This post and podcast episode are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional with any health-related questions.
!["Virtual Medicine" sign projected in white letters with white headset logo on purple-lit wall during VMed 2019.](https://twomaverix.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DSC_0009-1024x683.jpg)
Our Over Coffee® Valentine special will be posted later this week! Meanwhile, as Cedars-Sinai prepares for their annual “Virtual Medicine” conference in March 2022, here is our earlier interview with conference founder Dr. Brennan Spiegel, on his book, “VRx: How Virtual Therapeutics Will Revolutionize Medicine”.
In March, 2018, we watched history being made in Los Angeles.
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Medical professionals from thirteen countries had come to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for the world’s first “Virtual Medicine” conference.
An incredible two days followed.
![Dr Spiegel near Virtual Medicine slide](https://twomaverix.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Dr-Spiegel-and-slide1.jpg)
Led by Cedars-Sinai Director of Health Services Research Dr. Brennan Spiegel, a series of medical professionals took the stage for presentations on pain management, therapy and preventive medicine–using virtual reality.
A standing ovation followed the final session.
Unbelievably, four years have passed since that groundbreaking conference.
The fifth, now-annual Virtual Medicine conference, “vMed22”, is coming up March 24-25 of this year, and will be entirely virtual. (Here’s the link for information, and we’re looking forward to attending, virtually!)
![Cedars-Sinai Director of Health Research Dr. Brennan Spiegel explains a concet onstage during vMed2108.](https://twomaverix.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Dr-Spiegel-closeup21.jpg)
Meanwhile, in 2020, we had the honor of getting to talk with Dr. Spiegel about his findings, and his experiences, as we discussed his book, VRx: How Virtual Therapeutics Will Revolutionize Medicine”.
Here is a rebroadcast of our interview–and we’re looking forward to March 24th!
On this edition of Over Coffee®, we cover:
- What first inspired Dr. Spiegel to begin using virtual reality in his medical practice;
- One of the early experiences which he had with VR, and describes in his book;
- How VR is currently being used in therapy to treat anxiety;
- A look at one doctor’s use of virtual reality to help veterans with PTSD;
- How VR works to combat eating disorders, such as obesity and anorexia;
- A neuroscience explanation of why it works–to “fool” the brain!;
- A look at how VR can work in the brain alleviate pain;
- The story of one patient who used VR to control pain and wean himself off opiods;
- Some of the obstacles to widespread adoption of medical VR–and how the field is growing;
- An exciting new program, currently in the planning stages at Cedars-Sinai;
- One program which Dr. Spiegel developed with a congregation, in VRx, to help parishioners lower their blood pressure through VR;
- AND, how to find out more about upcoming free webinars and resources through Cedars-Sinai.