What’s standing in the way of the wider spread of health IT? Plenty of things, according to a new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center. The report says boosting use of electronic medical records and other health IT “enjoys bipartisan support.” It’s also being pushed by billions of dollars in government incentives . The assumption is that health IT can help improve health outcomes, improve the experience of care and save money. But there are gaps and barriers to its effective use, the report says. Among them: a lack of health information exchange. In other words, hospitals and doctors can’t easily swap patient records and other data electronically. An easier exchange of records and test results is expected to lower costs by reducing duplication of services. Patients aren’t yet widely using electronic tools to manage their care or coordinate with a physician or other health-care provider, the report says. For example, surveys show that only 7% to 11% of Americans currently use some form of online personal health record. Consumers are also worried about privacy and security, the report says, recommending that “all entities that access, use and disclose consumers’ personal health information should be required to comply with privacy and security requirements that are at least as comprehensive as those applicable to entities covered under HIPAA,” the federal medical privacy rule. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s task force that put together the report was co-chaired by former Sens. Bill Frist and Tom Daschle. It includes David Blumenthal, the Obama administration’s former top health IT official , and representatives from physician groups and the IT and insurance industries, among others. In November, the Institute of Medicine issued a report that recommended setting up an independent federal entity akin to the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate deaths, serious injuries or unsafe conditions associated with health IT. Image: iStockphoto

Whether you use a traditional copper IUD or the plastic version that releases the hormone progestin, a recent international study shows that both types of intrauterine devices (IUDs) may lower a woman’s risk of cervical cancer . The data was collected from 10 previously published studies comparing women with cervical cancer to women without the disease, as well as data from 16 HPV frequency surveys conducted in 14 countries. IUD use is already associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, but research discovered that women who used this T-shaped device for at least a year had almost half the risk of developing cervical cancer as women who had never used one. This includes the two major types of cervical cancer known as squamous cell and adenosquamous carcinoma, which is caused by infection from the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV). Researchers aren’t exactly sure how this little matchstick-sized IUD may help prevent cervical cancer. Since it hangs inside your uterus, the constant low-grade inflammation near the cervix may encourage the immune system to fight HPV, preventing the virus from duplicating. This news is great for women already using an IUD or those considering it for pregnancy prevention, but IUDs aren’t the best method for preventing cervical cancer. Using condoms and getting vaccinated to protect yourself from the HPV virus as well as scheduling regular Pap tests with your gynecologist are top on the list when it comes to cervical cancer prevention. Are you due for your annual Pap smear? If so, here’s your friendly reminder to make an appointment ASAP.

Wouldn’t it be nice to end every active week with an intense deep-tissue massage to help ease your muscles? But since we can’t always spring for a trip to the spa, here’s what we can do - use the foam roll at the gym. You may have seen people in the gym foam rolling and think it’s just for serious athletes or gym rats, but that’s not the case. But there are many reasons why massaging out the tight knots in muscles is an important part of your workout routine, even if you already stretch regularly. Why? Because no matter how much you stretch, the build up of fascia that creates muscle knots that won’t go away, which can lead to many different problems. I’ve been consistently seeing my trainer for a few weeks, and the aftermath is clear: not only am I working new sets of muscles (meaning new ways of being sore) but I’m also realizing how much more I need to be foam rolling. My trainer, Tim Rich at Crunch Gym , says that everyone, avid athlete or not, should be using those long spongy cylinders daily. Read on for why and how you should be foam rolling every day. Helps prevent common injuries. One of the most important reasons for a regular foam-rolling routine is to prevent those often too common exercise-related injuries. Many runners, for example, become painfully well acquainted with their IT band if they don’t take care to massage the band of tissue. IT band syndrome and other similar flare-ups can be caused by too-tight muscles. Foam rolling every day ensures you are massaging away fascia buildup in your muscles, in order to help prevent those areas from becoming injury trigger points. Helps you de-stress. Had a hard day? Foam roll your worries away. Digging for those knots “releases tension that is built up in the connective tissue to keep you less stressed,” says Tim. He recommends a simple all-over body routine in order to combat the “desk posture blues” that happen from sitting too long in the office. Keeps you flexible. Building up your flexibility is key for any fitness routine, Tim says, which means you constantly should be stretching and doing exercises that’ll help you gain flexibility. Stretches that lengthen your hip flexors , for example, can help combat tightness from sitting as well as lower back pain. The more regularly you use a foam roll on your tight muscles, the less painful it’ll be. Ready to roll? Here are five important stretches you should be doing with a foam roll, and a video on how to foam roll your quads and IT band for elongated, flexible, and injury-free thighs and happy knees. Source

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Medical research usually comes in one of two forms. There’s the common sense variety of information that reports seemingly obvious findings that most people already know. Then there’s the revelatory type, which reports new insights or unique ways of looking at old data. On the face of it, the revelations may appear to be the Related posts: Top 5 Natural Health News Items Breastfeeding, Liver Health and Tinnitus News Body Fat News You Can Use Health News for Women Overweight News

Zumba is a great way to work out, and celebrities agree. Here are a few famous fans of Zumba . Get arms Summer-ready with these five toning exercises from David Kirsch . Healthy brunch recipes to help celebrate Mother’s Day . Here are the exercises that every runner needs to know . Spring is in the air! All the essential gear that are must haves on our list . Ballet is back! Now to tell the difference between all those Black Swan-inspired workouts . The fitness mistakes you might be making , and how to fix them.

The health-care overhaul law specified that menu labeling will soon be the law of the land for chain restaurants with at least 20 locations.

In case you are like me, you might have loved milkshakes because you had been a kid. After I consider milkshakes, I think of summer time time. Consuming something cool and refreshing to cool off on a sizzling day. As you know, protein is a vital part of the diet. I like to make milkshakes [...]

When it comes to dieting, far too usually we take those first steps in the direction of weight loss bliss for what we later decide are all of the flawed reasons. In the end nevertheless, in case your cause works for you there isn’t a actually wrong purpose to diet. The trick is to find [...]

You probably know that a woman needs between 25 and 30 grams of fiber each day . I’m sorry to say, but that morning bowl of cereal may not be enough , so here are some high-fiber, low-cal snacks you can nosh on to make sure you’re getting your fiber fill. 1 large apple (with skin): 116 calories, 5.4 grams fiber 1/2 cup fresh raspberries : 32 calories, 4 grams fiber 3 large figs : 142 calories, 5.6 grams fiber 3/4 cup Go Lean Crunch cereal : 143 calories, 6 grams fiber 1 large kiwi : 46 calories, 2.25 grams fiber To see five more low-calorie snacks, keep reading.