But how do we achieve this admirable state, and how can we maintain it over time? Here are some of the ways that you can quiet your mind, melt away stress and approach relaxation of the body, mind and spirit:

1. “Spend some time in the silence every day.” We are surrounded by information—television, e-mail, voice mail, fax machines and pagers. Information overload can become a detriment to your health, knocking you off balance and creating a sort of artificial dependence upon these stimulations. So make time for yourself, and take a break from the info-stream every day.

2.”Reconnecting with stillness is an important component of health.” Every day, devote a little time to take yourself out of the “busyness” game. First, take away outside thoughts. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and let your thoughts float downstream like a log carried by the river. Practice meditation or relax in a hot bath with aromatherapy. When a thought comes up, just watch it float away.

3. “Don’t buy into the cultural definition of “news.” Andrew Weil, M.D., recommends taking a voluntary “news blackout” on a regular basis—stop reading the newspaper and watching television for one day, a week or longer”. Bad news isn’t healthy for our bodies—our cells are designed to take in joy, not disaster!

4. “Pursue your passion.” Activities that fully take your attention will slow your brain waves and put you into that “zone” in which internal chatter is stilled. It could be cooking, hiking, biking or riding, painting, writing, sewing, gardening, photography, working with animals. Physical movement is important—it opens the chest, lifts your mood, curbs food cravings and lowers blood pressure. You’ll also sleep better at night.

5. “Practice the “Relaxation Response.” Herbert Benson, M.D., Harvard researcher and author of The Relaxation Response and Timeless Healing, says, “Faith quiets the mind like no other form of belief.” Here’s the technique: Repeat a simple, neutral word such as “one” for several minutes. For even more profound physiological changes, use a word or phrase with meaning to you, such as “Shalom,” “Om,” or “Hail Mary, full of grace.” Then close your eyes, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, as you say your word or phrase silently as you exhale. When stray thoughts come by, gently release them and continue repeating your phrase. Do this deep breathing exercise for 10 to 15 minutes each day. “

6. “Treat yourself to a massage or other type of bodywork.” This can help to lower your heart rate and blood pressure and promote muscle relaxation and emotional release. According to Stephen Sinatra, M.D., author of Heart Sense for Women, “It’s not uncommon for the release of long-held sadness to occur as a result of bodywork.”

7. “Let the tears flow.” Crying can be very therapeutic. According to Sinatra, “Crying is one of the most cleansing experiences you can go through.” Here’s why: Deep sobs open the chest and diaphragm, releasing bound-up energy. This helps to free your heart of muscular tension. A good cry”

8. “Laugh.” Rent a classic comedy film, or tune in to “Nick at Nite” or the Comedy Channel. Rent a tape of your favorite comedian or read some of those Internet joke lists that you’ve been archiving to “read later.” Dig out your old “Far Side” cartoon collections. Clip a cartoon and post it on the refrigerator or fax it to a friend, to double the effect.
“You may want to crack up with Loretta LaRoche, humor consultant and self-described “Queen of Stress,” who promotes “Exaggeration Therapy” and an interactive “Tadah Club,” among many other stress-busting techniques. If you tend toward “the dark side,” consider pasting Loretta LaRoche’s Ten Little Commitments on your refrigerator door.”

Source: http://health.discovery.com/centers/stress/articles/relaxation/beatstress.html

1. Almonds- These yummy nuts are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can accelerate your metabolism of fats. In fact, dieters who ate 3 ounces of almonds daily slashed their weight and body-mass index by 18 percent, while those who skipped the nuts reduced both numbers less— just 11 percent—a study in the International Journal of Obesity revealed.
2. Berries- Strawberries, raspberries and other vitamin C–spiked fruit can supercharge your workout, helping you burn up to 30 percent more fat, research from Arizona State University at Mesa has found.
3. Cinnamon- Adding 1/4 teaspoon to your plate may prevent an insulin spike—an uptick that tells your body to store fat.
4. Mustard- Turmeric, the spice that gives mustard its color, may slow the growth of fat tissues, a study in the journal Endocrinology finds.
5. Oranges- This citrus fruit contains fat-blasting compounds known as flavones. Women who ate the most flavones had a much lower increase in body fat over a 14-year period, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes.
6. Soybeans- Soybeans are rich in choline, a compound that blocks the absorption of fat and breaks down fatty deposits. But if breast cancer runs in your family, experts suggest you should talk to your doc before adding soy to your diet.
7. Sweet potatoes- The colorful spuds’ high-fiber content means they keep your insulin steadier than their white sisters, which means less fat packed on your hips, research finds.
8. Swiss cheese- Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown, and Swiss has more calcium than many of its cheesy peers. Choose the reduced-fat variety.

Here are the story highlights according to CNN:

• Doctors are often rushed, so patients must come to appointments prepared
• Write down top three concerns so you won’t get sidetracked during appointment
• Patients who planned and asked good questions had better health outcomes

The article discusses a story about Dr. Paul Konowitz who sought treatment from gastroenterologist. He said,

“My wife and I talked to the doctor for about 15 minutes, and then he just kind of got up and left the room. The appointment was over,” Konowitz remembered. The doctor had given the Konowitzes no treatment plan, no directions, no suggestions, no nothing. “My wife and I looked at each other and said, ”What was that all about?’ We didn’t know anything more than when we went in.”

