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Swine flu (H1N1) Symptoms and Self Care
The following information is from the Mayo Clinic.
Flu shot: Your best bet for avoiding influenza
Getting a flu shot often protects you from coming down with the flu. And while the flu shot doesn’t always provide total protection, it’s still worth getting..
by the Mayo Clinic
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the vaccines that will be available this fall to protect people against several seasonal flu (influenza) viruses expected to be in circulation this fall and winter.
This annual flu shot won’t contain protection against the pandemic swine flu (novel H1N1) virus. A separate vaccine has been developed for the swine flu virus.
Influenza is a respiratory infection that sickens millions of people each year and can cause serious complications, especially in children and older adults. Fortunately, the flu vaccine — available in the form of a flu shot or a nasal spray — offers protection against the flu.
Here are the answers to common questions about flu shots.
When is the flu vaccine available?
The flu vaccine is generally offered between September and mid-November, which is typically before the late-fall to early winter start of flu season. However, getting a flu shot even later in the flu season may still protect you. It takes up to two weeks to build immunity following a flu shot.
Why do I need to get vaccinated every year?
You need annual flu protection because the influenza virus changes from year to year. The flu vaccine you got last year wasn’t designed to fight the virus strains in circulation this flu season.
Influenza viruses mutate so quickly that they can render one season’s vaccine ineffective by the next season. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee meets early in the year to estimate which strains of influenza virus will be most prevalent during the upcoming flu season, and manufacturers produce vaccine based on those recommendations.
Who should get the flu vaccine?
Most people who want to reduce the risk of getting influenza can get a flu shot. The CDC recommends the flu vaccine each year if you:
- Are age 6 months up to 19 years
- Are pregnant
- Are 50 years old or older
- Have a chronic medical condition such as asthma, diabetes, or heart, kidney or lung disease
- Have a weakened immune system such as from some medications or HIV infection
- Are a resident of a nursing home or other long term care facility
- Are a child care worker or health care worker or live with or care for someone at high risk of complications from the flu
Who shouldn’t get the flu shot?
Don’t get a flu shot if you:
- Have had an allergic reaction to the vaccine in the past.
- Are allergic to chicken eggs.
- Developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious autoimmune disease affecting the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, within six weeks of receiving the vaccine in the past. People who have experienced Guillain-Barre after the flu vaccine are at higher risk than are others of developing it again.
- Have a fever. Wait until your symptoms improve before getting vaccinated.
What are my options for the flu vaccine?
The flu vaccine comes in two forms:
A shot. A flu shot contains an inactivated vaccine made of killed virus. The injection is usually given in the arm. Because the viruses in the vaccine are killed (inactivated), the shot won’t cause you to get the flu, but it will enable your body to develop the antibodies necessary to ward off influenza viruses. You may have a slight reaction to the shot, such as soreness at the injection site, mild muscle ache or fever. Reactions usually last one to two days and are more likely to occur in children who have never been exposed to flu virus.
A nasal spray. Administered through your nose, the nasal spray vaccine (FluMist) consists of a low dose of live, but weakened, flu viruses. The vaccine doesn’t cause the flu, but it does prompt an immune response in your nose and upper airways as well as throughout your body.
What kind of protection does the flu vaccine offer?
According to the CDC, when the match between flu vaccine and circulating strains of flu virus is close, a flu shot is between 70 and 90 percent effective in warding off influenza in healthy people under age 65.
The flu vaccine is less effective:
- When the vaccine isn’t a close match to the type of flu viruses circulating in the community
- In people over the age of 65
- In people with compromised immune systems
- Why do children need two doses of the flu vaccine?
- Children younger than 9 years old require two doses of the flu vaccine if it’s the first time they’ve been vaccinated for influenza. That’s because children don’t develop an adequate antibody level the first time they get the vaccine. Antibodies help fight the virus if it enters your child’s system. If a flu vaccine shortage were to occur and your child couldn’t get two doses of vaccine, one dose might still offer some protection.
I heard the flu shot isn’t very effective for older adults. Is it worth getting vaccinated if you’re over 65?
If you’re over age 65, the vaccine doesn’t offer as much protection as it would to someone younger because older adults produce fewer antibodies in response to the virus. Still, the vaccine offers more protection than does skipping the shot altogether. More important, the flu vaccine decreases the risk of flu-related complications — especially pneumonia, heart attack, stroke and death — to which older adults are especially vulnerable.
Can I lower my risk of the flu without getting a flu shot?
With or without a flu shot, you can take steps to help protect yourself from the flu and other viruses. Good hygiene remains your primary defense against contagious illnesses.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth whenever possible.
- Avoid crowds when the flu is most prevalent in your area.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
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Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
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By Miranda Hitti, WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Jan. 15, 2009 — Oprah Winfrey says menopause caught her “off guard” and that she’s taking bioidentical hormones that have made a big improvement in how she feels.
Bioidentical hormones are one form of therapy for menopausal symptoms. Winfrey, who turns 55 this month, writes in February’s edition of O, The Oprah Magazine that she felt “out of kilter” and had “issues” for two years that she suspected were hormonal. Upon a friend’s recommendation, Winfrey went to a doctor who specializes in hormones.
Winfrey writes that the hormone specialist told her that her “hormonal tank was empty” and gave her a prescription for bioidentical estrogen.
“After one day on bioidentical estrogen, I felt the veil lift,” Winfrey writes. “After three days, the sky was bluer, my brain was no longer fuzzy, my memory was sharper. I was literally singing and had a skip in my step.”
Winfrey isn’t recommending bioidentical hormones for every menopausal woman. Instead, she urges women to “take charge of your health” and says it’s time to “start the conversation” about menopause and bioidentical hormones.
Oprah writes that bioidentical hormone therapy is controversial and confusing to many people.
What’s the controversy about? Are bioidentical hormones better or safer than other hormone therapy? WebMD has answers from experts.
What Are Bioidentical Hormones?
“There is enormous confusion about the meaning of the term ‘bioidentical,’” JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, tells WebMD via email.
“Bioidentical hormone preparations are medications that contain hormones that are an exact chemical match to those made naturally by humans,” says Manson, who is chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the Elizabeth F. Brigham Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School.
Some bioidentical hormones are made by drug companies, are approved by the FDA, and are sold in standard doses. Other bioidentical hormone preparations are made at special pharmacies called compounding pharmacies, which make the preparations on a case-by-case basis for each patient. Those “custom-made” preparations aren’t approved by the FDA.
Why Aren’t Compounded Bioidentical Hormones FDA approved?
The FDA doesn’t approve any compounded products, for any condition, because those products aren’t standardized.
That doesn’t mean that compounding is bad. Compounding can be useful for patients who are allergic to an additive in an FDA-approved product, says Kathleen Uhl, MD, the FDA’s assistant commissioner for women’s health.
But “the purpose of compounding is to do it on a patient-by-patient basis, so there’s nothing that’s submitted to FDA to evaluate, so they’re not FDA approved,” Uhl explains.
And because compounded products don’t go through the FDA approval process, they don’t bear the same warnings as other hormone therapy.
