By: Joy Twesigye, MS, NP Women’s Health Editor
If it takes a village to raise a child then it must take a universe to replace a mother. So let’s keep them around as long as possible!
While the rest of the family is eating mad amounts of Belgian waffles, sneak into her purse (like you used to do) and download these apps on her Android, iPhone/Pad*. One app was inspired by a mom!
ZocDoc: I came across this app when working on a national project that focused on the reinvention of primary care. I am now one of their many very happy customers. ZocDoc is a free service that allows people to book Doctor appointments online. You can sort by location, type of provider and insurance plan. Once sorted, a list of providers and available appointment times appear on your screen as well as reviews from other ZocDoc users. You can then make an appointment by clicking on the open time slots. This is incredibly helpful when starting a new job or when an acute issue springs up and you don’t have a primary care provider (aka PCP). Available for both Android and iPhone.
P.S. Get a PCP. If you don’t know your numbers, take this sheet with you to your appointment.
Pocket Yoga: Missed class yet again? Travel a lot? Have a stressful job? Choose between 3 different practices, 3 different difficulty levels and 3 different durations. Pocket Yoga contains over 145 beautifully illustrated pose images with correct posture and positioning. It has a dictionary of poses containing descriptions and benefits of each pose. Pocket Yoga also conveniently maintains an ongoing log of all your yoga practices to track your progress and promote consistency. Available for both Android, iPhone and iPad.
Fooducate: Apple chose Fooducate as Best App of 2011 Health and Fitness Category. If that wasn’t enough to pique my interest, then being from a family that has a variety of differing food allergies/needs did the trick. I have one sister who could seriously have a YouTube Channel devoted to talking about the importance of fiber in our diet. I’m allergic to cheese, another sister is allergic to bananas and another sister is allergic to TBHQ (a preservative found in things like movie theatre popcorn and stuffing).
How it works:
• Download the app
• Scan a product barcode
• See product highlights (both good & bad)
• Compare products (it grades the products—B+ anyone?)
• You select better alternatives
Fooducate is NOT funded or influenced by food manufacturers, supplement companies, diets, or any sort of magic pill. We are a team of parents, dietitians, and techies.
App makes ingredient list understandable = A+
Sickweather: Sickweather was partially born out of one founder’s experience of caring for his cancer stricken mother. He had to be very careful to not go into places that were hotbeds of colds, stomach flu and general contagion. He banded with some friends and Sickweather was born (7lbs 6oz and 22inches long)! On the flip side, Sickweather can also be used to prove to your family that you really are at the epicenter of allergy mayhem and they should send cards (not flowers). How else is Mom to know how you live in such germ filled spaces unless you show her the way?
AshtmaMD: According to the CDC, about 12 million women and almost 10% of children in the U.S. have asthma. This is a big deal. Asthma is a huge cause of worry for parents and drives emergency room visits. What we do know as clinicians is that for many people- tight management of asthma can reduce attacks, emergency room visits and deaths. Dr. Sam Pejham developed AsthmaMD, that allows people to easily track their asthma activity, medications, and triggers through a diary and color graphs that can be sent directly to their personal physician as well as to researchers. Programs such as AsthmaMD provide an unprecedented ability to easily gain and share large amounts of accurate and real-time data about asthma and other health-related issues. Available for iPhone/Pod Touch
This is what the internet was made for.
Joy Twesigye, MS, MPP, WHNP-BC has a diverse background in health care that equals over 10 years of direct care delivery, working with government agencies/programs, public and private payers, and health care institutions. While living in Colorado, she was the Clinical Supervisor and Chief Operating Officer for a non-profit women’s health clinic and a health plan manager for Colorado’s Child Health Plan Plus. She received her undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, masters in science from The Ohio State University and masters of public policy from Johns Hopkins University. Continuing her quest for answers, she also completed the Bighorn Leadership Program as a Health Policy Fellow and was a Paul G. Rogers Memorial Scholar with the National Coalition on Health Care. Joy is a fervent believer in social entrepreneurship and loves being at the intersection of health innovation, tech, and business. She also blogs at Pitchforks Optional (http://pitchforksoptional.com/).
*Nothing in this article should be considered a replacement for personalized medical advice/treatment from a health care professional. MyCity4Her does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.