How iPhone health gadgets could change what 'see your doctor' means

Apple's Health app had a quiet rollout in late 2014, and months later many iOS users still aren't sure how the platform works on their new (or newly updated) iPhone.
Sure, we've already seen a series of apps like Nike+ Running, MyFitnessPal and the MayoClinic work with the iOS-based hub for tracking personal health data, but as of now, Health's forecasted impact on the medical industry has yet to be proven.

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But there's another emerging trend that's shaping up to have a profound impact on the future of doctor visits and getting faster treatment: iPhone gadgets.

Image: CellScope

From a device that helps identify when a child has an ear infection to FaceTime sessions with a physician for only $49 a pop,

startups are looking for ways to make the most of Apple's Health platform and are doing some pretty revolutionary things along the way.

startups are looking for ways to make the most of Apple's Health platform and are doing some pretty revolutionary things along the way.

CellScope's Oto Home device ($79) is an accessory that looks like a traditional otoscope that doctors use to look inside a patient's ear. It attaches to the iPhone's camera and captures video of what's happening in the ear canal. The clip can then be sent to a doctor via email (for an additional $49 fee), so they can diagnose and provide a prescription nearly on demand. The gadget can share data with the Health app (so doctors can see a running history). The idea is to help connect families in remote areas (think: rural Alaska) with pediatricians quickly.
“We want to bring the doctor into your home," said co-founder and CEO Erik Douglas. "In the same way that banking has moved from the branch office to the mobile phone, CellScope aims to deliver healthcare wherever you are."

Ear infections bring more kids to the pediatrician's office each year than anything else — an ailment that costs the U.S. healthcare system about $3.5 billion annually — and most children (80%) have one by the age of three, so the opportunity for the startup is clear. While the device is only available in California right now, you can sign up to be notified once the CellScope is approved for use in other states. The company anticipates a greater rollout in the second quarter of 2015.
Another gadget called the Swaive is an intelligent in-ear thermometer (also $79) and syncs up to Apple's Health app via Bluetooth to keep track of body temperature over time.

Image: Swaive

The device not only monitors the health of someone who is sick but can also serve as a tool for measuring temperature when trying to get pregnant (fluctuation often indicates when a woman is ovulating). Readings from a user's profile are automatically sent to Apple Health when they are recorded and can then be sent to doctors.
"It's designed to help parents or users in general send their temperature measurements directly to doctors," Gurpal Bhoot of Swaive told Mashable. "In the app, there is a feature to record occurring physical symptoms and medicines the patient is currently taking, which allows for a complete recent medical history for the doctor to use to diagnose in a relatively quick manner."
For those who don't want to visit doctors in person — or don't have health insurance — there's a way the iPhone can help. An app called AmWell lets you FaceTime with doctors 24/7, no appointment needed. Physicians who are a part of the AmWell network provide real-time feedback, diagnosis and treatment for $49 a virtual visit, with printable receipts available for insurance reimbursement. Patients load up the app and can peruse through a collection of doctors (including information related to their education, years of practice and ratings).

Image: AmWell

So while there hasn't been much fanfare around the Apple Health app since its debut — or too many obvious examples of how the iPhone itself can influence the medical field — these integrations are starting to point the way, and may be the firsts steps toward tapping the potential of the company's HealthKit platform. For millions of iPhone users, the benefit is clear: getting medical attention faster than ever.

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Take a look at your hands – Is Your ring finger longer than your index finger?

Success isn’t written in the stars, it’s in the length of your fingers

Take a look at your hands – you
will learn a lot about yourself, Cambridge University scientists say

It is the simplest hands-on experiment – and, for once, it is safe to try this at home. Compare the length of your fingers and predict your own future.

Everything from sporting prowess to academic ability, sexual orientation to susceptibility to disease can be assessed on the twin measurements of the length of the ring and index fingers. It is science’s answer to palmistry.
Researchers at Cambridge University have found that finger length can point to success in the City. Traders with longer ring fingers made the most money – up to six times more than those whose ring fingers were relatively short.
The ratio between index and ring finger is believed to be linked to exposure to the male hormone testosterone in the womb. On average, men tend to have longer ring fingers and women longer index fingers. The higher the testosterone, the greater the length of the ring finger and the more “masculine” the resulting child – whether male or female. The longest ring finger is known as the “Casanova pattern”.

How to find ratio between index and ring finger?

Measure your index and ring fingers, base to tip. (Most of the studies used the right hand.) Divide the length of your index finger by the length of your ring finger to determine the digit ratio, or finger quotient (Fq). A longer ring finger results in an Fq of less than 1 and a more “masculine” hand shape.

How Do You Measure Up?

Increased verbal aggression Fq < 1
The shorter your index finger, the sharper your tongue: In both men and women, a lower Fq can predict more verbal sparring.
Improved athletic ability Fq < 1
A greater surge of prenatal testosterone can be an indicator of high levels of achievement in sports, as well as a mental toughness in athletics. In one study, college varsity athletes (male and female) were found to have shorter index fingers than other students.
Improved sense of direction Fq < 1
In women, a more masculine digit ratio tends to predict a better sense of direction, backing up past research that found men tend to have better spatial cognition than women.
More physical aggression Fq < 1
Men with shorter index fingers are more likely to pick fights. Women with the same hand shape are more likely to react with aggression after being provoked.
More risk taking Fq < 1
Men who experience a higher surge of prenatal testosterone, and thus have longer ring fingers, tend to be risk takers. One example: The most successful financial traders tend to have the longest fourth fingers. These behavior patterns seem to apply only to men.

If Fq > 1

Healthier knees Fq  > 1

An index finger that’s shorter than the ring finger can be a sign of knee osteoarthritis risk, particularly in women, compared with people whose fingers are equal lengths, or who have a longer index finger.
Increased risk of oral cancer* Fq > 1
A high digit ratio — those with very little difference between the index and ring finger, or with a longer index finger — was found among men with oral cancer, compared with men with pre-cancerous oral lesions or no lesions, according to one all-male study.

Lower prostate cancer risk Fq > 1

Men with long index fingers and shorter ring fingers have a 33 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer. If they’re younger than 60, the risk is even less — 87 percent.

Ring finger vs Index finger

Ring finger longer than index finger
More often found in men than women, people with longer ring fingers tend to excel on the sports field, especially in running and football.
Scientists at the University of Bath found that children who had longer ring fingers are better with numbers-based subjects such as maths and physics, which are traditionally male favourites. A study this week showed autism may be linked with exposure to testosterone in the womb. Autism is sometimes described as the “extreme male brain” and is four times more common in boys than girls. Finger length might provide an early warning of the condition. Canadian researchers from the University of Alberta have found a correlation between length of the ring finger and levels of physical aggression – as would be expected in the most masculinised individuals.
Index finger longer than ring finger
The traditional pattern in women, long index fingers can predict a child’s academic strengths. Scientists at the University of Bath found that longer index fingers indicated good verbal and literacy skills, where girls dominate. The findings were published in the British Journal of Psychology in 2007. Studies of sexual orientation have shown that lesbian women are more likely to have longer ring fingers, suggesting exposure to higher levels of foetal testosterone. Professor John Manning said research he had conducted suggested that gay men were more likely to display feminised finger ratios, suggesting less testosterone exposure in the womb.
However, sceptics have observed that twin studies show that 70 per cent of the difference in finger length is inherited from our parents.