Tag Archives: sports

5 Extreme Summer Sports For Adrenaline Junkies

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Summer is one of the most beautiful times of year to bring your exercise routine outside, hiking, walking, swimming, you name it. But what about if normal exercise isn’t enough for you? Summertime also sets a great, sunny stage for adrenaline junkies to find new thrilling fitness opportunities. Five of our favorite extreme sports to try this summer are:

  1. ZORBING

We’ll start with perhaps the coolest of them all – zorbing! Have you heard of this crazy activity? It essentially involves a brave (and whacky) person being rolled down a huge hill in a padded bubble! Others describe it as a human hamster ball. The several-foot-wide balls are insulated with a thick layer of air between the inner bubble and the outer shell which absorbs shock to help prevent injury while people are hurled around inside the balls. Some designs feature a system of harnesses to keep people in place while they are rolled down hillsides, while other models feature zorb balls that are filled with water allowing a person to free-slide around inside while the ball rolls around. It sure looks like fun to us! But it isn’t ALL fun and games – like most extreme sports, there have been several injuries and even a couple deaths from Zorb ball mishaps, so sport wisely!

 

  1. KITE SURFING 

Kite surfing marries air sports with water sports for a perfect combination of extreme. The kite surfer stands on a surfboard-like structure and either holds onto, or is harnessed into a kite-like contraption that is aerodynamically designed to propel them forward via wind resistance. Sometimes you can catch a fair bit of height and do a trick or two before landing back on the water.

  1. WHITE WATER RAFTING 

You’ve likely heard of this extreme sport, but have you tried it? Not for the faint of heart, you and several other vessel-mates will go barreling over gushing rapids in a specially designed raft, working together to battle the current and stay afloat. There will be a guide or two heading the mission to try to keep things under control, but it is still quite a dangerous sport – so make sure you are wearing all necessary safety gear, learn the water route before hand and choose a reputable service!

  1. ZIPLINING 

Ziplining is one of the most simultaneously exhilarating, terrifying and beautiful activities you can undertake. You get to sail across the world on a thin line, surveying beautiful summer scenery while feeling adrenaline pumping through your veins. Some lines are designed for a fast-paced shock while others make for a slower, more leisurely ride across. Again, not to sound like a broken record but this can be a potentially deadly activity if done under the wrong circumstances. Don’t ride an unlicensed line, only those which are licenced and reputable. Ensure you have your harness secured and all your safety gear including brake-mittens.

  1. TUBING 

Tubing may sound tame, but it is actually so much fun and can be quite exhilarating! Special, durable tubes are towed behind speedboats so tube riders will hit waves at high speeds, sometimes getting bumped off the tubes if they aren’t holding on tight enough. To add an extra level of extreme, try tubing on the ocean (but be sure to wear good quality life jackets and work out some emergency signals you can display to the boaters before hand). Also, ensure there is a second person on the boat acting as a lookout who can let the driver know if you fall into the ocean.

*Disclaimer – DocChat does not endorse dangerous sports – participate at your own risk. Please sport responsibly, shop around first and look for places with operating licences, excellent safety measures and esteemed reputations.

 

3 Ways Telemedicine is Making Inroads Into Less Conventional Sectors

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sports medicine

The medical community has witnessed a big leap forward in telemedicine during the last couple of years. The credit for the telemedicine revolution goes to new technologies, such as hardware and software, cloud computing, video conferencing, and other technological breakthroughs. Also, thanks to the introduction of remote healthcare equipment, the once sluggish medical sector has now gone mainstream.

The telemedicine sector is currently witnessing a surge and it is increasingly being used to treat a wide range of health problems. It is bridging the gap between patients living in remote rural communities and medical service providers. Telemedicine is helping physicians to expand the scope of their services by enabling them to deliver services without making geographical movements.

Even though it is probable these technological breakthroughs will continue to fuel the growth and acceptance of telemedicine over the coming years, there are those less traditional sectors that can reap the benefits offered by telemedicine. Below are some examples to prove this.

1. Space Travel

Very few people are aware that NASA has been maintaining reasonably close ties with the progresses in telemedicine technologies and researches for tens of years. This implies that the space agency is all set to become the main beneficiary of future progresses in this arena. It is pertinent to note that researches in this area have gained even more importance today.

NASA’s interest in telemedicine is stimulated by its rising enthusiasm to support prolonged space missions. The agency requires telemedicine to support their space missions like the mission to Mars besides the provision of remote healthcare services to the international Space Station.

2. Sports

The lives of professional sportspersons is governed by two important factors: delivering extraordinary performance and travelling most of the time. These factors often create difficulties for them when it comes to receiving traditional healthcare services. This is where telemedicine is making inroads. Besides ensuring timely treatment of injured sportsmen, telemedicine can be used by the sports professionals to remotely and regularly consult with a healthcare specialist.

3. Disaster Situations

Disasters leave people displaced, which make them increasingly vulnerable to diseases. Remember, the United States has witnessed a series of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, tornadoes, and blizzards during the last decade. Disasters also cut people from healthcare services. It is worth mentioning here that when the 2009 Hurricane Ike hit Galveston, almost two million people were cut off from healthcare.

Telemedicine can bridge the gap between patients and physicians during disasters. Imagine telemedicine relief workers connecting displaced people with remotely stationed health practitioners. This means that telemedicine can play a great role in making certain that people get access to healthcare even during emergency situations.

To conclude, telemedicine holds a bright future in store for us. It is promising us a world where everyone benefits from high quality healthcare services no matter where we live, work, or what the situation. More and more experts are turning towards telemedicine, and you should too.