A woman who gets a prescription for an FDA-approved hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms is “going to get a lot of warning information,” but if she gets a compounded product instead, “you don’t get any of those warnings,” Uhl says. “There’s no requirement for them to provide that because those products are not FDA approved.”
Why Aren’t Compounded Bioidentical Hormones FDA approved? continued…
L.D. King, executive director of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists, suggests that patients look for accredited compounding pharmacies listed on the web site of the Pharmaceutical Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB).
“They make sure those accredited pharmacies are adhering to a very high level of practice, which would include pretty extensive quality control,” King tells WebMD. He also suggests that because there aren’t a lot of PCAB-accredited compounding pharmacies, patients should ask compounding pharmacies what types of quality assurance procedures are in place.
Manson points out that with FDA-approved “bioidentical” drugs available, “most women interested in bioidentical formulations do not need to take custom-compounded products (exceptions would be women with allergies to ingredients, or intolerances to doses, in commercially available products).”
Does That Mean Compounded Bioidentical Hormones Are Safer?
“There is no reason to think that these bioidentical compounded [products] would have a different safety profile than the FDA-approved ones,” Uhl says. She points out that some compounded pharmacies have gotten warning letters from the FDA for false and misleading claims about safety and other benefits.
Isaac Schiff, MD, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Massachusetts General Hospital, agrees.
Schiff led an American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) committee that reviewed the scientific evidence on compounded bioidentical hormone therapy in 2005. That committee concluded that there wasn’t scientific evidence to support claims of increased efficacy or safety for compounded estrogen or progesterone regimens. The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and the Endocrine Society have issued similar statements.
“It may be safer, but that study hasn’t been done yet,” Schiff tells WebMD. He says he would like to see a large, lengthy, rigorously designed study on the topic.
“I’m not inherently negative about it,” Schiff says. “I hope they’d be good … and if it turns out to be safer, fabulous. I would like, as a physician, to prescribe the safest hormones to my patients who want to be treated.”
Erika Schwartz, MD, a New York doctor who prescribes FDA-approved biodentical hormones and compounded bioidentical hormones, says there have been studies that support the safety of bioidentical hormones, compared to other hormone therapy.
Schwartz asks, “If NAMS or ACOG says there are not enough studies, well, why haven’t you done the studies if you think you need more? If this had been men’s health, would we be having this conversation, or would we have answers?”
Schwartz says she has long wanted to see large, government-sponsored studies compare bioidentical and other hormone therapies head to head.
“She’s allowed to have her opinions,” Uhl says. “The evidence that FDA has seen and what’s available in the medical literature leads us to believe that there are the same concerns” with bioidentical and other hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms.
Uhl adds that “the FDA is not prohibiting the compounding of bioidentical hormones. There is definitely a niche for them and certain patients do need this, but it’s not for everybody, and the people who are taking it need to realize that the risks are probably the same for the FDA-approved drugs as they are for the [compounded] bioidentical.”
Can You Take Bioidentical Hormones Indefinitely?
Hormone therapy has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer, so most health experts recommend that women take the lowest dose for the shortest time, if they need it.
That research wasn’t done on bioidentical hormones. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s safe to take them for a longer time, Schiff says.
“If you have the exact same estrogen as one’s own body makes, it doesn’t mean it’s any safer,” says Schiff.
Schwartz counters that bioidentical hormones are chemically different from the hormone therapy drugs that were linked to health risks, saying “there is no reason to compare recommendations because they’re not the same product.”
Schwartz says she’s been prescribing bioidentical hormones for 14 years and takes them herself, having switched from other hormone therapy years ago. “I feel great and the women I work with feel great,” she says. “I have no complaints.”
Schiff doesn’t dismiss bioidentical hormones. “If I have a patient who says she wants a bioidentical … then I personally would prescribe a hormone like estradiol, which is what her ovaries made, and I would give it to her in a skin patch by one of the drug companies that I know; it has oversight by the FDA and it has the exact dose that I want her to have,” says Schiff, who has no ties to any drug companies. If a patient is already on a bioidentical hormone, “I try to find out exactly what she’s taking and try to make sure that it’s a safe dose and that she could be followed carefully,” Schiff says.
Schwartz says she gives her patients a choice between standardized bioidentical hormones or compounded products made by a lab she has vetted. She stresses the importance of doctors being trained about bioidentical hormones by other physicians who are knowledgeable about bioidenticals. “The physician has to work with the patient and the compounder,” Schwartz says.
Are Saliva and Blood Tests FDA Approved?
Yes, those tests are FDA approved for diagnostic purposes — but not to tailor hormone treatment.
“The tests are not approved for use to measure hormone levels to adjust hormone therapy,” says Uhl, who points out that hormone levels can fluctuate throughout the day.
Schwartz says she doesn’t believe saliva testing is appropriate and only uses blood tests with her patients.
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What About Oprah’s Experience?
“I’m happy that Oprah feels better,” Schiff says. “Every experience is an important experience … but everybody’s individual and they have to work that out with their doctor.”
Some women, Schiff notes, feel better when they start hormone therapy, but he’s not sure if bioidentical hormone therapy would give them an additional boost.
Compounded or not, bioidentical hormones are only part of the picture, Schwartz says.
“A lot of people just want to follow the celebrity,” she says. “Sometimes people come in and what they really need is to address their diet, their exercise, their lifestyle.”
“I think bioidentical hormones are great,” Schwartz says. “But if you don’t address them in the context of the whole person — with her diet, her exercise, her lifestyle, with her relationships, with her stresses — and you don’t work with everything, you’re not really going to be able to come up with the results that women would like to see.”
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HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
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Importance of Condoms in preventing STD’s
By Mayo Clinic staff
A male condom is a thin sheath placed over the erect penis just before sexual intercourse. Condoms, commonly called rubbers, are a very effective way to protect yourself and your partner from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and to prevent pregnancy. Condoms are simple to use, inexpensive and widely available.
Condoms are usually made of latex, but some are made from polyurethane or lambskin. Latex and polyurethane condoms provide the most protection against sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms are available with or without a lubricant in a variety of lengths, shapes, widths and thicknesses — and even come in different colors. Some condoms are textured to enhance sensation.
Condoms can prevent both pregnancy and STDs
If you use them correctly every time you have sex, condoms are effective at preventing pregnancy and the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. Condoms also reduce the risk of infection from other STDs, such as gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Herpes, Syphilis and Hepatitis.
Condoms don’t have the side effects found in some forms of female contraception, such as birth control pills or shots, or potential complications of an intrauterine device (IUD). They are available without a prescription, and are easy to obtain.
Risks of using Condoms to prevent STD’s
• Some people are allergic to latex, and if either partner is allergic, he or she may react to contact with a latex condom. Reactions to latex include rash, hives, runny nose, swelling and constriction of the airways and loss of blood pressure. In this case, a condom made from polyurethane or lambskin may be an option.
