Is no longer a one-a-day vitamin, a once-a-year checkup and a thrice-weeklyworkout--it's a 24/7 concern. Consumers want control over and convenient access to their own health information. New gadgets, tools and online services are themeans to this democratization of information--and entrepreneurs are at the forefront.

PERSONAL HEALTH PORTALS
Consumerswant online control over their health information, freeing it fromthe shackles of their HMOor PPO. Sites likeMedsFile.comandMy-CMI+ (criticalmedicalinformation.com) give users a space to store theirmedication and health information, respectively, so it's accessible anywhere-- from their home, the pharmacy or a doctor's office.

POINT-OF-CARE SOLUTIONS
Point-of-care, or POC, testing allows doctorsand retail health centers to do diagnostic testing on the premises, taking thewait out ofmedical tests and helping consumersmake immediate health-care decisions. This $11.3 billion globalmarket is growing by 11 percent annually, according to EspicomHealthcare Intelligence, and innovative POC solutions providers are leading the charge. "POC delivers what central labs cannot: essentially, real-time information," says JimMerselis, CEO of Alverix Inc., a POC diagnostic technology provider. "Patients, themselves, are helping drive the growth of POC by requesting it be used to support their decisions and those of their healthcare professionals."

Is gluten-free the new low-carb? Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley--therefore, just about every bread--and can cause severe reactions in sufferers of celiac sprue. Others believe it leads to general gastrointestinal distress.A whopping 700 new gluten-free foods were added to this $1.75 billionmarket in 2007--only 214 were added in 2004.

WELLNESS COACHES
For people seeking a lifestyle fix rather than a meal plan or workout regimen,wellness coaches focus on the whole shebang--stress, timemanagement, diet and fitness--to encourage personalized, sustainable, healthy behaviors. Both individuals and corporations hire wellness coaches, who can charge anywhere from $60 to $150 an hour, says Margaret Moore, 50, founder of Wellesley, Massachusetts-based coach training and certification programWellcoaches Corp.Wellcoaches, which is accredited by the American Council on Exercise, trained only 100 coaches in 2003; it trained 1,000 last year and is on track to increase those figures by 20 percent this year.


FitFlops: These cleverly designed sandals have a uniquemidsole that the company says gives yourmuscles a better workout than plain old walking. Forty-year-old founder Marcia Kilgore (of Bliss Spa fame) has a bona fide hit on her feet: Oprah gave it her "Favorite Things for Summer" seal of approval, and 1.5million pairs were sold just from January through August of this year.

BOSU Balance Trainer: Exercise balls promote balance but can turn a workout into a circus act. The BOSU--an inflatable half-dome--takes the roly-polyness out of your balancing act, which is why it has become a favorite with gyms, physical therapists, Olympic trainers and home exercisers.

Wii Fit peripherals: Peripherals for a peripheral?This is getting a bitmeta, but that isn't stopping third-party providers fromlaunchingWii Fit add-ons likemats and covers for the balancing board, carrying cases and rechargeable battery packs.