“Do-it-yourself Medical testing kits are convenient, but beware of the pitfalls” proclaims the headline on the Miami Herald site.  Citing convenience, affordability and privacy as the reason for an increased use of home medical testing along with the fact that science and technology in the last decade have made it possible to have reliable home tests available.

Pe0ple want to have more control over their health is another reason driving the home medical tests and is having a positive effect according to  Dr. Richard J. Cote, chair of the Department of Pathology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine:

`People are getting screened who might not otherwise,” Cote says. “Sure, it gives people the opportunity to avoid seeing a doctor, but if they test positive, it becomes necessary to see a physician. The test isn’t the same as preventing you from seeing a physician — in fact, it’s the thing driving people to a physician.”

Beware of the Pitfalls – so what are the pitfalls according to the Miami Herald:

A Waste of Time and unnecessary expense because a cholesterol test is just simpler to do at your doctors office and doesn’t need to be checked on a daily or monthly basis.

True, you don’t need to check your cholesterol very often, but what if you are uninsured and have no issues that you need to go to a doctor for at this time, but want to check your cholesterol to make sure you don’t have a problem.  A home cholesterol test is a home medical test that can give you the peace of mind of knowing your cholesterol level without going to the doctor.

Another good use of a home cholesterol test is if you are turning over a new leaf with a new diet and exercise program.  Recording your weight, measurements and cholesterol levels before beginning your program and then checking them in again in three months is a great way to see your progress and an even better incentive to stick with the program if you can see improvements both outside and inside on your health.

As with any product on the market there are pros and cons and each product should be evaluated closely with home medical testing no exception.  Rely on your local pharmacies and trusted online sites who have been in the industry for many years to offer a selection of quality, FDA approved home medical tests.

The State of Massachusetts still requires written consent from the patient before an HIV test can be performed.  Currently, there are two bills before the state senate that would require health care providers to discuss the test, provide treatment options if it is positive, recommend periodic testing if at-risk individual is negative, and advise patients they have the right to decline HIV testing.

Two senators, Patricia Jehlen and Robert O’Leary, both Democrats are sponsoring the bill.  O’Leary also wants the state department of health to study how to reach people who are at risk for HIV but are not getting tested.

This is a hotly debated issue across the country since the CDC recommended that general consent for medical care should be considered sufficient in an effort to increase the number of people being tested for HIV.

Many HIV groups remain opposed and believe that a written consent from the patient should be signed to make sure they are aware they are being tested and to give them the full option of understanding they can decline the test.

These new bills in Massachusetts and one earlier in the year in Michigan want to remove the need for signed consent from the patient.  However, the concern is that if the patient does not sign that they may not be fully aware that they are being tested or they may not realize that they have an option to not be tested.  The bill in Michigan was sponsored by Rep. Roy Schmidt (D-Grand Rapids).  Spectrum Health, a Michigan company, requested the legislation, said the current law “creates a barrier to diagnosis and treatment that is inconsistent with recommendations from [CDC].”

A commonly cited study when pushing for this change is from San Francisco Department of Public Health Medical Center (SFDPH) in 2006 when they eliminated the required written consent for HIV testing as per the CDC recommendation.   After reviewing the testing data from 2003 – 2007, the SFDPH has seen an increase in the average monthly rate of HIV tests by 4.38 per 1,000 patient visits which was a 44% increase in testing.

While the issue continues to be debated across the country, you still have a choice to take a home aids test and get your results anonymously and without visiting a medical facility.

Broward General Medical Center in Florida has released a statement that 1,800 patients who were at the hospital for a chemical stress test could have been exposed to a bloodbourne infection.  Someone called the hospital’s Compliance Hotline to report seeing a nurse reuse the same saline bag and a portion of tubing which are supposed to be one use supplies.  Patients who may have been exposed had come into the hospital for heart stress tests, and were administered medication to raise their heart rates and increase blood flow, as opposed to running on a treadmill.  The Hospital is investigating and has reported that 1,851 patients received the tests with the nurse in question handling their test.  So far the Hospital has tested 410  of these patients for HIV and hepatitis. 

Earlier this year a hospital in Denver, Rose Medical Center, was being investigated because of patient developing  hepatitis C after having surgery there.  After months of interviewing of patients and reviewing employee files, state investigators discovered a 26 year old operating room tech who’d tested positive for hepatitis C had been fired later for drug use.

