Many tragic events have occurred recently in the United States. Whether we are facing a brutal natural disaster (like Hurricane Harvey or the fires in California) or a devastating school shooting (like the one in Parkland, Florida), it has become crucial for us as a nation to reach out for help and support during the aftermath of these types of horrific events. While some people tend to isolate after traumatic events, the increase in telemedicine options is actually starting to allow more individuals to get easy access to support. If you’ve been struggling with complicated emotions due to a national tragedy, here are some suggestions on how you can use telemedicine to get help.

Find a safe space

Your first step should always to be to determine your parameters for feeling safe. If you come up with a list ahead of time of things (or people or places) that make you feel protected, you can start getting support from others. Feeling safer might mean that you get off social media and begin to connect more with people in your day-to-day life. It can also mean that you figure out which people in your life are the most supportive during a difficult time.

Using telemedicine and the online space can help you to connect with others and work through your emotions after a tragedy.

Get online support from peers

One of the most healing things you can do is to talk about your experience and your feelings. The Internet has allowed us to connect more easily with others (despite our location or proximity to the event). So, you can gain a lot of support from going online and joining support groups. These groups (which are usually free to join) can give you an outlet to express how you’re doing and help you to connect with others about their feelings. This connection can help you feel less isolated and can help remind you that you aren’t the only one feeling distressed.

You can do an online search for support groups that apply to your situation, or you can ask your health care team or insurance provider if they’re able to provide information to connect you with a support group. There are also many Facebook groups that can be helpful if you’re just looking for a forum to connect to people struggling with the same issues as you. It can be extremely therapeutic to share your story with others – or just to be the one on the other side lending your support to those in need. The best guideline is just to remember to take a break if you’re feeling overwhelmed; then you can come back to the discussion boards or chat rooms when you’re feeling more centered.

Take a break from media consumption

It’s great if you’re using the Internet and telemedicine to help you cope with a national tragedy. However, if you’re getting bombarded by news stories and images about the tragedy, you could end up feeling even more traumatized. Try setting boundaries for yourself if you notice you’re getting overwhelmed or are emotionally drained. You can even try setting time limits for yourself (like only 30 minutes of media consumption a day, for example). You can get the online support you need during this time, but then you can allow yourself to turn to other social activities, work, or fun distractions to help get your mind away from the tragedy. Self-care is so critical in times of stress, so make sure you’re not letting yourself get carried away with the news coverage of the event or constant posts on your social media newsfeed.

Telemedicine allows you to seek counseling and support from the comfort of your own home.

Find support

One of the most significant ways you can use telemedicine to get help is to connect with a mental health professional. While support from friends and family can be helpful, sometimes you might require care from a professional in the field to really get a handle on your emotions or symptoms. Because telemedicine allows you to have video chats or connect through email, you can get instant access to a professional who can come up with a plan to help you manage your feelings.

There are also many benefits to using telemedicine for mental health care instead of visiting someone in person. For example, it’s often cheaper because you don’t have added office visit fees, and it’s more convenient because you don’t have to leave your home, find transportation, or waste time making a trip to an office. Instead, you can get counseling or therapy all from the comfort of your home. If you’re apprehensive about seeking help, telemedicine can give you some peace of mind since you can conduct all of your appointments in a place that feels safest to you. Plus, mental health professionals that work through telemedicine can still promise you the utmost privacy and confidentiality.

Use apps to monitor feelings

Another telemedicine option is to use an app to help keep track of your symptoms. After a traumatic event (especially one on a national scale), you can start to notice that you’re feeling more stressed, anxious, sad, or hopeless. By using an app (like ReallifeChange or iMoodJournal), you can track your moods to see how you’re doing. This can be a helpful way to see if you need to reach out for more support or make an appointment with a mental health professional. You can also use apps for guided meditations and breathing exercises to help you feel more grounded and centered while you’re coping with a traumatic event.

