Tech can prevent sickness, not just manage it - opinion

• Author: ALON IRONI
• Published date: 05 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Well, here we are. Technology has changed everything. Advancing at an exponential pace, it has completely changed our world, work, families and lifestyles. With technology we order pizza, drive, listen to music, interact with each other and more.

But in healthcare, innovation seems to be focused more on enabling and monitoring care than on the treatment itself. Software that improves telemedicine is accepted with open arms. The same goes for scheduling appointments, aggregating medical records and diagnostics. But when it comes to therapies themselves, sometimes science-backed products have a hard time penetrating mainstream healthcare systems. New treatments are often met with pushback from large healthcare organizations and insurance providers, impeding their ability to reach the patient. As a result, patients continue to pop pills for every medical condition, hoping they will provide relief and improve their conditions while not imposing side effects.

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The line of thinking is consistent with the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Drugs work, so why mess around?

There's only one problem: Drugs don't always work. Not for as many people as they should. And, in fact, for a significant population, drug-based solutions may cause complications. Indeed, the slow and not-so-steady embrace of new technologies is anathema to many patients along their treatment journeys. We must strive to ease the uphill battle that new technologies often face when being brought to market.

Zooming in on neurology

The slow adoption of new technologies is seen primarily in the treatment of chronic conditions, and as an industry leader in migraine treatment, I see this specifically in the field of neurology.

The mainstream approach to migraine treatment has been "one-size-fits-all" drug-based medications, which may produce unpleasant or intolerable side effects and may lead to medication-overuse headaches. While patients are eager to try more technologically advanced treatments and many physicians understand their benefits, healthcare systems and health insurance organizations often hesitate, usually out of technophobia and ultra-conservatism.

Advanced neuroscience research has unleashed numerous innovative therapies offering high efficacy and ultimate safety for patients. New technologies, such as the advent of wearables devices, have...