State health officials and Denver police, tracked the employee down and questioned her and she admitted stealing fentanyl, a painkiller used in surgical procedures.  She would steal the syringe off the cart in the operating room and replace it with a a saline syringe.  But the saline syringe was often a needle she had used on herself.  The employee was fired before this investigation after being caught in an operating room where she didn’t belong and testing positive for fentanyl.  Shockingly after being fired for testing positive for an operating room drug, she was hired in two weeks at Audubon Surgery Center in Colorado Springs where she continued to steal drugs and leave infected needles for patients. 

Rose Medical Center announced the hospital would pay for blood tests for 4,700 patients who had surgery there between October, 2008 and April, 2009 and may have been exposed.  The Audubon Surgery Center notified 1,200 patients for testing as well.  By early September, 75 patients of the two centers had tested positive for hepatitis C. The state says 16 of those positive cases have now been matched more definitively to the employee through lengthy DNA testing.

Kristen Diane Parker, 26, the surgery technician, who committed this crime while knowing she had hepatitis C has plead guilty and been sentenced to 20-years in federal prison.  Now investigators are digging further into Parker’s short career to discover that she has worked in hospitals in New York and several in Texas and more tests will need to be done.

Another incident this year was with the Veteran Affairs clinics and a sanitation procedure which potentially exposed patients to contaminated medical equipment.  The VA had to test more than 10,000 patients for HIV, Hepatitis C and other blood borne infections after discovering that several of their clinics incorrectly cleaned equipment used in colonoscopies.  At least five veterans have tested positive for HIV and more than 40 for hepatitis.

While we want to trust the care we receive in hospitals, we have to realize these are human beings with jobs.  Innocent mistakes happen and criminal acts happen in hospitals and can have far reaching results on people who went there for health care and end up with a disease.  When considering risk factors for HIV and hepatitis C, we often only consider our own actions and whether we have been at risk.  But for Lauren Lollini who went to Rose Medical Center for a kidney stone operation, she had no other risk factors in her life like needle use (intravenous drug users, amateur tattoo enthusiasts).  Taking an HIV test, AIDS test or hepatitis C test is not just for high risk individuals — there are more risks than we realize.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the 1980’s.  Today more is known about how to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS.  The 9/2 Minutes website has an section called “Voices of Experience” with video stories of people who are living with HIV infection.

One of the stories is from Denise, a woman who was diagnosed with HIV 27 years ago at the age of 16 when she was trying to join the military.  She has had AIDS since 1996 and has become an advocate for HIV / AIDS education.

“I would just encourage anybody — find out what your status is. If you don’t know, you can’t do anything about it, but if you know, you’re the one that’s in control of your life. And I’m in control, I’m happy, and I’m living a really, really happy life.”

Another story is from Pamela, who was diagnosed after 16 years of marriage who says:

“I’ve also done a lot of volunteering since I found out that I was HIV-positive, and during that time, I also tried to explain to the middle-school and high-schoolers, as well as women’s support groups, about the importance of knowing your status and also the prevention thereafter.”

The Voices of Experience all stress the importance of getting tested and knowing your status.  Get tested today.  A home aids test is a private and convenient way to learn your status.

Workplaces and organizations across the world have participated in World Heart Day to improve the wellness, health and physical fitness of employees around the globe.   World Heart Day urges action against heart disease and stroke: the world’s leading causes of death.

As part of its commitment to the World Economic Forum initiative “Working Towards Wellness”, World Heart Day 2009 is dedicated to the “Work with Heart” theme.  The World Economic Forum, the World Heart Federation and the World Health Organization have joined forces to call on governments, employers and workers around the world to make workplaces healthier. Over 17.2 million people worldwide die annually from heart disease and stroke – the world’s leading causes of death. Workplace wellness programs that encourage healthy diets, physical activity and restrictions on tobacco use show they are a cost-effective way to save lives and improve productivity.

Workplaces are an ideal setting to encourage healthy lifestyles. Most people spend over one-half their waking hours at work. This year’s call is to “Work with Heart”. Small changes, such as bans on smoking, making more fruit and vegetables available at cafeterias, and encouraging workers to incorporate physical activity into their daily routine, can make a big difference in terms of better health. These measures help prevent not just heart disease and stroke, but also other chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease, which together cause 60% of all deaths worldwide.

If employers commit to a healthy lifestyle workplace there are benefits for them as well since they will see increased productivity and up to 20% fewer sick days — not to mention improved morale.