National tragedies are, sadly, becoming increasingly common events. If you’re needing support, you can use these tips and telemedicine options to help get you through a difficult and challenging time.

More than 43.8 million people in the United States suffer from mental illness issues every year. That means that approximately one in every five adults in this country experiences some sort of behavioral health crisis every year – and more than half of those individuals do not get the treatment they need. Luckily, huge changes are happening in the telemedicine world that can actually help improve access to treatment for mental illness. Read on to see how telemedicine is revolutionizing the treatment of mental health conditions.

Telepsychiatry is an offshoot of telemedicine that deals specifically with mental health, including psychiatric evaluations, therapy (individual, group, and family), patient education, and symptom and medication management. There are a variety of ways that telepsychiatry works – it can look like direct contact between doctors or therapists and their patients, or it can be virtual communication about treatment between an entire medical team. These forms of technology also work to ensure medical information is transferred safely to any appropriate parties for specific patients.

Advances in telemedicine and technology are allowing patients to access better and more convenient mental health care.

There are countless benefits to accessing telepsychiatry options. Here are a few major ones:

Convenience

Patients only need a computer, internet access, and a webcam to get access to their mental health providers. This means that virtual access can help individuals who wouldn’t otherwise be able to connect with providers for therapy or medication management.

Increased access

Individuals who live in remote areas, have limited mobility, or are just simply too busy to make it to in-person appointments can access help from wherever is most convenient for them (like the comfort of their own home). Patients are also less likely to miss appointments because they’ll be able to schedule them for a time that works best, without having to worry about lining up transportation or assistance. Additionally, because of increased access, patients can consult with doctors, specialists, or therapists that are in any location – no matter how far away.

Customization of care

Telepsychiatry can help treatment teams come up with the perfect plan to help their patients, completely customized to what works best for that particular individual. Assessments, notes on progress, and symptom trackers can all help provide valuable data to mental health care providers.

Decrease in costs

Patients who use telemedicine methods can avoid costly transportation and any other additional fees that are tacked on when visiting a physician or therapist in person. People can also skip paying for childcare services or asking for time off work since appointments can be conducted at home.

Better health outcomes

Patients using telepsychiatry have been found to need less trips to the emergency room, can reduce delays in their treatment, and have better continuity of care because all follow-ups can be done virtually with their therapists or psychiatrists.

Privacy

Because there’s still something of a stigma surrounding mental health issues, some people may feel apprehensive about seeking treatment. Telepsychiatry allows these people to get help all from the privacy of their own home. Some people may feel more relaxed and be more open to sharing their story if they’re in their own safe environment.

Telemedicine consultations can be carried out from the comfort of your own home, making it easier for many people to seek treatment.

There are many telemedicine options for getting help for mental health conditions. An increasing number of people are using online counseling options to get treatment for their symptoms. They can reach out to virtual therapists or physicians who can provide guidance all through video chats. Another great benefit is that medication consultations can be conducted with psychiatrists virtually, so that they can monitor how their patients are doing with their prescriptions. This process allows psychiatrists to view progress and stay on top of any changes in symptoms.

Specifically for patients, advances in telemedicine have added other options that can help improve the treatment of symptoms. For example, online support groups for those suffering from mental illness are becoming increasingly popular. Moderated groups that offer supportive environments can be very helpful to people who are needing to make connections. With just a computer or smartphone, patients can log onto these sites and often find almost instant support. Another helpful option is for patients to use apps to track their symptoms and moods; this data can be critical for a psychiatrist or therapist to determine what in the treatment protocol is helping and what isn’t. People can also use apps to help remind them to take their medications. This can be valuable for individuals who often have trouble remembering to take their prescriptions at the appropriate time.

With advancements in technology and improvements in the world of telemedicine, there are many opportunities for people with mental health issues to receive the help they need. Now, even if patients live in remote areas without access to mental health professionals, or if they’re too uncomfortable addressing their problems out in the open, telepsychiatry can assist in getting them the proper treatment. By breaking down barriers and providing consistent (often life-saving) treatment, telemedicine is continuing to transform and improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.

