September is National Cholesterol Education Month

 

 

Too much cholesterol in the blood is one of the main risk factors for heart disease and stroke—two leading causes of death in the United States. One way to prevent these diseases is to detect high cholesterol and treat it when it is found.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that your body needs. But when you have too much in your blood, it can build up on the walls of your arteries and form blockages. This can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

There are two kinds of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL is also called "good" cholesterol. LDL is called "bad" cholesterol. When we talk about high cholesterol, we are talking about "bad" LDL cholesterol.

Seventy-one million American adults have high cholesterol, but only one-third of them have the condition under control.¹ September is National Cholesterol Education Month—a good time to resolve to get your cholesterol screened.

What role does screening play?

Screening is the key to detecting high cholesterol. Because high cholesterol does not have symptoms, many people do not know that their cholesterol is too high. Your doctor can do a simple blood test to check your cholesterol level.

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that adults aged 20 years or older have their cholesterol checked every 5 years.²

You may need to have your cholesterol checked more often if any of the following statements applies to you:

• Your total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or higher.
• You are a man older than age 45 or a woman older than age 50.
• Your HDL cholesterol is lower than 40 mg/dL.
• You have other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.³

Although the number of people who said they were screened for cholesterol within the previous 5 years increased from 73% to 76% from 2005-2009,⁴ only a handful of states have met the 82% Healthy People 2020 objective, and disparities in getting screened persist.⁵

How can you prevent or treat high cholesterol?

Make therapeutic lifestyle changes by

• Eating a healthy diet. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats, which tend to raise cholesterol levels. Other types of fats, such as polyunsaturated fats, can actually lower blood cholesterol levels. Eating fiber also can help lower cholesterol.
• Exercising regularly. Physical activity can help lower cholesterol. The Surgeon General recommends that adults engage in moderate-intensity exercise for 2 hours and 30 minutes every week.
• Maintaining a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can raise your cholesterol levels. Losing weight can help lower your cholesterol.
• Not smoking. If you smoke, quit as soon as possible.

Be sure to follow your doctor's instructions and stay on your medications, if prescribed, to control your cholesterol.

Are there clinical and community programs to help address high cholesterol?

A variety of community and clinical activities address screening and treatment for high cholesterol:

The Million Hearts® initiative is a national effort to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the United States by 2017, by bringing together communities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies, and private sector partners. Million Hearts focuses on (1) Improving the "ABCS" of cardiovascular health—Aspirin when appropriate, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation; and (2) Empowering Americans to make healthy choices such as preventing or quitting tobacco use and reducing salt (sodium) and trans fat consumption.

All states and the District of Columbia are now funded to address heart disease and stroke prevention, with 32 receiving additional funding to enhance their program and reach more people. This includes increasing quality improvement efforts in health systems, such as using health information technology and team-based care as well as community-clinical linkage to support self-management outside of clinical settings, along with health extenders such as community pharmacists and community health workers.

CDC's National Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention program supports states implementing evidence-based practices in community and clinical settings, specifically highlighting cholesterol control within communities.

The National Cholesterol Education Program provides evidence-based resources and recommendations to health care providers, and new guidelines for cholesterol are in development.

For more information about cholesterol and how you can prevent high cholesterol or keep it in check, see "Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC" from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.⁶

Sources

1. CDC. Vital signs: prevalence, treatment, and control of high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol—United States, 1999–2002 and 2005–2008. MMWR. 2011;60(4):109–14.
2. The American Heart Association. How to Get Your Cholesterol Tested Website.
3. The American Heart Association. Life's Simple 7 Website.
4. CDC. Prevalence of cholesterol screening and high blood cholesterol among adults—United States, 2005, 2007, and 2009. MMWR. 2012;61(35):697–702.
5. Healthy People. Heart disease and stroke. Healthy People 2020 Objective HDS-6.
6. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC  [PDF - 1.74MB].NIH Publication No. 06-5235. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services; 2005.

 

World AIDS Day 2012

Be part of the solution.

 

 

Now Playing: Idealist.org Grad Fair

The Idealist Grad Fair and Panel Discussion can help you make a difference in your career.