• While condoms are an effective way to prevent the transmission of STDs and to prevent pregnancy, they aren’t foolproof. While it’s rare, it’s still possible to get an STD or get pregnant when using a condom, especially if it breaks or comes off during sex. Even if you use condoms on a regular basis, it is still very important to get routine STD testing. Affordable, confidential STD testing is available from www.HealthCheckUSA.com
How you prepare to use a condom
Condoms are available without a prescription. They’re sold in many stores and from vending machines in some restrooms. Condoms may be less expensive at family planning clinics such as Planned Parenthood. They’re also usually available at university health centers.
Condoms come in a number of shapes, sizes and textures. Finding a condom that works well for you can take a little trial and error.
• Fit is important. If it’s too tight, a condom is more likely to break. If it’s too loose, it may slip off.
• Some men find that condoms decrease sensation or are uncomfortable to wear. You may find that a certain type of condom is more comfortable for you or provides greater sensation during sex.
Some condoms are lubricated with nonoxynol-9, a spermicide meant to help prevent pregnancy. However, condoms without spermicide appear to be a better option for several reasons:
• Spermicidal condoms don’t appear to be any more effective than other lubricated condoms at preventing pregnancy.
• Nonoxynol-9 may irritate or damage skin cells in the vagina and rectum. This could potentially increase the risk of getting an STD.
• Spermicide doesn’t help protect you or your partner against HIV/AIDS or other STDs.
• Spermicidal condoms cost more than other types of condoms and have a shorter shelf life.
Condom safety tips
• Store condoms in a cool, dry place. Exposure to air, heat and light increases the chance that a condom will break. Don’t keep condoms in a billfold, back pocket or glove compartment for an extended period of time. Friction, perspiration and changes in temperature can cause condoms to break down and become less reliable.
• Check the expiration date. Don’t use a condom after its expiration has passed.
• Check condoms for damage — brittleness, small tears or pinprick holes — before using.
• With latex condoms, be sure to use only water-based lubricants, such as K-Y jelly. Don’t use oil-based lubricants, such as petroleum jelly, baby oil, cooking oil or lotion. They can weaken a latex condom and cause it to break.
• Never reuse a condom. If a condom is inside out and does not unroll easily, don’t flip it over because there may be semen in it. Use another condom.
• If you’re concerned about preventing STDs, use a latex or polyurethane condom. Lambskin condoms don’t protect against STDs as well as latex or polyurethane condoms do. Read the label on the package to see what the condom is made of and whether it’s labeled for STD prevention.
• For the best protection from STDs, use a condom during any sexual activity, whether vaginal, oral or anal.
What you can expect from Condoms
It’s important to use condoms carefully, correctly and consistently.
• Open the package carefully. Don’t use teeth or fingernails.
• If you use condoms that aren’t already lubricated, apply lubricant inside and outside of the condom.
• If you’re not circumcised, make sure you pull your foreskin back before putting on the condom.
• Place the tip of the rolled-up condom over the erect penis. The rolled rim should be on the outside.
• Gently press the tip of the condom to remove air.
• Unless the condom has a reservoir tip, unroll the condom down over the entire penis while leaving room — a half-inch space — at the tip to collect the semen.
• Remove any air bubbles to make sure the condom fits correctly. An air bubble could cause the condom to tear or come off.
• After intercourse, withdraw the penis while holding the base of the condom so that the condom doesn’t come off. Then remove the condom and dispose of it in the trash. Don’t flush condoms down the toilet
Results of condom use
Condoms are an effective form of birth control. However, about 1 in 50 couples who use condoms correctly will get pregnant in a year. Chances of pregnancy increase if you don’t always wear a condom during intercourse, or you use condoms incorrectly.
Although there is still some risk for getting or transmitting STDs, condoms are very effective at preventing the transmission of most STDs. When used correctly, a condom creates a barrier that limits your exposure — and your partner’s exposure — to semen or other body fluids that can carry STDs.
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HealthCheckUSA is the nation’s leader in low cost, direct-to-consumer blood and lab testing and provides people the ability to access all types of blood, urine and saliva tests without a physician’s referral and at half the price. HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
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Written By Darryl Fears and Nelson Hernandez, Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
D.C. school officials are planning to offer STD lab tests for sexually transmitted diseases to all high school students in the coming school year, expanding a pilot program that uncovered a significant number of infected children.
The program conducted last year at eight high schools found that 13 percent of about 3,000 students tested positive for an STD, mostly gonorrhea or chlamydia, according to the D.C. Department of Health.
The expansion places D.C. public schools in the vanguard of a growing number of urban school districts that test adolescents for STDs. About 12,000 students attend public high schools in the District.
STDs are of particular concern to AIDS activists because they increase the risk of contracting HIV. The testing program was hailed in a report being released Wednesday by the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice as a positive step in the city’s effort to arrest its growing AIDS rate, which is the highest in the nation and is considered an epidemic. Half of the city’s cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea are among adolescents.
The program, which has been discussed by the D.C. school board, requires students to attend a lecture about STDs, but they can opt out of providing a urine sample for the test. All 50 states and the District allow minors older than 12 to be screened for STDs without parental consent.
“The program tells us that a lot of students in the public school system are engaging in unsafe sex,” said Walter Smith, executive director of D.C. Appleseed, which advocates for more AIDS outreach and education in the schools. “If 13 percent of these students are testing positive for STDs, those same kids could get HIV. A lot needs to be done to get the message out to the schools . . . and this very high STD rate is an indication that what we’ve been doing is not effective.”
In a 2007 study by the D.C. public school system, 60 percent of high school students and 30 percent of middle school students reported having had intercourse. Twenty percent of the high school students said they had had sex with four or more partners, and 12 percent of the middle school students said they had had three or more partners.
The D.C. schools first offered the tests two years ago at two charter schools. Health department workers presented a lecture on STDs to groups of 20 to 30 students in grades 9 through 12; none of the students was younger than 15. After the lecture, students were invited to submit urine samples for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing at a health department laboratory.
Of 987 students who attended the lectures, 68 percent submitted urine specimens, according to a report. Of those students, 9 percent tested positive for at least one STD.
Test results were provided confidentially by telephone, and the city paid for treatment at the school or an STD clinic. Students who decided to be treated by a family physician were responsible for their own payments. Students were counseled about STDs and HIV prevention, were given notification cards to inform partners of the positive diagnosis and were encouraged to share the results with their parents.
In the past school year, the program was modified and expanded to eight high schools: Ballou, Banneker, Anacostia and Dunbar high schools, Moore Academy and Choice Academy, and two charter schools, Rock Creek Academy and High Road Academy. In those schools, a 45-minute lecture was given, followed by a question-and-answer period, officials said.
Chad Ferguson, deputy chief of youth engagement for the D.C. schools, said the tests are administered by taking groups of 15 to 20 students at a time to the restroom area. The students are given paper bags containing urine collection cups and enter bathroom stalls. Once they get in the stalls, they can choose whether or not to provide urine samples. All the students return the paper bags, so other students do not necessarily know who did or did not provide a sample. Students provide a password and then call in a week later to get their result and treatment, if necessary.