Another area that employers can raise awareness about is health screenings.  Health screening is testing designed to identify disease in individuals without signs or symptoms but who may be at risk which allows for earlier intervention and management of a disease. Some of the most common screening tests include blood pressure (a risk factor in heart disease), cholesterol (also a risk factor for heart disease) and blood sugar (a risk factor for diabetes).

Employers can offer these screening tests to employees to take in the privacy of their own home for a nominal expense which can have a large impact if a disease is prevented.  Employers can show their staff that they care about their well being by presenting home screening tests to encourage annual screening.

Show your staff that you care and “Work with Heart”.

The CDC’s latest estimates suggest that more than 56,000 Americans become infected each year—one person every 9½ minutes—and that more than one million people in this country are now living with HIV.   CDC also estimates that roughly 1 in 5 people infected with HIV in the United States is unaware of his or her infection and may be unknowingly transmitting the virus to others.

HIV prevention can and does save lives.  While it is difficult to count what has not happened, the CDC estimates that prevention efforts have averted more than 350,000  HIV infections in the United States to date.  But the HIV crisis in America is not over because every 9 1/2 minutes someone else is infected.

We can all take part in the solution to the HIV epidemic by first getting tested.  If you are infected then you can seek medical care for yourself and protect others from becoming infected.  HIV prevention begins with each of us taking responsibility for our own testing and knowing our status.

As a community we need to overcome the challenges and barriers to HIV prevention through education, awareness and letting go of the stigma associated with the disease .  Too many Americans have become complacent about HIV.  A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the percentage of Americans who rank HIV as a major health problem has declined precipitously over the past decade.

The HIV epidemic in the USA is real, here are some facts:

• Every 9½ minutes (on average), someone in the United States is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
• In 2006, an estimated 56,300 people became infected with HIV.
• More than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV with African-Americans accounting for almost half
• Of those 1 million people living with HIV, 1 out of 5 do not know they are infected. (People who have HIV but don’t know it can unknowingly pass the virus to their partners.)
• Despite new therapies, people with HIV still develop AIDS.
• Over 1 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with AIDS.
• More than 14,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the United States.
• AIDS is the leading cause of death among Black women between 25 and 34.

“It’s imperative that we confront a serious threat to the health of our nation. And that threat is complacency – a false sense of security, a false sense of calm that hides what remains a serious epidemic. The fact is that, right here in the United States, every 9½ minutes someone’s mother, someone’s daughter, someone’s son, someone’s father, or friend, becomes infected with HIV.”

Dr. Kevin Fenton
Director, CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis,
STD, and TB Prevention

The first step to HIV prevention is testing – find a testing site or purchase a home hiv test.

As many as one million Americans are infected with HIV, but approximately 200,000 don’t know they have the disease because they haven’t been tested for it according to the CDC.

Diagnosing HIV early is necessary, so people who are infected can benefit from the available treatments.  Currently, almost 40% of people with HIV are not diagnosed until they have developed AIDS which can be ten years after they first become infected.

Learning one’s HIV status has been shown to result in substantial reductions in risk behavior.   Testing is a critical component of prevention efforts because when people learn they are infected, they can take steps to protect their own health and prevent HIV transmission to others.

Undiagnosed infection remains a significant factor fueling the HIV epidemic.  The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested for HIV at least once as part of their routine health care. Testing once a year (or more frequently) is recommended for people at high risk of the virus, such as gay and bisexual men, injection drug users, or people with multiple sexual partners.

Take the test and take control -  once you learn your status, if you find out that you have HIV infection, you can seek medical care that can reduce the impact of HIV on your health, substantially increase your lifespan, and improve your quality of life.   You can also take steps to help ensure that you do not transmit the virus to others.

Finding out whether you are infected with HIV is the first step to improving your health and the health of your partners and your family.  There are many options for hiv testing.  You can find a testing site near you.  You can also take a home hiv test which is FDA approved and clinically proven to be 99% accurate.

Take the test, take control.

September is National Cholesterol Education Month which is a good reminder to get your blood cholesterol checked and take steps to lower it if it is high.

Lowering your cholesterol is possible with changes in diet, weight and physical activity.  Sometimes minor changes in your lifestyle can prevent you from reaching high levels of cholesterol which may require a medication to control.  The key is to know your number and work to keep it at a healthy level.  You can screen for your total cholesterol number at home with an easy to use home cholesterol test to see if you should be working to lower your cholesterol.

Blood cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).  The desireable range is less than 200 mg/dL.  A Borderline High range is between 200 – 239 mg/dL.  A High cholesterol level is above 240 mg/dL.

