In today's post we bring you the interview we have done with Joan Cañellas, player of the Spanish handball team (with which he has been proclaimed world champion in 2013 and European champion in 2018 and 2020). He currently plays at SC Pick Szeged (Hungary) and Patricia Díaz-Hellín Patiño (Doctor in Microbiology) and Joan's partner.

In the interview we commented on how our services are suitable for both elite sportspeople, in Joan's case, and non-professionals with active lives, in Patricia's case. Both have used our services and have donated their heartbeats to our cause #Donatuslatidesin this case, from Hungary.

• How did you hear about IDOVEN?

Patricia: I've known the Dr. Marina, CEO and co-founder of IDOVEN; I knew he would go far because I think he is a great researcher, and of course he has proved that with this project.

• Why did you choose IDOVEN and not another heart monitoring service?

Patricia: When living abroad our medical options are normally limited to the local offer or to perform any test during our vacation period in Spain. With IDOVEN we have had the possibility to put our heart in the best hands, from home without having to travel to our country.

Joan: I agree with Patricia and I think it's a excellent complementary option to the routine tests made by the club that createdin this sense, they fall a little short.

• What do you do every day?

Joan: I do a daily training of about two hours although some days it is double (a block of weights and a block of track - pure and hard training of handball).

Patricia: in my case I do intense activity through functional training, a minimum of 3 days per week, one hour sessions. The rest of the time I am a very active person, with two daughters who have energy to keep me "training" the rest of the day.

• Have you used IDOVEN to improve your performance or is the goal to know the state of your heart to be healthier and more controlled?

Patricia: my goal is to know how my heart is doing since I suffer from autoimmune pathologies that get worse from stress and I'm worried about how I can manage that on a cardiovascular level. I believe that preventive medicine is a tool that we must squeeze out and in this case the donation of heartbeats offers precisely more and more data so that we or others can anticipate certain events and take action.

I also believe that with all the uncertainty generated by the pandemic we are currently experiencing, it is even more important to know the state of health of our hearts.

Joan: For my part, and as I said before, I think it's important to supplement the routine tests and really know how our heart is doing in more detail.

• You live in Hungary. What health differences do you find? Did this make you decide to use IDOVEN?

Patricia: The Hungarian health system is generally deficient compared to the Spanish one, the economic resources are not comparable and the professionals are trained here but they usually leave in search of better salaries. Also the facilities, equipment, etc... are usually older or even use obsolete medicines in Spain. This has been a reason to choose IDOVEN, we received the monitoring equipment at home and everything has been very comfortable and easy.

Joan: Spain seems to be ahead of Hungary, although the club does have sufficient financial resources, health here we believe is of lesser level than in Spain.

• Do you think it is necessary to take care of the heart, regardless of the level of sport we have, just as we take care of other muscles?

Patricia: Of course, the heart is the engine of everything and I think it's basic to control it from time to time regardless of whether you have any previous symptoms, especially if you are doing medium to high level physical activity.

Joan: Years ago began to have cases of problems in top athletes, the heart is a muscle and must be controlled, to prevent any disease or injury is vital. It is something that is not usually done with a prolonged follow-up beyond an electrocardiogram or echocardiogram.

• What results have you obtained from the study? Does it give you peace of mind? Will it allow you to improve your performance?

Joan: I have been able to see that my heart is able to adapt properly to the sport I practice, I have also received recommendations to increase my aerobic capacity. I am more relaxed and will take the recommended measures.

Patricia: in my case the results have also been favorable and I have received good recommendations to control my health not only with the results obtained by the registry but also by my family history. When you receive the medical report you truly feel the professional behind it and you leave with the satisfaction of having had a complete study by a cardiologist.

• Would you recommend our services to others who want to know the state of their heart?

Joan: I believe that your method is much more complete than the routine pre-season tests and I would certainly recommend your services to any athlete. Despite not having any symptoms or problems I think that in the end health is the most important thing, life is only one; moreover nowadays more and more demands are made on sportsmen and women and at the same time we sportsmen and women demand more of ourselves, the body is the one that suffers most and a good way of controlling it is with your products.

Patricia: I would certainly recommend anyone, sportsman or not, to use your services. Especially now that it is so much appreciated not having to go to a hospital or clinic, and also for those who, like us, live far from Spain.

• Any recommendations for future clients?

Patricia: simply as a recommendation to be aware of the battery, the device comes charged and in our case has lasted about 24h, but I think it is better to charge it before and not to hurry, using as the guide says the time of the shower or any other routine, so that it does not run out of battery in an important moment as it is during training.

Tell us your case and we will be able to tell you how IDOVEN can help you to know the state of your heart and that you can safely practice your favorite sport.