Nowadays there are many different programs to track certain indicators of the human body. However, there is no way to collect them in one place and analyze them effectively. You need a program that will do three things — allow you to efficiently collect data (have a set of well-defined types with borders and instructions), have a powerful search engine for cutting data, matching them and presenting in various forms, and the ability to write and save interpretations to this data. .
In my opinion, these ideas may have very far-reaching perspectives, even though they seem simple. The main goal of the article is to receive constructive criticism from the community and decide whether to develop its own software.
The article presents real life examples in which tracking was useful or simply necessary. Considered variables that can be monitored and compared. Among them are physiological indicators (pulse, pressure), environmental indicators (temperature, brightness of the sun, magnetic field), nutrition, as well as psychological indicators (happiness index, multimedia perception, learning timekeeping).
For a start, a little about yourself. My name is Jaroslav, I work for the position of Java Developer in the company EPAM Systems (SPB). Besides work, programming is also a hobby of mine, and developing personal projects combines business with pleasure. Over the years, I have developed applications for tracking and analyzing various indicators (trackers). At the end of 2015, I developed the TrackAllMyLife project, which served as an excellent platform for experiments in this area. For two and a half years, we managed to gain a lot of experience and data and make useful conclusions. Basically, I tracked the time spent on various activities (training, sports, games) and did it with more detail when compared with existing counterparts. In the future, I will definitely write an article about this, but for now we will limit ourselves to a general overview. So, during this time many different original ideas have accumulated, and the most promising of them is the idea of a health tracker. About her and this article will be.
Most users of GeekTimes know that all world science is based on experiment and observation. Yes, I would like to focus on a scientific approach, since without it we will not go far. The human body is subject to the laws of nature, like everything around us. When a doctor asks you about your symptoms, he uses a scientific approach. Conclusions about the patient's health can be made only on the basis of the collected data. The most accurate of these are the data from the devices (blood tests, endoscopic examinations, x-rays, and so on). However, many of these types of surveys are inconvenient and / or harmful to health, rarely performed and without tracking the dynamics. They should definitely be carried out (in the direction of a good doctor), but they have their own caliber. There are many other indicators that can also be monitored every day and draw conclusions based on this. They are much more than you might think at first glance. And they can be very accurate if measured correctly and recorded correctly.
The simplest example is weight measurement. Everything is simple - I got up on the scales in the morning, wrote down the weight on a piece of paper, then I transferred it to the XLS file. In Excel, you can build graphs and track weight over the years, drawing conclusions about which events and changes in lifestyle led to weight gain or weight loss. It does not require any third-party application, everything seems clear. At least, if gross errors plus / minus 0.5 kg do not confuse us (it all depends on the tasks set).
About triggers
Probably you have repeatedly heard from the doctor the word "trigger." It is often applied to various diseases or symptoms. For example, each person has individual triggers for headache or other unpleasant effects of the body. These triggers may work differently. If the effect of the trigger occurs immediately (in less than 10 minutes), the causal relationship is obvious, we do not need any applications. The man drank too much concentrated orange juice - gets heartburn. However, not all triggers are so simple. A causal relationship can be very difficult to detect, an effect can occur in a few days, it can accumulate from certain processes in the body, it can occur only under certain conditions. Notepad or even Excel may not be enough to detect such triggers, or it will be too difficult.
Let me give you a real life example. At the end of last year, I regularly (1-2 times a week) started to have a headache after joining the company. I was very puzzled by this problem, so the reason is not at all obvious. There were a lot of factors, and it was not at all clear what the headache was associated with. I began to use a scientific approach and monitor my body with recording indicators in a txt file. I wrote down the names of all the foods that I eat and what I do. As soon as the headache appeared, I immediately wrote down the time of its beginning to the minute and the time of the end. After a couple of weeks, it became clear that the pain comes 20-30 minutes after taking the coffee (and not after each use, but extremely rarely). What??? But I used to drink sublimated coffee at home, sometimes I drank natural and strong coffee ... Sometimes I misused it. And no problems were observed. And maybe it was observed, but I forgot about them. In any case, I tried to stop drinking coffee at all, and my head did not hurt for a month after that. These measurements I saved to a file, they are now good reference values.
Is coffee good or bad? I analyzed 5 articles about coffee (at the request of
coffee pros and cons ), trying to numerically express the pros and cons and individualize them. Although it is rough and too theoretical, I found out that the benefits of coffee for my health exceed the harm by 2.7 times. Ok, google, thanks. However, only one of the 5 articles (among the minuses) is written about the “otkhodnyak” effect. And usually, the term "otkhodnyak" understand only the consequence of a complete and abrupt cessation of coffee. Who would have thought that a fluctuation in doses could cause it too?