It seems completely possible that in the not-too-distant future waiting in a doctor’s office line will be an experience  that is only dimly recalled by the oldest folks in society. The advent of telemedicine means that online doctor consultations are making doctor’s office waiting lines a thing of the past.

More and more people are now living most of their lives online. And thanks to today’s super-fast broadband and mega-powerful smartphones, laptops, and tablets, people are now able to get a huge amount of their medical needs met using telemedicine systems.

Telemedicine in America has become big business, and queuing up in a doctor’s office is becoming a distant and nostalgic (sometimes they had interesting magazines!) memory for more and more people.

There is a whole host of groundbreaking telemedicine apps available now, helping people to connect with medical professionals, as well as providing things like interactive pregnancy advice and fitness and diet information. Even people’s psychological needs are now being met using telepsychiatry.

There is very little that you can’t do now online using telehealth providers. Patients can use online consultations to apply for disabled parking permits, medical marijuana prescriptions, and even emotional support animal letters.

If you have a device such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you can take advantage of online doctor consultations and avoid the doctor’s office entirely!

The fact that you can now consult with a physician, speak to a psychologist or therapist, arrange prescriptions, and apply for disabled parking permits all online is a great development. Waiting in a doctor’s office line can be a major inconvenience for a number of reasons.

We have all had the experience of sitting in a doctor’s office with some minor ailment weighing on our mind and body; be it a sprained ankle, earache, chest infection, dodgy stomach, or some such medical complaint. And having a fear descend on us as our senses ring with the sights, sounds, and smells emanating from sick folk who are sharing the office with us, waiting to see the doctor. “That person looks infectious….” “That cough sounds contagious…” “That person smells like they might have something I could catch….” Often, we leave a doctor’s office sicker than we were when we entered, so rife are they contagious airborne infections! So, luckily for us all, online consultations are making doctor’s office lines a thing of the past.

But it’s not only the risks associated with imbibing a dense cocktail of germs and bugs that make queuing up in a busy doctor’s office an undesirable undertaking. There are many other reasons it is a wonderful perk of technology that online doctor consultations are making doctor’s office lines a thing of the past.

Firstly, most doctor’s offices are in urban areas; in the center of cities, towns, or villages. But for many folks who live outside of these urban settlements, perhaps deep in a rural wilderness, getting to a doctor’s office requires a lot of time and effort. Often a large distance must be traversed before a person who lives in a secluded location can even reach the nearest doctor’s office.

This issue of time and convenience also exists for many people who live in and around urban areas, relatively close to their nearest doctor’s office, but who lead especially hectic and busy lives with extra-tight schedules. Waiting in a doctor’s office line can be a major inconvenience for these people. It can cost them money, it can lose them clients, and it can cause them to miss deadlines.

Consulting with a doctor online through telemedicine saves many people valuable time.

Another reason why online doctor consultations making doctor’s office lines a thing of the past is that telemedicine technology gives the patient an infinitely broader choice of which medical professionals they can consult with. This is very useful for people who do not really trust, connect with, or “click” with any of the doctors in their local area. In today’s age of easy access to information, many patients are doing their own research and educating themselves about health care online. And this is showing them that their local physician’s knowledge can, in some instances, be quite limited – especially in areas such as nutrition and functional medicine.

For this reason, many people do not want to wait in a doctor’s office line twiddling their thumbs, only to be given some old-fashioned, out-of-date advice from their behind-the-times family doctor (who hasn’t read a new study or piece of research in decades!). For these people, using telemedicine for an online doctor consultation with a specialist who may be located very far away, but who understands the most recent literature, is invaluable.

In short, the internet has revolutionized the world of medicine. We now have numerous ways and means to get our medical needs met online. And for more and more people, doctor’s office lines are very much a thing of the past.

