Space age helmet to beat baldness

THE SHOPS and the internet are awash with new gadgets that promise to improve your health — from musical pillows that lull you to sleep, to calorie-counting food scales. But are they worth it?

JINAN HARB asked leading health experts to put some of the latest devices to the test . . .

INTERNAL SPEAKER TO BOOST BABY’S BRAIN

Babypod, £95.85, from babypod.net This silicone speaker is inserted like a tampon, and connected to a smartphone so mothers can play music to their babies in the womb. Music is thought to activate communication centres in a baby’s brain.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘if there were any benefits to music on development of a foetus, this would theoretically enhance them,’ says Nitu Bajekal, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Royal Free London Nhs Foundation Trust, and founder of Women for Women’s health UK.

‘But, the evidence for benefits on neural development is not particularly strong as there are no long-term studies.

‘That said, the device is easy to use, and there are no obvious drawbacks. For anyone already playing music to their baby by holding it to the stomach, they may want to try this because sound is transmitted better.’

ANTI-CHOKING MASK

Dechoker, £103, from dechoker.com When someone is choking, they are told to lie down and the attached tube is placed on their tongue, the mask over the mouth and nose. Then the plunger is pulled to suck up food obstructing the airway.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘What are the chances of having access to this equipment at the time of the emergency?’ says Joe Mulligan, a first-aid expert with the British Red cross. ‘This should only be used if back blows and abdominal thrusts aren’t successful. A choking person instinctively wants to stand up, and this makes back blows more effective. And a mask over the nose and mouth could add to the distress.’

MUSICAL PILLOW TO HELP YOU SLEEP

Dreampad 26, £125, from dreampadsleep.com

This pillow has a device inside it which plays music to improve the ‘length and depth of sleep’ — without disturbing others.

it can be programmed to turn off from one minute to 24 hours, and comes with ‘specially treated music’ to help you sleep. But you can also plug in your smartphone to play your own music.

An independent study suggested the pillow stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs the sleep cycle.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘it would be helpful for anyone who has anxiety around sleeping or for children who have trouble settling, as the classical music helps distract the brain from stressful thoughts,’ says Kirstie Anderson, a consultant neurologist at the Regional sleep service in Newcastle. ‘ Music in general has this effect, but conventional headphones aren’t comfortable to sleep with, so this offers a solution.

‘Apart from distracting the brain, this device cannot make medical claims — the effects on the parasympathetic nerves are not yet proven. it certainly wouldn’t be a treatment for chronic insomnia, which has complex causes.’

STOOL THAT WORKS YOUR MUSCLES

Ballo, £199, from backinaction.com RESEARCH links sedentary lifestyles with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. This stool’s bouncy surfaces mean users have to consciously tense their leg and stomach muscles to stay upright.

This ‘active sitting’ is meant to strengthen muscles and counter the effects of sitting for long periods.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘The overall benefit of this stool is that it’s so uncomfortable, you get up and walk around more,’ says Roger Kerry, a physiotherapist at the University of Nottingham. ‘The muscle activation wouldn’t counter negative effects of sitting though — the only way to do that is by getting up and walking.

‘A much cheaper way would be to set yourself a reminder to get up every 15 minutes.’

THERMOMETER WARNS OF HIGH TEMPERATURE

iThermonitor, £49.95, from themi

crocurrentsite.co.uk This is a wireless thermometer, 10cm by 4cm, which fits inside a patch that sticks to the skin under the armpit — where body temperature measurements are accurate. it’s connected by bluetooth to an application on a parent’s phone or tablet so they can monitor their child’s temperature.

They can check it for an immediate reading or use a graph on the app to monitor changes over time. it also sends an alert if the temperature is becoming dangerously high.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘This provides an accurate measurement of temperature and is easy to use,’ says ian campbell, a GP in Nottingham.

‘For anyone with a sick child, this would be very useful to check them without waking them up.

‘however, one worry would be the potential for parents to become obsessive about checking temperature. Also parents should keep a close eye on the child’s overall condition, as temperature is just one of many things to look out for.’

LASER HELMET FOR BALDNESS

This helmet emits light from 80 lasers which are thought to stimulate hair follicle growth, as a treatment for hair loss. it won’t cure baldness, but promises to make the hair you’ve got thicker and healthier. it’s designed to be worn for 20 minutes, two to four times a week.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Lab studies have shown that light stimulates hair cells to grow, but there hasn’t been substantial evidence for efficacy in humans,’ says Greg Williams, a consultant hair transplant surgeon at the Farjo hair institute in London.

‘Placebo studies have shown a benefit without actually using light therapy, so it is difficult to know whether it’s just positive thought that stimulates hair growth, particularly when factors such as stress influence hair loss.

‘But i do believe it is potentially beneficial. Theradome’s lasers fall within one of the wavelengths that has been shown in lab research to have a positive effect on hair follicles. You’d have to use this for as long as you want to benefit, as it is not treating the cause of hair loss, which is likely to be a hormonal or genetic issue.’

ANTIBACTERIAL TOOTHBRUSH COVER

Steripod, £4.99 for a pack of two, from Boots and independent pharmacies FLUSHING the loo has been shown to spray millions of bacteria into the air, and these can land up to 10ft away — including on your toothbrush.

steripods clip on to the head of any toothbrush to shield it from bugs such as harmful e.coli and sta- phylococcus bacteria. The plastic contains thymol, a chemical thought have antibacterial properties to keep the toothbrush clean.

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘These are a great idea,’ says Laura Bowater, a microbiologist at the Norwich Medical school. The tiny air holes allow the brush to dry naturally without getting mouldy.

‘Thymol has been shown to have weak antibacterial properties but this is not significant, it is the physical barrier from bugs that makes steripod effective.

‘The downside is that bugs would land on the outside so the pod may need a wipe down occasionally.’

CALORIE-COUNTING SCALES

Situ, £95.99, from Amazon.co.uk or situscale.com These scales weigh your food in calories and nutrients to help you manage portion size. You select the food you are eating on an app and then put your serving on the scale.

it then tells you the nutritional content in the portion. You can measure specific ingredients, or build entire meals.

EXPERT VERDICT: The idea is a good one, and for someone wanting to learn about their intake, it is great, says Anna Daniels, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. But in reality, this is not very practical to use, she adds.

‘As the database is so extensive, it is easy to make a mistake which would inevitably skew the nutritional content reading. And it does not include all foods — i was cooking with Quorn, but couldn’t find it. Finally, if cooking for more than one person there’s no way to divide it up.

‘Pretty much all food labels have calories and fat content etc written on them nowadays — and foods that don’t, such as fruit and veg, wouldn’t be worth weighing out because they are low in calories.’