Health is a software package for monitoring and graphing of blood glucose, blood pressure (systolic, diastolic, and pulse), weight, A1c, Temperature, Questions for the Doctor, Supplements, Prescription Medications, and My Diabetic Diary.  The data can be shown as a line or a bar graph.  Various types of statistics are utilized to better interpret the data.  Various web site URL's are contained in the Help menu to assist beginners in understanding and manage diabetes.  

The software is being distributed as Freeware, and is considered "Use As Is".  There is no warranties, or guarantees of any type.  You the user assume all risks associated with using this software.  The Author of Health Software is under no obligation to offer any technical support of the software.  The software does not collect personal information, contains no spyware, and is not ad based.  Use only on a MS Windows operating system.

If you have been using the Health software, and are upgrading to the most recent Version of the Health Software, then do an uninstall of the existing Health software via the Windows Control Panel.  After the process is completed, do not remove any remaining files from the Health directory.  The remaining files are your databases.  Now install the most recent of the Health Software.

V2.97 made some major changes to the software.  

1.  The BG History file has a new Format.  A field has been eliminated, and another field has been modified.  If you have used an earlier version of the Health Software, your existing BGHistory.abd file will be converted to the new format.  When an existing BGHistory file is detected, the software will prompt the User.  The existing BGHistory.abd file will be archived in the Health\Old Files directory prior to being converted to the new format.
2.  A One hour and a Two hour Test Timer has been added to the BG Form.  A person with diabetes should test one hour and two hours after eating a meal.  The goal is to stay within non - diabetic numbers of 140 after one hour, and 120 after two hours.  Problem is, most people forget when the one hour or the two hour period is up.  They may test at 2.5 hours in lieu of two hours.  IF you want to test at two hours after eating, select the "Activate 2 Hour Timer" from the menu.  When the two hours is up, the software will sound a melody.  The same is true for the one hour test.  The sound melody is either a ringing phone or several trumpets.  You must have the pc's audio system turned on.  The selection process contains a "Test" menu to determine which of the two melodies you want to use.
3.  The graphs for BG and BP have been improved.
4.  The monitoring and graphing of the A1c test has been added to the software.  There is some confusion as to the effective time frame for the A1c test.  Some say 90 days, while others say the A1c test covers 120 days.  To cover all possibilities, I designed the software to allow the User to select 60, 90, or 120 days via a menu selection.  A grid will show the A1c value and the BG average for the selected time period.  Ninety days is the default time period.  A graph consisting of A1c and BG average values will be displayed.  This will be a good indicator of how your daily BG numbers compare to the doctor's A1c test.  Can be quite revealing.
5.  Earlier versions of the Health Software only used the United States units (mg/dL) for recording BG values.  The software now uses the US (mg/dL) and the world standard (mmol/L) for recording BG values.

If you have used an earlier version of Health Software, I suggest you make backups of your existing databases:  BGHistory.abd, BPHistory.abd, and WeightHistory.abd prior to installing V2.97.  Prior to installing any software upgrade, always backup critical files.

V2.97.0 was issued on 10/03/02.  A BG printing problem was reported and resolved on 10/15/02.  

V2.97.5 was issued on 10/16/02.  A suggestion was made to make Overall Statistics on BG and BP Forms a constant selection.

V2.97.6 was issued on 11/05/02.  A problem was discovered and resolved on the A1c Form. When a Record was deleted, a bogus date was inserted into the database.  Looked weird.

V2.97.7 was issued on 11/08/02.  The Condition.txt file was converted to binary file condition.abd.  Prevents Users from editing the file.

V2.97.81 was issued on 11/24/02.  The Graph Histogram on the BG Form was upgraded.  The BG Form was revised so the User can't use the same Condition twice in the same day.  It screws up the graphs.

V2.97.82 was issued on 12/01/02.  When the software is initially installed, and the user enters the first BG entry, all goes well.  If the second BG entry has an earlier date, the data was entered in the database as a later entry, not as a previous entry.  Really screws up the grid and graph.  The problem was easily solved.

V2.97.82 was reissued on 12/07/02.  A minor touchup of the BG GUI was made.

V3.0 issued on 12/13/02.  This is a major upgrade.  Graphing has been greatly enhanced for BG and BP readings.

V3.0.12 issued on 12/23/02.  I added the dietary supplements and over the counter non prescription meds Form to the package.  If you take vitamins, cold tablets, allergy medicine, or any other type of dietary supplement or non prescription medication, these drugs may dangerously interact with prescription drugs, cause problems with your diabetes.  Or, the supplement could just be dangerous to a person's health.  You, the user of the product, may not be aware of the dangers of the supplement and the interaction with other medicaion.  The idea is for you to list all the dietary supplements and non prescription medications you use, print the outout to paper, and hand the paper to your doctor, nurse, and pharmacist for analysis.  The medical professionals have knowledge you do not have.  Hopefully they will evaluate what you consume, and advise what is best for your medical situation.

At the last moment I added Hypo graphing to the BG Form.

V3.0.14 Issued on 1/02/2003  Added a graphing selection called "From BG to BG" on the BG Form.  It is a menu selection where the User can display a graph between two different BG values.  Also did some cleanup work on the display of the graphs and the graph preferences.  This afftected all Forms.

