Deval Panchal

Deepinder Goyal defends Temple wearable amid doctors’ concerns over brain blood flow claims Read this informative article prepared by @sumitjha__ published in @TheSouthfirst, which has my quotes, alongside that of other experts. Neurologists question whether a temple reading can represent brain circulation "Dr Sudhir Kumar, Senior Consultant Neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, said the study’s findings in healthy participants cannot be extended to people with neurological or vascular conditions." "He pointed out that the brain receives blood through multiple arteries and that disease can affect one artery, one side of the brain or even a limited segment of a vessel." “It may correlate in somebody who is completely healthy. But we know very well that the disease does not affect all the arteries,” he told South First. "He questioned whether a reading obtained from a sensor placed over the temple could be extrapolated to represent circulation across the entire brain." “It’s not that easy to just focus in one small area of the scalp and then extrapolate, saying that the entire brain blood flow is the same as what we are seeing there,” he said. "Dr Kumar also warned that a normal reading could create a false sense of reassurance among people experiencing symptoms." “If somebody has symptoms, and the Temple device says that your blood flow is good, he may not come to the hospital and meet a doctor. That is the problem with making health claims which are not reliable,” he said. "He added that the brain’s blood supply involves arteries on both sides and vessels supplying the back of the brain. A measurement from one temple, he argued, cannot establish that circulation is normal throughout these regions." Doctors want clearer disclaimers "Dr Kumar said he was not opposed to new technology or innovation, but argued that companies developing health and wellness devices must communicate their limitations as clearly as their advertised capabilities." “Innovation is always good. We all want innovation, and we are all for it. India is moving ahead, and we are definitely seeing a lot of Make in India initiatives. Only thing is, we should not claim something which the device is not yet capable of doing,” he said. "He said consumers should be told what a device can measure, what it cannot establish and when they should seek medical attention." “Especially when we are dealing with people’s health, we should always give a disclaimer saying what all it cannot do. He is only highlighting what all it can do,” Dr Kumar said. "He added that people experiencing unusual symptoms should not rely on a wearable reading instead of seeking medical care." "Dr Kumar also questioned the need for consumers to spend around ₹85,000 on a device if they were primarily interested in tracking heart rate, which can be measured using simpler and cheaper methods." thesouthfirst.com/health/dee…