Best Health Apps 2015: Are They Helpful or Harmful?

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In a recently published article, two doctors debate whether health apps are helpful or harmful. According to the International Business Times, the article is titled, "Can Healthy People Benefit From Health Apps?" It was published on Tuesday in The BMJ, which is a British medical journal, notes The New York Times.

There are tons of health apps available to the public, which can be accessed with just the press of a button. The New York Times states that there are fitness apps, like MyFitnessPal, which keep track of calories and other health apps such as the Period Tracker Lite used to help women monitor their menstrual cycle.  

While there are a full range of health apps, there is no scientifically proven evidence that these are actually helpful or harmful to the users. In fact, no study has ever been conducted to see if health apps actually work - which is where the debate begins.  

Dr. Iltifat Husain, editor in chief of iMedicalApps.com, argues in the article that health apps are actually quite helpful not only to users but to doctors as well, reports the New York Times. He believes that doctors should actually educate and promote the usage of health oriented apps.  

He says that doctors may lose the power to influence their patient to "the industry dictating which tools people should use" if they wait for scientific evidence proving health apps are indeed beneficial. Dr. Husain argues that the benefits of health apps "have already been shown." According to Consumer Affairs, he adds that these apps "have a great potential to reduce morbidity and morality." 

Meanwhile, Dr. Des Spence, a general practitioner in Glasgow, states that health apps are not quite beneficial for people who already eat healthy and exercise regularly. 

The doctor, who is against health apps, states that people following healthy lifestyles might suffer from increased anxiety due to these apps. He argues that health apps turn fit, healthy people into "neurotics" due to the unnecessary monitoring of their daily activities and vital signs. He further advises people to approach these kinds of technologies with a bit of skepticism, reports the New York Times.  

Dr. Spence says in the article, "The truth is that theses apps and devices are untested and unscientific, and they will open the door to uncertainty. Make no mistake: Diagnostic uncertainty ignites extreme anxiety in people."