With advances in technology, there are more opportunities than ever to get your health care needs met with telemedicine. Instead of seeing a doctor in person, you have multiple options of consulting with your doctor, getting diagnoses, and managing your treatment all by using telemedicine. Whether you’re emailing with questions or having a video consultation with your doctor, telemedicine allows patients like you to access health care without stepping foot outside your house. Here are some guidelines to help you choose between using telemedicine and seeing a doctor in person.

Choose telemedicine if you:

Live in a rural area

Folks residing in rural areas used to miss out on getting the health care they needed if their doctor (or specialists) were too far away from their homes. However, with telemedicine, patients can access their medical professionals without having to figure out how to get to appointments. So, even if you live in a rural area, your health care needs can be met no matter how remote your residence is (or how limited the health care options are in your area).

Don’t have reliable transportation

If you don’t have access to reliable or consistent forms of transportation, getting to and from doctor’s appointments or trips to the hospital can be complicated and challenging. Instead, with telemedicine, you can contact your health care professionals even if you don’t have a way to physically get to an appointment. This is also a better option if you don’t have funds to spend on transportation or travel, since paying for public transportation can sometimes put a strain on your finances. Telemedicine can make getting health care both an easier and cheaper process for you.

Have mobility issues

Even if you have access to a handicap parking permit, it can often still be a challenge to get to the doctor’s office if you have mobility issues. Telemedicine is a great option if it’s too difficult for you to get yourself out of the house for appointments, because you can conduct all of your dealings with your medical professionals without ever having to leave your home.

There are many reasons why using telemedicine rather than in-person doctor’s visits might benefit you.

Don’t have time to make for an appointment

If you’re extremely busy and just don’t have time to make it to a doctor’s appointment, telemedicine allows you to schedule communications with your doctor only when it fits into your schedule. Plus, you don’t have to spend time traveling to the appointment or waiting in a doctor’s office. It’s also less time-consuming, because you can just email your doctors with questions or concerns instead of scheduling an in-person appointment.

Don’t have access to specific specialists or teams

Patients used to be limited to whatever specialists were in their area. But with telemedicine, you can access any specialists or health care teams that you might need for your particular treatment. That way you’re able to connect with the very best medical professionals for your specific needs – all without having to leave your home!

Can monitor your symptoms/condition remotely

If your doctor needs to be keeping a close eye on your health, telemedicine can be a great way for them to monitor you. There are devices that can be used to transfer your data directly to your doctor (like your blood glucose levels, pacemaker updates, etc.), so they can keep track of your data without you having to make constant trips into the office. Also, physicians can request that you send updates to them about your progress, which allows them to monitor your overall health even from a distance and helps them provide necessary follow-up advice.

Some conditions might require in-person doctor visits rather than solely relying on telemedicine appointments.

See a doctor in person if you:

Have a condition that needs close in-person monitoring

There are a few reasons you might want to see a doctor in person rather than connecting remotely through telemedicine. If you have a condition or diagnosis that makes it necessary for your doctor to monitor you in person, telemedicine might not be the right option for you. Sometimes there are tests or physical determinations that need to be made with an in-person office visit.

Want face-to-face contact for a better connection

If you’d like to make sure you’re forming a strong connection with your doctor, you might feel it’s necessary to see a doctor in person. This type of face-to-face contact can be essential if an element of trust is pertinent to your treatment or your overall wellbeing.

Aren’t comfortable using technology

You don’t have to be a computer expert to benefit from telemedicine. However, if you’re uncomfortable using computers or smartphones for email or video chats, you might feel more confident sticking to in-person visits.

Your insurance only covers in-person appointments

It’s a possibility that some insurance plans only cover in-person visits. While this is not common (most insurance companies can reduce costs through telemedicine measures), you should check with your insurance company to see if only in-person visits are covered under your plan before you start using telemedicine options.

