Not so long ago, to pay a bill or settle something related to your bank account, you had to stand for hours, waiting, in endless queues, for a teller to show you. Currently, you are using a mobile application or have the convenience of an ATM to solve everything quickly and without wasting time and patience. This is just one of the examples that show how technological progress, appearing every minute, is fundamentally changing the way we live. We can cite many other examples of how technological innovations have simplified our lives, making everything more practical. From the possibilities of exercising a home office, i.e. working from home, without having to stand for hours in busy traffic to get to and from the office, to communication facilities and access to information, and the ability to connect with people and the world 24 hours a day, no one doubts that progress Technology has made our days easier.
However, too much convenience and practicality ends up giving rise to discussions about the potential effects that excessive use of many modern devices can have, affecting human behavior and people’s physical and mental performance.
But will technological innovations such as cars, smart homes, appliances, remote controls, and smartphones, for example, make us more lazy and sedentary and could cause problems for our health? For Dr. Jose Augusto Ferreira, MD, internal medicine and critical care physician and director of supply and health at Unimed-BH, the answer lies in the way each person uses technology. “I have friends who prefer the paper book and others who actually read through electronic devices,” the specialist recalls, noting that as equipment became more accessible, people gained the power to choose. “I decide whether to cook at home or order food through the app. Whether I go to the supermarket by car or on foot. Everyone has the possibility to choose which method they will use, or even, whether they will use technology or not.” Despite realizing the benefits, the doctor warns against excesses in the use of technological devices. “There is actually a tendency for people to have problems with the cervical spine due to keeping their necks in the same position when looking at their mobile phones,” he adds. The specialist believes that the solution lies in man’s natural ability to adapt to new realities. “Some things will happen and that is a normal part of human evolution. Two hundred years from now, people will definitely be born with a curved neck, which makes it easy to look at their cell phones,” he jokes. “Every age has its benefits, but it also has its consequences, I have no doubt.”
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To the other specialist who heard it Good to live in the minesGerson Soares Antunes Jr., infectious disease physician, who works on the front lines of the teleconsultation program at Unimed-BH, it is important to keep in mind that many technological innovations are here to stay and that it is essential to learn how to deal with them without affecting changes in Our behavior negatively affects our physical and mental health. “The technology is there and you can’t turn your back on it. At some point, you will need it.” For him, the same technology that expands the possibilities of living longer and better can also cause serious harm to health, for example. “The less physical activity I do, the more synthetic products I consume, the more problems I will face. Technology creates situations that if you don’t know how to deal with it, your life span will decrease,” he says. The expert adds that humans have a responsibility to understand and use new technologies for the greater good. “In the same way that travel has accelerated and today you can get to places faster, diseases have also gained speed in spreading, such as Covid-19 that has spread all over the world in a short time.”
On the G1 Education page, psychologist and psychiatrist Anna Cassia Maturano published an article highlighting the dangers that excessive use of technological devices can bring to health. In her text, she reinforces the expert testimony he’s heard Good to live in the mines While emphasizing the importance of technology in facilitating everyday life, however, innovations also bring negative aspects such as limited brain development and sedentary lifestyle. “We always look to make our lives easier, but you win on one side and lose on the other. If things get easier and faster, it doesn’t always pay off. In the same way we suffer physical losses, we also have mental losses: the mind, as well as the body. They also need to practice,” he analyzes.
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