Ziva offers a wide range of sessions, programs, lessons, wearable tracking, heart rate measurement through your phone’s camera, and modules for improving HRV (Heart Rate Variability) to help elevate sleep quality, reduce stress, enhance focus, find inner calm, ease anxiety, and unlock peak performance. In this interview with TechBullion, Dr. Michael Kurisu, Chief Health Officer at Ziva Health, shows us how Ziva Health brings breathwork and holistic wellness expertise to the market.
Please tell us more about yourself? How excited are you with your new role as Chief Health Officer at Ziva?
I am Dr. Michael Kirusu, a board-certified Osteopathic Physician specializing in Family and holistic medicine. My approach to healthcare emphasizes precision, merging expertise in holistic wellness with extensive experience in remotely monitoring patient data through wearable technology.
Amid the pandemic, I undertook a pioneering initiative in San Diego by providing Apple Watches and Oura Rings to my patients. This allowed me to closely monitor their sleep patterns, resting heart rates, HRV, and respiratory rates. These wearable devices provided valuable insights into their activity levels and movement patterns.
My methodology involves a data-centric approach to wearable technology, coupled with a profound understanding of holistic medicine principles.
I hold a significant role in Project Apollo, an innovative endeavor transforming healthcare through data-driven strategies, prioritizing patients, and fostering collaborative communities.
Ziva takes a unique approach, particularly emphasizing breathing as a key tool for enhancing overall wellness. Additionally, Ziva integrates with wearables to gather activity and physiological data, establishing valuable trends. The proactive monitoring of these trends and the personalized wellness recommendations from Ziva are what generate the most excitement to me.
What is Ziva Health and what unique solutions do you provide?
Ziva is a digital health and wellness company dedicated to enhancing mental well-being. Our focus is on using the power of breathing to reduce stress, foster calmness, and alleviate anxiety. Through Ziva’s effective breathing module, we aim to influence the body’s physiological responses, activating Vagal stimulation to transition from a sympathetic to a parasympathetic state.
Notable unique features:
- Utilizes wearable technology like the Apple Watch, integrated into our platform for enhanced tracking and improved overall health outcomes.
- Harnesses both physiological and psychological user data to offer personalized suggestions through AI coaching.
- Provides specialized modules scientifically designed for HRV training.
- Tailors programs targeting better sleep, stress reduction, improved breathing, weight management, along with personalized routine recommendations.
Could you give us an overview of the breathwork market and why Ziva Health is in demand for the digital health and wellness industry?
Breathwork, utilizing various breathing techniques, is known for its profound impact on both physical and mental well-being. These techniques are instrumental in reducing stress, alleviating anxiety and depression, improving sleep quality, promoting relaxation, enhancing HRV (heart rate variability), and even enhancing athletic performance. The market for breathwork is expanding due to several contributing factors:
- Rising Awareness: There’s a growing understanding of the benefits associated with breathwork, leading to increased interest and adoption.
- Scientific Validation: Ongoing scientific research is validating the effectiveness of breathwork in healthcare, garnering more recognition and support.
- Popularity of Mindfulness: The surging popularity of mindfulness and meditation practices has brought attention to the significance of breath in overall wellness.
- Mental Health Concerns: With the increasing prevalence of mental health conditions, people are turning to alternative therapies like breathwork for support and relief.
- Demand for Holistic Therapies: There’s a growing preference for natural and holistic approaches to health, driving the interest in breathwork as a complementary therapy.
Can you explain how breathwork stimulates the nervous and cardiovascular systems, leading to enhanced physical and mental health?
Breathwork techniques can stimulate the nervous system in several ways. One way is by activating the vagus nerve, which is the longest cranial nerve in the body. The vagus nerve plays a key role in the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation and digestion. When the vagus nerve is activated, it sends signals to the brain that help to calm the body and mind.
Breathwork can also stimulate the nervous system by increasing the production of endorphins, which are hormones that have pain-relieving and mood-boosting effects. Breathwork techniques can also have a positive impact on the cardiovascular system. Slow, deep breathing can help to lower blood pressure and heart rate.
What specific techniques or exercises does Ziva Health’s breathing platform utilize for easing anxiety and reducing stress?
The Ziva platform uses slow, controlled, deep breathing techniques that emphasize using the diaphragm to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. The objective in each exercise is to extend the exhale duration more than the inhale to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. Additionally, a brief breath hold is included to elevate carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, which can induce a calming effect on the body. This elevation prompts the release of neurotransmitters that aid in relaxing blood vessels and muscles, fostering a sense of calmness.
Are there any scientific studies or research that supports the effectiveness of Ziva Health’s breathing platform in improving medical conditions?
Numerous studies explore the use of breathwork to enhance various medical conditions like insomnia, COPD, and hypertension. However, the Ziva Health platform itself hasn’t conducted its own study on this matter yet.
What kind of results can users expect from regularly utilizing Ziva Health’s breathing platform for their wellness needs, does Ziva Health offer any personalized guidance or recommendations based on individual needs when using their breathing platform?
Users of Ziva Health can expect range of benefits for their wellness journey, including:
- Decreased stress levels
- Enhanced sleep quality
- Sharpened mental clarity
- Improved heart rate variability (HRV)
- Better respiratory and resting heart rates
- Elevated mood
- Enhanced emotional regulation
- Reduced inflammation
- Optimized nervous and cardiovascular systems
Ziva Health initiates user engagement by tailoring personalized recommendations according to their health conditions and goals. Over time, these recommendations evolve as we gather data from wearables and refine our AI models to better suit individual needs.
How does Ziva Health incorporate digital health technology into its unique approach to breathwork and what sets Ziva Health apart from other digital health and wellness companies in terms of its approach to enhancing mental wellness?
Ziva links up with wearable devices to monitor various physiological metrics such as heart rate variability (HRV), stress levels, resting heart rate, sleep patterns, and respiratory rate. This offers added insights into users’ wellness journeys.
What distinguishes Ziva is its AI-powered recommendation system. This system harnesses wearable physiological data with the user’s own psychological input data to offer personalized suggestions, track trends, and provide wellness coaching tailored to individual needs.
We are onboarding partners now which is after our beta launch. Visit the website Ziva Health to find out more.
