This is the second post in a series called “Questions” inspired by my first Question post. What should prevention in healthcare look like? There is the common saying that “prevention is better than the cure”, but what does that really mean? Let’s take high blood pressure for example. It is well known by now that certain foods lead to high blood pressure & other diseases, yet people continue to do so without thought. In this scenario, what does prevention actually look like? The same can be said for several other diseases and conditions.
I've also wondered a bit about this topic. Would it be possible to make a small device to test food and drinks for harmful chemicals like carcinogens? Or to at least see the chemical breakdown of the food.
> Do animals glorify feelings such as love the way humans do?
While I'm not sure if animals have a concept of love, it was fascinating when I first learned some animals feel and show some other complex emotions: like elephants grieving[1] and chimpanzees planning revenge against other chimpanzees[2].
> If evolution is true, what comes after us?
The "next versions of humans" are already amongst us. They can hold their breath for much longer than the rest of us[3]; others can even digest milk[4]! But more seriously, for the actual next version (i.e. when the changes become noticeable)... that's an interesting question to think about.
> Why has the skill of painting not changed much?
I see painting as a communication device like speaking and singing. I think painting hasn't changed much for the same reason speaking and singing and dancing haven't changed much; there have been different styles and forms of all of them over time and across different cultures, but there's something universal (and so, timeless) about a painting and a song.
> Why are gut feelings usually always right?
Just thinking out aloud: I don't know for sure, but I sometimes think of gut feeling as the brain "caching" patterns. Instead of rethinking from scratch about every situation, it stores a cached response as a way of saving time and effort.
It also seems to me like gut feelings are *by definition* the sense of what we know but can't quite explain. If we could explain and control it, would it then just become...knowledge?
Prevention in healthcare > I have also thought about testing, but do you think testing for food would help? For example people know food with a lot of salt is bad for you and do it anyway. How would testing food help? Maybe testing myself for the disease but not convinced on the food part.
Yeah, maybe not for regular prepared food. But, for example: I bought some protein shakes after a recommendation from a friend a few weeks back. I was curious about what the shakes contain and how it works. And I googled a bit and found that some brands can cause digestion issues and some others also contain harmful chemicals. I thought it would have been nice if there was a device where I could test a sample or manually type in (or scan) the ingredients and learn the risks I might have from consuming it (based on my health history as well).
> What should prevention in healthcare look like?
I've also wondered a bit about this topic. Would it be possible to make a small device to test food and drinks for harmful chemicals like carcinogens? Or to at least see the chemical breakdown of the food.
> Do animals glorify feelings such as love the way humans do?
While I'm not sure if animals have a concept of love, it was fascinating when I first learned some animals feel and show some other complex emotions: like elephants grieving[1] and chimpanzees planning revenge against other chimpanzees[2].
> If evolution is true, what comes after us?
The "next versions of humans" are already amongst us. They can hold their breath for much longer than the rest of us[3]; others can even digest milk[4]! But more seriously, for the actual next version (i.e. when the changes become noticeable)... that's an interesting question to think about.
> Why has the skill of painting not changed much?
I see painting as a communication device like speaking and singing. I think painting hasn't changed much for the same reason speaking and singing and dancing haven't changed much; there have been different styles and forms of all of them over time and across different cultures, but there's something universal (and so, timeless) about a painting and a song.
> Why are gut feelings usually always right?
Just thinking out aloud: I don't know for sure, but I sometimes think of gut feeling as the brain "caching" patterns. Instead of rethinking from scratch about every situation, it stores a cached response as a way of saving time and effort.
It also seems to me like gut feelings are *by definition* the sense of what we know but can't quite explain. If we could explain and control it, would it then just become...knowledge?
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku_GUNzXoeQ
[2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLn9GwHoUy0
[3]: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43823885
[4]: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/12/27/168144785/an-evolutionary-whodunit-how-did-humans-develop-lactose-tolerance#:~:text=Most%20babies%20can%20digest%20milk,%22%20as%20scientists%20call%20it).
Prevention in healthcare > I have also thought about testing, but do you think testing for food would help? For example people know food with a lot of salt is bad for you and do it anyway. How would testing food help? Maybe testing myself for the disease but not convinced on the food part.
Gut feelings > never thought about it that way
Yeah, maybe not for regular prepared food. But, for example: I bought some protein shakes after a recommendation from a friend a few weeks back. I was curious about what the shakes contain and how it works. And I googled a bit and found that some brands can cause digestion issues and some others also contain harmful chemicals. I thought it would have been nice if there was a device where I could test a sample or manually type in (or scan) the ingredients and learn the risks I might have from consuming it (based on my health history as well).