Here’s What a New Wave of Tech Means for Your Health

The Abbott Edge newsletter has the latest on life-changing health technology and innovations, and tips for living a full life. In this month’s edition, we take a closer look at recent news and advancements that are helping people live healthy, fuller lives. 

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LET'S DIVE IN

When it comes to health, people increasingly want to get to the point. That is, data points. 

We’ve seen people go from using wearables like smart watches to wanting health tech and biowearables that offer more data-driven insights to help them make smart decisions about their health and wellness.  

Take Lingo as an example. It’s a biosensor with an app providing you a window into your health like never before. 

A similar revolution is happening with medical devices, such as the AVEIR DR system, the world’s first dual-chamber, leadless pacemaker, designed to provide precise heart rhythm management without the need for traditional leads or a surgical pocket. The atrial and ventricular AVEIR units can send data communications to each other once every cardiac cycle — once every heartbeat — to stay coordinated.

It's helping people like professional surfer Mikey DeTemple manage slow or irregular heart rhythms. And it’s evolving with new potential applications, the most recent being for the left bundle branch area of the heart, a key part of the heart's electrical conduction system.

In these ways and others, health tech is simplifying decisions about care. It connects data to actionable insights, empowering you to understand more about your body and respond.  

HEALTH TECH PULSE

Numbers and data to know in the world of Abbott and health tech. 

• Nearly one in five Americans say they lacked the knowledge, data or personalized feedback needed to reach their health goals in the past year. Understanding your glucose levels can help you achieve your health goals. But four out of five Americans don’t see it as relevant to their objectives. 

• It’s estimated that 37.9 million people are living with HIV, with 21 percent of them not knowing they’ve been infected. This month marks 40 years since an Abbott breakthrough: the first-ever FDA-approved test to screen blood donors for exposure to HIV. 

• Each year in the U.S., 5 million people go to the ER with a suspected traumatic brain injury (TBI) — 95 percent of them as a result of trips, slips, falls and bumps to the head. Did you know there’s a blood test that can help doctors assess your injury? 

HACK YOUR HEALTH

Tips to help you live your life fully. 

People track their steps, their sleep, their calories. But what about glucose? Yes, it's another data point, but it’s one that can help you live your life fully — and it’s often overlooked. 

Glucose is an essential source of energy. Commonly referred to as blood sugar, glucose is what your body breaks carbohydrates down to — and then converts into the energy it needs to function.  

So: Why track it?  

Continuous glucose monitoring, which is what products including Lingo do, allows you to see your glucose levels and watch patterns over time to help inform your health decisions.  

Glucose is also a key factor to your metabolic health, your system that powers everything in your body. If you want to improve your metabolism, focus on the fundamentals: 

1. Prioritize protein: They minimally impact your glucose levels, meaning your energy is less likely to spike and crash. 

2. Don't fear fats: They’re an energy source and improve absorption of essential nutrients. 

3. Go green: Cabbage, lettuce, green beans — adding green or non-starchy vegetables into your meals means you’ll have less room for carbohydrates and sugars, which translates to better-controlled glucose levels and metabolism. 

4. Think savory, not sweet: Opt for foods higher in protein, healthy fat and fiber, and lower in carbs and added sugars. 

5. Add more movement: Walking before and after eating can help prevent glucose spikes. 

Adjusting what and how you eat and adding more exercise are fundamental ways to help you improve your glucose levels, and your overall metabolic health as a result. In action, biowearables can help you connect those dots on your health journey and inform your decisions. 

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