Adequate sleep is crucial for good health, and Westerners lack sleep – about half of American adults experience one or more symptom of insomnia a few nights each week, and it is estimated that up to 10% of Americans took prescription sleep aids in 2010.^1,2

Insomnia itself can be dangerous because in many cases it often causes daytime fatigue. However, new research has shown that the drugs used to treat insomnia are even more dangerous.

Drugs called “hypnotics” are prescribed to induce sleep in those experiencing insomnia. Some commonly prescribed hypnotics include zolpidem (Ambien), exzopiclone (Lunesta), temazepam (Restoril), and alprazolam (Xanax). These

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A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that older women’s muscles may benefit from the addition of fish oil to their diet and strength-training routines.

The study performed by researchers from Paraná Federal University in Brazil followed forty-five women, aged 64-65, over a period of 90 days while they performed strength training.

The women were randomly assigned to three groups.  In the first group, participants performed strength-training without any type of supplementation.  The second group performed the same strength-training regimen but also received fish oil supplementation of about 2 grams per day for each of the 90 days.  The third group received the same fish oil supplementation beginning two months prior to the training and continuing throughout the 3 month training period.

The strength training included supervised resistance-training exercises performed 3 times per week for 12 weeks, for a total of 36 training sessions. Exerc

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In the past few years, researchers at the University of Helsinki have made several breakthroughs in discovering how the brain of preterm babies work, in developing treatments to protect the brain, and in developing research methods suitable for hospital use.

Each year, the brains of hundreds of Finnish children, and therefore their future lives, are at risk due to premature birth or intrapartum asphyxia. The brain is a sensitive organ, and merely keeping the baby alive is not enough to save the brain. The latest scientific achievements offer significant improvements in the brain health and lives of infants.

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Wil Yu / Special Assistant Innovations ONC Office of the Chief Scientist

We are extremely excited to announce the launch of a new Investing in Innovations mobile app challenge, the EHR Accessibility Module Challenge.

Improving Access to Health Records

ONCs mission includes reducing health disparities, ensuring secure and protected patient health information, and reducing health care costs. A

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