Amazon’s Alexa platform has revolutionized the way we approach technology. As one of the first widely-available voice supporters , Alexa introduced the average person to voice control of their home. Since that time, Alexa has branched out and become a beast of a service that could do everything from arranging a ride to shopping online.
1 area where Alexa shines, however, is if you’re sick. With the holiday season upon us, cold and flu season isn’t far behind–and the last thing anybody wants to do when they have got the sniffles is venture out to the world for medicine.
The Alexa platform has a wide range of skills that you can use to your advantage when you are down with a cold. The following are 6 of the best Alexa skills which can help when you are sick.
Dr AI Is An Alexa Skill That Can Diagnose You
Nobody likes to go to the doctor. Even if you are not sick when you get there, you likely will be when after spending an hour and a half in the waiting room. On the other hand, not visiting the doctor is a courting disaster. For those who get a cold that has you feeling horrible, but not horrible enough to go to the doctor, give Dr AI a try.
Dr. AI is an Alexa ability that is ideal for when you’re feeling sick. It uses the experience of over 107,000 physicians from 141 fields of medicine to diagnose you according to your age, sex, symptoms, and other factors. It is provided courtesy of HealthTap, a company that provides medical technologies.
Dr. AI is no substitute for a real physician, so if your symptoms worsen you should visit the doctor–but it may be helpful once you think you’ve got nothing more than a nasty cold and need to know what type of over-the-counter treatment to take.
Alexa Could Order Some Medicines For You
While Alexa can not yet write prescriptions for you, she can order OTC medicines. Amazon sells quite a few common medications like Sudafed, Ibuprofen, and Tylenol.
If you’ve Amazon Prime and reside in an area with Prime Now, you can have medication delivered to you the same day. You can purchase it simply by telling Alexa what you would like to get and then confirming by saying,”Buy it now.”
You will have to activate voice purchasing in your settings. It’s turned off by default to prevent accidental orders by kids or since Alexa heard the wrong phrase from the TV.
Alexa Can Have Soup Delivered To You
Alexa is no stranger to delivery services. The main one used with Alexa is GrubHub. Oddly enough, neither DoorDash nor UberEats seem to be represented despite the existence of an Uber skill.
It’s easy to eat junk food when you feel ill, but it’s far better to give your body exactly what It needs–quality, healthy food that will give you the energy you need to conquer the cold and get back on your feet.
Even if GrubHub isn’t your speed, there are a lot of other delivery options from restaurants like Panera Bread. Your may even have smaller, more local restaurants with Alexa skills.
If it comes down to it, Alexa can also supply you with recipes on how best to make your own soup at home. Rather than reaching for something unhealthy, order warm soup to soothe the savage cold.
Alexa Can Order a Rideshare To Take You To The Physician
If you’re sick and taking cold medication, you shouldn’t drive. If you are ill and physically weak, you should not walk around. Rather, ask Alexa to purchase an Uber, Lyft, or your preferred rideshare service to take you to your local physician.
It’s the safest choice in both cases. The Alexa skill is simple to activate. Once you’ve linked your Uber or Lyft account to Alexa, she can automatically hail a ride to wherever you want to go.
Alexa Can Tell You The Status Of Your Prescription & When It Ships
If you use a shipping prescription service, Express Scripts can let you know when your order is shipped and keep you up to date on the status of your order.
This ability is limited, however; you will need to be a part with Express Scripts and use a qualified service, but for those that qualify the ability brings a huge number of benefits. Package theft is prevalent, and even more so when it comes to medicines. Express Scripts can help you be certain you’re around when the order arrives.
Alexa Can Keep You Entertained While You Are Sick
The only good part of being under the weather is your justification to binge-watch your favorite shows without feeling guilty. Naturally, losing the remote can spell disaster–unless you’ve Alexa set up and linked to your favorite streaming solutions, that is.
Alexa can play shows from Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and many other services. All you’ve got to do is ask her to stream it to a connected screen, and voila: your favorite shows. Alexa won’t even mind if you cough while you ask.
The notion of your smart helper assessing your symptoms and providing a diagnosis seems a bit creepy (and to some people, far too invasive.)
However, Amazon has introduced a large number of medically-focused Alexa abilities in order that users with certain disabilities might live an easier life. With cold and flu season along the way, think of how you might use your smart assistant to beat the germs and get back on your feet faster.
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