What technology can do right now is just startling.
First we're gonna talk about virtual reality for pain.
As we know, and we've all seen with this opioid crisis,
pain is a huge issue in our country.
There's so many people suffering,
of every age and socioeconomic background,
every state in the country, it's just mind boggling.
Absolutely, so we need better treatments for pain,
ones that don't have debilitating side effects
and are not addictive.
So here comes virtual reality for pain,
and this is the concept of using virtual reality
to make you somewhat distracted from pain.
It's been used for women in childbirth with pain--
Wow.
Right, burn victims for when
they're changing their bandages experience pain.
Oh gosh.
So what's actually going on when you feel pain?
Well here we have an animation showing you.
When you touch something that's painful
or when you have a disease or an injury
your body is going to send signals to your spinal cord
which then go up to your brain.
Your brain there receives those signals
and processes them and says oh there's something painful.
It's going to then send signals back down through your body
to cause a reaction.
In this case, move my hand away from that painful stimulus.
That's what's going on with pain,
but with virtual reality,
I'm gonna show you an actual cool device right now,
a headset where you can actually distract yourself
in some way from the pain.
It's not exactly clear why it works,
but the theory is your brain can't really process
two things at once, so if you're immersing yourself
in this virtual world,
you're not going to feel the pain.
You literally can't mentally receive the pain?
That's right, it's sort of like a child
when they're holding their mother's hand
while they're getting a shot.
Okay so here I am, I'm gonna put this on.
I get to do the fun stuff here.
I'm going to be seeing a world where I'm going through
Winter Wonderland, things of this nature.
Oh wow!
Yeah, it's even cooler what I'm seeing,
'cause it's all 3D, I see this reindeer coming towards me,
I'm dodging some snowflakes there,
I can almost feel them, it's so realistic.
You can imagine, if you're immersing yourself in this world,
you're not really going to be concentrating on any pain
that you're having.
This looks like a game,
but really it's using meditation techniques,
cognitive behavior therapy techniques,
a lot of things that will actually equip you to deal
with pain even later when you take this off.
Based in real science?
Correct.
So these are the receptors in your brain that will
help you manage that pain while you're watching it,
and after you remove it?
Even after as well.
It trains your brain.
That's amazing.
Yeah I love it, I think it's--
Brain training for pain relief, amazing.
No side effects.
(clapping)
Now how far off in the future is that?
This is actually available right now.
So this is a product that people could be using
for pain management or at least try it
for pain management even now.
Even today, and by the way,
they also have a program for hot flashes,
so a lot of different applications.
I hear your audience.
(clapping)
I knew it, I knew it.
(laughing)
I had to put it out there, because you know.
Every woman in the room just went woo.
(applause)
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