Week4 Med, Tech + Art

The web of medicine, technology and art, is not entirely symmetrical. While medicine and technology almost go hand in hand these days, the overlap between art and medicine is less obvious. I was 11 years old when I slipped and chipped my front four teeth. While the impact did hurt, I rushed straight to the closest mirror, and it was after I saw my face that I burst into tears. I thought I would look like that forever. However, it took my dentist all of 30 minutes to perform some sort of laser treatment, and my teeth were as good as new. I was convinced that my dentist was also a professional artist.

The power of dentistry and art

Applications of medicine and art are extremely valuable. Plastic surgery for example, can go a long way in increasing ones visual appeal, or even restoring a woman’s feminine identity, in the case of breast cancer patients. According to a study performed at Georgetown University Medical Center, facial plastic surgery even can improve social skills extroversion (Reily et al., 2015).

Diane Gromala’s TED talk sheds light on applications of medicine and art that can help tackle diseases that medicine alone cannot. Gromala’s use of immersive virtual reality with meditation is proven to be effective in relieving short term pain in patients suffering from chronic pain.

The ability of medicine and art to contribute to human wellness is not a recent discovery. Yoga has been known to cure diseases ever since it emerged in the Indian Civilization 3000 years ago, as per The Health Site. Yoga poses are a natural manifestation of art and medicine, and are capable of curing dangerous diseases like Asthma (Anwesha, 2013).

"When you interact with something it interacts with you" Diane Gromala on immersive VR

While it would benefit many to monitor their health and fitness regularly through a fitness wristband, people refrain from wearing such devices due to their lack of an aesthetic appeal. With a very strong focus on design, the Apple Watch hopes to solve the problem through art. My friends and I visited an Apple store earlier this month and were enraptured by the Apple Watch. While none of us own a fitness band we were convinced we wanted the Apple watch because it looked so good. According to a Business Insider article, even the chief of the luxury watch brand Tag Huer, called the Apple Watch a ‘fantastic product.’

The $17,000 Apple Watch

"10 Diseases That Can Be Cured By Yoga." Www.boldsky.com. N.p., 05 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.boldsky.com/health/disorders-cure/2013/ten-diseases-that-can-be-cured-by-yoga-032485.html>.

"Can Yoga Cure Diseases?" N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/can-yoga-cure-diseases/>.

Colt, Sam. "Tag Heuer Chief Calls Apple Watch 'A Fantastic Product' Just Months After He Said It's 'Too Feminine' And 'Has No Sex Appeal'" Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 20 Jan. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.businessinsider.com/tag-heuer-jean-claude-biver-vs-apple-watch-2015-1>.

Georgetown University Medical Center. "Facial plastic surgery improves perception of femininity, personality, attractiveness." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 April 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150409120253.htm>.

Gromala, Diane. "TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdarMz--Pw>.