Applications for Phones for Diabetes Management
Moving Forward, Making Life Easier
There are several different types of applications for phones for diabetes management, all of which are aimed at making your life easier so that you can spend less time worrying about managing your diabetes and more time enjoying life. Some of these applications have been made by fellow diabetics while others have been created by doctors.
There are two main types of applications for phones for diabetes management. The first are applications aimed at storing all of the information needed to track your diabetes, such as glucose levels, insulin dosages, carbohydrate consumption and exercise. The other type of applications are designed to help you plan your meals.
Glucose Tracking Applications
Glucose Buddy- Diabetes Helper 3.2
Glucose Buddy, ranked the number one diabetes iPhone application by the founder of TuDiabtes.com, stores all of the data associated with your condition, such as glucose numbers, carbohydrate consumption, insulin dosages, and activities. Along with storing data, it allows you to view it online and access the Glucose Buddy Forum where you can read articles, post questions, and connect with other diabetics. One downside to Glucose Buddy is the many facets of this application may cause confusion for individuals who are unfamiliar with the complexities of mobile phones.
Diabetes Log
Much like Glucose Buddy, the primary purpose of this application is to store all of the data associated with your condition. All of the logs can be exported to your computer and in turn sent to your doctor. This application is well suited for someone who wants a simple application for storing their diabetes data. However, if you are looking for something with more features, Diabetes Log is probably not the way to go.
Log for Life- Diabetes Quick Entry
Log for Life allows you to record your glucose, carbohydrates, medication, exercise and weight. Like Glucose Buddy, it is linked to an online account where you can view your previous entries as well as download, print or email the information. Unlike other websites, the online portion of this application allows you to view interactive graphs, manage medications and share logs directly with family or doctors. You can also text all of your information directly to the website. While all of these extra features seem wonderful, Log for Life has one negative feature other data storing applications don’t. Log for Life is subscription based meaning the service costs $9 per month. On the bright side there is a one-month free trial.
Glucose Mate Free
The Glucose Mate Free application simplifies diabetes data entry. Every time you enter a glucose level, the relationship to the meal you ate and the time of the measurement are automatically recorded as well. This application includes a chart of glucose level trend analysis which could be especially helpful for your doctor to determine what your daily drug dosage should be. As with other applications, all of your information can be sent to your doctor. What makes this application unique is the fact that it has the ability to perform statistical analysis and trend analysis.
Diamedic
Diamedic’s purpose is to allow diabetics to record their daily sugar levels and insulin shots. Then, graphs are made using this data making monitoring glucose levels a snap. Two features that make Diamedic special are its prescription calendar and built in keyboard. Like other applications you can email the data to your doctor or family members. One drawback of Diamedic is the fact that unlike other applications for phones for diabetes management, there is no option to track carbohydrate, exercise, weight, etc.
Glucose-Charter
Glucose-Charter charts glucose levels, insulin and medication information. What makes Glucose-Charter distinctive is its ability to provide dietary choices through its built-in food database. Another interesting feature is its medicine tracker which includes not only insulin but a variety of medications. A drawback of Glucose-Charter is that it is not linked up to an online account which makes exporting information to others such as your doctor difficult.
Diabetes Log
A fellow diabetic known as Chris Ross was the mind behind Diabetes Log. His aim was to create an application that kept track of the daily information associated with diabetes. This application has the ability to keep track of food, glucose, and medication intake. Unfortunately, features such as linking records to an online account so they can be sent to one’s doctor have not yet been added to this application.
Diabetes Grapher
Diabetes Grapher records your glucose values and insulin units. It saves daily units and by the end of the month, a diagram is created showing all of the information for one month. You can easily enter data and have it emailed to other individuals. One concern, however, is the fact that the small text and dark colors used by this application make it difficult to read.
Bant
Bant allows you to record your glucose levels and categorize them based on meal, time of day or another factor you choose. All of your entries are then linked to a Google health account. The information stored on the online account can be analyzed to create trends and charts. Like other applications, all of the information can be sent to your doctor or shared with family. One of the main pros of Bant is the fact that it is very easy to use.
Lifescan for iPhone
Lifescan allows you to record your glucose readings. However, you do not input the data yourself. This application allows you to hook your glucose monitor up directly with your iPhone. The data is transferred via Bluetooth or dock connector. All of the data is compiled into a chart form and lists each previous reading. Then, the data can be shared with family or their doctor. In addition, this application features a meal builder and insulin schedule. The phone can estimate, based on diet, how much insulin is needed after each meal. The only downside of this application is that it is only compatible with the iPhone at this time.
GlucoSentinel for iPhone
GlucoSentinel is an alert service that allows you to share your glucose readings with your support group via email or text. What makes this application different is that it sends you alerts to remind you to test your blood sugar according to a schedule you create. This application is perfect for new diabetics who are getting into the rhythm of daily testings. The disadvantage of GlucoSentinel is that it costs $9.99 per month; however, there is a 30 day free subscription.
Meal Tracking Applications
Diabetic Meal Planner Lite
Created by Glycemic Diet Software, this application calculates the overall glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) for each meal. It analyzes the carbohydrates, calories, proteins and fats in each meal allowing you to create a healthy diet. It allows you to store data such as full meal information for future re-use and reconstruction of your typical meals. The main disadvantage is that the free version only includes 38 food items within its database. Although the full version has 975 food items, it costs $13.99.
Type2Friendly
This application helps you find restaurants that serve diabetic-friendly good. All you have to do is type in a city, state or zip code, and the application will pull up a list of nearby restaurants along with their nutrition data. Each restaurant has a map, directions, website address and phone number along with it. With a simple tap, you can find the total nutrition data. The only shortcoming of this application is that it only includes chain and fast food restaurants which are generally the least diabetic-friendly options.
Diabetes Health Mobile
This application is a collection of all of the latest news articles and blog posts pertaining to diabetes. The articles are broken down by categories, type 1, type 2, pre-diabetes, kids and teens, or professional. It also contains posts from the site’s digital edition library as well as various posts from the site’s diabetes health television library. See something particularly interesting; post it to your twitter or facebook with ease. This application is designed to help you learn more about diabetes and stay up to date with new treatments. While having this information at your fingertips is very convenient, it is not a necessity. Unlike other applications, Diabetes Health Mobile is not exclusive to phones.
References:
www.diabetesnewshound.com: Top Free Diabetes-Related i-Phone Apps
