Hacking your way to managing your illness

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Health-Hacker.png” thumb_width=”125″ /]Health + Hacking doesn’t necessarily mean another data breach. In another context, it means Patients Are Doing It For Themselves and not waiting for an app to help them manage their medical situation. They are self- constructing, deconstructing or repurposing software (or hardware like Fitbits, smartwatches and smartphones) to create customized solutions for themselves and to share with others. A lively young Swedish engineer, through building her own mobile apps to help manage her Parkinson’s disease, is building apps for others and finds her biggest challenge is the wide variety of symptoms.Stage 1 diabetes is a health hackers magnet, with hacks creating new features for continuous glucose monitoring and a ‘DIY pancreas system’. DIY hacks to track lifestyle, food, mood and behavior to share with family and doctors are becoming more common–and some developers are partnering with startups to further test or commercialize them. New Scientist (PDF). Hat tip to reader Susanne Woodman of BRE for the article and the PDF.