V3.0.141 Issued on 1/17/2003  Added a Weight notification schedule to the Weight Form.  Also did some cleanup work on the Weight Form.

V3.0.142 Issued on 2/5/03.  Added  Body Mass Index (BMI) to the Weight Form.

V3.0.158 Issued on 2/27/2003.  Added the "Questions For Doctor" Form to the software package.  This is where you list all your questions for a certain medical professional at the next appointment.  List all the medical people you interact with.  When the appointment date is approached, print to paper all the *New* questions you wish that person to answer.  Also did a lot of work on the grid of each existing Form.

V3.0.158 ReIssued on 3/04/2003.  A Bug was reported and resolved on the A1c Form  The bug concerned the creation of the A1cHistory.abd with zero file size. 

V3.0.160 Issued on 4/05/2003.  A Bug was reported which prevented the printing to paper of BG or BP graphs when the User was using screen resolutions of 1270 x 768 and above.  The problem existed since the git-go of the project. 

V3.0.196 Issued on 3/23/2003.  Added the My Diary Form to the Health package.  Also did a substantial amount of solving a lot of minor glitches on all existing Forms.

V3.0.199 Issued on 4/30/2003.  Added the Temperature Form to the Health package.  It records your body temperature.

V3.0.199 ReIssued on 5/7/2003.  A Bug was reported when the User wanted to print BP Data to paper, the Comments would not print.  It also affected theTemperature Form also.  An easy fix.

V3.0.200 Issued on 5/27/2003.  Added graphing to the Temperature Form.

V3.0.207 Issued on 6/28/2003.  Added the Medications Form.  The Meds Form is where the User can record and track when he takes Supplements/OTC and Prescription medications.  It supports printing to paper.

V3.0.211 Issued on 7/06/2003.  Added Prescription Meds to the Supplements Form  Previously only had Supplements and OTC Meds.

V3.0.212 Issued on 7/10/2003  Redesigned the Temperature Form GUI.  Inserted code required for Temperature point activation on the graph.

V3.0.215 Issued on 7/20/2003.  Redesigned the GUI on the BG and BP Forms.  A much cleaner look.  Revised the BG database to include the type of BG meter you use.  A lot of people are using more than one BG meter.  Cleaned up a lot of annoyances on the BG Form.

V3.0.216 Issued on 7/24/2003.  Fixed a display problem with the Graph Histogram on the BG and BP Forms.

V3.0.220 Issued on 7/26/2003.  Added BG Test Locations to the BG Form.  You can now record which finger or forearm you took the blood sample from.  This is a very handy feature to have.  

Version 3.0.220 Reissued on 8/09/2003.  Resolved a Bug.

V3.0.221 Issued on 9/25/2003.  Resolved a Bug on the Supplements Form.

V3.0.222 Issued on 9/27/2003.  Added the graph time grame of The Past Year to the BG and BP Forms.  

V3.0.223 Issued on 10/12/2003.  Revised the menu systems.

V3.0.224 Issued on 10/13/2003.  Added Cholesterol to the package.  The user can record Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL, LDL, VLDL, CHOL/HDLC.  The user can graph Cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL, LDL.  It is very important to maintain good cholesterol levels when you have diabetes.

V3.0.225 Issued on 10/15/2003.  Redid the startup screen.  Looked cluttered.

V3.0.227 Issued on 11/10/2003.  Added the Bowel Movement Form to the software package.

V3.0.228 Issued on 11/16/2003.  A few minor touchups on the BG and Bowel Forms.

V3.0.229 Issued on 11/18/2003.  Added Test Locations to the graphing menu on the BG Form.  Also added Meter and Test Locations to the print data of the BG Form.

V3.0.230 Issued on 11/26/2003.  Added the Pain Form to the software package.  You can record and graph all your aches and pains.  The pain level range is from 1 to 100.  Create a database for each type of pain you experience.  You can see it evolves over time.  Keep in mind that the pain module is very subjective in nature since each person looks at pain differently.

V3.0.231 Issued on 12/3/2003.  Did a lot of cleanup work on printing to paper.  Made all archiving to the Archive Directory.

V3.0.233 Issued on 12/19/2003.  Added "FBG vs Last BG Reading of Previous Day" to the BG module.  This graphing feature will display how your system handles glucose overnight.  Results can be quite revealing.  Also added "Time Span" to the Pain module.  This will display a tabular and graphical representation to the time lapse between pain data enteries.  Quite useful.

V3.0.237 Issued on 1/28/2004.  Added "Area" type of graph to all pertinent modules of the software.  Also added 1PP vs 2PP to the Meal graphs on the BG module.  Also added the Meal Plan module to the software package.  The user can now record the details of the meals he eats.  The user can record the total weight of the meal, amount of calories, carbohydrates, total fat, and protein of the meal.  This is valuable information for people on restricted diets.

