health

my NHS available on the Marketplace with Microsoft HealthVault integration

Submitted by Rich Edmonds on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 12:38

An unofficial UK National Health Service (NHS) app has been released for Windows Phone. The app, in collaboration with NHS Choices, pulls down information and services for users to interact with. Integration with Microsoft HealthVault (see our review of the official app) is present should the user wish to connect to their account and retrieve / store personal details, local services and more.

Using NHS Choices, NHS services can be searched by name, location or by how close they are to your current GPS location. Within each service card are details including address, directions (opens Maps), contact numbers and website if available. Patient ratings are displayed, which can prove useful when choosing a nearby practice, especially with regards to waiting times and how patients rate resident doctors. As well as ratings, key indicators are displayed with how many patients recommend that service coupled with survey results.

Health A-Z uses content from NHS Choices to display condition symptoms and treatments within the app. A large number of conditions are listed, accompanied by detailed information, symptoms, diagnosis, causes and treatments for that specific condition. Using the app bar, users can locate NHS services that are able to treat the selected condition and compare them within the app.

The latest news from NHS Choices is pulled down, and contact details of local NHS services can be pinned to the home screen. As mentioned above, this app connects with Microsoft HealthVault (optional) to securely retrieve and store personal details covering conditions, local services and more. my NHS is a perfect companion for anyone who relies on the NHS in the UK. With information for hospitals, GPs, dentists, opticians, carers and more, the app is up-to-date with information supplied by NHS Choices. Best of all - it's free.

You can download my NHS from the Marketplace for absolutely nothing.

Windows Phone App Review: Heart Rate Monitor

Submitted by George Ponder on Mon, 05/07/2012 - 13:06

Windows Phone App Review: MyWalk

Submitted by George Ponder on Fri, 03/02/2012 - 08:48

MyWalk is a simple app for your Windows Phone that tracks your exercise walks. But the app goes a little further than simply tracking your walks. Your walking efforts are presented accumulatively daily and as you walk about, you can monitor calories burned. MyWalk tracks your walking exercises by location services and by your Windows Phone motion sensors.

You'll need to choose if you're walking indoors or out and from there, all you need to do is walk.

Windows Phone App Review: Health&

Submitted by George Ponder on Thu, 03/01/2012 - 16:19

If you need a simple Windows Phone app to track your weight, blood pressure, glucose levels, and medications take a look at Health&. I liked the Health & app but it may not appeal to everyone. The layout is simple, straight forward but I couldn't help but feel something was missing.

Fitness Month: runtastic for Windows Phone can help keep you in shape

Submitted by Rich Edmonds on Mon, 02/27/2012 - 15:49

It's Fitness Month here at WPCentral and Mobile Nations, as you all already know, so we thought we'd take a look at some health-related apps for your Windows Phone that can be used to keep on top of those pesky New Year resolutions you may have made for 2012. I've personally been using runtastic for Windows Phone, a fitness tracking app / service that's also available for Blackberry, iOS and Android. So, just how can this app help keep owners fit?

Windows Phone App Review: Workout Timer

Submitted by George Ponder on Fri, 02/24/2012 - 14:34

Windows Phone App Review: MyFitnessPal

Submitted by George Ponder on Fri, 02/24/2012 - 08:22

MyFitnessPal is a neat app for your Windows Phone to helps you track your workouts and diet as you work towards an established weight goal. It's a rather simple tracking app that taps into a healthy amount of resources. MyFitnessPal boasts the largest food database with over 1.2 million items and based on using the app over the past few days, I believe it.

The interface is easy to pick up on and a bar code scanner just in case your meal isn't listed in the database, MyFitnessPal is an impressive fitness and health app for your Windows Phone.

Mobile Nations Fitness Month hits the home stretch!

Submitted by George Ponder on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 20:40

The Mobile Nations Fitness month is entering the home stretch with Week Four!

If you're joining us while we're already in progress, it's never too late and you can go read all about Mobile Nations Fitness Month in our first WPCentral Forums installment for weeks one and two. You can pick up on the week three and four discussions here in the WPCentral Forums as well as who is our latest weekly prize winner!

