9Health Fair gives a voice to silent messages

Posted
By Dee McPeek

Special to The PREVIEW

How often do you stop and listen to what your body is telling you? You may pay attention when you feel sick with the flu, when your breath is short climbing the stairs or when your heart skips as a deer runs in front of the car.

What about the more subtle or even silent communications your body tries to send you? That is where your 9Health Fair results can provide a behind-the-scenes tour of your body’s messages and what they are trying to tell you about your health.

For example, your blood test screening sheds light on how your body is functioning by providing results of the levels in your cholesterol HDL, LDL, total cholesterol and cholesterol ratio. These are important in understanding your risk for heart disease.

Having the results of these messages gives you the power to make lifestyle changes if needed. Small changes can make a big difference, said Dr. Lori Mosca, director of the Columbia Center for Heart Disease Prevention in New York City.

“For every point you raise your HDL — that’s the ‘good’ cholesterol — you reduce your risk of coronary disease by 2 percent,” she said. “So just raising HDL by five points cuts your heart disease risk by 10 percent!”

Usually within three weeks after the fair, you’ll get a detailed written report on the screenings you chose, as well as a duplicate copy of your screening results which can be shared with your health care provider. Should there be any issues in your report, you and your doctor are one step ahead in moving forward with any treatment you may need.

If you have an abnormal out-of-range value (seriously too high or seriously too low) in any of your lab results, a representative from 9Health Fair should call you within 24 to 72 hours from the date of your blood draw. The fair’s medical professionals will recommend what follow-up care to seek.

Your opportunity for learning more about your health is April 30, from 7 to 11 a.m. at Pagosa Springs High School. Online preregistration is available at www.9healthfair.org/FindAFair.

If you have any questions, contact Caroline Brown at 731-4248 or pagosa9healthfair@gmail.com.

Join the millions of past 9Health Fair participants who have learned the importance of their subtle and silent body communications. Make Saturday, April 30, the day you start hearing — and responding.