November 02, 2021

This Nobel Prize is Raising Our Temperature IQ

Written by: Pam Peeke MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer Sonja Billes PhD, Senior Director, Clinical Development Matt Smith PhD, Chief Science Officer --- For decades, scientists have wondered how the body senses the ebbs and flows of internal and external temperature changes. When our body’s cells are stimulated by heat or cold, how are these nerve impulses initiated so that the brain can adapt to the world around us?Recently, the two recipients of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine solved this question. Drs. David Julius (University of California, San Francisco) and Ardem Parapoutian (Scripps Research) focused on how we perceive temperature and touch, respectively. This recognition of the critical role of temperature in human health and well-being underpins everything we do at Embr Labs.   Temperature and Survival You sit comfortably in front of a fireplace, enjoying the cozy warmth while being careful not to get too close. You reach inside your freezer to grab frozen veggies but make certain not to linger too long in the frigid air. Courageously, you try a new hot sauce that delivers such a burning sensation in your mouth that only ice water can cool the searing heat.The lesson is that too much heat or cold can threaten our survival. As humans, we have a remarkable ability to sense temperature and then adjust our behavior to optimize our capacity to survive. Humans are exquisitely designed to detect very small changes in temperature. As warm-blooded animals, our bodies work tirelessly to maintain optimal, comfortable, life-saving body temperature.   A Scientific Discovery Dr. Julius first discovered the receptor for hot temperature quite by accident. His team of scientists was investigating how we detect painful stimuli. They used the spicy compound found in hot peppers, called capsaicin, as an example of something that causes pain. After they identified the receptor, they discovered that it is also activated by heat. This receptor identifies potentially harmful temperatures and is the reason you can quickly withdraw your hand from a hot stove. It is also the reason for the “burning” sensation elicited by very spicy foods.Both Nobel Prize laureates later identified the cold receptor, which is also activated by menthol (and is the reason why mint feels cool!). Through their contributions, we are able to better understand how our bodies detect temperature and pain, and the role of these sensations in our daily lives.    Going Beyond Hot and Cold Increasingly, research demonstrates that temperature provides more than the physical sensations of hot and cold. Temperature can influence how we feel about the people and the world around us. It can also impact our mood, ability to sleep, and even our stress levels. This means we can now leverage temperature sensations to improve sleep, reduce stress, and have a positive impact on people’s lives. We also understand more about conditions that are associated with temperature disruption or discomfort, and why they can have such a profound effect on quality of life. Thermal Technology to Improve Lives At Embr Labs, we are harnessing the extraordinary power of thermal technology to improve people’s health and quality of life. Developed by our MIT-trained engineers, the Embr Wave and its companion app are already being used by tens of thousands of women and men to improve sleep, relieve stress, provide relief from hot flashes resulting from natural menopause or as a result of breast/prostate cancer treatments, and to manage discomfort associated with Raynaud’s, dysautonomia, and other temperature-related conditions. As scientists who care about you and your well-being, we are thrilled that thermal science is a central theme for this year’s Nobel Prize. A deeper understanding and appreciation of the Embr Wave’s unique thermal technology is made possible by this groundbreaking science linking temperature and our body. At long last, temperature is having its day in the warm (not too hot!) sun. Images from ICONS8

October 01, 2021

WAVES of Relief for Men with Prostate Cancer

Written by: Pam Peeke MD, MPH Chief Medical Officer Sonja Billes PhD Senior Director, Clinical Development Andrew Vetter MS Clinical Research Manager --- Chances are you know someone who’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. About 1 man in 8 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Roughly 6 cases in 10 are diagnosed in men who are 65 or older, and it is rare in men under 40. The average age of men at diagnosis is about 66. Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, for men with local or regional prostate cancer, 96 percent will live 15 years or longer. For that matter, there are approximately 3 million men currently living with the disease in the United States. Medical providers overseeing their ongoing care strive to optimize survivorship, helping each man improve his quality of life while continuing treatment and surveillance for recurrence.  The typical treatment for prostate cancer can involve surgery, radiation and hormone therapy. The overall goal is to decrease the male hormone testosterone to such a degree that, consequently, men begin to experience debilitating hot flashes. Just as in perimenopausal and menopausal women, hot flashes occur around the clock, and are often associated with drenching sweats and interrupted sleep. And, like women, men have been offered traditional medical treatments (sleep medications, anti-anxiety and anti-depressants drugs, all with side effects) while using personal remedies including fans, towels, frequent clothing changes, cranking up air conditioning, tossing off bed sheets, and guzzling cold water.  Flashing forward in time, and now there is a new option, one that taps into your own natural physiology. Presently, thousands of men and women have now discovered the Wave 2, Embr Labs’ thermal device. This new technology is a game-changer in the treatment of hot flashes. It not only provides relief for consumers seeking to reclaim control over their lives, but also gifts researchers with a new tool to use in the study of hot flashes. We’re excited to share that in addition to our ongoing studies using the Wave 2 as a digital, non-medicinal solution for hot flashes in women (natural menopause, menopause induced by surgery and/or cancer treatment), we are also conducting milestone prostate cancer research which will empower men to achieve enhanced quality of life through better hot flash management. Medical care is now entering a new era of digital health, a concept embraced by consumers and providers, as well as clinical research scientists like Dr. Alicia Morgans, a nationally renowned prostate cancer survivorship expert, who noted in a recent study: “Prostate cancer survivorship is uniquely positioned to benefit from digital health. Digital health refers to a convergence of technologies designed to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes, engage patients, expand population-based research, create and mine new data repositories, and support positive health behaviors. These are applied through hardware, software and analytics-enabled solutions that can frequently be delivered virtually through the internet or other means of trans-mission. Wearable technology sits at the intersection of consumer excitement for new technology and a workplace ecosystem that turns engagement into measurable improvements in health costs and outcomes.” As Embr Labs’ clinical research team, we’re proud to stand at the forefront of historic, cutting-edge digital health science that is touching people’s lives through the Wave 2 technology. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for men and women, and support each person’s ability to both survive and, most importantly, thrive.  Images from ICONS8