Take your time and explore the articles, quizzes, apps, and other resources on this page.
Asthma Control Tool
Take the quiz by clicking the image below to score how well your asthma is controlled. Retake the quiz regularly to document a trend in how well your asthma is controlled. You may want to note your scores with the date in a journal or patient portal to keep a clear record.
Track your blood pressure
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is considered the "silent killer" because it often lacks symptoms until damage is done. For this reason it is safe, healthy, and reasonable to keep track of your blood pressure readings at home. You can either purchase a cuff or use one of the automated ones often found at pharmacies. Use an app such as the one found by clicking the image below (Apple users click here) to make recording, and sharing your recordings, easy.
Headspace for stress, anxiety, depression
Headspace is a great resource to help develop stress-reduction techniques. Aside from decreasing your quality of life, read how unchecked stress can cause problems in the body. Click the image below to explore the Headspace website. You can find many of their resources for free on YouTube as well.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Headspace and I do not make any money from them. I have been familiar with their products for several years and appreciate it as an effective resource.
Changing your dietary habits for better blood sugar
Clicking the image below will take you to a short article that gives examples of what you can substitute into your diet to lower your blood sugar levels.
What's the deal with vitamins?
Vitamin is short for vital minerals. We get most of these from a well-rounded diet, but sometimes need supplementation. Some vitamins like A, D, E, and K, are fat-soluble, meaning that you can consume too much and develop toxicity. Other vitamins like B and C are water-soluble, meaning that taking over a certain amount will simply result in urine that has a lot of that vitamin in it. Click the image below to learn about the various vitamins, their benefits, doses, and food sources from Harvard Medical School.
Mental Health Screening Questionnaire
The questionnaire you'll find by clicking the image below asks 9 short questions to get an objective measurement of how you're feeling. No test is perfect, but a PHQ-9 score can help give you insights into your mental health, track trends in how you are doing, and provide medical guidance for your care provider. Click here for a separate questionnaire specific to anxiety
Diabetes Risk Assessment
Diabetes is generally screened for at annual visits and, if you have diabetes, methods to manage it are discussed in an individualized manner. If you are curious about what your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is, click the image below to take the short quiz.
Managing blood pressure
Clicking the image below will take you to the American Heart Association's webpage about managing blood pressure. This page discusses what blood pressure goals to have and how to improve blood pressure with diet, exercise, and stress management. This information will also benefit other conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol.
Thyroid health issues can present in many ways
Fatigue, jitteriness, weight loss, weight gain, cold intolerance, heat intolerance, depression, agitation...thyroid dysfunction? An over or under active thyroid can cause a wide range of symptoms. Click the image below to visit Thyroid Awareness from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. Click "Take the quiz" to see if you have symptoms of a dysfunctional thyroid.
PTSD Checklist
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a debilitating condition in which the mind fixates on highly stressful life experiences well beyond the initial exposure. PTSD can make it hard to function, but there are treatments and support services. Clicking the image below will take you to a tool that will allow you to reflect on some possible signs and symptoms of PTSD. If you are concerned that you may have PTSD, please talk to your primary care provider and discuss how you can manage it together.