Whether you want to access your health care team using telemedicine or you’d rather see your doctor in person, there are many options to choose from to make sure you’re getting the very best care possible.

Telemedicine is the next big movement in health care. The practice has already made strides to revolutionize the complicated and burgeoning health sector in America, though it still has a long way to go. Despite this, many people in America might be wondering just how it has helped the health care system, and even what exactly telemedicine is. Essentially, telemedicine is the practice of delivering health care, mostly in the form of clinical appointments, via telecommunications or digital communications. Originally, the term was solely used to describe the former; however, with the rise of digital technology, it now encompasses primarily the latter. Telemedicine is advantageous to many forms of treatment, but when you pair it with an equal progressive treatment measure like emotional support animals, you can really see how effective it is.

Emotional support animals (or ESAs for short) are a new wave of therapy for patients afflicted with the most common forms of mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. They take the form of pets, and require no specific training or guidelines to aid their owner; instead, they help calm the symptoms of the above disorders with their continued presence in their owner’s life. Emotional support animals can be an already-owned pet who is given ESA status, or they can be a completely new animal. Any species counts as an ESA; it’s entirely down to what sort of pet makes the patient feel calm, secure, and reassured. Despite this, as with normal pets, emotional support animals are overwhelmingly dogs and cats.

With emotional support animals becoming more popular, many people are utilizing telemedicine to avail of this alternative therapy.

ESAs are prescribed via the means of an important document called an emotional support animal letter (or ESA letter). This is given to the patient by a certified medical professional, and allows them (and by extension their ESA) to avail of a number of laws designed to help disabled people. Some people might be concerned about procuring this letter, but fortunately, telemedicine can actually play a crucial part in obtaining this important document. Through telemedicine sites like Moosh, patients suffering from a wide variety of mental disorders can be assessed online, and receive their ESA letter without ever having to visit a doctor in person.

This is beneficial in a number of ways. ESAs aren’t governed by the same laws as normal pets; due to their status as essentially a form of psychiatric treatment, they are allowed to accompany their owners to places other pets would usually not be allowed to venture. The two prime examples of this are airplane cabins, which are covered by the Air Carrier Access Act, and rented accommodation, which falls under the Fair Housing Act. Although these laws weren’t designed specifically with emotional support animals in mind, they cover a whole host of disorders and disabilities; their main function is to call a halt to any form of discrimination.

Unfortunately, many landlords and property owners don’t necessarily know the ins and outs of emotional support animals, as they are a relatively new phenomenon in the world of mental treatment. This is why the ESA letter is so important, and so necessary when either attempting to rent property with an ESA in tow, or bringing an ESA into a property you’re already renting. With this simple document, the landlord must accept you and your ESA, and if they try to discriminate against you, they can be punished by law. All the patient has to make sure of is that the letter is in date; typically an ESA letter is valid for one year. An out-of-date letter is null and void, and your landlord would then have legal grounds to refuse to rent to you.

Getting an ESA letter using telemedicine has never been easier.

Fortunately, the process of obtaining an emotional support animal letter is simple, especially when you use telemedicine. If you’re anxious about the process of retrieving one in person, then availing of telemedicinal services is the best course of action; it can save you time, stress, and money. You can also renew your letter via the same means, making sure you’re up to date and covered by the various laws. It’s important to remember to do this, as if you let it slip, you and your ESA might be vulnerable. Fortunately, the process of renewing your letter is as easy as getting it in the first place. Utilizing telemedicine can make this particular area of progressive health care a breeze, leaving you to enjoy your new life with your emotional support animal.

Telemedicine is helping patients up and down the country save time, money, and effort with their health care. The implementation of ESAs is only one area where the new movement is proving hugely beneficial. As the months and years roll on, telemedicine will no doubt become a bigger and bigger part of our society as technology advances, and digital tools become integrated further into our day-to-day lives. The future is bright!

