The Future of Medicine: Health 2.0?

Photo by Nishant Rao.

I have heard  physicians joke that their patients come in knowing more about their condition than the doctors thanks to Google and Wikipedia these days. Though not entirely true (hopefully!) there is a valuable point here. The Internet is saturated with health content but unfortunately most of it falls somewhere between garbage and trash. This is especially true in alternate medicine and I cringe when I stumble across dangerously inaccurate CAM (complimentary and alternative medicine) websites with ludicrous claims and dishonest marketing.

Back when I was figuring out my career path as a pre-med student I had a conversation with Dr. Deepak Chopra. He tried to convince me to go to a conventional medical school and then take seminars as the route to become a CAM practitioner. His reason being, “you can’t trust all the alternative health information out there.” He was right in that regard, but I quickly realized that my values were truly different from conventional medical practices. I chose naturopathic medicine and went to NCNM.

When Dr. Igor and myself came together to found WellWire I was working between The Maldives, Qatar and Thailand and he was in the United States. We were separated by about 3,000 miles and a 14 hour time difference. Using Skype, IM, email and video conferencing at odd hours of the night (I was plagued with a very unstable satellite internet connection) we moved forwards on the principle that the way doctors interact with their patients has changed in a very big way.

Health 2.0 is here.

Check out this article which describes health 2.0 as “a new movement that challenges the notion that health care happens only between a single patient and doctor in an exam room.” Practitioners are now able to interact with their patients in more personal and engaging ways via blogs, personal websites, Twitter, Facebook and may other social media outlets. The vast majority of you reading this article found us via Twitter, with the next largest group finding us via Facebook.

But wait, don’t stop there. Dr. Igor and I believe the real change has yet to come. We anticipate tremendous strides in the evolution of virtual health care. The wave of health 2.0 will gradually lead us all toward health 3.0 and dare I say it, 4.0. This is the platform which engages both the individual and their community. The social media allows for networking and the interconnectedness for a rapidly growing need for health and wellness. Our vision is to bring you that next wave. We wish to support your health and choices by engaging with your community through social media platforms.

Here’s a video clip from this years ReShape conference in the Netherlands about how you are demanding better health care and using the Internet to make it happen.

Health care and Internet in the Netherlands from lucien engelen on Vimeo.

So what’s the future of medicine? Stick with us and find out.

Dr. Nishant Rao is a co-founder of WellWire.com. He is a well-traveled naturopathic doctor and new father, practicing an integrative approach to create wellness in and around Los Angeles. Become a patient or discover his practice.

Dr. Igor Schwartzman practices naturopathic medicine with a strong emphasis in women's health, hormone imbalances, and thyroid disorders at Whole Family Wellness Center in Portland, Oregon. He is a co-founder of WellWire.com.