I KNOW a lot of fitness buffs and have met many health advocates who have really committed themselves to help promote healthier lifestyles, but it’s not every day that you encounter someone who refers to herself as a health warrior—just as you don’t usually come across a piece of tech that claims to be years ahead of the current smart wearables, even more advanced than the Apple Watch.
I know it probably means the same but just sounds a little more feisty. But to be sure, I “googled” what health warrior exactly meant but the results kept redirecting me to a food company and the benefits of chia seeds. So instead I researched on “HELO,” a device unlike any other wearable that’s available in the traditional market space.
Joy Chua, the local distributor of HELO, said she has been a health warrior most of her life, and is constantly looking for products that could help improve our health and give people some peace of mind.
That’s how she came across HELO.
HELO stands for HEalth and Lifestyle Oracle. It’s not a smartwatch (it has no screen and doesn’t show time), nor is it just a fitband. Instead, it’s a Life-Sensing Technology, or where technology meets wellness.
It’s a health band that you don’t just wear occasionally or just when you need it, because it can improve your lifestyle and health by offering a more comprehensive kind of personal monitoring.
Unlike ordinary wristbands, HELO is not limited to monitoring and reporting physical data. HELO has active sensors recording emotions, fatigue, sleep quality, exercise, blood pressure, heart rate and ECG, and add-ons such as Germanium that can directly benefit the human body. It is also the only device that can do noninvasive blood sugar monitoring, and this will be available in a few months through the HELO App Store, further increasing the potential of the HELO.
Another feature worth mentioning is its built-in GPS with a panic button that can send out an alert signal, as well as the wearer’s location, in case they are in trouble.
When the first HELO was released in 2016, it created shockwaves in the wearable technology market. The HELO LX is the second iteration of the product and the newly designed model includes several powerful upgrades under the hood.
The HELO looks more like a bracelet instead of a watch, since the model shown to us had no screen. All the information can be accessed through an app you have to install on your smartphone. It’s powered by a rechargeable battery that can last for a couple of days and comes with a proprietary charging cable, not microUSB or USB C.
So, how does it work? According to its web site, HELO works using photoplethysmography (PPG).
Wait, photoplethyswhat? It’s a bit complicated so I’m quoting how it is explained on the product’s web site:
“At the center of HELO LX technology is the App Lite Biosensor by Toshiba. The HELO LX uses PPG, which is a unique optical technique used to detect volumetric changes in blood in peripheral circulation.
“HELO uses LEDs to emit both green light and infrared light from the HELO LX into the body and then monitors the reflected light using optical sensors. It then uses computer-based pulse wave analysis techniques to detect volumetric changes in blood in peripheral circulation.
“The PPG creates waveforms that are comprised of a pulsating ‘AC’ physiological waveform in sync with changes in the blood volume with each heartbeat. This then is superimposed on a slowly varying ‘DC’ baseline with various lower frequency components attributed to respiration, sympathetic nervous system activity and thermoregulation. Then using computer-based pulse wave analysis techniques, the data is processed and reported to you on your smartphone as figures that are easily recognized and understood.”
On paper, HELO looks really promising, especially since it is the only wearable I know that can monitor your blood pressure, heart rate ECG, blood sugar and even your mood.
Unfortunately, we were not able to try the HELO LX to experience just how it works, but initial reviews have been positive, and local doctors, they say, have been very receptive to using the readings and data from HELO for their patient records.
If you are interested to know more about HELO, visit healthwarrior.worldgn.com or contact Joy Chua at 0917-7928858.
GETTING RID OF GADGET RADIATION
REMEMBER how our moms used to scold us for using our cell phones for far too long, and that it was going to give us headaches? Turns out she might have a point after all.
Have you heard about electrosmog?
Electrosmog is the invisible electromagnetic radiation resulting from the use of both wireless technology and main electricity. The most common sources of wireless electrosmog are cordless phones, cordless baby alarms, mobile/cellular phone masts/towers/transmitters, cellular phones and even Wi-Fi devices. Electrosmog is responsible for a condition known as electrosensitivity (ES) or electrohypersensitivity (EHS), and the symptoms include headaches, disruptive sleep patterns, chronic fatigue, depression, hypersensitivity and erratic blood pressure, skin complaints and even behavioral patterns in children.
