Getting the Facts on Gardasil

What is Gardasil? Gardasil is a relatively new vaccine for young women ages 9-26 that protects against four types of human papillomavirus (HPV). The vaccine is injected in three doses over six months.

What is HPV? HPV is a virus! Gardasil protects agains four types of HPV: 6, 11, 16, and 18. Types 6 and 11 cause 90% of genital warts cases and types 16 and 18 cause 70% of cervical cancer cases.

Why is Gardasil for girls as young as 9 and women who are 26? The age range is such because these were the ages included in the clinicial trial. Also, like any vaccine, Gardasil works best when given before there is contact with the HPV virus, and studies have shown that most contact occurs in a woman's teenage years and early twenties.

Get more information at: http://www.gardasil.com

Cholesterol and Numbers To Know

Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like substance that is found in your body’s cells. Cholesterol is found in certain animal-based foods, but can
also be manufactured by your body. Cholesterol cannot dissolve in your blood. To travel to your cells, cholesterol uses a carrier called low density lipoprotein (LDL), which is called, “the bad kind.” Too much LDL cholesterol can build up on the inner walls of your arteries and cause a heart attack or stroke. The “good kind” or“happy” carrier is HDL, or high density lipoprotein. It carries harmful cholesterol away from
the arteries. Ideal ranges for cholesterol are as follows:
- Total less than 180 mg.
-HDL (good) 45 mg. or higher
- LDL (bad) less than 100 mg.

In some cases medication may be prescribed to reduce cholesterol. This should be discussed with your physician. Other ways to help lower the bad cholesterol would be:
-Eat low-fat, low cholesterol, high fiber foods
-Decrease your intake of high fat foods
-Lose weight, if you need to
-Exercise
To learn more, talk to your doctor or health care provider, or call your local American Heart Association.

Health Tips

It happens to the best of us. You pick up a banana muffin at your local coffee shop, take a quick glance at the wrapper, and see it has 225 calories. “Not so bad,” you think. “I deserve a treat this afternoon.” You happily munch away the muffin, washing it down with a virtuous nonfat latte.

But later, back at the office, just before you throw away the muffin wrapper, you give it a second glance and realize the serving size is set at a measly two ounces, and your treat contained three servings! That means you just ate 675 calories, not to mention 45 grams of fat!

Everyone can benefit from reading food labels, even if it’s just to get a better idea of what we’re putting into our bodies. Today consumers can take a quick glance at the ubiquitous food label — finally standardized in 1994 — and obtain a precise reading of the calories, total fats, protein, carbohydrates, and nutrient content in most store-bought foods.

Here’s what you need to know:
Start by looking at the calories and the servings per container. How many servings are in the package you’re buying? Next, most people should look at the first section of the food label, which lists the nutrients most Americans get too much of — fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Talk to your doctor about what nutrients you should be getting if you have a particular health condition, and focus on this section of the food label to make better choices.

People hoping to ward off high cholesterol, a weight problem, or a heart condition, for example, should pay particular attention to saturated fats. People consuming about 2,000 calories a day shouldn't exceed around 65 grams of fat in total each day, and fewer than 15 grams of that should be saturated fats. According to Institute of Medicine guidelines issued in 2005, men age 50 and under need 38 grams of fiber a day.

Eat a variety of foods. At the supermarket, buy one new fruit and vegetable each week. At home, try one new recipe or prepared food a week. The point is to become more familiar with the foods you’re putting into your body. You just might find out that one food you’re eating that you thought was pretty healthy is actually bad for you.