Wearing nothing but underpants, I’m standing in front of a dozen or so high-res cameras in a SoHo basement.
asserted
I → wear → basement
A woman’s voice rings out above me: “A bright light will shine for a few moments.
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light → ring → moments
I’m at the brand new Neko Health on Lafayette Street, where the machine (and a doctor) will analyze my skin to flag anything of concern.
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machine → ’m → concern
And that’s just one of the tests.
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that → ’ → tests
For $499, the Swedish company provides information on your skin, body composition, visceral fat, circulation and heart health.
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company → provide → skin
Single tests that look at some of these, like MRI and DEXA, can run several hundred to several thousand dollars each without insurance.
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that → look → insurance
“I wouldn’t say that there’s anything else out there that’s similar” to Neko’s scans, Dr. Sunita Mishra, the company’s chief medical officer, told The Post.
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Mishra → say → Post
And there are a ton of gadgets at work, including a proprietary laser system that looks at micro-vasculature in your feet — complete with swooshing animations, dramatic lighting effects and a futuristic office that wouldn’t be out of place on a Disney World ride.
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that → be → ride
I went to see for myself whether it was just another unnecessary health gimmick or something that could offer truly valuable insights — and ended up learning something about my heart that past EKGs had missed.
uncertain
EKGs → go → that
Preventative health gets high-tech
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health → get → tech
Preventative health is a booming $415 billion market, fueled by a rise in chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure.
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health → fuel → diabetes
And New York is a hotbed for the ultra rich to get cutting-edge medical care for the sake of longevity — with one plan running $60,000 a year with a $100,000 initiation fee.
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rich → get → fee
Neko Health is taking a different approach, hoping to give a better picture of individual health to a wider range of people.
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Health → take → people
The reality is that most American adults don’t actually get their annual physicals and only going to the doctor when they’re sick, meaning they may be missing big problems lurking below the surface.
uncertain
they → get → surface
Neko has some crazy success stories of catching those life-threatening conditions in their other locations in London and Stockholm, including “lots of melanoma” and “serious metabolic conditions in about 6% of people,” Mishra said.
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Mishra → have → people
“Just last week, we found somebody with a dissecting aortic aneurysm, which is like what Lindsey Graham had.
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Graham → find → what
We found that and we were able to get them to care ASAP — they got their surgery the very next day,” she said.
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she → find → surgery
She said they’ve also helped patients find leukemia, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
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patients → say → leukemia
Neko’s scans, she explained, are made for people who are already dipping their toes into learning more about their health, like Oura or Whoop users.
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who → explain → users
Their hour-long service is not currently covered by insurance, but people can use their FSA/HSA.
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people → cover → HSA
After the full frontal (and full posterior) photos for closeups of the skin, I put my robe back on for more tests and imaging.
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I → put → tests
Other than the Jetsons-inspired environment, it was quite spa-like.
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it → inspire → environment
Piano music played and an operator walked me through all the tests, including an EKG, blood pressure measurements and a blood draw.
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operator → play → EKG
My vials of blood were then sucked out of the room through a pneumatic tube and analyzed in-house so results are ready to go over by the time you’re done.
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you → suck → time
Then came the really high-tech stuff: Neko’s proprietary gadgets include the camera and light system that checked by skin, plus tools that look at circulation and heart health.
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that → come → circulation
As testing started, a Siri-esque voice came from the speakers and the lights dimmed, while a monitor displayed an “analyzing” animation out of Star Trek.
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monitor → start → Trek
Lasers from the ceiling measured my heart function and pulse, while a separate test sent lasers at the base of my feet to measure circulation.
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test → measure → circulation
They ended with grip strength, which can give a good idea of lean muscle mass and longevity, and eye pressure, which can show risk of glaucoma.
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which → end → glaucoma
After those tests, the doctor came out for a closer look at the skin, including the soles of my feet and in between my toes and fingers.
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doctor → come → toes
He told me that Asians (like me) are more prone to get melanoma on my palms and feet.
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Asians → tell → palms
He used a special scope to look for spots with unusual borders, shape or size.
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He → use → borders
After I got the all-clear, the doc went over every result in yet another space-age room.
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doc → get → room
Be warned: You’ll be confronted with an animated blue avatar of your naked body from that blinding first scan.
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You → warn → scan
I was given an estimate of my body composition including visceral fat, which can be indicators of metabolic disease like diabetes and fatty liver disease.
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which → give → diabetes
But an important note: Doctors at Neko don’t diagnose.
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Doctors → diagnose → Neko
Suspicious findings are referred to partners at medical centers for confirmation.
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findings → refer → confirmation
The clinician flagged something was off about my heart — something that’s been suspected by my past doctors.
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that → flag → doctors
For years, I’d get light-headed at random and even fainted once in a exercise class.
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I → get → class
I’ve also frequently had very high heartbeat readings at rest.
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I → have → rest
EKGs were repeatedly ordered but never revealed answers.
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EKGs → order → answers
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