We will keep week three's goals in play for the home stretch. Feel free to chime in about your progress and any tips you might have to offer for getting fit. We've covered a decent selection of Windows Phone apps to help you achieve your fitness and health goals. You can find all our Fitness Month coverage here. We've got a few more apps to share and if you have a favorite Windows Phone fitness/health app, feel free to suggest it for review through our tip line.

Remember we have one more weekly prize drawing to give out and when all is said and done, we will randomly select one reader to take home a Xbox 360 and Kinect! Oh... and just in.... we're adding a runner up prize. The Nokia Luna BT Headset!

Good luck with it and let us know in the forums how it's going.

Fitness Month: Windows Phone for vegans and vegetarians

Submitted by Seth Brodeur on Thu, 02/23/2012 - 14:06

Over the past few years, as consumers have become more concerned with how and what they eat, the number of people choosing to lead a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle has increased dramatically. And while being vegetarian has become much easier since I first started over 13 years ago, it can still be a challenging road to navigate, be it grocery shopping, traveling, or just trying to keep things new and different when cooking at home. Thankfully, with Windows Phone it's that much easier, whether you are a seasoned veggie veteran or just starting out. With February being Fitness Month here at WPCentral and Mobile Nations, we thought we take a look at several vegetarian apps.

Windows Phone App Review: Weight Tracker

Submitted by George Ponder on Tue, 02/21/2012 - 15:24

Looking to track your weight loss? Want a simple solution to use on your Windows Phone? Take a look at the Windows Phone app Weight Tracker.

Weight Tracker is a simple, straight forward app to track your weight loss and chart your progress towards your targeted weight. It's a handy way to track your progress as the Mobile Nations Fitness Month winds down.

Windows Phone App Review: Microsoft HealthVault

Submitted by George Ponder on Mon, 02/20/2012 - 16:58

Windows Phone App Review: Nutrition

Submitted by George Ponder on Fri, 02/17/2012 - 16:20

Windows Phone App Review: Sound Asleep

Submitted by George Ponder on Fri, 02/17/2012 - 14:08

Windows Phone App Review: My Blood Pressure

Submitted by George Ponder on Thu, 02/09/2012 - 15:40

Windows Phone App Review: easyHeartRate

Submitted by George Ponder on Fri, 12/23/2011 - 08:47

We all know that our Windows Phones have tremendous capabilities but did you know that there's an app out there that turns your Windows Phone into a heart rate monitor? easyHeartRate is a Windows Phone app that uses your camera to measure your heart rate. easyHeartRate not only gives you a decent heart rate reading but you also have the ability to record and monitor your heart rate history, and calculate the various heart rate zones.

Microsoft releases HealthVault app for Windows Phone

Submitted by Rich Edmonds on Wed, 12/14/2011 - 10:57

Keeping up-to-date with health information, accessing medical records (for yourself and family members), and retrieving prescription history is now easier than ever while on the move. Microsoft has released HealthVault for Windows Phone, which ties into their HealthVault service. HealthVault account data is synchronized so users are able to track and manage chronic conditions, insert health information, and more while on the go.

You can download HealthVault from the Marketplace (US only).

Via: Mobility Digest

Livescape - Mango App Spotlight

Submitted by George Ponder on Tue, 11/29/2011 - 15:58

With New Year's fast approaching we're sure there will be plenty of resolutions on weight loss and living healthier. New Year's resolution or not, there's a feature rich app over at the Windows Phone Marketplace designed to help track your pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. Livescape, previously known as Life Tracker, is an activity and nutrition journal for your Windows Phone.

Livescape features GPS tracking that will help track and log activities such as walking or hiking. Additional features of Livescape include:

Keep a log of your daily activities.
Consumption tracking to monitor what you eat/drink.
Calculate the number of calories burned during exercise.
Track your weight, calorie intake.
Calculate Body Fat, Lean Mass, and Fat Mass based on waist, hip and neck measurements.
BMI and BMR Calculation. Track ailments such as allergies, headaches, fevers, flu, etc.
Fertility calculator.
Monitor your Nutrition Facts from day to day.
Import Nutrition Facts using your phone's camera with the help of OCR.
Review your trends using any of the built in graphing features, synchronize with Microsoft® HealthVault®.