The D.C. STD testing program is a near copy of a Philadelphia program that began in 2002. In the 2004-05 school year, 30,000 students in 53 high schools attended presentations, and 16,000 submitted specimens for testing, according to a report by the Philadelphia Department of Health. More than 4 percent tested positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea or both.
School systems in New York, Chicago, New Orleans and Baltimore, among others, either perform screening for sexually transmitted diseases or are preparing to begin pilot programs. In Baltimore, no parental consent is required. In New York, parents can elect to not have their child tested. In New Orleans, a parent must give consent for a child to take the test.
“We have Third World statistics in terms of our HIV issues, and from the HIV perspective, we do need to find a way to identify students so that we can help them,” said William Lockridge, a member of the State Board of Education representing Ward 8.
But he said parents need to be involved. “Right now, if you play sports in a public school, you have to get permission from your parents. If you take a field trip, you have to get permission from your parents. Why would it be any less for this? . . . Only if the parent gives the consent upfront would I do this.”
D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) offered a different viewpoint. “This isn’t necessarily intended to comfort adults,” said Catania, who chairs the health committee. “I don’t think you turn a blind eye and pretend these problems don’t exist.”
Catania said he has not heard much community opposition to the testing. “In this regard, I find our population to be extremely secure,” he said. “I’m not condoning this behavior. I don’t think young people are equipped for the consequences of engaging in sex, but the fact is that they do.”
Chlamydia is the most commonly reported disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 1.1 million new cases were reported in 2007, up from 1 million the previous year.
Because the condition is mainly asymptomatic, most cases of chlamydia go undiagnosed. The CDC estimates that there are actually about 2.8 million new cases of chlamydia in the country each year, indicating that more than 1 million are undiagnosed. Symptoms include an inflamed pelvis and chronic pelvic pain, similar to symptoms for gonorrhea.
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HealthCheckUSA is the nation’s leader in low cost, direct-to-consumer blood and lab testing and provides people the ability to access all types of blood, urine and saliva tests without a physician’s referral and at half the price. HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
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What you don’t know can hurt you. Ventura County’s lesser-known and most popular STDs
By Kit Stolz, 07/30/2009
The most feared of all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is the potentially deadly AIDS/HIV virus, which in 2005 struck 30 people in Ventura County, according to the Department of Public Health.
That, ironically, is the good news. The rate of AIDS/HIV infection has stabilized in recent years, and even declined slightly from that of five years ago.
The bad news is that more than 50 times as common as the HIV/AIDS virus is a sexually transmitted bacteriological disease called chlamydia. Chlamydia is epidemic in the United States, and the rate of infection in Ventura County has doubled in the last 10 years.
Chlamydia was diagnosed in 1,570 people in Ventura County in 2005, the most recent year for which there are official statistics. Most of those who contracted the disease were young. Nearly one-quarter of those who came down with the sexually transmitted disease (STD) were teenagers, and almost one-half of those who contracted the STD disease were between the ages of 20 and 24.
It’s the most frequently reported of all sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), both nationwide and in Ventura County. Although it’s not the most common of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), it’s one of the most likely to cause problems if not treated.
The real hazard of chlamydia is not that so many people have it and know it, but that a far larger number of people have it and don’t know it.
“It’s one of the most common infections we see,” said Dr. Kirk Cook, who works as a family doctor and serves as a public information official for the county, “but the number of cases we see is just a fraction, because most people who contract this disease do not have symptoms.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about three-quarters of infected women and about one-half of infected men do not show signs of chlamydia.
If symptoms do appear, they show up within one to three weeks after infection.
In women, medical experts say that the most common symptom is a vaginal discharge, pain during urination, pelvic pain or pain during sex.
In men, the most likely symptom is a burning experienced during urination. Because men’s sexual organs are simpler, the disease is more likely to be seen, but symptoms can vary. One Ventura County patient, who wished to keep his identity private, found a sore on his penis after a sexual adventure overseas.
“It didn’t hurt, but it was gross,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. I never saw anything like it. It looked like a crater on my dick. It just got bigger and bigger. I had to go to the doctor.”
Easy to cure and easy to contract, again Chlamydia is one of the easiest of all sexually transmitted diseases to treat. A single dose of an antibiotic pill named azithromycin can cure the disease, although doctors typically ask patients to return to take a second dose of the medicine, because one-quarter or more of those who are initially diagnosed with the disease are reinfected within months, usually by the same partner who passed on the disease in the first place.
“In California, the largest population affected by this disease are in the ages of 15-25,” said Cook. “I think that’s partly because these are people who are not mature adults, and also because chlamydia is not a disease that kills people, the way the HIV/AIDS virus can, so it’s easy to get complacent. But if this disease goes untreated in women, it can lead to pelvic inflammation and scarring of the fallopian tubes. This is a disease with bad long-term consequences for fertility.”
If a woman has no symptoms, or overlooks cramping, pain or a bloody discharge, the chlamydia infection can spread, often resulting in PID, or pelvic inflammatory disease, which can damage a woman’s reproductive organs. According to the Guttacher Institute, an international nonprofit organization focused on sexual health, about 20 percent of women who contract PID will lose their fertility permanently.
Why patients often don’t know who gave them the STD Disease
According to Dr. Adina Nack, a sexual health educator at Cal Lutheran University who published a book last year about women’s experiences with sexually transmitted diseases such as HPV, the human papillomavirus, STDs can remain hidden in the body and without symptoms for so long that a patient often isn’t sure who gave him or her the disease.
“One of my interviewees had been married once, gotten divorced, and then when she was with her second husband came down with symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection,” Nack said. “We tend to think that if we are exposed to one of these diseases, that we will get the symptoms within a short period of time, but it’s very possible to be exposed to an STD and not see your first symptoms for upwards of 18 months.”
This was the case of one young Ventura County woman, “Helen,” who had gotten engaged to be married when she suffered her first outbreak of genital herpes. She assumed at the time that her fiance had given her the disease, despite his denials, but now realizes that she probably picked it up when she was an undergraduate in college.
“It was horribly painful, and I blamed him,” she said. “I had no idea what was happening to me — I didn’t know anybody who had had herpes. It caused a lot of stress in the relationship, and we eventually broke up.”
Genital herpes is not on the list of sexually transmitted diseases reported to government medical authorities because, according to the Centers for Disease Control, blood tests for genital herpes can be “difficult to interpret.”
Blood tests can detect the presence of antibodies to herpes, but cannot reliably distinguish between herpes simplex type 1, which is more likely to cause fever blisters around the mouth, and herpes simplex type 2, the virus which usually causes genital herpes.
The virus is the most common sexually transmitted disease, infecting an estimated 45 million to 60 million Americans, according to the CDC.
Herpes can be passed on even if no symptoms are present. Although antiviral prescription drugs such as Valtrex can make the disease less painful and contagious, it’s still a disease profoundly damaging to what Nack, in her book Damaged
Goods, calls a woman’s “sexual self.”
