The Best Doctor-Approved Health Apps

Squeezy

By now, you’re well aware that you only have one pelvic floor, so it makes sense to take good care of it. Remember – you’re never too old to start pelvic floor exercises. Squeezy has lots of great information, and you can even set reminders to your phone to make sure you get your ‘squeezes’ in. 
 
Visit SqueezyApp.com

St John’s Ambulance

One of the best free health apps out there, the St John’s Ambulance app is packed with information on how to manage emergencies – from chest pain to burns. What’s particularly useful is that it even works when you have no Internet connection, ideal for travelling and holidays. 
 
Visit SJA.org.uk

Oak

There are lots of brilliant apps out there to help with meditation and mindfulness, but I particularly like Oak for its simple, elegant design, which makes it easy to dip into. I especially like the ‘Box’ breathing exercise, which I often recommend to patients for relaxation. It’s quick, simple and much less daunting than meditation. 
 
Visit OakMeditation.com

Qardio

If you suffer with high blood pressure, Qardio, and its range of accompanying wearables, is worth looking into. They offer blood pressure monitors which are reliable, sleek and easy to use, syncing with your phone to offer readings that you can email to your healthcare team. Lots of people have ‘high’ readings in the doctor’s office, but have much lower readings at home, making this an invaluable tool.
 
Visit Qardio.com

Patient Access

If you’re not already using Patient Access, you should be. The app already has 12 million users in the UK and allows you to connect with your GP, book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view your medical records. It also has a handy directory of NHS self-referral services (for everything from depression to sexual health) as well as a symptom checker. 
 
Visit PatientAccess.com

Sleepio

If you’re one of the one in three UK adults who struggles with their sleep, Sleepio is well worth a download. It’s been used in the NHS for over seven years to treat people with sleeping issues and offers a six-week, personalised CBT programme to significantly improve sleeping patterns. 
 
Visit Sleepio.com

Health & Her

This app allows you to track menopausal symptoms and triggers. There are tools to help a host of problems, whether you’re experiencing stress and anxiety, a sensitive bladder, painful sex or aching joints. 
 
Visit HealthandHer.com

Mimi Hearing Test

Hearing loss can come on insidiously and significantly decrease your quality of life, especially if there is a delay or difficulty accessing audiometric testing. If you are worried about your hearing, this app can be used as a screening tool, and can help reveal problems before you recognise it yourself. It’s best used with calibrated headphones. 
 
Visit Mimi.Health

Symple

Being more in control of your health and wellbeing is fundamental, which is why I rate Symple. A symptom tracker and health journal, you can use it to log the status of any chronic symptoms linked to a particular health condition. You can track the type of symptoms, their intensity and frequency, as well as factors that influence how you are feeling, such as diet and activity. The intuitive and beautiful design makes it easy to identify potential trends. 
 
Visit SympleApp.com

Couch to 5k

We all know the importance of keeping active as we age, and this free NHS app is motivating and fun. The idea is that any couch potato can be introduced gradually to running, and ultimately run a 5k. You start slowly, initially by running for 60 seconds and then having a 90-second rest, repeated eight times. This builds up gradually over nine weeks, and as you run, there’s music to help you set the pace. 
 
Visit NHS.uk

Caria

This is a new menopause app aimed at helping women who are menopausal and postmenopausal. It offers advice for around 40 different physical and emotional symptoms and includes cognitive behavioural therapy exercises and advice about nutrition and exercise. It also includes a symptom tracker to enable the monitoring of symptoms. It is, however, only available for Apple devices. 
 
Visit HelloCaria.com

Luminosity

As we age, it’s vital to keep stimulating those little grey cells. Based on neurophysiological research, this brain training app provides games to challenge brain function. The app is used in a collaborative research project known as The Human Cognition Project – when you sign up, you may be asked to participate in research into topics such as ageing and cognitive performance. 
 
Visit Luminosity.com

Pocket Physio

Designed by Care UK, this app is great if you’ve had a knee or hip replacement or have limited mobility. It offers video demonstrations of how to do various exercises and includes tips on how to walk with a frame or crutches, as well as ideas for pain relief. Those who have used it say it’s just like having a physio in the room with you. 
 
Visit Apps.Apple.com

Medisafe

If you take various medications, this app is invaluable. It allows you to have a documented list of all your medications, which can be useful when seeing a new doctor who asks for your background medical history. You can also set reminders of when to take your medication and log measurements such as blood pressure and various blood tests so you can monitor them over a certain period. 

Visit MediSafeApp.com

Calm

As we enter the post-Covid world, mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression have significantly increased. Calm is a user-friendly app that can help settle nerves and mood through the process of guided meditation. There’s a vast variety of different meditations, sleep stories and soundscapes. There’s also a large body of evidence showing that short daily meditation practices may reduce your risk of getting dementia. 
 
Visit Calm.com