March 10 was National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.  Women are encouraged to get tested regularly (every 6 months) The number of people with HIV is on the rise and the virus is hitting females the hardest.  Get tested and encourage girls who you know to do so as well.

New research shows that the HIV/AIDS virus can hide in the bone marrow, which is where blood cells develop.  While in hiding, the virus avoids drug treatment.  Later the virus can come out of hiding and cause of major illnesses for the infected person.  This new information hopefully will help researchers develop better methods of treatment for the virus.  To find out more info, read this.

The number of people infected with genital herpes is still on the rise.  Those most likely to become infected are women, more specifically African American women.  Having herpes increases your chance of contraction of HIV and of transmitting HIV to another person.  Do you part and practice safe sex.  To find out more information, read this.

With Spring Break around the corner, people should remember that is so easy to catch a virus, especially when you are in crowded places where germs are sure to be found.  Flu season may be almost over, but you still need to be cautious when on vacation.  You might want to get the flu shot and H1N1 shot if you haven’t gotten them already and pack some hand sanitizer.  Check this out for more info!

Recent studies show that two types of freezing (fast and slow) have the ability to kill cancerous cells.  It is believed that the body reacts to the freezing by creating a natural barrier to the disease.  This looks very promising! Check this out for more info.

When you hear the words “they had sex” or “they hooked up” so many different things can come to the mind.  And what comes to your mind can depend on who you are around at the time you hear the phrase or the context of the phrase.  A recent study done by Indiana University shows that there is a large disparity in what people believe the definition of having sex is.  That is a big problem because until we all have the same definition of sex, some people will be under the impression that they are not at risk for certain diseases.  This in turn puts more than just that person at risk.  What is your definition of hooking up or having sex?  To find out more, read this.

Now it is easier than ever to test for diabetes and heart disease.  With the help of the A1C blood test doctors get help evaluate if there is a need for lowering your cholesterol or a lifestyle change.  To find out more information, read this.

Research has shown that drinking a couple of cups of coffee a day can cut the risk of heart rhythm problems.  To find out more info, read this.

Losing weight will do more than help you look awesome for swimsuit season.  It will help keep your heart healthy.  It is believe that weight loss can actually reverse artery clogging, not just slow it down.  Check this out for more info.

The words kids and cardiac arrest generally don’t go in the same sentence, but unfortunately that is beginning to change.   It could get worse if we don’t get kids to exercise more, eat healthier and get check ups more often.  Check out this article about a Houston mom’s campaign to get kids’ hearts checked at an earlier age.