As technology marches on, we find that it often comes with a cost to our health.

When I was younger, diabetes was not as prevalent as it is today and there were fewer obese people. Then came fast foods and waistlines began to expand. Then television expanded with cable TV and then electronic games were born. I recall when Atari first came out with Pong, followed by Asteroids and even more games. Instead of going outside to play and be physically active, we spent more time in front of the television playing games and watching the variety of programs thanks to cable companies. Let’s not forget the advent of VCRs and the ability to watch so many movies at home, again, taking time away from being more physically active.

The result of these technological inventions has resulted in an epidemic of obesity which in turn has led to an epidemic of heart disease and strokes. Some still believe that the huge increase in forms of dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease, is somehow linked to our unhealthier diets, lack of activity and obesity. I would not be surprised to one day read of researchers finding that direct link.

Then home computers came on the scene. I recall saying that I’d never have a computer in my house, only to find that I’ve been a slave to my home computer for the past 20-years. While working for an international ministry, most of my time was spent on a laptop computer and when I went home, I took the laptop with me and continued to work until late at night or the wee hours of the morning as I corresponded with others half-way around the world. For the past 8 years, I work from home on my computer and am thankful to God to be able to since my physical disability prevents me from being able to take many jobs.

With computers, tablets and mobile phones, doctors have found that the blue light that emanates from the screens has a negative impact on our sleeping patterns, which in turn affects our overall physical and mental health.

With the rise of computers, tablets and mobile phones came social media platforms. Researchers have discovered direct link to the sudden rise of depression and suicides to the popularity of mobile phones and social media. Millions of people stopped talking to each other face-to-face and instead turned to the impersonal world of social media. If you ask many younger people today, you will find that many of them say they feel alone and disconnected from others and this is what causes their depression.

Now, a new technological trend is resulting in a negative physical impact, as reported:

“Your next selfie could be your most painful one, a California doctor has warned.”

“Dr. Levi Harrison, a San Francisco-based physician, is warning people about selfie wrist caused by people using their phone’s camera to take a photo of themselves, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.”

“‘Selfie wrist’ is a form of carpal tunnel syndrome. People who experience selfie wrist may feel a tingling or sharp pain, which comes from flexing your wrist inward or holding your phone too long without moving.”

In addition to selfie wrist injuries, doctors and emergency rooms have seen a number of instances of people getting injured while taking a selfie and not paying attention to their surroundings or what they are doing. They end up tripping and falling, which results in broken wrists and other bones, bruises and lacerations.

The report adds:

“A 2018 study discovered that between October 2011 and November 2017 there had been 259 deaths associated with taking a selfie, with the most concentrated deaths coming from the U.S., India, Russia and Pakistan.”

Before you take that next selfie, think twice about where you are and what you are doing. Perhaps it’s best to have someone else take your photo instead of contorting your wrist to take it yourself. Don’t become another senseless victim of the selfie craze who ends up in the doctor’s office, emergency room or morgue.