Without real measurements it is simply impossible to draw the right conclusion . Apparently, the problem was that I drank coffee NOT regularly, and in different doses every day (2-4 mugs). Then I tried to drink only 1 cup each morning, and there were no problems.
The coffee example can serve as an excellent demonstration of how non-obvious factors damage the human body. There can be a lot of such factors, and many of them can be calculated with the help of tracking, observations and reasoning. Among my friends there were those who do not drink coffee because they have a “headache” from it. But whether from coffee, or can from its wrong use? After measuring the doses taken and their time, you can simply consult with a specialist (or at least ask your friends to make similar measurements and compare them).
Some people do not know how to think logically, and can receive damage and negativity throughout their lives. Yes, among my friends there are such examples.
I want to note that when solving a problem with a headache, I encountered difficulties in tracking in a txt file. They start when you try to keep track of several factors. Navigating through them is extremely difficult, and their analysis can be inconvenient, and sometimes technically impossible. In the case of coffee, the problem was "medium" caliber and solvable. But what if we want more detail? What if the problem is rare and you need to collect data for several months or years? Suddenly, it will bring great benefits to your health and reveal secrets that other ways will not be able to discover?
Base of measurements and search engine for it
So, we came to the conclusion that we need an application that will allow you to add arbitrary measurements (from the mobile version) and analyze them. All these measurements will be stored on a single timeline, it will be possible to make samples of them, show them differently (plotted on the calendar, in the form of lists, graphs, charts, and so on). The search engine must be powerful and specialized for such measurements.
For a long time I tried to find such an application, but did not find anything even close. Most of the existing tracker applications are designed for "stupid" users and draw conclusions for them, instead of providing the opportunity to analyze it yourself. Advanced users need a set of facts, not their interpretation. We need powerful tools for collecting, analyzing and comparing various data. Yes, precisely different data from different sources.
Most applications are sharpened for a specific function. For example, there are heart rate monitors, which perfectly measure the dynamics of the pulse. There are applications for measuring accepted food and calculating calories \ vitamins \ proteins \ fats \ carbohydrates. But there is no connection between these applications. There is no possibility to collect data in one place and compare them there. We all know that the world is learned by comparison. And programmers know that integration is very important. But, for reasons I do not understand, there is still no such universal application. It’s not at all difficult to do, but it’s not (or it’s not popular and buried somewhere deep in the net). If you know of such an application, be sure to email me at kciray8@gmail.com or review the application in the comments.
But the fun is just beginning. Let's pretend that you made several samples of data and analyzed them. What if the program allows you to write an
interpretation and save it? If you can think logically, you can make your own conclusions. If you often communicate with doctors and read quality articles on the Internet, your train of thought will be close to the train of thought of specialists. It is very important to understand the difference between facts and their interpretation. Interpretation will change over time and evolve as it happens in science. Theories will evolve and generalize. In the end, you will know a lot about your body. The collection and analysis of data can lead to conclusions that can not be made even with the latest and most accurate instruments! This program will be your personal BodyX - plan to study the body.
Union doctor and patient
Five years ago, I put forward the idea that it would not be superfluous to pull up the knowledge of the natural sciences with an emphasis on the human body. Such knowledge can significantly improve the quality of life, thanks to the adjustment of lifestyle and making better decisions. A person will be able to more effectively accompany their chronic diseases or deviations, as well as adapt to their individual characteristics. Since childhood I have been surrounded by people who have made the most stupid mistakes in matters of health and did not want to admit or correct them. Their knowledge of medicine was either zero or negative. I promised myself that I would not be the same when I grew up. One of my ideas was that you could study the natural sciences right away in English. It is useful both for career, and for self-development, and it is interesting ...
It's 2018 in the yard, and I can read articles about health in English even faster and easier than in Russian. Now I am examined in the Medsi clinic with various specialists and accompany the findings of doctors with Internet research. English Wikipedia interprets the terms and gives a basic set of knowledge, Google allows you to find articles on specialized sites like WebMD and deepen understanding, and scientific articles and textbooks can allow you to look even deeper. Probably you are thinking now - and whether it will bring real benefits? Already brought. I constantly thought out the conclusions of the doctors and tried to find inconsistencies there. And found, and a lot. And asked questions, and received a lot of additional information. And I found shoals, although most of them are irrelevant. But one was essential, and his understanding brought tremendous health benefits and paid off the effort expended. In general, you understand.
Oh yeah, another very important point. Many people use the word "self-treatment" as an excuse for not understanding their health. Forget this word at all! There is no self treatment. A person who independently studies medical literature understands how important it is to consult with specialists before intervening in his body.
Let's go back to the health tracker. He could provide a high degree of detail in patient data for the doctor. But none of the doctors, even in the premium clinics of St. Petersburg, recommended anything like that to me! I heard that somewhere in American clinics they develop their implementations of trackers and real-time chats, in which a patient can record his symptoms at any time. But this practice is not popular. Everyone understands that the future of medicine is individualization. That trackers, along with precision instruments, can provide it. Let's try to figure out why the idea of a “single tracker” is not popular.
