The Benefits of iOSs Apple Health App

With my minor health scare just before Christmas that dictated a sabbatical for myself, I decided to look into my health and the serious attention that it deserves, as each of our health states should be monitored, not only by medical professionals, but our observations as well. And I didn’t realize it, but I already had many of the aspects on-hand that could help me review; and with my AppleWatch, Accu-Chek Guide Me blood sugar monitor with the mySugr App, my Withings App for my Scale, Thermometer and Blood Pressure Monitor. Coupled with my sharing capability to access information from my healthcare provider, it was incredible to see that over my morning mint tea or coffee, after taking my body weight, blood sugar and blood pressure, I could review a complete assessment of my health provided to Apple Health app users.

Since I consider myself a professional patient, I find it an incredible resource for the constant assessment of my health, that can be reviewed from my iPhone, or any of the five iPads that I have about me. My medical concerns overrule my need for digital security, but since I religiously use a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, and a strong anti-virus program, I have some semblance of security which really eliminates my concerns. In the sharing option, being able to see my official medical records, like immunizations, doctors orders or nursing notes, laboratory panel results from the past 30 days, or the past 12 months, it’s extraordinary to determine from my blood draw, the results of whether something is ‘In Range,’ or ‘Out of Range’ (whether it be low or high). In selecting ‘All Records,’ you can see your medical providers procedures performed with the appropriate notes, any conditions of current note, medication records that have been ordered or changed, clinical vitals that are taken at the doctor’s office that are associated with the specific visit.

The AppleWatch is an incredible device for tracking physical activity including step counting, standing (minutes/hours), walking/running distance, cardio fitness, and so much more.

I’ve been wanting to track sleep records for a while now, so I did some quick research. It can be easily tracked via the AppleWatch, but I recharge my Series 9 watch at night. I didn’t want to buy another expensive watch, but soon discovered that the AppleWatch SE 3, also tracks sleep, and it only cost $249. I jumped at the chance, and came to find out that it detects abnormal readings while a user is sleeping, especially in regards to sleep apnea. At the top of the AppleWatch App, you see the ‘All Watches’ tab, which means more than one watch can be paired to a phone. So with the SE 3 watch, I now wear it at night, while my daytime watch recharges. After each sleep episode it records a sleep score based on duration, bedtime, and any interruptions in the sleep. Sleep highlights notes include your heart rate, respiratory rate, average time of sleep over the past week, and the Stages of a Sleep episode including Awake, REM, Core, and Deep Sleep time.

Apple Heath also tracks hearing, mental well being, nutrition, respiratory, symptoms, and vital records. Mobility records walking aspects such as walking asymmetry, walking speed, step length, steadiness, cardio fitness, and double support time, a sort of gait judgement that the portion of the mobility section maintains.

One other category of Apple Health I appreciate is Medications, which I started entering as I organized my weekly medications. As I started populating the info I started to notice drug-drug interactions, which are designated as Critical, Serious, and Moderate; as well as drug-food interactions. I used to use a briefing sheet that I prepared, but it became tedious to maintain although it looked cool, and medical professionals were amazed when it was presented with my entire medical history on a single page.

If I were to make a suggestion for a category to include in the Apple Health app, it would be Family Health History, which is very important in predicting trends. I had the section on the medical brief that I had prepared prior, and at a recent consult for a colonoscopy, but when filling out new patient paperwork the Apple Health app, with my medical provider’s information accessible, it had all of my immunization dates, surgical procedures, illnesses, all of that information at my fingertips. There are third-party family history apps that work, but it is just a matter of time until it’s incorporated in the AH app.

Another little Christmas present that I afforded myself this season was a Pulsetto vagus nerve stimulator. I was skeptical at first, but soon found that it was very helpful in reducing stress levels, and my sleep has greatly improved. Within the first week, the time it took me to fall asleep dropped by over 10 percent, and at wake-up my awareness was remarkable. I’ve also noticed my need for naps has greatly reduced, and my attention to tasks has increased. The Pulsetto is a little pricey, but I feel it’s worth it, and there is a yearly subscription, but for those who are willing to go outside the box, the benefits outweigh the cost.

In the first few days of using the Pulsetto I used it while working in my home office, then came up with the idea of wearing it as I sleep in bed. Since the device resets a session automatically, I felt the benefits of using it while I sleep, my blood pressure has continued to retreat. I try to use it everyday, but I’ve found in my gaps of disuse, that my BP wanes away from its prime, so there may be something to the theory.

The Apple Health app, to see the results, takes consistency in maintaining daily entries, which is best for seeing trends. For devices that use Bluetooth, it’s a breeze to step on a scale, get your blood sugar, temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., and have all that information automatically logged. And even if your devices are standalone, it’s just a matter of self-input which takes just a little more time, but is just as beneficial to see if your BP is elevated, or in hypertension stage 1 or 2, or if you are in hypertensive crisis. It’s an excellent resource for following the progress of family members, especially those who can be a little stubborn, but have great meaning to families as the patriarch or matriarch, being the glue that holds everyone together.