For more information, a list of participants, and tips for preparing  go to - http://www.idealist.org/view/fair/ZbcDWDXk6W4/

Idealist Grad Fair
September 13, 2012, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Metropolitan Pavilion, 1st Floor
125 W 18th Street, New York, NY 10011

• Note: The panel discussion is in a different venue.

• Learn about a range of graduate programs offered by local, national and international universities
• Engage with admissions advisors about specific programs, admissions requirements and application deadlines

The fair and panel is free and open to anyone thinking about attending graduate school.

Panel Discussion 
September 13, 2012, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Rudin Conference Room, Puck Building
295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012

• Note: The fair is in a different venue.

Today's public and non-profit organizations operate within an increasingly complex and challenging global environment. The importance of making cross-sector connections, collaborating with peers globally, and committing to a vision have never been more paramount. How can you best position yourself professionally to help bring about meaningful change across fields, sectors, and geographic boundaries? What is the current state of public service – locally, nationally, and globally? What makes a great public service leader? How do I prepare myself for a career in public service?

Panelists from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University:

• Scott Fritzen, Associate Dean (Academic Affairs) and Visiting Professor of Public Policy
• Bethany Godsoe, Executive Director, Research Center for Leadership in Action and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Administration
• Toni Harris, Director, Career Services
• Ellen Schall, Dean and Martin Cherkasky Professor of Health Policy & Management
  

Click here to RSVP for the panel discussion.

For more information, a list of participants, and tips for preparing go to - http://www.idealist.org/view/fair/ZbcDWDXk6W4/

World AIDS Day 2011
Tomorrow, December 1, 2011 is World AIDs Day.

According to the New York City Department of Health (DOH) "New York City remains the epicenter of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. More than 107,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV, but thousands more don't know they're infected. New York City's AIDS case rate is almost 3 times the U.S. average, and HIV is the 3rd leading cause of death for New York City residents aged 35 to 54.". (http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/ah/ah.shtml)

It is likely that our students will work in agencies and business with people who are HIV affected, have family members who are affected or themselves be affected.

Please spend a few minutes in your classes to discuss the implications of HIV/AIDS to the course content.

I have a resource page for world AIDS day at https://draweiner.tripod.com/worldaidsday.html.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released today "New Hope for Stopping HIV: Testing and Medical Care Save Lives" at http://www.cdc.gov/VitalSigns/HIVtesting/index.html.

The (2015)QUILT is a groundbreaking piece of digital artwork from people all over the world who are fighting for the first AIDS free generation in 30 years. Individuals can create and share their own panel at http://www.2015quilt.com/.

National Coming Out Day - October 11

LGBT Americans have only 12% of the rights and protections as straight Americans (http://www.equalitygiving.org/Waiting-For-LGBT-Equality) -- and GetEQUAL is committed to fighting for 100% equality!

Click here to watch the video, then share it with your friends.

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

 

The Latino Commission on AIDS (LCOA) , the Hispanic Federation and many other organizations organize this day. This year’s theme is Latinos Unite! Let's stay Healthy! Get Tested for HIV! The NLAAD campaign works annually at building capacity for non-profit organizations and health departments in order to reach Latino/Hispanic communities, promote HIV testing, provide HIV prevention information and access to care.

World AIDS Day 2010

 

Tomorrow, December 1, 2010, is World AIDS Day.

Please take a minute to learn more and show your support of people affected by HIV.

You can get more information at:

September is "Hunger Action Month"

1 in 6. That's the number of Americans who will struggle with hunger today.

Live on a food stamp budget

For one day, live on a food stamp budget. Try to stretch those dollars to feed yourself and see how difficult it is to eat nutritiously.  (The average person receives $133.77 a month in benefits or roughly $4.45 a day

September is Hunger Action Month, and Feeding America is asking all Americans to take action to fight domestic hunger. The need in this country is tremendous – but so is the impact that you can have.

Throughout Hunger Action Month, Feeding America’s nationwide network of more than 200 food banks is calling upon communities to take action through the “30 Ways in 30 Days” campaign. Whether it’s by advocating and raising awareness, making donations, or giving of your time and energy, find the way that’s right for you to make a difference during Hunger Action Month.

About Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

The History Channel - Valentine's Day
http://www.history.com/content/valentine

Booksprice.com