Problems of modern medicine
When making decisions, doctors use 2 approaches - logical and statistical. The first is that the doctor uses a huge store of knowledge on anatomy \ biology \ physiology, and so on, in order to simulate in his thoughts the functioning of the organism. Until now, it remains a mystery why there are still no popular web services that would allow for the
approximate modeling of body systems. Most of the thinking that a doctor does at this stage could be automated. I heard about IBM Watson and its success, but on its website only access to normal cloud services is provided. Year after year, news sites told about the success of Watson, but here's something I can not use them. If you have access to it or similar closed systems, be sure to email me (kciray8@gmail.com). If you know projects of something like Body Sandbox - also write, maybe later we will collect a separate article on this topic.
So, the first approach (logical) can be screwed to the tracker in one form or another. Even if we decide not to use any additional software for modeling, we can reflect on the collected data and make independent conclusions. Also, we can bring our samples to the doctor and he will be able to give his interpretation. The doctor can not pilot your body for you and collect data for you. And even a good doctor is unlikely to agree to dig into a large set of data (if they are collected “dirty” through Excel). But if we do all the “uninteresting” work ourselves (or the application does it), the chances of success are greatly increased. In practice, the difference can be between “Yes” and “No”, “Cured” and “Not cured”.
Also, if one of you wanted to independently study the medical sciences and understand your inner world better, the universal tracker opens up tremendous opportunities for you. Even if you don’t want to experiment on yourself, you can still just watch the changes in various indicators in everyday life and learn a lot. Changes will occur whether you want it or not.
As for the second approach (static) - I do not like him, but he is and is not going anywhere. The human body is very complex, and some processes within it are too complex to logically calculate them. The world has collected huge statistics on diseases, and doctors apply it to patients. I was always annoyed by the “list of symptoms” that may or may not occur. Moreover, it is often not written which of them are explained and miscalculated, and which of them are not. Not to mention more accurate data. The vagueness and uncertainty can be disheartening, but you need to understand that it has always been, is and will be. So, the tracker can collect a huge amount of your personal statistics and draw interesting conclusions based on it. The main benefit that can be gained here is to improve the quality of life and personal happiness. For example, you can find out which products are more pleasant for you and under what conditions. Yes, conditions are very important. I noticed that the perception of food depends on various factors (seasons, active sports, the interaction between types of food and so on), and this is not always obvious. In the end, you can build your life so as to make it as happy as possible within your body.
Oh, and I don’t understand why the clinics do not have the “research” service, in which the doctor goes deeper into the literature, armed with a huge set of patient data, tries to match this and individualize the treatment. Could make something like "N rubles for 1 hour of research", I would buy it from time to time.
Data types
In the health tracker, data types are of great importance. It must be strictly typed - each measurement must be carried out within tightly defined limits, with an indication of the instrument (if any) and other parameters. Let's divide the measurements into groups and review each of them.
Simple indicators from devices
Nobody canceled classical measurements. These include weight, pressure, pulse, temperature, blood sugar, waist size, pupil size, and so on. In addition to indicators from home appliances, you should also add indicators from laboratory tests (various analyzes), since in fact they do not differ.
Body phenomena
This group may include the fact of coughing, the fact of nasal congestion, and so on. Also, you can try to measure some of these parameters quantitatively. It should be noted that the accuracy for different tasks is different and the tracker application should work on different scales. For example, if you are sick and cough many times a day, you only need to take a cough> 10 times at the end of the day. However, if you have a chronic cough 0-2 times a day, then taking individual measurements may make sense.
Pain in certain parts of the body
Here it is necessary to note that there is a big difference between "pain somewhere below" and "pain after pressing / tapping and so on." Of course, it is better if such measurements are made by a doctor, but usually he is not around. However, measurements made by a doctor also need to be added to the program.
It is also necessary to standardize measurements according to generally accepted medical standards. For example, there are 6 types of headaches (depending on zones) and they are called differently. The program must store not just the variable “intensity from 0 to 5”, but additional context and information. All measurements should be as detailed as possible.
Indicators from devices measuring the environment
These are air temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed, sun brightness, and so on. Some of them can be measured by oneself, and integration with meteorological services can be done. This may make much more sense than you think. For example, in St. Petersburg very often air temperature fluctuations occur and they negatively affect people's health. The sun can greatly influence mood. By measuring, you can collect enough grounds for moving to permanent residence in a warmer country. Or not to move, but to try alternatives in the form of light therapy. Or be examined more deeply and solve the roots of the problem. Or first be examined, and then move. In general, you understand.