Here are five steps to achieving “planned patienthood” so you can get the most out of the time you have with your doctor.

1. Come armed with your top three concerns
2. Write down your questions beforehand
3. Understand — and write down — the plan to get you better
4. Write down next steps
5. Ask when you should feel better

Learn much more about this topic at: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/07/ep.planned.patienthood/index.html

According to an article by Diana Manos, Senior Editor of Healthcare IT News, the debate comes in regarding how much control control patients should be able to have over their health records. Experts say, “policies that require too much patient control could hamper a patient’s health in a medical emergency, while others said not enough control could put their lives at risk in other ways.”

Check out more of Manos’ article:

Privacy is a controversial but key aspect of developing healthcare IT policy. Yet most privacy experts agree that without the public’s trust in the privacy and security of their records, healthcare IT can’t advance.

Deborah Peel, MD, a practicing psychiatrist and founder of the non-profit organization Patient Privacy Rights, said she has seen the consequences of patients not having enough privacy. A lack of safeguards, she said, poses risks to a person’s well-being, livelihood and financial stability.

Peel said patients should have total control over their personal health records. It’s the only way, she said, to ensure that information that a patient wishes to be kept private is kept that way.

Deven McGraw, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Health Privacy Project, said patients intuitively want control of their data, but requiring consent for every exchange of health information is sometimes not the best approach for ensuring privacy.

“If it worked well, we’d be one of the first groups out there advocating it,” she said. “It’s not about how complicated it is, it’s about whether it works or not.”

Eileen Twiggs, from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said privacy can be a matter of life and death for people working at or visiting Planned Parenthood clinics.

Twiggs said Planned Parenthood providers are often at risk of assault because of the controversial nature of the services they provide, which include abortions. In addition, she said, patients can be put in dangerous situations if family members find out the details of their treatment. In addition, she said, politicians try to gain access to records at Planned Parenthood to defend their own causes.

Patients’ fears of losing privacy could compromise the care the organization is able to provide, she said.

“There can be no prying eyes, only those with a legitimate right of access,” Twiggs said. This includes blocking politicians, family members, or anyone else who wants access to a patient’s records.”

Twiggs said privacy and security violations should have substantial consequences.

John Houston, vice president of privacy and information security and assistant counsel at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said privacy is a societal value and opinions vary dramatically. “It’s difficult to try and balance that. Privacy is not something that is quantifiable,” he said. “I think it’s critical that we get this right.”

The Kirk School is a part of the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO) whose motto is, “Building a Promising Future for Students.” The NSSEO was founded in 1968 and covers eight member school districts around Chicago, IL. According to its website, nsseo.org, “children with disabilities who range in age from 3 – 21 years are provided with quality individualized educational programs. As an Illinois public school special education cooperative, NSSEO participates in a collaboration of efforts with families, member districts, administration, staff and community agencies for the benefit of students with special needs.”

“One of our customers who manages a MedsFile.com Personal Health Record for her daughter wrote me a letter asking us if we would sponsor Walk and Wheel-A-Thon at her daughter’s school,” MedsFile.com Founder Mark Holland said. “How could I say no? She’s been a longtime customer and has found our service so helpful to help her care for her daughter. She often asks us to send her brochures to distribute to tell others about MedsFile.com. This is why we have a Community Outreach program. I feel honored to be a part of her and her daughter’s life in such a small way and repay to her all she’s done for us.”

About MedsFile.com

Founded in 2004 by Mark Holland, MedsFile.com allows customers to store information about medications, supplements, allergies, insurance, as well as lists of emergency contacts, immunizations, family and medical history, surgeries and procedures, and more. The customer decides what information to enter in, and what information (if any) is to be shared between designated family members, caregivers, and physicians. Accounts can be accessed anytime, anywhere over a computer or mobile phone. Additional information on MedsFile.com can be found at www.medsfile.com, or call 800.541.9345.

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A new study on rats finds that 10 days of eating a high-fat diet caused short-term memory loss and made exercise difficult. While the finding may not seem a big surprise, researchers say it might suggest that high-fat diets make humans lazy and stupid.

“Western diets are typically high in fat and are associated with long-term complications, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart failure, yet the short-term consequences of such diets have been given relatively little attention,” said Andrew Murray, co-author of the study and currently at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. “We hope that the findings of our study will help people to think seriously about reducing the fat content of their daily food intake to the immediate benefit of their general health, well-being, and alertness.”

“Rodents are thought to be good analogues to humans for studies like this, but research in humans would be needed to confirm that the effects cross over. Also, because rats live much shorter lives, study effects may play out on significantly shorter time scales than in humans.”

