5 Ways Technology Has Changed the Medical Field

It's difficult to even begin to touch on how many ways new and growing technology has changed the medical field. The average lifespan today is between 75-85 years old in this country and continues to rise year after year. Is it that Americans are finally heeding warning of the Food and Drug Administration or is technology now able to erase the effects of years of unhealthy living?

Prevention

Doctors now know that genetics play a part in possibly passing on diseases from one generation to another. Knowing a patient's health history because of the role genetic testing has played in identifying diseases passed on from generation to generation can give doctors an early start on what to look for in a patient. Vaccines have also played an important role in prevention of diseases and technology has allowed the newest vaccinations to prevent certain types of cancers.

Testing

Regular blood tests and lab work can reveal anything from a lack of iron in your blood to certain types of cancers, diabetes and possible heart conditions. These simple tests can be a life saver with early detection.

Early detection

With the use of x-rays, MRI's and Cat Scans doctors are able to have an "inside" look at your body and what illnesses or ailments may be hiding within. Doctors are able to detect and diagnose problems before they become life threatening.

Surgery

Advances in this field have transformed surgery as a "risky art" into a scientific discipline capable of treating many diseases and conditions.

Treatment

The manufacturing of legal drugs has allowed the medical profession to prescribe anything from painkillers to mood enhancers to radiation and chemotherapy. There seems to be a medication for almost every ailment these days and it would not be possible without modern day technology.

For the past 200 years the medical field has made intense progress in the fight against deadly diseases with the help of new technologies. From the invention of the first vaccine to surgeries that can give someone a better quality of life, technology continues to improve the medical field.

Source by Ryan Frank