The End of Medicine As We Know It

Bonus Episode: Interview with Future Proof

Host: Jonathan McCrea, newstalk

Bonus Episode: Interview with Talk Radio Europe

Interview on "The End of Medicine As We Know It."

Bonus Episode: Interview with Times Radio

Host: Hannah MacInnes

Epilogue: Nobody Is Sick Anymore

In this final episode of The End of Medicine As We Know It, we return to Max, the man from the prologue, and look at how radically life has changed in a world shaped by genome sequencing, microbiome profiling, digital twins, continuous monitoring, and precision prevention. This is not science fiction anymore—it is a realistic vision of what the healthcare landscape may look like in just a few years. The year is 2036, and Max is thriving. Twenty years before retirement, healthy, active, and free of chronic illness. Thanks to early genome sequencing and microbiome analysis, his personal risk pathways were identified long before any damage could occur. He had no predisposition for heart attack, but a measurable risk of stroke—exacerbated by weight gain, high blood pressure, and low activity in his 40s. In the old healthcare system, Max would likely have experienced a first stroke, then a second, and then a lifetime of disability. Back then, stroke was the third leading cause of death. Today? Max knows nobody who has had one—and long-term consequences have become almost unheard of. Max’s smartphone health app continuously measures: • steps and floors climbed • blood pressure and heart rate • blood sugar • sleep quality • oxygen saturation • heart rhythm • stress level • environmental exposures Everything is integrated into his digital twin. His local health center—staffed by doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, nutritionists, and his personal trainer—monitors his data in real time. He rarely visits in person. Instead, the team contacts him instantly if anything requires action. This is preventive medicine, not crisis management. Chronic illness has virtually vanished. Genetic risks are corrected early with gene therapy. Entire pathways that once guaranteed disease can now be repaired permanently. The therapies that made this possible won the Nobel Prize years ago. In Max’s world, people talk about health, movement, and goals—not about sickness. In this epilogue, we reflect on the central message of the entire book: Radical change in medicine is not merely needed—it is already happening. The door to a new era of longevity, prevention, personalised health, and equitable access has been pushed wide open. The technologies that seemed futuristic just a decade ago are becoming mainstream and cost-effective for everyone. This is a world where: • early detection prevents nearly all chronic illnesses, • personalised prevention replaces trial-and-error medicine, • health inequities shrink dramatically, • and well-being becomes a global standard, not a privilege. Thank you for accompanying these sample chapters. The future of health is not far away—it has already begun. More information: https://haraldschmidt.online Contact: podcast@haraldschmidt.online

Digital Twin

In this episode of The End of Medicine As We Know It, we explore one of the most powerful concepts in modern health: creating your digital twin. This means digitising everything that defines your biology—your genome, microbiome, exposome, health behaviours, medications, and medical history—and building a personalised, lifelong data model that protects you from disease before it develops. We explain why now is the right time to go digital and how to do it safely and effectively. Most people think of digital health in terms of electronic patient records. But the term is misleading. You are not only a patient when sick. A true electronic health record (EHR) is designed for lifelong prevention, early detection, and personalised optimisation—long before symptoms appear. A real EHR integrates: • genome data (your inherited risks), • microbiome data (your symbiotic microbes), • exposome data (your environmental exposures), • lifestyle patterns, • medications and risks of polypharmacy, • continuous monitoring from apps, wearables, and medical devices. This creates your digital twin—a dynamic model of your health that supports risk prediction, drug safety, and personalised prevention. Today, medication safety is shockingly poor. Patients taking four or more medications face exponentially higher risks of drug–drug interactions, side effects, and treatment errors. A unified EHR dramatically reduces these risks by finally giving all healthcare providers the same transparent, real-time medication overview. A crucial piece missing from national telematics infrastructures is patient-to-patient networking. Yet peer support is often as valuable as professional care. Germany alone has ~100,000 self-help groups, offering: • emotional support, • shared experiences, • practical advice, • reduced isolation, • insights into everyday challenges, treatments, and side effects. But local groups are often too small or inconsistent. That’s why online networks—open 24/7, anonymous, and geographically unlimited—are transforming patient communities. A patient in Munich may provide life-changing advice to someone in Hamburg, something impossible without digital networking. Experts also prefer joining one large online group over dozens of tiny local ones. Tip #3: • Create your digital twin: use the federal electronic patient record (ePA) and supplement it with an electronic healthrecord that integrates prevention, not just illness. • Use your smartphone’s built-in health apps—they are improving rapidly and will soon dominate the market. • Join online or hybrid patient communities, e.g. patientenwiewir.de, to access shared knowledge and emotional support. • Use a clear medication plan, and as an older patient, adjust it together with your doctor and pharmacist to avoid unsafe polypharmacy. Digital health is no longer optional. It is the foundation of safer, longer, and more personalised living. More information: https://haraldschmidt.online Contact: podcast@haraldschmidt.online