Telemedicine is an incredibly fast-growing industry that’s only going to expand further in the future. There are so many benefits to accessing health care through technology – everything from consulting with a specialist not geographically close to you, to getting a diagnosis through a video chat with your doctor. One of the fields where telemedicine is being used even more is related to medical marijuana. Even though recreational marijuana is now legally available in California, there are still tons of reasons to get a medical marijuana card. In addition to getting to avoid that pesky sales tax and having the opportunity to grow more plants, using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card couldn’t be easier. The super-simple process means you can steer clear of doctor’s office waiting rooms and use online services, like MMJRecs, to get your cannabis card.

Clear-cut pricing

Using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card means you won’t have to succumb to any of those hidden fees or increased prices that you might be stuck with going to a regular doctor’s office. When you use a site like MMJRecs, you’ll get straightforward prices with a flat rate. If you just need an MMJ recommendation from a doctor, you only pay $59. For the doctor’s recommendation and an ID card, it’ll run you $84. The best deal is the package option that includes the recommendation, ID card, and a grower’s permit for just $149. Plus, if you aren’t approved for an MMJ card, you have a 100% money-back guarantee!

Telemedicine is really revolutionizing the way MMJ patients access their treatment.

Easy-to-complete online forms

Going to a regular physician instead of using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card can mean you have to fill out a bunch of forms about your health history and symptoms (not to mention all that other paperwork you have to complete any time you visit the doctor’s office). However, if you use telemedicine to obtain a cannabis card, you can simply fill out a quick and easy form online. You’ll be asked basic questions about your health condition and how using marijuana could help alleviate your symptoms. The forms don’t take long to complete, so you won’t be bogged down by paperwork.

Online doctor evaluations

It can be a stressful, time-consuming process to visit your doctor’s office. You have to make an appointment, coordinate transportation, and spend your valuable time in a waiting room. Using a site like MMJRecs means you can have a consultation with a licensed physician without ever leaving your home. They’re available round the clock, every day of the week. More than 420 doctors are selected from the California Medical Board Licensed Marijuana Doctors. The physicians are also all HIPAA (Health and Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-compliant, so you can be sure your private and sensitive information stays that way. The physician will then look over your information with you on a video call (all 100% online) through your computer or on your smartphone – so you can even conduct the consultation while you’re on the go! Most of the evaluations end up taking less than 20 minutes from start to finish.

Instant email delivery of your recommendation

Once the doctor has discussed your medical needs, they’ll go over the benefits and risks of using marijuana products. If the physician believes it would be in your best interest to get a medical marijuana card, they’ll immediately email you a legal medical marijuana recommendation. You can instantly print it out and use it at most dispensaries and delivery services throughout the state. Just the day after, you’ll also be sent an official, embossed recommendation mailed to your home address (which serves as a valid form of documentation for your MMJ card).

Using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card can help you save valuable cash.

Exclusive discounts and offers

After you receive your MMJ card, you can access exclusive discounts from the MMJRecs site, as well as medical marijuana dispensaries and online stores. These discounts (along with the savings you’ll get without paying sales tax on your products) can significantly help decrease your cannabis costs. If the dispensary of your choosing offers a rewards program, you should definitely sign up. They can offer deals or coupons (like a percentage off your first purchase) or even provide store credit bonuses. You could even earn rewards if you recommend other MMJ users to their store. These savings can help demonstrate how much more beneficial having an MMJ card can be versus just buying cannabis products for recreational use.

If you think your health could benefit from consuming medical marijuana, you can easily complete these simple steps, using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card today.

In today’s world, we use technology to assist us with pretty much everything. Whether we’re using an app to order dinner or telling Alexa to add milk to the grocery list, we rely on technology to help make our lives easier and to make us more productive. That’s why telemedicine is an increasingly important field – why not use technology to make us healthier too?

