medicine systems, we need to have more technological developments around it. There is also a need for objectivity to the use of the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda in assessing prakriti, capturing the same types of phenotypes through computer vision and using AI in clinical settings.
Collaborations and integration will generate evidence-based practice helping clinicians to report systematically supported outcomes. This can result in many advantages such as improving diagnosis and monitoring response to treatment as well as helping to preserve ancient manuscripts in digital form. AI can be of help in handling massive data, discerning patterns and trends from clinical practice.
On the flip-side, one is amazed by innovations in the culinary arts. Today one can watch chefs creating and presenting food in ways unseen before, teaching methods of food preparation through beautifully designed programs like ‘Master Chef’ and other competitions, that are creating amateur chefs. Housewives without much training in business studies, marketing or nutritional science are turning into entrepreneurs, using home kitchens for viewing and implementing recipe ideas. They are using their natural multi-tasking skills to become independent financially, and creating job opportunities for others, employing skills as required. So, technology is not only helping to create designer clothes but foods as well.
Thus, with the help of technology chef’s recipes can be made available to the public for advancing skills, while copyright benefits can be rewarded. In addition, traditional unwritten recipes and ideas can be preserved for future generations, maintaining the cultural identity of traditional meals of different regions.
However, to safeguard health some ground rules need to be put in place at home, work or social gatherings, with respect to technology-use. These include phone-free zones and times, such as mealtimes, during social visits, leisure, in theatres and so on. Announcements at discourses or presentations, at dining tables and public places are important, as tech gadgets endanger interpersonal debate and discussion, that enable multiple viewpoints.
Human beings are blessed with good intellect and common sense that needs to acquire right knowledge and choose wisely from the many options available, to develop and advance, including how, when, where and why to use technology.
Let us together, use gadgets and social media only to create awareness of important social, cultural, political and economic issues, that are beneficial to initiate healthy debate, discussion and positive action, for betterment of society.