logo
Back to Blog

5 New Apps & Gadgets That Keep The Flu Away

It’s February and flu season is in full swing. If you haven’t been hit yet, you know at least a handful of people who weren’t as lucky. Whether you’ve got the 24 hour bug or you’re in bed for a week, being sick can cause some serious conflicts in your schedule! There’s nothing worse than falling behind in your weekly to-do list, so we’ve gathered a few apps and gadgets that can help you defend your immune system and ensure attendance to all of your important events.

1. Help, I Have the Flu is a new Facebook app that allows you to figure out who might have given you the flu or who to stay away from if you haven’t yet caught it. The app scans your  friends’ Facebook profiles for keywords such as “coughing”, “sneezing”, “medicine” and “nurse.” It monitors suspicious check-ins which include checking in with other users they suspect to be sick, as well as late-night check-ins (sleep deprivation) that can cause you to be more susceptible to catching a cold.

2. f.lux allows a user to sleep better after computer and cell phone use by making the color of your screen’s display adapt to the time of day. We all know that sleep is an extremely important factor in staying healthy, but we also tend to take our laptops and cell phones to bed with us before getting some shut eye. Designed to reduce eye strain during the night time. This way, your body is being exposed to the right kind of light and will not inhibit the secretion of melatonin during night time. Pretty cool, right?

3. VitaDock is an app that can be used to track your health and wellness goals. It connects with a suite of modules designed to measure and track vital functions. You can mix and match a few of the modules in order to create the best tracking method for your own health goals, such as the ThermoDock to record your temperature and the CardioDock to track your blood pressure.

4. Proteus BioMed has invented a pill that will change the way you keep track of daily vitamin and medication taking! Taken at the same time as your daily medication, these harmless sugar pills have an implanted microchip inside them that sends a low-power electrical signal to an adhesive sensor patch placed outside your body. The patch records the date and time that you’ve taken the pill, and texts you if you forget to take it.

5. Sharecare has been called “Facebook with health info,” and is the newest way to do your own online medical research. It’s become increasingly common for adults in the U.S. to use a search engine to get answers about their ailments, and now they can share what they’ve found with others. Sharecare allows users to find health experts, connect and share stories, and get information on topics ranging from the flu to autism. It’s bringing together the convenience of Google, the facts from WebMD, and professional opinions of real doctors. Learning how to prevent your illness from worsening has never been easier.

Looks like missing your upcoming event is out of the question with these tools! Can you see yourself using any of these apps, gadgets, or sites? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!