The Science Behind Apple Health

With so much of the population now carrying a smartphone, many users and developers are looking at how these mini-computers can help with more practical uses, such as tracking our health, rather than just acting as portable video arcades. Surely with all of the amazing strides we have made with technology, our phones should be able to help us more focused on our health. Apple has made great strides in some of their newest releases to help the users of their products stay more focused on their health. This includes new apps that are now offered through the App Store. Specifically, Apple’s new Health App is a very popular way for people to keep all of the other health info tracking apps they may use in one central location. The Health App pulls information from other health apps and displays it on one convenient dashboard, giving users a quick overview of their health information. This allows users to continue to use the health apps they are already used to. It does not replace those apps, but simply gives users an easier way to digest all data in one place. For people who may only be using a few health apps, this may not seem like such a big deal. It might not seem like much of an advantage in the long run. However, proponents of Apple’s Health App say that it definitely provides opportunities for analyzing and combining data in a more visual way no matter how many health apps you currently use. When you set up the Health App, you essentially allow it to act as a hub for information from other sources. You must give your other health apps permission to provide data to your Health App – information like how many calories you have consumed in a day or how much sleep you are getting each night. Not only will the Apple app gather the information from the various health apps, but it also allows the information to be shared from one app to the next. The idea behind sharing information in this manner is to put the user in more control over the data. Ultimately, the user decides which information is generated and tracked. Now, the user can program their app to watch for the specific information that relates to their situation, such as blood pressure and sodium intake. When you are working with a physical therapist at Arrowhead Health Centers, it can often be helpful to track certain information over the course of the therapy. This will allow your therapist to make adjustments as necessary. For more information about tracking health information and how it relates to your overall wellness, feel free to give us a call at 623-334-4000.