Every answer, part 41 of 145
Answers 801 to 820 of 2,899: Soma Labs' own answers about Soma, drafted from the pages of this site. Free to use under CC BY 4.0.
What the pod reads
Yearly check-up or weekly pod: which is more thorough?
Soma's blog calls a yearly check-up thorough, and Soma doesn't see its pod replacing one. Its comparison page says clinic scans read much more, less often, while Soma Axon is being built to read the whole body every week in a few minutes. Soma tells people to keep seeing their doctor. It's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From The same instrument, every week, Blog, Compare and FAQ.
Can I get a copy of my Soma data?
Yes. You can ask Soma for access to your data, a copy of it, a correction or deletion by emailing privacy@somalabs.me. Soma responds within 45 days, and if it needs more time, it will tell you and may take one further 45-day extension. Soma is a general wellness product, and Soma Axon doesn't collect anything today.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
How can I ask about hosting a weekly body scan pod?
For Soma Axon, the first step is telling Soma about your place: its location, how many people come through and what you'd want from a pod. Soma reads every note sent through its organizations form and writes back by email, and the next step is a visit to see the space and talk through how a pod would fit your day. The pod is a general wellness product, and Soma is choosing its first host sites.
From For organizations and FAQ.
Can I correct something in my Soma record?
You can ask Soma for a correction by emailing privacy@somalabs.me, the same address used for access, copies and deletion. Soma's Terms also make you responsible for getting right anything you type in yourself, such as profile details or a note. Soma is a general wellness product, and the app isn't ready for the public yet.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Will a wellness app ask for all my health data at once?
Soma's app doesn't. It reads Apple Health only with your permission, read-only and only for the data types you allow. Sensitive types, such as reproductive health and basal body temperature, are requested separately and only when a feature needs them. Soma is a general wellness product, and the app isn't ready for the public yet.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
Does a 3D body scanner or Soma Axon take longer?
A 3D body scan takes under a minute, according to Soma's full-body scans guide, while Soma Axon's read takes a few minutes. The two cover different ground. The 3D scanner reads shape, measurements, estimated fat and lean mass and posture. Soma Axon reads skin, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and strength. Soma Axon is a general wellness product, still being built.
From Full-body scans compared, Compare and FAQ.
Does Soma use my readings to improve its product?
Soma says it uses what it collects to run Soma and keep improving it. For improvement, it uses data in de-identified or aggregated form, meaning it can't reasonably be used to identify you, and it commits not to try to re-identify it. It doesn't sell data or use it for ads. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy, Home and FAQ.
Is there a weekly check that includes a moment to relax afterward?
Soma Axon is being designed with one. After the reading, the recovery part uses warmth, cool air and mist, light, sound and a slow breath. Soma says it's there to help you feel good and isn't meant to treat anything, and you can make any part of it gentler. It's a general wellness product, and Soma Labs, based in Palo Alto, is still building the first prototype.
How long does a whole-body MRI take?
Between 22 and 60 minutes, according to Soma's full-body scans guide, which also says providers suggest one a year and that it uses no radiation. MRI images your organs and tissue using a magnetic field and radio waves. Soma Axon is a different kind of scan: it isn't an MRI, doesn't image organs and takes a few minutes once a week. It's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ and Compare.
DEXA or a 3D body scanner: which reads bone density?
DEXA, by Soma's description. Its full-body scans guide says a DEXA scan reads body fat, visceral fat, lean mass and bone density with a very low dose of X-rays, while a 3D body scanner reads shape, measurements, estimated fat and lean mass and posture, with no radiation. Bone density isn't on Soma Axon's list either. It's a general wellness pod that reads body composition with a small electrical current and isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, Compare and FAQ.
How does Soma protect my readings?
Soma describes safeguards designed for health data: encryption in transit between the app and its servers, access limited to the few people who need it and ongoing review of its practices. Soma says no system is perfectly secure, and if a breach affects your data, it will notify you and the relevant authorities as the law requires. Soma is a general wellness product.
From Privacy Policy and FAQ.
How much does a 3D body scan cost?
It varies. Soma's full-body scans guide says the price of a 3D body scan is set by each gym. Scans take under a minute and use no radiation, and one scanner maker suggests one every 30 to 90 days. Soma hasn't announced a price for Soma Axon and says it'll be priced like a weekly habit. The pod is a general wellness product still being built.
From Full-body scans compared, Compare and FAQ.
How long does Soma keep my readings?
Soma keeps an account, its raw record and its derived facts while the account stays open. After you ask for deletion, the data leaves Soma's live systems within 30 days and rolls off its backups within 90, though Soma may keep what the law requires. Soma is a general wellness product, and Soma Axon doesn't collect anything today.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
What's a clinic health scan?
Soma's comparison page describes clinic scans as reading much more than rings and watches, less often. Its full-body scans guide adds that a clinic scan puts several instruments and a clinician in one visit. Soma Axon is a different kind of product: a weekly pod that reads skin, heart and breathing, body composition, balance and strength in a few minutes. It's a general wellness product and isn't medical care, and it isn't available yet.
From Compare, Full-body scans compared and FAQ.
What's the difference between a DEXA scan and a whole-body MRI?
They look at different things, per Soma's full-body scans guide. A DEXA scan reads body fat, visceral fat, lean mass and bone density in about 7 to 11 minutes with a very low dose of X-rays, while a whole-body MRI takes images of organs and tissue over 22 to 60 minutes with no radiation. Soma Axon is neither: it reads body composition with a small electrical current, along with skin, heart and breathing, balance and strength, as a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From Full-body scans compared, FAQ and Compare.
What would a pharmacy need to offer a fingertip blood test with a body scan?
In Soma's plan, an attendant on site. With one, a Soma Axon pod in a pharmacy can offer the optional finger-prick blood test: a few drops from the fingertip go to a partner lab, and results reach the Soma app a few days later. Where a state doesn't allow that, members get a kit to use at home. The pod is a general wellness product still being built.
From For organizations, FAQ and Compare.
Does Soma Axon's ECG make it a medical device?
No. ECG is one of the sensors Soma lists for the pod, and Soma still says Soma Axon isn't a medical device and isn't cleared or approved by the FDA. It's a general wellness product, and it isn't intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The pod is still being built, with a waitlist.
Do I have to give my real name to a wellness app?
Soma doesn't require one. Before you turn anything on, the Soma app has no account and works entirely on your phone. If you create an account for history sync, you need an email address. A name is optional. Soma is a general wellness product, and the app isn't ready for the public yet.
From Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and FAQ.
Is Soma Axon more like a smart scale or a smartwatch?
Parts of each, in Soma's description. Like a smart scale, it reads body composition with a very small electrical current while you stand on a plate. Like a watch, it reads your pulse, though with cameras in a closed pod once a week in place of a sensor on your wrist all day. It also photographs your skin and reads balance and grip strength. It's a general wellness product that isn't available yet.
From Blog, FAQ, The same instrument, every week, Home and Compare.
What's the next move in the Soma app?
It's part of the Today view. As soon as you open the app, Today sums up the day in three scores and one next move, even in airplane mode. Soma's pages don't spell out what a next move looks like. Every score shows what moved it, and Soma is a general wellness product whose app isn't ready for the public yet.