The goal is to keep your cholesterol level below 200 and here are some tips for getting there and keeping it there.

Eat Smart – Cut back on foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.  Saturated fats are found in foods such as high-fat meat, cheese, milk and butters.  Trans fats are found in foods such as vegetable shortening, stick margarine, fried foods and baked products.

Eat more of these types of foods:

• fat-free milk, cheese and yogurt
• fruits, vegetables and whole grains
• fish
• turkey and chicken without skin
• lean cuts of meat
• beans and lentils
• whole grain foods

Eat less of these types of foods:

• whole milk, full-fat cheese and ice cream
• fatty cuts of meat
• sausage, hotdogs and bologna
• egg yolks
• butter and stick margarine

Get Moving – start exercising and adding physical activity every day.  You should try to be physically active for 30 minutes every day if possible.

Monitoring your cholesterol level and keeping it in a healthy range is something you can do for your health this month!

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As our economy struggles to recover and unemployment climbs surveys show that many Americans are tightening their budget when it comes to health care. When a decision is made to increase an insurance deductible or to cancel health insurance, many also opt to delay preventative health care and health screenings.

Earlier this year the American Academy of Family Physicians released a survey of family doctors that reported they were seeing more health problems as a result of skipped preventative care, such as screenings or unfilled prescriptions.

There is an alternative to neglecting your health that at times can cost less than a doctor’s visit or co-pay.   A growing trend in health care over the last decade has been the approval by the FDA of several health tests that can be taken at home.   These tests have proven to save money and time while giving people the ability to be more engaged with their health.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), in 2004, there were 6.5 million visits to doctors’ offices that included a cholesterol test being done or ordered. Cholesterol tests are a very common health screen used to prevent high cholesterol levels and to help monitor the progress when someone is trying to reduce their cholesterol levels.  Did you know there are several alternatives to visiting a doctor to check your cholesterol level?

Cholestrak is a home cholesterol test that provides your total cholesterol level in ten minutes. This FDA approved test is just as accurate as tests used by doctors and in fact, a number of doctors use this same test in their offices.  By following four simple steps this test has a 97% accuracy rate.   Cholestrak is available for $17.99 for a package of two home cholesterol tests that have a shelf life for over a year so you can test yourself now and save one for later.

If you need a more detailed full lipid panel showing your total cholesterol, HDL (good cholesterol), LDL (bad cholesterol) and Triglycerides then you can use the CheckUp America Cholesterol Panel ($ 42.95). This home test kit uses blood from a simple fingerstick which is mailed to the lab for analysis.  A complete cholesterol profile is mailed to your home within a week.

While these tests are not a substitution for a doctor’s care, they do provide an alternative to monitoring your health.  There are also home health tests for glucose, colon screening, hepatitis C, HIV, kidney function, psa and thyroid.  Visit Home Health Testing for a complete selection of health tests you can take at home.

The American Cancer Society’s most recent estimates for colon cancer in the United States are:

• 106,100 new cases of colon cancer (52,010 in men and 54,090 in women)
• 40,870 new cases of rectal cancer (23,580 in men and 17,290 in women)
• Lifetime risk for developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 19 (5.3%)
• Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and is expected to cause about 49,920 deaths (25,240 in men and 24,680 in women) during 2009

However, there is a very encouraging statistic in their latest report:

• The death rate (the number of deaths per 100,000 people per year) from colorectal cancer has been dropping for more than 20 years.

Colon Screening has been sited as a leading reason the death rate is dropping since polyps are being found by screening and removed before they can develop into cancers.  Colorectal cancer screening allows for more colorectal cancers to be found earlier when the disease is easier to cure.  Annual screening and improved treatment methods over the last several years have allowed the death rate to decrease and as a result, there are now more than 1 million survivors of colorectal cancer in the United States.

The American Cancer Society recommends beginning at age 50, both men and women at average risk for developing colorectal cancer should use a screening test every year.   However, only half of people aged 50 or older, for whom screening is recommended, have received the tests.  Screening at the recommended annual frequency improves the chance that colorectal cancer will be detected at an earlier stage when it is more likely to be cured.

In addition to regular colon screening, a healthy lifestyle will help prevent colorectal cancer including, maintaining a healthy weight throughout life, physical activity, a healthy diet with an emphasis on plant sources and limiting consumption of alchoholic beverages.

Read the full American Cancer Society report titled “Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2008-2010“

Learn more about Home Testing options at Home Health Testing

Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign