Don’t be surprised to hear your doctor say, “There’s an app for that.” By this summer there are expected to be 13,000 health-related smartphone apps on the market. Here are our top picks.
1. iCouch CBT
Got the blues? iCouch CBT uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy practices to help redirect the negative thinking habits of those suffering from anxiety and depression.
Price: $1.99
Available For: iPhone
2. Pink Pad Free
Make that time of the month a little more bearable with Pink Pad Free, which connects women around the world and allows them to share advice and tips. It also helps women track their monthly cycles, weight and mood.
Price: Free
Available For: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Android Smatphones
3. Glucose Buddy
Glucose Buddy is a handy blood glucose, medication and exercise tool for people living with diabetes. The app’s highlights include handy colour-coded readouts as well as graphs of your behaviour, such as activity and food consumption.
Price: Free
Available For: iPhone/iPod Touch
4. Sodium 101
Here’s an app that’s worth its salt: Sodium 101 helps users stay within recommended daily sodium limits by providing content listings for more than 2,000 Canadian takeout food items, a recipe converter to keep an eye on sodium in home-cooked food and a tool to calculate daily intake.
Price: Free
Available For: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
5. LactMed
With LactMed, new moms have one less thing to worry about. The database lists drugs and dietary supplements that may affect breastfeeding babies.
Price: Free
Available For: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android Smartphones
6. Breathe2Relax
If you skipped yoga class there’s Breathe2Relax, a stress-management tool that uses video to guide users through breathing and relaxation exercises, and provides detailed information about the effects of stress on the body.
Price: Free
Available For: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android Smartphones
7. Honest Label
What do those processed foods really mean for your health and well-being? Honest Label explains complicated ingredients and warns consumers of ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, trans fats, nitrates and artificial sweeteners.
Price: Free
Available For: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android Smartphones
8. MyQuit Coach
If nagging from your significant other hasn’t been motivation enough to kick the habit, try MyQuit Coach. It includes an individualized plan, a daily cigarette-consumption tracker, budget alerts of money saved and the opportunity to share successes through social media.
Price: $3.99
Available For: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch