VR and presence being used to combat high blood pressure, share what MS is like for patients

[The two stories below demonstrate the use of presence experiences in health care beyond the hospital or clinic. The first is from VR Fitness Insider, where the original includes more images; for more information see coverage in the Los Angeles Times. –Matthew]

VR Can Lower Blood Pressure (You Read That Right)

A VR Smart phone app educating patients about the best and worst foods to eat in the context of blood pressure? Yes!

By Patrick Ryan
June 2, 2017

When virtual reality first debuted, few people thought this technology had the potential to transform medical treatment and improve the human condition. Yet this is exactly how VR technology has evolved over the past couple of decades. Sure, VR is primarily used as a form of video game entertainment yet it is also boosting well-being. In fact, virtual reality is now being used to reduce blood pressure.

How Virtual Reality Lowers Blood Pressure

Most people go to church to improve their relationship with God, enjoy a sense of community and deepen their faith. The members of a south Los Angeles church are obtaining much more from their place of worship. Holman United Methodist Church congregants are a part of the Sodium Healthy Living Project. This endeavor involves the use of virtual reality videos accessed through smartphones to learn about nutrition with a particular focus on sodium content. This virtual reality-based health and nutrition education is as engaging as it gets.

Dr. Brennan Spiegel is responsible for the development of the virtual reality app. Members of Holman United Methodist Church and others are taking advantage of the app’s information by connecting a device similar to glasses directly onto their smartphones. Once the app is launched, it appears as though the user is smack dab in the middle of a kitchen. An array of different foods are resting on the kitchen counter, from lasagna to black beans, fruit smoothies, gumbo, salmon and so on. The VR program really displays each food’s unique sodium content.

When the user looks down, he or she is sent to a three-dimensional portrayal of the interior of the human body. It is in this space that the user can observe how a pumping heart loses its ability to function after several years of high blood pressure. This experience makes quite the powerful impression. Viewing the inside of the human body and watching a deteriorating heart attempting to pump blood to the limbs and other areas makes a monumental impact on those who are plagued by high blood pressure.

“You’re sitting there, all of a sudden in your own chest, watching your heart beat,” Spiegel said. “The whole idea is to just hijack the brain into rethinking the role of food, and in this case salt and health, and we’re testing this now to see how people experience it and if it’s helpful to them.”

This virtual portrayal convinces these individuals to reconsider the purpose of food. There is a specific focus on the role of salt and how it affects human health. At the moment, the virtual reality blood pressure simulation is currently in its testing stages. If it proves significantly helpful to congregants at Holman United Methodist Church and other initial participants, it will eventually spill over into the mainstream.

Spiegel’s app even provides a means of alleviating stress to boot. Those who struggle with high blood pressure should be hyper-aware of the fact that stress contributes to the condition. “We’ve been focused on the inpatient side, using virtual reality to transport patients outside the four walls of the hospital … to fantastical destinations where they can relax or de-stress,” Spiegel said. The app allows participants to relax on a virtual reality beach environment while the sun is rising. They enjoy the stunning view while listening to chirping bids, the ocean waves washing onshore and a church pastor reciting an inspirational message.

Does VR Really Reduce High Blood Pressure?

Members of Holman United Methodist Church are adamant that their use of Spiegel’s VR app to reduce blood pressure really works. Though it is not the most exciting virtual reality experience, it makes learning about health and nutrition much more captivating than opening a book or a website. People are much more inclined to remember the sodium content of food like shellfish, noodles, pretzels and lasagna if they are provided with such information in a captivating virtual reality environment. This type of environment is highly stimulating in every regard.

Many users are even reporting weight loss as one of the residual after effects of the app. “I’ve even lost 10 pounds, which I’ve been trying to do for 50 years,” said 71 year old user Juanita Cannon. With so many positive impacts being made by this one app alone, it’s obvious that VR will continue to grow in the health and nutritional markets. We’ll continue to follow this app and any that follow to bring you the latest as it happens.

[This second story is from Multiple Sclerosis News Today; note the link to a 3:09 minute video on YouTube at the end.]

[Image: Source: Toronto Sun]

‘MS from the Inside Out’ Uses Virtual Reality to Share What Life for Patients Is Like

By Charles Moore
June 8, 2017

Virtual reality (VR) technology is most commonly associated with gaming and entertainment, but it’s expanding into a variety of clinical and healthcare applications. The Ontario-based biopharmaceutical firm EMD Serono, Canada, is now using VR as an informational and educational tool to provide a more profound understanding of what living with multiple sclerosis (MS) is really like.

VR uses combinations of head-mounted goggle screens, audio and sound effects, and haptic sensations to create virtual —or imaginary — environments where a user can explore, even moving around within, to interact with simulated effects.

EMD Serono’s 10-minute VR program, called “MS from the Inside Out,” immerses those who use the head-mounted VR goggles in an interactive, virtual and sensory-rich space that allows them to briefly experience what people with MS go through on a day-to-day basis.

Users should come away with a better understanding of the disease and its complex symptoms, which can include extreme fatigue, diminished coordination, muscle weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder issues, cognitive impairment, and mood changes.

“The effects of MS can be physical and emotional, and because its symptoms are often invisible, the experiences of those suffering from MS can be difficult for caregivers, family and friends to understand,” said Daniel Selchen, director of the MS Clinic at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. “Knowing that, raising awareness of MS is critical, and gaining insight into the journey a person living with MS faces allows us to further understand this complex disease.”

Such an understanding is especially important in Canada, both for researchers and for the public at large. According to the MS Society of Canada, the country has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with an estimated 1 in every 340 people in Canada living with MS.

“This is a big first step for technology integration in the MS space and we’re excited about the possibilities it may provide the 100,000 Canadians currently living with the disease,” Gaby Murphy, president and managing director of EMD Serono, Canada, said in a press release. “EMD Serono, Canada is committed to furthering education about MS for both people with the disease and their loved ones. This ground-breaking technology has potential to help increase our understanding of MS and further raise awareness of the impact of the disease.”

On May 31, World MS Day, EMD Serono held an event at the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto where attendees were given the opportunity to experience its VR program. The company has posted a video of the “MS from the Inside Out” journeys that several took, with information about this program, on YouTube for viewing.

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