Recent studies have shown that telemedicine can be an extremely helpful tool for patients who are obese. Connecting with doctors remotely or getting assistance in tracking eating and fitness habits can all greatly improve a patient’s chances of losing weight and more successfully managing their health.

With improvements in technology, obese patients who live in a rural area or are far from their doctor’s office can now use telemedicine to access reliable, quality health care – right from the comfort of their own home. Individuals who used to have to eschew care due to residing in remote areas can now coordinate care with their health professionals through emails and online video chats. This easy access to their physicians (including specialists, nutritionists, fitness coaches, etc.) can now help make their health care that much more manageable.

Patients working with their doctors remotely found they were able to receive better assessments of their condition and were more likely to create and follow programs for both nutrition and physical activity. They were also more likely to be screened for risk factors, which then allowed them to be able to implement strategies that would best fit their health goals. This personalized health care plan is so much more effective than the one-size-fits-all programs that are often used in traditional medicine – what works for one patient just might not work for another, meaning that individualized programs through telemedicine will often be more useful and efficacious.

For patients who don’t live in rural areas but still don’t have reliable or consistent transportation options, conducting appointments online can also be helpful (since they can end up eliminating the time and costs related to traveling to access medical care). Additionally, many obese patients are faced with serious mobility issues, which can severely limit their ability to make it to a doctor’s office or hospital. Even with handicap parking permits, some obese patients still aren’t able to physically get themselves to a doctor or weight loss center. That’s why telemedicine can take away the concern of being mobile enough to get to an appointment.

Telemedicine can benefit obese patients in so many ways.

Obese patients who need to see specific specialists in other areas can also benefit from using telemedicine services. Instead of being limited to just the physicians in their area, telemedicine can provide access to any doctor in any location who can truly best support the patient’s needs and goals. This type of health care also means a patient’s entire team of medical professionals can work to coordinate their care (since it’s easier for a team to connect online with each other rather than face-to-face).

Perhaps the most significant way telemedicine can aid obese patients is by helping them better monitor their symptoms and their progress towards obtaining a healthier lifestyle. Many people who use their smartphones to download weight loss-related telemedicine apps are able to reach their goals because they have a clearer, more realistic picture of their health. These self-monitoring apps can lead to overall weight loss, as well as positive changes to eating habits and increased physical activity. Apps that come with coaches or direct feedback from health care providers prove to be even more impactful (since a second party can help provide motivation or advice to patients).

Advances in technology are helping obese patients improve their health and get their weight back on track.

There are also technological devices that can help obese patients using telemedicine. There are some device packages that come with a scale, a blood glucose monitor, and a communication gateway box, which sends all of the patient’s data to a server, where a medical professional can monitor the data. When the patient gets the device, their doctor will set pre-established thresholds that match their specific measurements or needs. Then, if the individual’s numbers go outside these parameters even slightly, their doctor will be immediately notified.

This access to timely and accurate readings can help patients partner with their doctor to better adjust their behaviors. This also means that as the patient, individuals aren’t stuck trying to decipher their measurements or interpret the findings; all of that will be done when the data is sent remotely to the health professionals monitoring their care.

Not only can telemedicine help obese patients achieve their goals of weight loss or better fitness, this type of technology can also make their connection with their health care team that much stronger. Trust between a physician or other medical professional can greatly boost a patient’s confidence in coming up with and sticking to a manageable plan for improving symptoms.

Telemedicine can be helpful in several ways, including assisting patients in making clear goals for themselves, measuring those goals along the way, and helping them team up with their doctors for overall management of their health. With advances in telemedicine, obese patients now have an even clearer path to a healthier lifestyle.

Telemedicine is currently changing the face of health care across the United States. It started off as a niche service designed to help patients in remote areas receive the care they need. These days, telemedicine is being talked about as the next big initiative in health care. It still retains the basic function of assisting patients in remote areas, but due to its on-demand nature and instantaneous service capabilities, people all across the country (and planet) are seeing its plentiful benefits and advantages. It still utilizes telephones to a degree, but has received a huge thrust due to the rise of digital technologies. These devices form the cornerstone of our modern society, affecting every industry; health care is proving to be no different, with the introduction of things like specialized telemedicine apps.