Murray and his colleagues studied rats fed a low-fat diet and rats fed a high-fat diet. Muscles of rats eating the high-fat diet for four days were less able to use oxygen to make the energy needed to exercise, causing their hearts to worker harder — and increase in size.

After nine days on a high-fat diet, the rats took longer to complete a maze and made more mistakes than their low-fat-diet counterparts.

“It’s nothing short of a high-fat hangover,” said Dr. Gerald Weissmann, editor-in-chief of journal. “A long weekend spent eating hotdogs, French fries, and pizza in Orlando might be a great treat for our taste buds, but they might send our muscles and brains out to lunch.”

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,539158,00.html

Dr. Samantha Collier’s five tips will help you know when it’s time to move on.

• Your physician does not return your calls in a timely manner, or isn’t following up with you as discussed.
• You can’t get an appointment when you need one.
• You feel like your physician doesn’t care about you. A few signs may be: he or she isn’t listening, isn’t taking the time to answer your questions, allows frequent interruptions during your visit, or dismisses your complaints.
• You feel like you can’t trust or be honest with your physician.
• Your physician received a disciplinary action/sanction from the state medical board.

As a courtesy, send a letter to physicians notifying them that you are changing physicians. You do not need to explain why.

Make sure to get a complete copy of all of your outpatient medical records, including all physician notes, tests, x-rays, biopsies, and any other relevant medical information in your file.

Source: http://www.healthgrades.com/cms/newsletters/hg-advisor/When-to-Break-Up-with-Your-Doctor.aspx?cid=44759

Ms. “Castro was finishing the paperwork to buy her first home when the bank called to warn her of a problem – nearly $10,000 in unpaid hospital bills on her credit report. The charges were for several ear, nose and throat procedures done at hospitals in her region. But they weren’t for her.”

She was an insured medical student, and the charges had been there for several years. A thief had used her personal data to get medical care.

With a stolen name, social security number and date of birth, someone can walk into a doctor’s office and receive services billed to someone else. The FTC hopes to address this problem with new regulations called the “Red Flags Rule”. This rule required doctors, hospitals, and other businesses to create procedures to spot theft.

Doctors are now checking photo IDs, and could alert a victim prior to sending out bills. “But medical provider groups, including the American Medical Association, insist the rule is misguided. Their reasoning, in part, comes down to the actual language of the law. The statute specifies that all “creditors” – which are defined as businesses that regularly extend or renew credit – are required to implement the new protocols. The includes auto dealers, lawyers, utility companies, and according to the FTC, any physician’s office of hospital that accepts insurance or allows a payment plan.”

Doctors argue that they are not “creditors”. They state that the rule imposes an “unjustified, unfunded mandate on physicians and could have serious adverse consequences on patients’ access to health care.” There could also be an administrative burden on physicians.

Although the law went into effect November 1, 2008, beginning August 1, 2009, penalties will kick in. “Creditors – including doctors or hospitals – could be slapped with a $3,500 fine for each “knowing violation” of the rule.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32175003/ns/health-health_care/

The MGMA 2009 Annual Conference is an educational program for administrators, executives, managers, physicians, nurses, health administration students and faculty, and other business professionals involved in managing a medical group practice focused on the challenges of today’s health care organizations.

This year, the MGMA 2009 Annual Conference will be held on October 11-14 in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. The MGMA Annual Conference is the largest professional development and networking conference for medical practice administrators.

Held in conjunction with the 53rd Convocation of the American College of Medical Practice Executives, the event brings together thousands of attendees – including administrators from various specialties, physicians, medical vendors and high-profile keynote speakers.

MGMA’s 2009 Annual Conference provides an opportunity for healthcare leaders to expand their network within the practice management community through a variety of interactive tools, luncheons, receptions, and other events.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to attend the MGMA Conference this year as MedsFile.com’s representative,” said Spears. “MedsFile.com is looking forward to sharing our ideas, products and services with other professionals in attendance, and wants to learn what other healthcare professionals consider to be their priorities when bringing comprehensive electronic healthcare solutions to patients and communities. “

About MedsFile.com

Founded in 2004 by Mark Holland, MedsFile.com allows customers to store information about medications, supplements, allergies, insurance, as well as lists of emergency contacts, immunizations, family and medical history, surgeries and procedures, and more. The customer decides what information to enter in, and what information (if any) is to be shared between designated family members, caregivers, and physicians. Accounts can be accessed anytime, anywhere over a computer or mobile phone. Additional information on MedsFile.com can be found at www.medsfile.com, or call 800.541.9345.

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“The extraordinarily high satisfaction rate of the survey respondents – all 65 and older – reinforces what we are learning among the general population: When a PHR like My Health Manager is thoughtfully designed for an easy and convenient user experience, individuals will engage more fully in managing their own health, said Jan Oldenburg, senior practice leader of the Internet services group health portfolio at Kaiser Permanente.”

Respondents enjoyed using My Health Manager to make appointments, e-mail doctors, review test results and refill prescriptions. Those who used the technology were more engaged in their healthcare that those who were in poor health.

Source: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/survey-finds-seniors-satisfied-using-internet-manage-health