Dr. Alfred Lohninger, Autonom Health: “Medicine is about to take its biggest step in development, namely achieving health and no longer just fighting and preventing illnesses.”
In this installment of our interview series, The Latest and Greatest – A Glimpse Inside Health and Sport Tech, we’re excited to introduce you to Dr. Alfred Lohninger, founder of Autonom Health Company and a world leading expert in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) monitoring. Dr. Lohninger’s journey from gynecology to revolutionizing holistic health monitoring is as inspiring as it is innovative.
“HRV has always been at the core of my work. It’s fascinating to see how the principles of HRV, which have guided childbirth monitoring for centuries, extend across the entire human lifespan—from the first breath to the last. This realization transformed my career and led to the foundation of Autonom Health,” shares Dr. Lohninger.
Autonom Health is redefining how HRV is measured and utilized. From digital health coaching for individuals to sophisticated research tools for scientists, the company’s solutions empower users to gain unparalleled insights into their health, performance, and well-being. A critical component of this innovation is the Movesense sensor, a trusted tool in their technology ecosystem. In this interview, Dr. Lohninger delves into the story behind Autonom Health and its groundbreaking solutions in advancing their mission to bring meaningful bio-psycho-socio-emotional feedback to users worldwide.
“Disease management is no longer affordable, people must live according to their construction plan: long, healthy, performant and happy.”
Dr. Alfred Lohninger, Autonom Health
Can you tell us the story behind the Autonom Health?
As a medical consultant for health tourism in Austria I got in touch with Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Being a gynecologist, I was very familiar with the principles of HRV, because they are those of the cardiotocogramm, with which we are monitoring every unborn before and during childbirth since centuries. I did not know until then, that the phenomenon of HRV would not end with one’s first breath being born, but with the last one when we die. The fascinating idea of using HRV also for grownups changed my life completely. I had to found Autonom Health Company.
Can you tell us about your product?
We provide a wide range of HRV analysis, starting from the interactive digital health coach for end users and ending to our Science software for researchers. Our comprehensive analysis gives insights into various algorithms, which we use to create distinguished indicators for health, performance and wellbeing. We wrote the standard textbook about HRV, and we love sharing our knowledge by offering both online and offline training in English and German to help others become certified HRV professionals.
What kind of a health problem is your product solving?
In the wide field of measuring with wearables, our customers get access to the highest quality of comprehensive, valid and meaningful bio-psycho-socio-emotional feedback to the real state of health, whenever and for how long they want.
End users are trustfully guided by their interactive digital health coach, MDs have a powerful instrument for successful lifestyle medicine, psychologists work with “hard facts”, companies evaluate their human capital objectively, researchers have access to all necessary HRV data per mouse click.
What motivated you to enter the health industry? What excites you most about this field?
People tell me I am not a normal physician, because I don’t like to diagnose and treat that much. That’s correct, over almost 40 years in my job I was most curious and successful by focusing on the state of health and the resources of my patients. This made therapies much easier and led to sustainable healing processes. Having weaved all the knowledge and experience into Autonom Health, the holistic and successful concept of measuring and coaching is now shared by more and more people. That makes me very happy.
Why did you choose the Movesense sensor?
“…because they are the best”
Dr. Alfred Lohninger, Autonom Health
Movesense sensor is part of your solution. Why did you choose the Movesense sensor?
That´s a simple question and I have a simple answer: because they are the best. Meaning the quality of their products, their reliability, their flexibility in processes, their efficiency (launching a medical approved device so straight and fast), Movesense is located in the neighborhood (not in China) and we really like the people we are in contact with.
Can you describe how you are using the Movesense sensor?
We use their chest belts and ECG sensors which we connect with our App and our analysis platform.
Can you give an example of a study or a user group improving their performance through your technology?
The research project “PULS Studie” followed the goal to care about the health of police officers in two police headquarters in the country of Baden Württemberg in Germany.
The study was conducted by the department for clinical and ex
perimental research on stress in the University of Ulm. Autonom Health trained psychosocial counselors to certified HRV professionals who performed coachings with police officers, based on the results 24-hour HRV measurements, generated with the hardware of Movesense and the software of Autonom Health.
The great success of the study led to the fact that now psychosocial counselors of the entire state become qualified to work with the solutions of Movesense and Autonom Health on the highest level to care for 29,000 police officers in Baden Württemberg.
What do you believe is the biggest opportunity in health tech right now?
Medicine is about to take its biggest step in development, namely achieving health and no longer just fighting and preventing illnesses. This is not caused by an honorable altruistic approach, it´s for economic reasons. Disease management is no longer affordable, people must live according to their construction plan: long, healthy, performant and happy. We have always followed this credo and now know how to achieve this goal in the sense of a new personalized medicine.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a career in health tech, or those wanting to launch a startup in this field?
“Anyone who has a why can endure almost any how”, Nietzsche said.
If you are lucky enough or blessed enough to have found something that completely excites you, then make it yours.
This interview is part of Movesense – The Latest and Greatest – A Glimpse Inside Health and Sport Tech series, that offers readers an unparalleled look into the cutting-edge innovations transforming health and sports technology. Each interview delves into the minds of industry leaders and pioneers who are at the forefront of developing technologies that improve health outcomes, enhance athletic performance, and revolutionize fitness and wellness. By exploring a diverse range of topics from wearable tech, this series provides readers with invaluable insights, practical knowledge, and a forward-thinking perspective on how these advancements can impact their personal and professional lives.
You can read all of the interviews under category Customers or follow the direct link(s) below.
