inspiriences

‘Real and frightening privacy and safety risks.’ That’s the view of experts at Cambridge University in a report released this week on period tracker apps , warning that our personal information can be collected and sold at scale. Hundreds of millions of women are estimated to use these apps, which track menstrual cycles , and the risks are plentiful. The first and perhaps most striking comes when we consider what happens if this intimate data were to end up in the wrong hands. Knowing which women are pregnant and which women want to be is information which, if passed on to health insurers, could cause discrimination; if accessible by potential employers, could put jobs at risk; and that’s before we consider the threat of coercive control and domestic violence. It is also frightening to consider what this risk could look like for our reproductive rights, under threat at home and abroad. Recent police guidance suggests officers who suspect wo...

ITRA board member Rainer Duespohl developed WayMe, which alerts hikers if they stray off beaten path A veteran Hong Kong trail runner has launched an app which automatically sends distress signals if a hiker gets into difficulty. Rainer Duespohl, who has explored the city's trails for more than 17 years and is on the board of the International Trail Running Association (ITRA), launched the WayMe app this week, hoping to add an extra layer of safety to the community. WayMe, which uses real-time location monitoring to send out warnings to users' emergency contacts if something goes wrong, comes pre-loaded with Hong Kong's hiking and trail running routes. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. "There were two main drivers behind launching WayMe,...

READ MORE: Popular diet slashes dementia risk by a quarter even in your 70s Getting out and about on your bike in mid-life could massively slash your risk of dementia, a study of half-a-million Britons suggests. Experts found those who used cycling as their primary mode of transport cut their chances of developing any form of dementia by almost a fifth compared to those using more sedentary modes of transport such as cars, buses or trains. Active cyclists were also found to be 40 per cent less likely to develop young-onset dementia, a form of the memory robbing disorder that strikes the under 65s and which is on the rise in the UK. For dementia specially caused by Alzheimer's disease, cycling was found to reduce the risk by 22 per cent. The authors of the study, from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan , China , said cycling may be protecting the brain in multiple ways. Firstly, the physical effort of cycling b...

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville has opened its latest expansion , a $378 million project that added five floors to the main patient tower. The "vertical growth" brings 166 patient beds in medical and surgical nursing units, as well as new automation and patient care technology, according to Mayo. "Mayo Clinic continues to invest in growth and health care transformation, including a plan to more than double our space for patient care, biomedical research and education in Florida," Dr. Kent Thielen, CEO, said. "The structures we are creating now will serve the patients of today and the patients we will care for over generations to come." Here's some of the highlights: Why was the Mayo expansion needed? The project was approved by the national Mayo Clinic Health System board in February 2022 as part of its " Bold. Forward. Unbound . next-generation health care model that brings solutions to more patients when...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) - New WIC card technology could improve the experience for Missouri mothers. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, on May 1, a new WIC card was activated for participants to redeem food benefits at authorized WIC retailers. WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The program provides quality nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, nutritious foods, and referrals to health services. The MDHSS says the new card moves the Missouri WIC program into real-time processing. This provides multiple advantages to participants, WIC local agencies, and authorized WIC retailers. Some advantages of the new card technology include: The ability for participants to track their food benefits in real time by contacting their WIC local agency or using the WICShopper app. This ensures more participants can get the healthy food their families need and can el...

Cosmetic iris implantation, laser pigmentation removal, and keratopigmentation—these innovative surgical procedures offer possibilities that were previously considered fictional. However, they entail significant costs. Have you ever imagined altering your eye color without resorting to contacts? Changing your eye color permanently isn’t just sci-fi anymore now that eye-color surgeries have become feasible—but they’re still a long way off from being a risk-free cosmetic trick. Not surprisingly, changing the color of your eyes through procedures like cosmetic iris implants, laser pigmentation removal, and keratopigmentation ranks as one of the most dangerous eye surgeries you could consider undergoing. Even though it’s increasingly favored by influencers on social platforms, the truth about different cosmetic eye surgeries isn’t as attractive. Typically costing roughly $12,000 and carrying risks such as potential sight impairment, glaucoma, or harm to the cornea, these operat...