The Doctors: HPV Prevention & High Blood Pressure Vs. Cholesterol

The Doctors: Abstinence and HPV

A viewer who was remaining abstinent until marriage wanted to know what she could still be doing to prevent HPV.

The Doctors: What is HPV?

HPV is a virus that can cause very serious health problems. HPV is also the number one cause of cervical cancer. If you are young enough, you should consider gettting vaccinated against HPV.

Why? Because the vaccine is easy, safe, and effective. Dr Masteron said that with the HPV vaccine, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Later on, when an abstinent person does get married, their partner could still expose them to HPV. Better to get protected now than be sorry later.

The Doctors: High Cholesterol Vs High Blood Pressure

Which is worse: high blood pressure or high cholesterol? According to Dr Stork, they are both silent killers, and they both go hand-in-hand. High blood pressure is caused by strain on your arterial walls, and high cholesterol causes plaque build-up on those walls. When both high blood pressure and high cholesterol continue to increase, it leads to strokes and serious heart attacks.

There are many ways that you can reduce your risk for high blood pressure and high cholesterol: lower you diet in terms of saturated fat, increase fiber, eat  more omega 3 fatty acids (nuts and olive oil), quit smoking, and reduce alcohol intake. When one goes down, so will the other, creating a healthier you.

Dr Sears said that unfortunately, he has been seeing a higher percentage of children with both high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Don’t assume that these are diseases just for adults; keep your children healthy, also.