High-Tech Resources Can Help Boost Your Health

High-Tech Resources Can Help Boost Your Health

Social networks and high-tech gadgets such as Facebook and your smartphone may already be among the methods you use to stay in touch and find information. But did you know that such technology can also connect you with medical resources?

Depending on your health needs, technology may be just what the doctor ordered. If you’re looking for:

  • A deeper connection: Seek out an online support group.
    Those at www.dailystrength.org, for instance, cover conditions from acne to Zellweger syndrome (a rare congenital disorder).
  • Health messages to share with friends and family: Send an e-card.
    Have a cousin who is newly pregnant or a parent with diabetes? Share words of support that link to reliable medical information. Find a few at www.cdc.gov/ecards or www.niaid.nih.gov/ecards. You can also connect with patients via Sharp's e-cards or with CarePages™, which Sharp HealthCare now offers.
  • Help managing chronic conditions: Try a smartphone.
    Programs for these phones are called applications or apps. Some might give you reminders about checking your blood glucose if you have diabetes. Others can send test results to your doctor. You can also download a stress management app from the Department of Defense at www.t2health.org/apps/breathe2relax.
  • Personal stories about a medical condition: Search blogs and the video site YouTube.
    About 30 percent of patients who go online already turn to blogs to read about others’ health experiences. One recently published study found cancer survivors and caregivers who share their stories on video improve their own health in addition to that of their audience.
  • Timely reminders about health topics and wellness events: Find out on Facebook.
    Sharp HealthCare and other health care providers post news and health messages on Facebook, the largest social media site. Associations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Institutes of Health (www.facebook.com/nih.gov) also provide Facebook updates about medical issues.
  • Up-to-the-minute news about disease outbreaks and disasters: Turn to Twitter.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends instant updates, or “tweets,” which are 140 characters or less. Read them at http://twitter.com/CDCemergency and http://twitter.com/CDCgov.

Take steps to ensure your high-tech sources are reliable. Look first to pages and services sponsored by reputable organizations. These include the U.S. government, a university, a national association such as the American Heart Association or a hospital. Also, carefully check privacy policies before sharing personal information.

We hope you find the above websites helpful, but please remember that Sharp HealthCare does not control or endorse the information presented on these websites, nor do these sites endorse the information found on www.sharp.com.