An older woman in the San Fernando Valley, “Jamie,” wrote in an e-mail interview how she was devastated by a diagnosis of herpes simplex type 2 from a lover who died before she found out that he gave her the sexually transmitted disease.
“I was so wounded that I shut down socially. I had no social life for many years and did not even think about dating. I could not begin to imagine the misery and humiliation of having to have that infamous ‘talk’ that we, who know we have herpes, are supposed to have with a potential mate or lover. It is ironic because those who are spreading it are those who do not know they have it, which is most people with herpes,” she said.
Recovering from a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
According to Nack, the emotional devastation “Jamie” experienced when she caught a sexually transmitted disease is often what happens to women who contract STDs. Nack thinks this reflects the way we as a people have decided to look at sexual health.
“In this country, we consistently want to hold women responsible for sexual health, but not their male partners,” she said. “You can see this attitude play out with the Gardasil vaccine, which can protect against HPV (human papilloma virus, aka genital warts) in both men and women, but which has been marketed only to young women, and not as an HPV vaccine, but as a cancer vaccine. I don’t think we’re doing men any favors by letting them off the hook when it comes to taking care of their sexual health. They won’t get cervical cancer, but I have seen some seriously bad cases of genital warts on men.”
Nack points out that more than 6 million new cases of HPV are diagnosed each year, making it the second most common sexually transmitted disease after herpes. Complicating matters is the fact that the test for cervical cancer, the Pap smear, can detect the presence of abnormal HPV-altered cells around the cervix, but cannot detect the genital wart virus on external sex organs. A doctor who isn’t careful can give a patient the impression she doesn’t have HPV when she does, or can lead a patient to fear cervical cancer, when in fact she may only have contracted the virus that can sometimes develop years later into cervical cancer.
All too often, according to Nack’s research, doctors stumble over the complexities and uncertainties of diagnosis of sexually transmitted disease, especially in women. Two-thirds of the more than 40 women she interviewed at length complained that their doctors misdiagnosed their STDs, failed to explain them clearly, or even hurt them unnecessarily in treatment, adding to the pain and confusion.
Patients often go into “diagnostic shock” when they learn they have a sexually transmitted disease, Dr. Cook confirms.
“If a patient has symptoms, sometimes the diagnosis comes as a relief, especially with chlamydia, which is easy to treat,” he said. “But sometimes a patient will say, ‘I don’t even know what you’re talking about,’ or, ‘I never heard of it.’ Part of a doctor’s job is education, and with STDs, that means encouraging patients to contact sexual partners and encourage them to come in for treatment.”
Christine Lyon, of Planned Parenthood in Santa Barbara, points out that young patients are often reluctant to go to their family doctors for tests or treatments, knowing that this will likely spark questions from parents. She encourages young people who suspect they have an STD, or who want to know how to protect themselves, to visit Planned Parenthood or a county health clinic if a visit to a family doctor sounds intimidating.
“One in four young women in this country have an STD,” she said. “A lot of those cases are chlamydia. The known rate of chlamydia is higher in women than in men, but that’s probably because they are more likely to receive routine screening. Our goal is to treat anyone who comes through the door and wants reproductive health services.”
The good news about STDs
Contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) often turns out to be a strengthening experience in the long run, according to Dr. Nack. Many of the women she interviewed look back on themselves before they were infected as naive and passive, too compliant to the wishes of men.
“Once you decide you might want to be intimate with someone, you have to have ‘The Talk.’ You have to get your partner to be as honest as possible about their sexual health,” Nack said. “Because there’s a heavy moral stigma against being sexually active, it’s difficult for young girls to take an assertive role, but it’s really necessary. Condoms are great for preventing fluid-borne STDs, such as HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea, but skin-to-skin contact still takes place in sex, and that can pass other STDs, such as HPV and herpes.”
“Jamie” completely agrees that women must protect themselves, and objects fiercely to victims of sexually transmitted diseases being blamed for their misfortune.
“The herpes social stigma really makes me mad because it is the only serious harm it does to most people who contract, it,” she wrote. “It is not fair to make us lepers. I hate the stereotype ‘herpes whore.’ I got it while being faithful to a man I loved, a guy who should have gotten a special Oscar for Performance in a Personal Life. If you have sex with anyone — and at some point nearly everyone does — you risk contracting the herpes simplex virus. We are not bad people. We are unlucky.”
“Jamie” has taken to wearing confrontational T-shirts in public places, with slogans such as “VALTREX” or “HERPES DISCLOSURE.” She watches the expressions on the faces of people she passes, curious to see if they’re shocked, horrified or understanding, and gives out information on herpes if they’re curious.
She writes that she has mostly taken this one-woman personal sexual education campaign to places such as Venice Beach, but this summer plans to go to more conservative places.
If you see her, she hopes you will say “hi” and be accepting. She says she is only trying to protect you from the pain and heartbreak of coming down with an STD.
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HealthCheckUSA is the nation’s leader in low cost, direct-to-consumer blood and lab testing and provides people the ability to access all types of blood, urine and saliva tests without a physician’s referral and at half the price. HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
Category : blood tests, heart disease test
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Re-printed by from MayoClinic.com; main article written by the Mayo Clinic staff
Definition of a Cholesterol Blood Test
A complete cholesterol blood test — also called a lipid panel or lipid profile — is a group of blood tests that can measure the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. A cholesterol blood test can help determine your risk of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaques in your arteries that can lead to narrowed or blocked arteries throughout your body. If your cholesterol levels are high, you probably won’t have any signs or symptoms, so a cholesterol blood test is an important tool. High cholesterol levels are a significant risk factor for heart disease.
Why a Cholesterol Blood Test is Done
Cholesterol and triglycerides are substances that naturally circulate in your blood. Although these substances are necessary for your body to function normally, too much fat in your blood increases your risk of heart disease, a stroke, or narrowed arteries in your arms or legs (peripheral artery disease).
What’s Measured in a Cholesterol Blood Test?
A complete cholesterol blood test, referred to as a lipid panel or lipid profile, includes the measurement of four types of fats (lipids) in your blood:
- Total cholesterol. This is a sum of your blood’s cholesterol content.
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. This is sometimes called the “good” cholesterol because it helps carry away LDL cholesterol, thus keeping arteries open and your blood flowing more freely.
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This is sometimes called the “bad” cholesterol. Too much of it in your blood causes the buildup of fatty deposits (plaques) in your arteries (atherosclerosis), which reduces blood flow. These plaques sometimes rupture and can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
- Triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn’t need to use right away into triglycerides, which are stored in fat cells. High triglyceride levels usually mean you regularly eat more calories than you burn. High levels are also seen in overweight people, in those consuming too many sweets or too much alcohol, and in people with diabetes who have elevated blood sugar levels.
Who should get a cholesterol test?
All adults age 20 or older should have a cholesterol test once every five years. Ideally, you should begin having your cholesterol checked in your early twenties. You should have your cholesterol measured when you’re relatively healthy. An acute illness, a heart attack or severe stress can affect cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol blood testing is very important if you:
- Have a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease
- Are overweight
- Are physically inactive
- Have diabetes
- Eat a high-fat diet
These factors put you at increased risk of developing high cholesterol and heart disease.