Livescape is a mango app so you'll have Live Tile and Notification support. The app also supports multiple profiles so more than one person can track their health habits and activities. The application is well laid out and through out the app there are on screen tips that appear to help you get familiar with features. If you're looking for a way to track your activities, monitor your diet and keep tabs on your general health, Livescape is worth looking into.

There is a 14-day trial version available for Livescape and the full version is currently running at the discounted price of $2.99. The discounted price will run through the end of the week and the price will return to it's regular $4.99 mark. You can find Livescape here at the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Livescape - App Spotlight

Submitted by George Ponder on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 20:23

Looking for a Windows Phone app that will help you track the calories you burn during a workout as well as the calories sitting on your dinner plate? If so, Livescape might be worth a try.

Livescape is a journal of sorts that helps you keep track of activities and diet that effects your life. You can use your Windows Phone location services to track outdoor activities such as jogging, hiking or bicycling. Use your Windows Phone camera to help track nutritional facts about the foods you eat.

Other features of Livescape include:

Support for the Metric System, as well as, English Units
Step counting (Pedometer) with estimated distance traveled and calories burned
Ability to look up Nutrition Facts on the Internet* Consumption Tracking (Food and Drinks)
Calculate Body Fat, Lean Mass, and Fat Mass based on Waist, Hip, and Neck measurements
Weight, Blood Pressure, Mood, Stress, and Measurement Tracking
Ability to track ailments such as allergies, headaches, fevers, flus, and cramps
Create multiple profiles for family and friends

You also have the ability to backup and restore your data and post your accomplishments to Facebook. The is a free trial version available for Livescape to let you try before you buy. The full version runs $4.99 and you can download both here (opens Zune) at the Marketplace.

Cellphone Radiation: The WHO's take on things

Submitted by George Ponder on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 20:11

We mentioned earlier that the LG Quantum ranked the best with respect to the smartphones with the lowest radiation emissions. On the heels of that report, we've learned the WHO has chimed in on the issue of whether or not cell phone radiation is dangerous or not. No, not the rock group the Who but the World Health Organization.

In a joint press released issued today with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the WHO classifies radio frequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans. This tags the electromagnetic fields as a Group 2B carcinogen that also includes lead, DDT pesticides, and chloroform. They base this possibility on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use.

A more extensive report on the assessment by the WHO will be published in the July issue of The Lancet Oncology, but commenting on the findings, Dr. Jonathan Samet, chairman of the working group for this studying, states,:

"The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk."

Additionally, the Director of the IARC, Christopher Wild, commented:

"it is important that additional research be conducted into the long-term, heavy use of mobile phones. Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands?free devices or texting."

It is nice that there isn't a rush to judgement on this issue (keeping things termed as "potential" or "possible" risk) and that it is recognized that additional research is needed to determine what connection exists between serious health issues and cell phone use.

Again, by no means are we suggesting you should stop using your Windows Phone. But it never hurts to be informed on the equipment we use. After the break you can catch the full press release from the WHO.

Source: IARC Via: CNN

LG Quantum leads the pack in radiation safety

Submitted by George Ponder on Sun, 05/29/2011 - 04:42

The LG Quantum has achieved a rather unique distinction. The Windows Phone tops the list of safest cell phones with respect to radiation emissions.

Agree or not, studies have identified some health issues related to prolonged use (i.e. ten years or so) of cell phones. Heck, the FCC even requires SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) for wireless phones and devices to be under 1.6 watts per kilogram.

The good news for Quantum owners is that the LG Windows Phone comes in at .35 w/kg. In comparison, the Samsung Focus is rated at .97 w/kg, the HTC HD7 was rated at 1.15 w/kg and the HTC Surround came in at 1.03 w/kg. The Motorola Bravo (Android) topped the list of reporting phones at 1.59 w/kg.

Considering a portable x-ray machine cranks out about 175 watts per kilogram it may take some time for health issues to develop (if at all). By no means are we suggesting you stop using your Windows Phone but a) it's nice to see a Windows Phone be rated amongst the safest and b) it never hurts to be informed.

Source: Environmental Working Group Thanks goes out to Mark for the tip!

health

Pages