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Do you feel that your temperature has risen, your blood pressure has dropped, your head is spinning? You don’t have to call a doctor to find out the cause. Home diagnostic devices will help to diagnose. Find out what else they can do.
February 27 2009
Tonometer
To: everyone who monitors their own pressure, detecting problems in the body in time.
Which are: mechanical (from 350 rubles), automatic (from 750 rubles) and semi-automatic (from 1000 rubles). The first is for professionals, the most accurate. The pulse will have to be listened to through the phonendoscope, to pump air into the cuff – with the help of a pear, to deflate it with your own hands. An automatic tonometer is more convenient for home use. He does everything himself after pressing the “Start” button. The results will be reflected on a digital scoreboard. Operates on batteries or mains. The semiautomatic device will have to be “inflated” with a pear, the air itself is blown out.
Practical advice
- Young people, athletes are perfect for compact models on the wrist or finger.
- For people over 40, it is better to choose a tonometer with a shoulder cuff, since the vessels on the wrist lose their elasticity over the years, and the blood flow on the shoulder is better discernible.
- There are tonometers with arrhythmia indication.
- Does one device need several family members? There are models with memorization of readings for each.
Scale with body composition analyzer
To: everyone who wants to maintain their weight.
Which are: with the function of an analyzer of fat, water and muscle tissue (from 1200 rubles), with a determinant of body mass index (from 1100 rubles), necessary for your body (from 2000 rubles).
Practical advice
- Scales with a fat analyzer must not be used by children under 7 years of age, pregnant women and people with medical devices such as pacemakers in their bodies. (The apparatus passes a very weak current through the body.)
- Electronic scales have a measurement error of 100–500 g, depending on the model.
- The cheapest scales are made of plastic, they are easy to use and maintain. Glass can be broken, and the appearance is more difficult to follow.
Thermometer
To: any person.
Which are: mercury (from 20 rubles) and electronic (from 100 rubles). Mercury is extremely accurate but dangerous. For home use, electronic is convenient, especially infrared (from 450 rubles). The measuring principle is based on the detection of infrared radiation emanating from the eardrum or forehead (some models are non-contact), the result is given instantly. With such a thermometer, you can measure the temperature not only of the body, but also of air, water, baby food.
Practical advice
- A dummy thermometer (from 450 rubles) or an infrared forehead thermometer will be good for a baby. The ear is more suitable for children over two years old.
- The batteries of some cheap electronic devices cannot be replaced, but they will last for 2000 measurements.
- There are female thermometers for monitoring the ovulation process, which measure the temperature under the tongue (from 1300 rubles).
- For oral and rectal temperature measurements, there are devices with flexible noses.
Irrigator (device for washing)
To: people looking after the health of teeth and gums, especially those with dentures, crowns, plates and braces.
Which are: stationary – from the network (from 1900 rubles) – and travel – from batteries (from 2300 rubles). Most devices use water from a container, some are connected directly to the tap (from 800 rubles). Thanks to the strong water jet, the space between the teeth is cleared and the gums are massaged. Medicines, herbal infusions can be added to the water.
Practical advice
- The road is convenient for travel, but its water supply is small and the jet is not powerful enough.
- Irrigators connected to the water supply are cheap and do not use electricity. But you have to take into account the quality of the water.
- Some models include a nozzle for cleaning the tongue from plaque, etc.
Blood glucose meter
To: people with diabetes mellitus or a predisposition to it.
Which are: photometric (from 1600 rubles) and electrochemical (from 1000 rubles) type. The meter is usually supplied with a lancing device, lancets and test strips.
Practical advice
- If you are burdened with the need to take care of the meter, opt for an electrochemical one – blood does not come into contact with the meter during testing. In the photometric method, it enters directly into the meter, so the lens must be constantly wiped clean.
- To periodically check the accuracy of the meter, you must use control solutions that have a predetermined glucose value.
- It is not always convenient to take blood from a finger, therefore, some devices provide for the possibility of taking blood from the forearm, shoulder, palm in the area of the thumb, calf – there are special nozzles for this.
Inhaler (nebulizer)
To: people with chronic diseases of the nasopharynx and lungs.
Which are: steam (from 250 rubles), electronic mesh (from 2300 rubles), ultrasonic (from 1300 rubles) and compressor (from 2200 rubles). The first generates steam, the rest generates an aerosol stream from solution microparticles.
Practical advice
- Steam inhalers are suitable for warming the upper respiratory tract.
- Compressor – for the treatment of the nasopharynx, trachea, bronchi.
- Ultrasonic and electronic mesh carry a suspension of medicinal substances to the very alveoli.
- Only essential oils can be used in steam inhalers. In ultrasonic ones – only alcohol and water solutions. Compressor stations can spray almost all medicinal formulations, they are considered universal. Electronic mesh inhalers (new technology) can be used with an extended range of drugs: antibiotics, mucolytics, hormonal drugs.