V3.0.240 Issued on 2/18/2004.  Added Sequential Finger Testing to the BG module.  This presents the User with a sense of order to which finger will be used for BG testing.  The user can remove a finger from the testing schedule by right clicking on the finger location, and that finger will no longer be tested.  Sequential testing allows all permitted testing locations to be evenly tested.  With Random testing, the user has whether each finger is tested with the same frequency.  This can be cumbersome.  With Sequence testing, the software tells you which finger should be tested based on the last finger tested and based on the list of available testing locations.  A real step forward.  Enjoy.

V3.0.240 ReIssued on 2/21/2004.  Added a blinking feature to the Sequential Finger Testing of the BG module.  Much easier for the user to determine which finger should be tested when the area around the respective test location blinks.

V3.0.241 Issued on 2/23/2004.  The Atkins diet and the low carb revolution has sparked interested in Body Mass Index (BMI).  The BMI is a function of height and weight.  The Health software has always had a BMI function on the Weight module.  But, it was a menu selection and the output was a simple text statement.  It didn't really convey the information in a useful manner.  So I added a visual progressive bar to show the user where his BMI was in relation to the limits of normal weight, overweight, and obese limits.  It conveys the importance of good weight control.  View the weight screen print.  Enjoy.

V3.0.242 Issued on 2/26/2004.  The Health software will make daily backups of the blood glucose and blood pressure databases.  A fair number of health users like to tinker with the databases and corrupt them.  Or, the user will delete the respective without making a backup first.  In either case, the user loses all data.  To solve the problem, the software will automatically make a backup of the respective database when you launch the Health software.  This will occur only for the first time you launch the software each day.  In this manner, you only lose one day of data.  The backup for the BG database is called "BG_History_DailyBackup.abd" and the backup for the BP database is called "BPHistory_DailyBackup.abd".  Both files are located in the Health/Archive directory.

V3.0.242 ReIssued on 2/27/2004.  Fixed a Bug in printing to paper.  The Bug was that your name was not printed.  When I added the visual BMI to the package, I moved the person's name in the windows registry and forgot to include a call to the new registry location.  A easy fix.

V3.0.243 Issued on 3/15/2004.  Added the Medical Team and Appointment Schedule module to the software package.  This is where you can keep track of the contact information and characteristics of the medical professionals you interact with.  Think of it like a medically oriented address book.  Also added the Number of BG Tests per Day to the Overall Statistics window of the BG module.  Kinda handy to see your testing frequency over time.

V3.0.243 ReIssued on 3/22/04.  Fixed a problem on the pain module.

V3.0.248 Issued on 5/18/2004.  A fair number of changes have been added to the software package.  A 12 vs 24 hour time clock has been added.  The user can display Time in the AMPM or Military Time.  This adds flexibility for the user.  A very useful Histogram has been added to the Overall Statistics of the BG module.  The histogram categorizes BG values within time based periods for easily recognized patterns.  This is really useful for people who want to maintain good BG control.  The biggest addition to the software is Trend Line analysis for the BG module.  Trend line takes erratic BG values and smoothes them out and presents a graph indicating a trend.  I chose to let the user choose a multiple Trend time periods.  Short trend time periods will produce a Trend graph that is erratic.  The longer the Trend time period, the more the Trend graph will represent a straight line.  It is a great tool.  Also added duration of pain to the pain module.

V3.0.249 Issued on 7/07/2004.  Several users in the past few days have deleted their databases.  So I added daily database backup to all modules of the Health Software.  The feature will be added later to the Pain module due to its complexity.  Let's say you launch the 'My Diabetic Diary' module of the health software.  The software will check the file date of the 'My Diabetic Diary' database.  If the file date is earlier than today's date, a copy of the file will be made to the 'Daily Backup of Health Software Databases' directory.  If for some reason, you corrupt or delete the diabetic diary database, just transfer the respective database from the daily backup directory to the health directory and you are back in business.

V3.0.249 Reissued on 7/30/2004.  Fixed a bunch of reported Bugs.

V3.0.251 Issued on 8/2/2004.  A lot of diabetics (me included) have a serious problem with huge rises in BG levels after arising in the morning.  This is called Dawn Phenomenen or commonly called a Liver Dump.  To get you going in the morning, your liver releases glucose into your system.  This results in an surplus of glucose resulting in a rise in your BG levels.  The rise can be small or it can be huge.  The dump affects each person differently.  For me, the dump occurs about an hour after I eat breakfast.  It is very important that you watch for this dump since the effects of spikes are cumulative.  If the dump results in your BG>150, you could harm yourself.  I created a Condition called "Liver Dump".  It is up to you to determine when the maximum BG level occurs during this morning period.  It varies for each of us.  When you determine about when the maximum occurs, record the BG reading under the Condition of "Liver Dump".  There are two graphing menus relating to this Liver Dump value.  One menu displays the actual rise of the liver dump.  It is the mathematical difference between the Fasting and Liver Dump readings.  The other menu displays the individual graphs of Fasting vs Liver Dump.  It is very important that you watch for this liver dump value.


If you are upgrading the Health software to V3.0.251, then do an uninstall (via the Control Panel) of the existing Health software prior to installing V3.0.251.  Do not remove any remaining files in the Health directory, since those are your databases.

Version 3.0.251 (8/02/2004)

