Health & Fitness Apps Not Always Reliable

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - More and more people are relying on mobile health and wellness apps to help diagnose and deal with illnesses.

But according to experts, those apps aren't always reliable and many give out inaccurate information.

Every morning, 88-year old Milton Meisner checks his vitals like weight, temperature and blood pressure using his iPad. The results are instantly sent to his doctors through an online app.

"And the numbers are accurate, you can't fool around with the numbers," said Meisner.

Meisner's health care app, which was approved by doctors at USC's Keck Medical Center, works the way it should. But Dr. Leslie Saxson says that's not always the case.

"We see applications that run the gamut, from super responsible great applications to applications that don't do anything near what they claim to do," said Dr. Saxson.

Currently there are more than 165-thousand health and wellness apps available for smart phones and tablets, but only a fraction of them have been validated by the Food and Drug Administration.

"The FDA has approved approximately 160 regulated applications," said Dr. Saxson.

A study from John Hopkins University found one popular blood pressure app gave measurements that were flat out wrong. It's since been pulled from the market.

"If it looks too good to be true, it probably is," said Dr. Saxson.

Dr. Saxsib is part of a FDA panel working to develop global guidelines and regulations for health care apps.

Doctors say you should consult with you physician if you plant to use an app to find out if it will benefit you.