HealthTalk
Doctor ’ s notes
Dr Rik Heymans is a general practitioner in Nerja and writes on developments in the world of medicine
Virtual reality
Children with autism learn to recognize when their mother is angry or sad . Traumatized veterans develop skills to deal with their flashbacks . Patients forget their intractable pain .
All this is thanks to virtual reality ( VR ) and augmented reality technology . With state-of-the-art software and graphics , the technology has progressed in leaps and bound in the past few years . Related developments in the field of behavioural and mental health were showcased during special sessions in an Innovation Zone held at the American Psychiatric Association ( APA ) 2017 Annual Meeting . VR is an entirely computergenerated environment that immerses patients in a virtual world . With augmented reality , the device or software adds virtual elements to the “ real world .” These technologies have been around for decades , but with recent dramatic decreases in costs and improved image quality and technologic components , there is now a growing commercial and also medical interest in their use .
Brain Power partnered with Affectiva , a technology company that grew out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ’ s Media Lab , and with Google , to develop augmented reality “ smart glasses ” for children with autism . Using “ gamified apps ,” the children learn to recognize emotions and to interact with family members and therapists .
Other researchers are using VR to treat a myriad of mental health conditions in adults . The most commonly researched area is in anxiety . If you ’ re afraid of heights , one can generate an augmented or virtual experience for you where you may feel anxious or uncomfortable , and then within that environment , interventions can be digitally created that help you feel comfortable or help you manage a panic attack . As an example , for someone fearful of heights , the virtual environment might be an elevator .
The technology is also being used to teach skills to trauma patients – for example , mindfulness and deep breathing techniques – to cope with flashbacks . A major area of interest is in post traumatic stress disorder , where veterans can , for example , be transported to Afghanistan to experience a virtual mortar fire attack . The patient can “ walk around and navigate the environment ,” and , being somewhat in control , manage the situation better and also reduce the stress .
Beyond the military , the technology is being used to conduct physical and occupational therapy in the patient ’ s home . It can be a fun and engaging experience . It was added that patients don ’ t persevere with traditional rehabilitation because it ’ s boring , repetitive , and frustrating .
A meta-analysis published earlier this year in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience included 11 randomized controlled trials of the use of VR for everything from cancer pain and obesity to stroke rehabilitation and traumatic brain injury . The investigators found that VR “ clearly appears to be effective in most studies , and it appears to be well tolerated .”
Penicillin allergy
Allergy to penicillin is one of the most common drug allergies encountered by clinicians , and the presence of penicillin allergy will significantly change prescribing . This may result in the application of broad-spectrum antibiotics for common infections amenable to treatment with penicillin antibiotics .
The vast majority of patients with penicillin allergy never receive formal testing , in part because the gold standard for testing for penicillin allergy is laborious . It begins with a percutaneous skin test , followed by a second test at the more sensitive intracutaneous layer , and concluding with an oral drug challenge . But this process is time-consuming and may be painful , and thus it is rarely performed .
Previous research has found that more than 90 % of adults with a history of penicillin allergy presenting to the emergency department ( ED ) had a negative result on skin testing ! In the same vein , most children with parent-reported symptoms of penicillin allergy have negative results for a true allergic reaction to the drug , a new study shows .
Because doctors cannot safely and quickly diagnose true penicillin allergy , they avoid giving penicillin to children with a reported penicillin allergy . Thus , many children are not receiving optimal antibiotic treatment because of an alleged penicillin allergy .
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© Dr RIK HEYMANS c / Angustias 24 , Nerja .
Tel : 95 252 6775