Any communication with a doctor through a smartphone, laptop, desktop computer, or tablet can be classified as telemedicine. Telemedicine has many benefits, including savings of money and time to both patients and doctor, improved patient monitoring, better implemented resources, instant prescriptions from sites like MMJ Recs and Moosh, access to more personalized care, and the capacity to speak with your doctor instantly, at any time. All these benefits are making telemedicine an increasingly attractive prospect to many people, not just those living in remote areas. When we go on vacation, health care is a primary concern. The idea of being stranded in a foreign country after being stricken down by disease or illness is a sobering one, which is why many people take out travel insurance. But even then, what if you’re in a completely unknown location where no one speaks English and you need to consult with a doctor?

It’s reassuring to know you can always access medical care through telemedicine apps when you’re away from home.

Luckily, telemedicine can help you there too. There are many telemedicine apps out there designed to aid people when they’re out and about, and you don’t even have to be in a foreign country, either; if you’re vacationing at home in the States and are out camping somewhere remote, these apps can help you avail of medical care in an instant if you get yourself into trouble. So if you’re planning a vacation somewhere far-flung sometime soon, consider downloading these telemedicine apps to feel completely at ease health-wise while you’re having fun on your break.

1. Doctor on Demand

Doctor on Demand does exactly what it says on the tin: it’s a doctor on demand service that lets you see a certified doctor for a video consultation service. The doctor can then write you a prescription (not always necessary if you happen to be abroad at the time), advise you on treatments plans, or respond to non-emergency medical issues. They’re also handy to consult before you go away, as they can refill existing prescriptions or prescribe new medications for your journey and travel. The app utilizes over 1,400 state-licensed physicians from all across the U.S. It’s free, but prices for consultations start at $40 for 25 minutes and $70 for 50 minutes.

2. HealthTap

HealthTap is one of the handiest telemedicine apps around – a virtual doctor’s office that lets you consult with a medical professional and get your questions answered. It’s up to you to choose the best option for the health care you need. Asking questions on the app is free, and it can be a great source of information if you’ve got any niggling worries about a symptom or condition, especially as these kind of worries can intensify when you’re abroad. Live consultations cost $44, so this app is a little more expensive than Doctor on Demand; however, the plus side is that you can invite your own doctors to join HealthTap, and therefore continue to avail of a professional you trust, even when you’re abroad.

Traveling? No problem! There are plenty of virtual ways to obtain medical advice now that telemedicine is advancing in the U.S.

3. Microsoft Health Vault

Microsoft Health Vault is a free online service where you can keep your health and medical records safe and to hand if and when you need them quickly. You can then share them with health care professionals from the app. This is a huge benefit when going on vacation, as you might just find yourself in a situation where you medical records are needed, because you’re dealing with a foreign doctor or team who have never treated you before. All the key data relating to your health can be inputted and kept secure, either manually or via upload from other telemedicinal devices.

4. Text4Baby

Traveling abroad when you’re pregnant can be quite an intimidating proposition, but sometimes it just can’t be avoided. Luckily, mothers-to-be and brand new mothers can avail of one of the most useful telemedicine apps around, Text4Baby, to ease any and all fears they might have. The service is run by the National Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Coalition, and uses good ol’-fashioned text messages so that one size fits all when it comes to phone type. Users remain anonymous; all you need to input is your due date and your ZIP code. You can then avail of a stream of informative, reassuring text messages that are sent in relation to your due date. This handy service is free, and it also doesn’t cost anything to receive the messages. If you’re afraid you’re going to miss something while you’re abroad with your new baby or pregnant, Text4Baby can help allay your fears.