Nikki Gooding, a nurse practitioner, discovered the power of health-tracking technology when her Oura Ring provided crucial alerts that led to an early diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma. Although not a medical device, the Oura Ring tracks various health metrics and can send alerts when a user's body is under stress. This feature prompted Gooding to seek medical advice and ultimately catch her cancer early.
Gooding had been using the Oura Ring for nearly three years when she began receiving alerts from the Oura app shortly after returning from a trip in December. These alerts indicated that her body was under stress. Initially dismissing them, she soon noticed symptoms such as fatigue and night sweats that were waxing and waning. Concerned by the consistent alerts, she reached out to her doctor and was subsequently diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
"Luckily, my oncologist actually said that he doesn't think that I've had lymphoma for any longer than six months," said Gooding. "So I think that we did catch it pretty early."
The symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma include fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fever, and itchy skin. Gooding's awareness of these symptoms, combined with the data from her smart ring, motivated her to act swiftly.
The Oura Ring is a smart ring designed to track health metrics such as body temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, and heart rate variability. This device aims to support proactive health awareness rather than reactive care. Despite its potential benefits, Oura emphasizes that the ring is not intended to diagnose or treat medical conditions.
"The power of Oura lies in supporting proactive health awareness rather than reactive care. Oura Ring is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, monitor, or prevent medical conditions or illnesses. Instead, our technology aims to complement the healthcare system by helping users better understand their bodies and have more productive conversations with medical professionals," stated a representative from Oura.
Dr. Tara Narula, a health expert, elaborated on the utility of such devices:
"The Oura ring, for example, measures about 20 different parameters, things like body temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, heart rate variability, and you can imagine how, if something is off, it could be a clue to something else going on."
However, she also cautioned users:
"But it's important to say, as it does on the device — there's a disclaimer — that this is not a medical device. It cannot diagnose, cure, treat, prevent or manage medical conditions."
Gooding admits that having the information presented by the Oura Ring made her take her health more seriously.
"Having this information laid out in front of me definitely made me take it more seriously," she remarked.
The situation highlights the potential role of health-tracking technology in encouraging users to seek medical care sooner than they might otherwise.