If you have high cholesterol levels, your doctor may want you to get your blood tested more often. Discuss with your doctor how often you should have a cholesterol blood test if your cholesterol levels are abnormal.
Cholesterol is often high during pregnancy, so pregnant women should wait at least six weeks after giving birth to have their cholesterol measured.
Children and Cholesterol Blood Testing
Children as young as age 2 can have high cholesterol, but not all children need to be screened for high cholesterol. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a cholesterol blood test only for children between the ages of 2 and 10 who have a known family history of high cholesterol or premature coronary artery disease. Your child’s doctor may recommend retesting if your child’s first test shows he or she has normal cholesterol levels.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends testing if the child’s family history for high cholesterol is unknown, but the child has risk factors for high cholesterol, such as obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes.
Risks of getting a Cholesterol Blood Test
There’s little risk in getting a cholesterol blood test. You may have some soreness or tenderness around the site where your blood is drawn, or the site may become infected.
How you prepare for your Cholesterol Blood Test
You should fast (no food or liquids other than water) for nine to 12 hours before the test. You can drink water in the time leading up to the blood test, but avoid coffee, tea and other beverages.
Talk to your doctor about any other special requirements. Some medications, such as birth control pills, can increase your cholesterol levels. For this reason, if you take these or other medications, your doctor might want you to stop taking them for a few days before your cholesterol blood test.
What you can expect from your Cholesterol Blood Test
During the procedure
A cholesterol test is a blood test, usually done in the morning since you’ll need to fast for the most accurate results. Blood is drawn from a vein, usually from your arm. Before the needle is inserted, the puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic and an elastic band is wrapped around your upper arm. This causes the veins in your arm to fill with blood.
After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood is collected into a vial or syringe. The band is then removed to restore circulation, and blood continues to flow into the vial. Once enough blood is collected, the needle is removed and the puncture site is covered with a pressure wrap.
The entire procedure will likely last a couple of minutes. It’s relatively painless.
After the procedure
There are no special precautions you need to take after your cholesterol blood test. You should be able to drive yourself home and do all your normal activities. You may want to bring a snack to eat after your cholesterol test is done, if you’ve been fasting.
It may take a few days for you to get your results back. Your doctor should explain to you what the results of your test mean. It’s likely your doctor will want to retest you in several weeks or months if your test shows your cholesterol levels are high. Before starting any treatment based only on an abnormal cholesterol test, it’s common to get several tests done over a period of time to ensure an accurate diagnosis.
Cholesterol Blood Test Results
In the United States, cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood. In Canada and many European countries, cholesterol levels are measured in millimoles per liter (mmol/L).
The four main categories — total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides — are what are most commonly measured during a cholesterol blood test. Still, many doctors have begun examining other substances in the blood. Tests of these other substances in the blood are often done on the same sample of blood taken during a cholesterol test and meant to complement, not replace, a standard lipid blood panel or lipid blood profile cholesterol blood test.
If your results show that your cholesterol level is high, don’t get discouraged. You may be able to lower your cholesterol with lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, exercising and eating a healthy diet. If lifestyle changes aren’t enough, cholesterol-lowering medications also may help. Talk to your doctor about the best way for you to lower your cholesterol.
Women and cholesterol test results
The hormone estrogen tends to cause women to have higher levels of HDL, “good,” cholesterol but also higher levels of triglycerides. If you have higher levels of triglycerides than normal, talk to your doctor. Many women who are at risk of heart disease and have high cholesterol or triglyceride levels may benefit from cholesterol-lowering medications.
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HealthCheckUSA is the nation’s leader in low cost, direct-to-consumer blood and lab testing and provides people the ability to access all types of blood tests without a physician’s referral and at half the price.
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
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Sometimes called male menopause, aging-related hormone changes in men are very different from those in women. Understand signs, symptoms and treatment options.
Article re-printed from the MayoClinic.com by the Mayo Clinic staff
Hormone changes are a natural part of aging. Unlike the more dramatic hormone plunge that occurs in women during menopause, however, hormone changes in men occur gradually — over a period of many years. Here’s what to expect, and what you can do about it.
Debunking the male menopause myth
The term “male menopause” is sometimes used to describe decreasing testosterone levels related to aging. Female menopause and so-called male menopause are two different situations, however. In women, ovulation ends and hormone production plummets during a relatively short period of time. In men, hormone production declines more gradually. The effects — such as changes in sexual function, energy level or mood — tend to be subtle and may go unnoticed for years.
So what’s the best way to refer to so-called male menopause? Many doctors use the term “andropause” to describe aging-related hormone changes in men. Other terms for so-called male menopause include testosterone deficiency, androgen deficiency of the aging male and late-onset hypogonadism.
Understanding male hormones over time
Testosterone levels vary greatly among men. In general, however, older men tend to have lower testosterone levels than do younger men. Testosterone levels gradually decline throughout adulthood — about 1 percent a year after age 30 on average. By about age 70, the decrease in a man’s testosterone level can be as much as 50 percent.
Still, it’s important to have a thorough medical evaluation before attributing low testosterone to normal aging. Left untreated, various medical conditions — such as obstructive sleep apnea — may decrease testosterone levels.
Recognizing low testosterone levels
Some men have a lower than normal testosterone level without signs or symptoms. For others, low testosterone may cause:
- Changes in sexual function. This may include reduced sexual desire, fewer spontaneous erections — such as during sleep — and infertility. Your testes may become smaller as well.
- Changes in sleep patterns. Sometimes low testosterone causes insomnia or other sleep disturbances.
- Emotional changes. Low testosterone may contribute to a decrease in motivation or self-confidence. You may feel sad or depressed, or have trouble concentrating or remembering things.
- It’s important to note that some of these signs and symptoms are a normal part of aging. Others can be caused by various underlying factors, including medication side effects, thyroid problems, depression and excessive alcohol use. A blood test is the only way to diagnose a low testosterone level.
Physical changes. Various physical changes are possible, including increased body fat, reduced muscle bulk and strength, and decreased bone density. Swollen or tender breasts (gynecomastia) and hair loss are possible. You may experience hot flashes and have less energy than you used to.
Feeling your best
If you suspect that you have a low testosterone level, consult your doctor. He or she can evaluate possible causes for your signs and symptoms and explain treatment options. You can’t boost your natural testosterone production, but these steps may help:
Be honest with your doctor. Work with your doctor to identify and treat any health issues that may be causing or contributing to your signs and symptoms — from medication side effects to erectile dysfunction and other sexual issues.
Make healthy lifestyle choices. Eat a healthy diet and include physical activity in your daily routine. Healthy lifestyle choices will help you maintain your strength, energy and lean muscle mass. Regular physical activity can even improve your mood and concentration and promote better sleep.
Seek help if you feel down. Depression in men doesn’t always mean having the blues. You may have depression if you feel irritable, isolated and withdrawn. Other signs of depression common in men include working excessively, drinking too much alcohol, using street drugs or seeking thrills from risky activities.