It also includes various measurements in solar activity, geomagnetic storms, and so on. Opinions of scientists disagree on these issues, but what prevents the various parameters from shaking through and then comparing them with the data? Again, you need a convenient program for this.
And no one bothers you to put a placebo-controlled experiment. The program can start the “monitoring during a geomagnetic storm for a couple of days” mode, with a 50% probability it will be a real storm, and the other 50% is a control measurement. After the measurements, you will have recured intervals, which can be objectively compared.
Power measurements
Ideally, the program should allow the user to track everything he eats and display graphics in the form of proteins \ fat \ carbohydrates \ vitamins and various substances. Some vitamins and substances even in a small volume can cause certain reactions on the part of the body. They can be confused with the side effects of taking medication, or vice versa. In practice, this can play a large role (I was recently treated by a gastrenterologist and Laura at the same time, and similar problems nearly frustrated the course of treatment).
If food can be tracked only at certain intervals, then pills and medicines need to track ALWAYS. Often the doctor makes conclusions about the effectiveness of the course not on the basis of research (which is not conducted, or they are associated with risks), but on the basis of the patient's symptoms “helps / does not help”. Accurate data may be useful in the future, as well as allow one or other conclusions to be drawn, sometimes in exact form.
Medical procedures
It is imperative to track such procedures as massage, tanning beds, vaccinations, cold water and others. This group should also include nature walks under the bright sun, swimming and so on. In essence, they are no different from the procedures, the same effect on the body, only more complex.
Learning dimension
Each person learns in his own way, and it makes sense to try different approaches and choose the most optimal one. I have been studying training for a long time (as was said at the beginning of the article), and I plan to pay special attention to this in the future. The program should allow the user to score the beginning and end of the lesson (by calculating its duration), as well as a questionnaire with various parameters:
- Was it difficult to start the lesson (the person made himself), or did he think about the subject all morning? (number from -5 to 5)
- What activities were involved? (writing, reading, speaking, listening)
- How much pleasure was received? (number from -5 to 5)
- How many new facts have been learned? (Approximate number around 5-10)
Nowhere on the Internet I have found such a tracker. At best, the existing solutions simply considered the hours spent and the charts displayed. If you know the original solutions in this area, be sure to discard it, as I was just tired of flipping through dozens of thrash applications. No, really, this is a humiliating exercise.
Life events
Yes, they should be tracked in a separate group. Buying a new technology, a new girl, passing an exam, traveling, moving - all this can affect your body in different ways, and this is not always obvious.
Psychological indicators
Not everyone knows that the level of depression can be measured by one number (there are special sets of questions). And this number can be tracked, and it is quite an objective. Also, there are other questionnaires from psychologists that can be very effective for tracking certain mental processes. True, I dug a little in this direction, but I am going to develop it.
For many years I have been tracking the level of happiness (one number every day, from -5 to 5). Then I consider the arithmetic average for the month, and it turns out something like a personal index of happiness, which can be tracked over the years. He brought many benefits and answered some questions. A useful thing in general, can track more global processes in the body. I would add it to any tracker.
Probably, you have repeatedly observed that food and the environment in a certain way affects your mood. Let's find out these dependencies! We can try to compare all the previous indicators, which I wrote about above (and there are already quite a lot of them) with psychological phenomena. There is just a huge scope for flight! If among the readers of the article there are psychologists, be sure to write me your opinion on this matter.
Perception of music, games, movies
I noticed that my perception of multimedia may change over time (even if you do it within the same genre). And it is difficult to cheat, it is very difficult. Efficiency in learning a foreign language is strongly dependent on the perception of all three directions (yes, and music, too). Some people learn the language with pleasure and conquer peaks, others invest a lot of effort and money, and get little. I developed a lot of English from books and TV shows, but from time to time the training was bent because of the loss of interest, and this happens somehow spontaneously. I would not say that this is strongly associated with boredom or fatigue.
Here, some other factors play a role, and without measurements they cannot be really identified. So, again, the tracker program can, in addition to timekeeping, do some questionnaire before / after each session. And if we track more and other indicators of the organization (food, sports, and so on), you can make real discoveries that can save a huge amount of money, make your career and help you achieve unique achievements.
Conclusion
I can make a working application that implements all the specified functionality in less than 2 weeks. In the near future, just going to do it. However, I really need your feedback and comments.
I need expert opinion, and I know for sure that there are a lot of them on GeekTimes / Habr. Express as many ideas, suggestions and constructive criticism as possible.There is a small probability that somewhere on the Internet there are already ready implementations of the ideas that I have expressed. The main purpose of this article is to prove that they do not exist, or that they are not implemented well enough. Some time after publication, I can proceed with the development of my solution, or adapt an existing one (if we find it).Also, if there are any web services or applications that you think I should read, be sure to discard them. Taking experience can have a positive effect on development.[Added June 1, 2018]
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