Capstone — your personal source map

The whole course was preparation for this chapter. By now you can distinguish evidence-based need from wellness fashion (ch 1), self-screen across the seven dimensions (ch 2), navigate authoritative bodies (ch 3), read a guideline (ch 4), read a primary study (ch 5), spot bad sources (ch 6), and recognize see-a-doctor triggers (ch 7). This chapter turns those skills into a durable artifact: your personal source map.

The map is one row per dimension. For each row you pick: the authoritative source you'll trust, the self-assessment instrument you'll re-run, your most recent score on it, the threshold that would trigger a clinical conversation, and a review cadence. One page, lifetime utility, updates as your circumstances change.

Why a personal source map

Two reasons. First — when you have a question about a dimension six months from now, you have a known starting point ('I trust CDC STEADI for fall risk; let me check what they say about my situation') instead of starting fresh in a sea of wellness content. Second — when something changes (a new diagnosis, a life transition, a new symptom), you know which dimension is affected and which source to reread. The map turns ad-hoc reading into structured habit.

The template

For each of the seven dimensions, fill in five fields:

1. AUTHORITY — the tier 1 or tier 2 body you'll trust for this dimension (e.g., USDA for food adequacy, AASM for sleep, USPSTF for screening-related questions)
2. INSTRUMENT — the validated short instrument you'll use to self-screen (PHQ-2, GAD-2, UCLA-3, STEADI, Katz, etc., or 'tracker data' for movement, or 'self-report check' for dimensions where the validated instrument is clinician-administered)
3. CURRENT SCORE — your most recent score on that instrument, dated
4. ESCALATION TRIGGER — the threshold from chapter 7 that would prompt a clinical visit
5. REVIEW CADENCE — how often you'll re-screen (typically monthly for mind, quarterly for movement/sleep, annually for the others)

A worked example

Here's a filled-in row for the Sleep dimension:

Another for Mind:

The exact scores in your version are personal. The structure of the row stays consistent.

Build your seven rows

Spend 5-10 minutes on each dimension. Use the source directory from chapter 3 to pick the authority. Use the instruments from chapter 2 (and take them once now if you haven't yet). Use the triggers from chapter 7.

1. Food adequacy — authority: USDA Dietary Guidelines + USDA FoodData Central. Instrument: 3-day MyPlate-comparison food log. Triggers: see chapter 7 food section.
2. Movement — authority: ACSM Physical Activity Guidelines. Instrument: weekly minutes of moderate + vigorous + strength + balance work. Triggers: chest pain on exertion, persistent joint pain >2 weeks.
3. Sleep — authority: AASM + ACP 2016. Instrument: self-report check against the ICSD-3 chronic insomnia threshold (trouble falling/staying asleep ≥3 nights/week for ≥3 months, with daytime impairment) and the OSA symptom triad (loud snoring + witnessed apneas + daytime sleepiness despite 7+ hr in bed); validated clinical screens are administered by your PCP. Triggers: chronic insomnia pattern, snoring with witnessed apnea, persistent unrefreshed sleep.
4. Mind — authority: USPSTF (screening) + APA (treatment). Instrument: PHQ-2 + GAD-2 (run monthly). Triggers: ≥3 on either; suicidal ideation → 988.
5. Connection — authority: HHS Surgeon General Loneliness Advisory + CDC social-connectedness data. Instrument: UCLA-3 loneliness scale. Triggers: score 6+ with other risk factors.
6. Sense / pain — authority: AAFP red-flag screening + relevant specialty academy (AAO for vision, AAO-HNS for hearing). Instrument: red-flag self-check from chapter 7. Triggers: any red-flag-positive symptom.
7. Function — authority: CDC STEADI + AGS Katz Index. Instrument: STEADI 3-question fall screen + Katz ADL self-check. Triggers: 2+ falls in 12mo, ADL loss in any item.

Where to keep the map

The map only works if you can find it again. Three options:

• A note in your phone (Apple Notes, Google Keep) — most accessible, easiest to update.
• A single page in a personal-health folder (Google Drive, Notion, paper notebook) — works well if you already keep medical records somewhere.
• A printed page you bring to clinical visits — concrete, hard to lose, easy to share with a clinician.

Pick whichever you'll actually update. The format is less important than the maintenance habit.

Updating the map

Three triggers for an update:

1. Scheduled review — at the cadence you set per dimension (e.g., monthly for mind, quarterly for sleep)
2. New symptom or condition — when something new shows up in a dimension, re-screen and update the row
3. Authority guideline update — when a source body publishes a new edition (USPSTF reviews 5-year cycles, USDA Dietary Guidelines every 5 years, AASM and AHA various cycles), check whether your trigger threshold has moved

What you've built

If you complete this capstone, you have:

• A working knowledge of seven dimensions of basic need + the authoritative body for each
• Baseline scores on validated instruments across all seven
• Clear see-a-doctor thresholds drawn from authority-body language, not invented
• A documented review cadence so the map stays current
• Source literacy — you can read a guideline, read a primary study, and spot the nine anti-patterns of bad wellness content

This is the foundation of every other course in the wellness app. The food, movement, sleep, and mind tracks build on the source-evaluation skills you've now built. The map is also the artifact you bring to clinical visits and to family conversations about health — the structured prep that turns 'I've been worried about something' into 'here are my numbers; here's the trigger threshold; here's what I want to do about it.'