The Velora Health blog

Practical, plain-English guides to tracking your condition and getting more from every appointment, plus how this team decides what to build. Wellness information, never medical advice.

About the team

How we choose which condition to build for

Who we are, the four questions we ask before starting an app, and what we will not build.

6 min read ->
How the AI works

How we use AI in health apps

The three jobs we give it, what leaves your phone, and the one thing we will not point it at.

8 min read ->

Guides for people

45 articles
Sjogren's syndrome

How to track Sjogren's syndrome symptoms

The ESSPRI scale, eye-drop relief, flares and what to bring to your rheumatologist.

7 min read ->
PCOS

How to find your PCOS food triggers

Spot the foods and habits that worsen your symptoms using simple daily tracking.

6 min read ->
Rosacea

What triggers rosacea, and how to find yours

Heat, UV, wine, stress: how to pin down your personal flare triggers with tracking.

6 min read ->
Raynaud's

Managing Raynaud's in cold weather

Set a cold threshold, log episodes, track triggers and prepare for your doctor.

6 min read ->
Menopause

Tracking perimenopause and menopause symptoms

Hot flashes, sleep, mood and more: how to track the transition and prepare for your doctor.

7 min read ->
Pelvic floor

Are you doing Kegels right?

How to train your pelvic floor correctly, with guided sessions and the right program.

6 min read ->
Food and symptoms

How to find food triggers for bloating and headaches

Use a symptom diary, hidden-ingredient analysis and elimination testing to find your suspects.

7 min read ->
Fibromyalgia

How to track fibromyalgia without draining yourself

Two-tap flare logging, FIQR and WPI/SSS scales, and a record your doctor can use.

7 min read ->
Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis safe foods: how to find yours

Texture-based eating, GCSI tracking and building your personal tolerance list.

7 min read ->
Aging parents

How to check on your elderly parent every day

One-tap check-ins, what quiet days mean, and an escalation plan that respects her dignity.

7 min read ->
Aging in place

A safety net for a parent living alone (not a camera)

Why surveillance fails, and the consent-first alternative: signals, escalation ladders, dignity.

7 min read ->
Lipedema

How to document lipedema for an insurance claim

Diagnosis, conservative therapy, dated photos, measurements and function: what to keep, and how.

9 min read ->
Seborrheic dermatitis

A seborrheic dermatitis shampoo routine you can keep

Rotation, leave-on time, what feeds Malassezia, and stepping down without a rebound.

8 min read ->
Cold sores and HSV

The cold sore prodrome and why timing matters

What the tingle is, why antiviral timing is measured in hours, and learning your own signs.

7 min read ->
Diverticulitis

What to eat during a diverticulitis flare

The stages explained, when people move on, and the honest answer about nuts and seeds.

8 min read ->
Interstitial cystitis

The IC diet, and what the three tiers mean

Why a two-column food list fails, and how to test your own bladder against the tiers.

9 min read ->
Dry eye

What is a good OSDI score?

The bands, what counts as a real change, and how to test a treatment against your own number.

8 min read ->
After gallbladder surgery

What to eat after gallbladder removal

A food list by stage, simple meals, and why the fat limit is per meal rather than per day.

11 min read ->
Diverticulitis

How long does a diverticulitis flare last?

The usual timeline, the parts that lag, and when slow recovery is a reason to call.

7 min read ->
Diverticulitis

Diverticulosis vs diverticulitis

A finding versus an event, and why the fibre advice for each runs the opposite way.

7 min read ->
Diverticulitis

Can you eat nuts, seeds and popcorn?

Where the lifelong ban came from, what the research found, and what applies during a flare.

6 min read ->
Sjogren's syndrome

Sjogren's symptoms checklist

The dryness, the fatigue, and the less obvious symptoms worth raising with a rheumatologist.

8 min read ->
Menopause

Menopause and sleep: what changes

Why sleep breaks during the transition, and what to record so a doctor can act on it.

8 min read ->
Lipedema

What makes lipedema worse

The hormonal stages and daily factors linked to progression, and what management actually does.

9 min read ->
Gastroparesis

Why gastroparesis flares up

Meal size, fat, fibre, blood sugar and medication, and why symptoms come and go.

9 min read ->
Raynaud's

Does Raynaud's get worse with age?

Primary versus secondary, what changes over time, and the signs worth investigating.

8 min read ->
Fibromyalgia

Why fibromyalgia causes fatigue and pain

Central sensitisation, unrefreshing sleep, and why normal test results prove nothing.

8 min read ->
Rosacea

Why does rosacea flare up?

Evening flares, winter flares, one-sided flares, and what alcohol and dairy really do.

9 min read ->
Cold sores

Why do I keep getting cold sores?

Why they return to the same spot, what reactivates them, and how long they are contagious.

8 min read ->
PCOS

How do I know if I have PCOS?

What diagnosis actually involves, and why the popular four types framing is not medical.

9 min read ->
Dry eye

What causes dry eyes?

The two mechanisms, why screens make it worse, and why blurring clears when you blink.

9 min read ->
Pelvic floor

Signs of a weak pelvic floor

The signs, the opposite problem kegels can worsen, and how long training really takes.

8 min read ->
Seborrheic dermatitis

Does seborrheic dermatitis spread or cause hair loss?

Whether it is contagious, why it appears in several places, and whether hair grows back.

8 min read ->
Interstitial cystitis

Interstitial cystitis or UTI?

Why cultures come back negative, how IC is diagnosed, and what to record first.

9 min read ->
Food and symptoms

Food intolerance vs allergy

Why timing is the clearest clue, and why IgG sensitivity tests are not the answer.

9 min read ->
Food and symptoms

How to keep a food and symptom diary

What to record, for how long, and how to read it so a real trigger shows up.

9 min read ->
Free download

Printable food and symptom diary (PDF)

A daily sheet and a weekly review page, laid out for the method that actually finds triggers.

5 min read ->
IBS

Food diary for IBS

Why categories beat single foods, and what to record besides what you ate.

9 min read ->
Food and symptoms

How long after eating do symptoms appear?

Hours, sometimes a day. The lag is why the wrong meal gets blamed.

8 min read ->
Comparison

Food and symptom tracker apps compared

mySymptoms, Eatrack, Triggerbites, Cara Care and Velora, with the conflict of interest stated up front.

10 min read ->
After gallbladder surgery

Can you drink alcohol after gallbladder removal?

When it is usually safe to start again, and why the mixer causes more trouble than the alcohol.

7 min read ->
After gallbladder surgery

Weight gain after gallbladder removal

Why some people gain, why others lose at first, and what a swollen belly after surgery usually is.

7 min read ->
Dry eye

Meibomian gland dysfunction at home

Symptoms, how to do a warm compress that actually reaches the glands, and when to see an eye doctor.

9 min read ->
Cold sores

How to get rid of a cold sore fast

No overnight cure exists, but timing changes a lot. The stages, and what actually shortens one.

8 min read ->
Diverticulitis

What does diverticulitis pain feel like?

Where it usually hurts, why it can be on the right, and what else causes pain in the same place.

8 min read ->

Guides for pets

11 articles
Pet heart health

Sleeping respiratory rate in dogs and cats

The normal ranges, what a count of 40 or 50 means, and how to check breathing and heart rate at home.

9 min read ->
Cat kidney disease

Cat kidney disease: what to track at home

SubQ fluids, IRIS stages, labs, appetite and weight - the home care routine that helps.

10 min read ->
Dog seizures

What to do when your dog has a seizure

The in-the-moment steps, the 5-minute rule, and the log that helps your vet.

7 min read ->
Cat asthma

Cat asthma home care: zones, inhalers, tracking

Breathing zones, the AeroKat routine, attack logging and trigger control.

7 min read ->
Dog cough

Why is my dog coughing at night?

How a heart cough differs from an airway cough, and the one number that tells them apart.

8 min read ->
Dog heart failure

Signs of congestive heart failure in dogs

Early signs, emergency signs, and why resting breathing rate warns you before a cough does.

9 min read ->
Cat breathing

Why is my cat breathing fast?

Normal rates, the emergency signs, and why resting breathing rate matters in cats.

8 min read ->
Cat kidney disease

IRIS stages in cats, explained

What stage 1 through 4 mean in practical terms, and what to ask your vet.

8 min read ->
Dog epilepsy

Keeping a dog seizure diary

What to record after every event, and how a neurologist actually reads the log.

9 min read ->
Cat asthma

What triggers cat asthma?

The household triggers, why attacks can be seasonal, and the signs that mean emergency.

8 min read ->
Dog breathing

Why is my dog breathing fast?

Panting versus fast breathing at rest, the normal rate, and the signs that cannot wait.

9 min read ->