Anti-aging tech trends you need to know about

 

As technology continues to evolve, humans have more and more tools at their disposal to hold off the hands of time. Anyone wanting to look — or feel — more youthful has any number of resources available to explore.

But anti-aging isn’t just about looking younger and more attractive: It’s about returning a higher quality of life to people who suffer from age-related chronic health conditions.

Unsurprisingly, the costs of treating these conditions continue to skyrocket. For instance, private nursing homes can cost close to $100,000 every year. And because Medicare doesn’t cover long-term visits, so many people across the nation have to spend down their assets to qualify for Medicaid.

With that in mind, the most important aspect of anti-aging research is helping to lower exorbitant healthcare costs for age-related health issues. As it stands, technology may be the best way to achieve that goal.

Factors contributing to the anti-aging revolution

To nobody’s shock, technological advances play a prominent role in the ever-evolving capabilities possessed by anti-aging. But where is the bulk of that support being seen?

Scientific innovation has the potential to provide two key components for advancing anti-aging research. The first is the simulation model system, which allows you to precast and adjust different scenarios to save time. It also enables you to input different factors in your research to forecast for different outcomes.

The second key is the cloud system and how we computerize all the data that we collect. The system’s design is currently insufficient for data collection for the aging population.

But once we standardize the system more, the technology could provide large, reliable data sources to help us make the best choices in anti-aging research and treatment options. Reliable data and prognostications can establish more widely accepted treatments that benefit a wider net of patients.

Technological advances have already changed much of the world, and anti-aging research is no exception. As the science’s capabilities continue to grow, medical professionals are finding more chances to drill down to specific symptoms, ailments, and concerns not traditionally addressed by anti-aging.

Here is a pair of important technological trends that can specifically boost anti-aging research:

Rejuvenation of organ capacity

Organs like the heart, lungs, and kidneys carry a reserve of energy that allows them to function beyond their typical demands. As we age, however, our organs lose their vitality and must work harder. For instance, a 20-year-old’s heart moves 10 times the amount of blood a body needs, though 1 percent of that amount is lost each year after a person turns 30. Many chronic illnesses are influenced by this dysfunctional or decreasing organ capacity, and one of the biggest trends relates to the physical rejuvenation of aging-related organ degeneration.

By focusing on rejuvenation, the anti-aging industry can provide more solutions to eliminate these chronic illnesses, rather than just reducing symptoms. It will truly revolutionize the way we look at chronic illnesses, as well as alleviate the economic burden placed on the government and the healthcare industry.

Pathology of neurodegeneration

Every year, the National Institutes of Health spend nearly $480 million researching Alzheimer’s disease. The most significant challenge to comprehending such aging-related neurodegenerative diseases is their causes, so a pathological map would be valuable in understanding those causes and designing solutions.

Technology related to this area could open a new field of market focus, appeasing society and allowing it to live without concerns about dementia. It would also conclude the work of thousands of scientists and researchers who have been studying neurodegenerative disorders for decades.

Rejuvenating organ tissues and gaining a better understanding of neurodegeneration are only two of the upcoming trends poised to change healthcare in 2017 and beyond. But they’re among the most important trends to monitor, especially for patients dealing with age-related conditions.

Those cases — along with their families and the healthcare system — are increasingly feeling the burden of chronic aging-related diseases. Let technology lighten that load.

Photo: Pr3t3nd3r, Getty Images

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