The National Institute of Health (NIH) is about to embark on a nationwide research program. The health organization is searching for 1,000,000 volunteers.
'All Of Us'
On May 1, the NIH announced enrollment dates for a new research program. The volunteer recruitment drive is expected to help the government agency find volunteers 18-years-old and older to share with the nation their healthy habits for a research project. This research project is called All of Us.
The NIH hopes that they can harness' the volunteers' DNA so that it can find "personalized" methods of care, prevention, and treatment for a plethora of diseases. Over 25,000 people have agreed to participate with the All of Us research project. Project leaders hope that they could get 1,000,000 volunteers in the next five to six years.
What Is Precision Medicine?
A critical element of the All of Us research program is precision medicine. The NIH states that precision medicine focuses on comparing the person's lifestyle with their environment and DNA. Precision medicine has been used to help thwart and prevent diseases.
Researchers claim that precision medicine was used in several cancer treatments. Scientists used the technique to create procedures based on cancer mutations found in tumors than in the part of the body where the disease emerged.
Relationship Building
The NIH hopes that the All of Us research project strengthens the relationships between the researchers and volunteers. One way that the health agency is looking to build the relationships was by making the volunteers partners in this great project.
The partners will be informed at every stage of the research project, and they will be able to keep track of their information. NIH Director Francis Collins revealed that the volunteer information is expected to be safe from hackers and lawyers will be unable to obtain them for judicial proceedings.
"This is something we thought about. We knew this was going to be an issue in getting people comfortable," said Collins to the Washington Post.
Where Can You Sign Up?
The All of Us Research program will begin searching for volunteers in seven cities on May 6. NIH representatives will travel to Birmingham, Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Missouri, Nashville, New York, and Pasco, Washington. All locations are expected to have a community festival that will encompass a nationwide live stream and local programs.
How To Be Healthy
As the NIH prepares to sign people up for the All of Us research program, new studies have been published to show people could maintain a healthy lifestyle. Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health gave out five suggestions on how to expand life expectancy. Several ideas include eliminating junk food, exercising at least 30 minutes a day, and moderating alcohol intake.
Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder shared a new study that compared city and country living. The study suggested that people who grow up in a city environment without a pet are prone to obtaining mental illness and stress later in life, while people who grew up in a rural setting surrounded by animals had a better immune system.
The Journal of Immunology published a study by the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University that found that drinking water with baking soda could help reduce people's chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. It was discovered that by consuming the baking soda water mixture in two weeks, it would significantly strengthen the immune system.