Be wary of herbal supplements. Herbal supplements haven’t been proved safe and effective for aging-related low testosterone. Some supplements may even be dangerous. Long-term use of DHEA, for example, may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
Treating aging-related low testosterone with testosterone replacement therapy is controversial. For some men, testosterone therapy relieves bothersome signs and symptoms of testosterone deficiency. For others, however — particularly older men — the benefits aren’t clear. The risks are a concern as well. Testosterone replacement therapy may increase the risk of prostate cancer or other health problems. If you wonder whether testosterone injections or other testosterone treatments might be right for you, work with your doctor to weigh the pros and cons.
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Testosterone Free and Total Hormones Blood Test
Testosterone is a sex hormone produced mainly in men, but also in women. It causes the development of male sex characteristics (deepness of voice, hair growth patterns), strengthens muscle tone and bone mass, and effects sexual drive. In Women testosterone is used to explain the appearance of male characteristics, inability to get pregnant and as a marker for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The testosterone hormone blood test can be used to diagnose decreased sex drive in men and women, and infertility in men and women.
A decline in testosterone, with age and lifestyle, can have many men experiencing an increase in the levels of estrogen. The result is a testosterone/estrogen imbalance that directly causes many of the debilitating health problems associated with normal aging. The vast majority of men are surprised to learn that estrogen (a ‘female’ hormone) is also present in their bodies. It is produced in very small amounts as a by-product of the testosterone conversion process. In fact, balanced levels of estrogen in men are essential to encourage a healthy libido, improved brain function, protect the heart and strengthen the bones . . . high levels of estrogen can cause reduced levels of testosterone, fatigue, loss of muscle tone, increased body fat, increased risk of diabetes, heart attack or stroke, some cancers, loss of libido and sexual function and an enlarged prostate.
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This group of blood tests would typically cost $595 from your local doctor or hospital lab. At $229.99, that’s a savings of $400
Blood Tests Included Men’s Basic Hormone Profile:
Thyroid Blood Testing Panel II
The HealthCheckUSA Thyroid Panel II is a group of blood tests that includes Free T3, Free T4 and TSH that are often ordered together to help evaluate thyroid gland function and to help diagnose thyroid disorders. These hormones are chemical substances that travel through the bloodstream and control or regulate your body’s metabolism—how it functions and uses energy.
TSH is produced by the pituitary gland and is part of the body’s feedback system to maintain stable amounts of the thyroid hormones T4 and T3 in the blood. When concentrations decrease in the blood, the pituitary is stimulated to release TSH. The TSH in turn stimulates the production and release of T4 and T3 by the thyroid gland. When the system is functioning normally, thyroid production turns on and off to maintain constant blood thyroid hormone levels.
Free T4 measures the free, unbound thyroxine levels in your bloodstream. Free T4 is typically elevated in hyperthyroidism, and lowered in hypothyroidism.
Free T4 levels represent the level of hormone available for uptake and use by cells. T4 is the storage form of thyroid hormone, called levothyroxine or l-thyroxine, and it’s “main” purpose is to convert to the active hormone T3. Because the free levels of T4 represent immediately available hormone, free T4 is thought to better reflect the patient’s hormonal status than total T4.
Free T3 measures the free, unbound levels of triiodothyronine in your bloodstream. T3 is the active thyroid hormone, also called triiodothyronine, and can be the most important lab you will do. Free T3 is considered more accurate than Total T3. Free T3 is typically elevated in hyperthyroidism, and lowered in hypothyroidism.
Testosterone Free and Total Hormones
Testosterone is a sex hormone produced mainly in men, but also in women. It causes the development of male sex characteristics (deepness of voice, hair growth patterns), strengthens muscle tone and bone mass, and effects sexual drive. In Women testosterone is used to explain the appearance of male characteristics, inability to get pregnant and as a marker for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The testosterone test can be used to diagnose decreased sex drive in men and women, and infertility in men and women.
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Cancer Blood Test
The prostate cancer blood test (PSA) offered by HealthCheckUSA measures a protein (prostate specific antigen) produced exclusively by the prostate, which is a walnut-sized gland found in men only. It is recommended that you take a prostate cancer blood test (PSA) annually, beginning at age 50, if you do not have any serious medical problems and can be expected to live at least 10 more years, according to the American Cancer Society. Men at high risk for prostate cancer should begin prostate cancer blood testing (PSA) at age 45, or even age 40, depending on your personal and family medical history.
Prostate cancer often grows slowly, which is why early detection greatly aids in cures and treatments. The prostate cancer blood test (PSA) is also helpful after prostate cancer has been diagnosed because it can be used along with other tests to help you and your doctor decide which types of treatment might be best suited to your condition. For example, a very high prostate cancer blood test (PSA) level might indicate that the cancer has spread to other parts of your body. The prostate cancer blood test (PSA) can also show if your cancer treatment is working or if malignant cells still exist following treatment.
Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer in men in the United States (skin cancer is first). The American Cancer Society estimates about 30,350 men will die from prostate cancer in 2005, and 232,090 new cases will be diagnosed. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men, behind only lung cancer, the American Cancer Society says.
Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S)
Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) is an androgen, a hormone that is present in the blood of both men and women. It has a role to play in developing male secondary sexual characteristics at puberty, and it can be metabolized by the body and can be changed into the female hormone estrogen. Since DHEA-S is primarily produced by the adrenal glands, it is useful as a marker for adrenal function. DHEA-S is produced by the adrenal cortex, the outer layer of the adrenal glands, with smaller amounts being produced by the woman’s ovaries and man’s testes. DHEA-S secretion is controlled by the pituitary hormone adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and by other pituitary factors.
Estrone Hormone
Estrone is one of the three estrogens, which also include estriol and estradiol. Estrone is produced primarily from androstenedione originating from the gonads or the adrenal cortex. Estrone is relevant to health and disease states because of its conversion to estrone sulfate, a long-lived derivative. Estrone sulfate acts as a reservoir that can be converted as needed to the more active estradiol.
A decline in testosterone, with age and lifestyle, can have many men experiencing an increase in the levels of estrogen. The result is a testosterone/estrogen imbalance that directly causes many of the debilitating health problems associated with normal aging. The vast majority of men are surprised to learn that estrogen (a ‘female’ hormone) is also present in their bodies. It is produced in very small amounts as a by-product of the testosterone conversion process. In fact, balanced levels of estrogen in men are essential to encourage a healthy libido, improved brain function, protect the heart and strengthen the bones . . . high levels of estrogen can cause reduced levels of testosterone, fatigue, loss of muscle tone, increased body fat, increased risk of diabetes, heart attack or stroke, some cancers, loss of libido and sexual function and an enlarged prostate.
Additional Blood Testing Panels from HealthCheckUSA
- Men’s Comprehensive Blood Testing Profile
- Total Health and Wellness Lab Assessment
- Ultimate Health and Wellness Lab Assessment Save Over $700!
HealthCheckUSA is the nation’s leader in low cost, direct-to-consumer blood and lab testing and provides people the ability to access all types of blood tests without a physician’s referral and at half the price.