To minimize the effect of electrosmog, there’s a product called BioZen that can protect you against mobile radiation. It’s like a sticker that you can just attach at the back of your mobile device to reduce magnetic field gradients, defend against changes in your blood profile, and lower your body’s stress levels.
EARN POINTS BY PAYING YOUR BILLS
NO one’s ever excited about paying their bills, and maybe that’s why companies have been trying lots of ways to make it more convenient, if not accessible. PLDT, on the other hand, gives you a bit more incentive and rewards you for being a loyal and paying customer as it introduced the Most Valuable Partner (MVP) Rewards Program.
“Our customers are our most valuable partners and they deserve nothing less than an innovative and unparalleled rewards program,” PLDT Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said at the launch held earlier this week at the Makati Shangri-La.
“MVP Rewards is in a category of its own. We’ve taken what is best across industries and put it in one powerful program that offers more than just rewards. And the PLDT Group has the unique ability to provide this level of convergence owing to the breadth of our combined services,” he stressed.
MVP Rewards is a product of the strategic collaboration of PLDT, Smart and Voyager Innovations through its digital financial services arm, PayMaya Philippines, and its digital marketing arm, Hatch.
Customers are rewarded by paying their monthly bills on time and in full, or whenever they load their prepaid accounts. Earned points are as good as cash and have no expiration date, so customers have the freedom to choose when and where to use their rewards.
Points earned are consolidated in a single rewards wallet, which comes with a virtual card powered by PayMaya. MVP Rewards members simply need to download the PayMaya app and activate their virtual card. Members can also get their own MVP Rewards physical card, which they can link to their wallet and use to swipe or dip at point-of-sale terminals anywhere here and abroad.
Members also enjoy special deals and privileges at various establishments nationwide just by showing their virtual or physical MVP Rewards card. Each month, customers are part of a members-only raffle where they can win bill rebates on so many everyday expenses. Rebates won are also credited directly to their rewards wallet.
Customers of PLDT Home, Smart, TNT and Sun can enroll their accounts via www.mvprewards.ph and conveniently link it to just one rewards wallet.
VALENTINE’S DAY AMONG THE STARS
It’s the Valentine season and everyone is getting in the romantic mood with candlelights, flowers, candy, and every shade of red and pink. But instead of spending the weekend of hearts under the stars, why not spend it among them?
On February 10, the stars will come down from the heavens and land straight at the Greenfield District’s Sunset Fair Love Notes Celebrity Bazaar: A Valentine’s Day Celebration.
Head over to the Greenfield District Central Park and get to spend the day with Megan Young, Troy Montero, Ara Mina, Aubrey Miles, Phoemela Baranda, Katarina Rodriguez, CJ Jaravata, Mikael Daez, Brent Javier, John James Uy, Dennise Oca, Janna Tee and many others, and find the perfect gift at their respective booths.
The event will be hosted by Mellow 94.7 radio jocks, and will feature original Pilipino music bands like About Radio and Bleu Rascals. There will also be giant board games and prizes to be raffled off.
“We’ve always believed that love does not discriminate. There’s something in store for everyone here. Greenfield District’s Sunset Fair Love Notes promises to be a truly memorable affair,” Atty. Duane A.X Santos said, executive vice president and general manager of Greenfield Development Corp.
NETFLIX TOP 10 MOST BINGE-ABLE SERIES
THIS love month of February, Netflix wants to help you remember your first. Think back to the moment you realized you just can’t stop watching…what show was it? Where were you? How long did it take for you to finish an entire season? And if you say it took you less than a week to meet your first, you’re not alone: it only took an average of five days for Pinoys to start their first binge!
For most Filipinos, the love for Eleven and the gang is still going strong because Stranger Things is the most popular show that people binged on first. We also couldn’t wait to finish shows like 13 Reasons Why, Narcos and Riverdale. Pinoys are also falling for stories filled with exciting action and shocking plot twists, like Santa Clarita Diet, Marvel’s Iron Fist, Shooter and How to Get Away with Murder. Meanwhile, the badass ladies (and gents) from Orange Is The New Black and Breaking Bad round out the top 10.
Now you can stream or revisit your old favorites
on the go with Netflix’s download feature. All you need to do is click the download button on the details page of the show, and you can watch your favorites anytime and anywhere, even without an Internet connection. Oh, and if you are looking for your next binge, might I suggest the dark and strangely romantic The End of the F***ing World. It’s just 20 minutes each episode, so you can easily watch it on your way to or from the office.