7 Bizarre Apps That Put Your Health In Your Hands

When Motorola engineer Martin Cooper called the head of Bell Labs, Dr. Joel S. Engel, on April 3, 1973, he was making history. The conversation probably wasn’t all that memorable, but the phone he used sure was. It was the first-ever call from a cell phone.

As Cooper held the two-pound, 10-inch device—miniscule by yesteryear’s standards—to his ear, few people probably imagined that 40 years later, cell phones would become so ubiquitous.

As extraordinary as the original cell phone must have seemed, app developers today are finding more and more innovative ways to further ingrain them into our cultures and lifestyles. Here are some of the bizarre—but awesome—apps out there changing the face of fitness, health, and wellness.

Brainwave

Music can be a mood booster, but what about just ambient frequency tones? This app allows users to choose from targeted states of mind—such as concentration, creativity, euphoria, and anger relief, to name a few—and listen through earphones to binaural tones which stimulate the brain’s waves to synchronize with that specific state of mind. Everything from the energy of an espresso shot, to a power nap, to hangover relief can be induced just by listening to these tones for a period of time. Pretty trippy, huh?
$3.99 for iOS

Zombies, Run!

Speaking of brains, this creative fitness app takes the pedometer to the next level by adding an element of immersion gaming. Users are dropped into their very own high-octane zombie movie, where they must physically run for their lives, and earn survival supplies in the process. A genius way to get people amped up to hit the pavement!
Free for iOS and Android

Poo Log

Come on—everyone poops. Might as well use it as another opportunity to track health. This app empowers users to track the inner workings of their elimination habits and receive corresponding medical information as well as irreverent trivia and tidbits. Just maybe keep the app on its own home screen hidden away from potential prying eyes to avoid that awkward moment of TMI.
$0.99 for iOS and Android

GLOW

Let’s be real.  Getting familiar with one’s own menstrual cycle is essential, and this app makes it super easy. You can log everything from period start date, to amount of flow, to stress level and mood to get the big picture and spot patterns in menstrual activity. Tracking your cycle can even help you anticipate when you’re gonna have “one of those days” or even when your skin is more prone to break out. Learning about your own fertility cycle is also integrated, and that’s really valuable information as well.
Free for iOS and Android

Sleep Cycle

This is a tricked out alarm clock that basically monitors the user’s sleep patterns through the night to track REM sleep. Come morning, the alarm will sound at the period of lightest sleep within a 30-minute timeframe set by the user, avoiding the rude awakening of a blaring buzzer while deep in REM sleep. So how does it monitor sleep quality exactly? With the phone sitting directly on the bed, it uses the built-in accelerometer to track movement during sleep. A chart illustrates the findings, giving users intriguing insights into each night’s sleep quality.
$0.99 for iOS and Android

HowGood

Want to know the real deal about “conscious” food brands? This app can make or break many food companies out there claiming to be healthy, whole, natural, Fair trade, and everything in between. Transparency is more important than ever to consumers—HowGood breaks down the authenticity of food companies’ values and their products’ wholesomeness, so that shoppers can easily decide if they want to support those businesses.
Free for iOS and Android

iTriage

A pocket clinic sounds too good to be true, but this app is truly the closest thing to having medical insights at your fingertips. Users can pinpoint symptoms and comb through the potential causes—as well as vice versa—explore conditions and learn about the symptoms, tests, treatments, and get the lowdown on medications. Sound dangerous for hypochondriacs? No worries—it’s not about eschewing the doctor; it actually allows users to search for physicians, specialists, and medical facilities on the go. It’s an educational tool for patients so that no one has to go blindly into the doctor’s office again.
Free for iOS and Android

Illustration by Carey Reisz