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
Low Cost Blood Testing Made Easy From HealthCheckUSA
Save Money with HealthCheckUSA
A simple blood test from HealthCheckUSA and is one of the most important tools consumers have for preventing diseases and improving their health and wellness. Before HealthCheckUSA, the only way consumer could buy blood tests were from their doctor’s office. No more! For over 20 years, HealthCheckUSA has been revolutionizing the way consumers buy blood tests and lab tests and get their blood tested. Consumers have the choice to purchase most blood tests that they can get from their doctor, but paying 50% – 80% less versus buying the same blood tests through their doctor.
Reasons Consumers are Buying Blood Tests from HealthCheckUSA
- HealthCheckUSA makes is possible for consumers with no insurance to afford blood tests. Consumers without insurance would pay much more through their doctor versus buying the blood tests from HealthCheckUSA – up to 80% savings on most tests.
- Consumers also have the choice of ordering most blood tests, from HealthCheckUSA, that they need versus trying to convince doctors to order the blood tests. Consumers are taking control of their health and ordering low cost blood tests from HealthCheckUSA.com.
- Consumers are ordering blood tests from HealthCheckUSA that concerned with preventing diseases like Heart Disease, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, prostate cancer and other types of cancer, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, sexually transmitted diseases like HIV Aids, Herpes, Hepatitis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis, hormonal imbalances like low testosterone (low “t”), infertility in men, erectile dysfunction, infertility in women, menopause in women, iron deficiency, Hemochromatosis, vitamin D deficiency, vitamin b-12 deficiency, and many more.
The advantages of having you blood tested with HealthCheckUSA
When deciding to buy your blood and lab tests at HealthCheckUSA, you can rest assured that you are getting the best quality and most convenient choice available. HealthCheckUSA has been serving the consumer directed blood testing community for over 20 years and have tested over 1 million people and our very experienced in the laboratory testing and our services have been written up in a variety of national publications, including TIME, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
Popular Blood Tests From HealthCheckUSA
Super Chemistry Blood Testing Panel
Total Cholesterol, HDL (Good), LDL (bad), rations, triglycerides, Glucose, Kidney, Liver & Heart functions, Electrolytes, Protein, Iron (anemia), Complete Blood Count (CBC). Total of 40 Blood Tests through HealthCheckUSA. Low Cost Blood Testing Made Easy by HealthCheckUSA.com.
Super Chemistry plus Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Blood Testing Panel
Prostate Cancer Blood Test (PSA) plus Super Chemistry which includes Total Cholesterol, HDL (Good), LDL (bad), rations, triglycerides, Glucose, Kidney, Liver & Heart functions, Electrolytes, Protein, Iron (anemia), Complete Blood Count (CBC). Low Cost Blood Testing Made Easy by HealthCheckUSA.com.
Super Chemistry plus Thyroid Panel Blood Testing Panel
Thyroid Panel (T3 Uptake, T4 Total and TSH) plus Super Chemistry which includes Total Cholesterol, HDL (Good), LDL (bad), rations, triglycerides, Glucose, Kidney, Liver & Heart functions, Electrolytes, Protein, Iron (anemia), Complete Blood Count (CBC). Low Cost Blood Testing Made Easy by HealthCheckUSA.com.
Men’s Blood Testing Panel
PSA, Diabetes Management Test (HbA1c), Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC), Testosterone Total plus Super Chemistry which includes Total Cholesterol, HDL (Good), LDL (bad), rations, triglycerides, Glucose, Kidney, Liver & Heart functions, Electrolytes, Protein, Iron (anemia), Complete Blood Count (CBC). Low Cost Blood Testing Made Easy by HealthCheckUSA.com..
Women’s Blood Testing Panel
Thyroid Panel (T3 Uptake, T4 Total and TSH), Diabetes Management Test (HbA1c), Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) plus Super Chemistry which includes Total Cholesterol, HDL (Good), LDL (bad), rations, triglycerides, Glucose, Kidney, Liver & Heart functions, Electrolytes, Protein, Iron (anemia), Complete Blood Count (CBC). Low Cost Blood Testing Made Easy by HealthCheckUSA.com.
How to order a blood test from HealthCheckUSA
Ordering a blood test through HealthCheckUSA is easy. You do not need to create an account first, since that is done automatically when you place your first order online. Now, let’s get started on how to order a blood test.
Placing Your Order for Blood Tests
1) Click here to Order a Blood Test
2) To find a blood or lab test, enter keywords in the search box, or browse our selections in the following blood and lab test categories: blood tests for Blood Type (CBC), blood tests for Cancer Screenings, blood tests for Cardiovascular Disease, blood tests for Cardiovascular Health, Combination Lab Test Panels, blood tests for Diabetes, DNA Lab Testing, lab tests for Hemochromatosis, Individual Lab Tests, blood tests for Men’s Health, Most Popular Lab Tests, blood tests for Nutritional Analysis, blood tests that include Premium Health Risk Assessment Reports, blood tests fro RealThyroidHelp.com, lab tests for Sexual Health (Sexually Transmitted Diseases STD’s), lab tests for Stop The Thyroid Madness, Substance Abuse Testing (drug testing), blood tests for the Roby Institute, lab tests for Thyroid Screenings, lab tests for Women’s Health, Other services that includes Physician Interpretation, and a category to view all blood and lab tests.
3) If you want to order a blood or lab test, click the “Add to Order” button on the detail page. The title of the blood or lab test will appear in your Order Summary.
To continue ordering more blood and lab tests, click Order More Blood Tests and follow the same instructions.
Proceed to Checkout to buy Blood Tests
1) When you’re ready to place an order, click the “Checkout” button.
2) When the disclaimer appears, please read it carefully and click “I agree” to continue.
3) In Checkout, you will then see the total amount of your order, including shipping and handling charges.
4) To create an account, enter your e-mail address, name, date of birth, gender, and address where we will mail your order form. You will also be asked to provide a password. Once your registration is completed, you can use the same shipping address and method of payment to order additional tests in the future.
5) Click the button to have our staff at HealthCheckUSA choose a convenient location, or cut and paste a lab testing location from one of our affiliated centers into the box provided.
6) Enter your credit card information. (This is a secure transaction.) Click the “Continue & Review Order” to proceed.
Submitting Your Order for Blood Tests
1) Review your order for blood and lab tests a final time. When you are ready to submit your order, click “Finalize Order.”
2) Your order receipt will appear. You will also receive a copy of the receipt via e-mail.
3) A customized form will be e-mailed to you upon receipt of your order.
4) Take the form to the selected lab testing location. Present your paperwork, and have your blood drawn in accordance with the lab test or lab tests you ordered. No appointment is necessary.
5) Your results will be available online from HealthCheckUSA within 3 – 7 days depending on which lab test or lab tests where ordered.
HealthCheckUSA is the nation’s leader in low cost, consumer blood and lab testing and provides people the ability to access all types of blood tests without a physician’s referral and at more than half the price of what a the same blood tests cost in a lab without insurance.
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.