Health Tip: Positive Pap Results
Most women should get their first Pap smear -- a test to detect cervical cancer -- once they become sexually active or reach age 18, the American Academy of Family Physicians says.
The test is recommended once a year until a woman has had at least three negative ones. After this, a woman should have a Pap smear at least every three years, unless her doctor thinks the test is needed more often, the academy says.
What could a positive result mean? The academy lists these possibilities:
* Inflammation of the cervix, attributable to factors including a yeast infection, HPV, herpes virus or other infection.
* Very early signs of cancer of the cervix, a condition called dysplasia.
* Moderately advanced cervical cancer.
* Very advanced stages of cancer.
Health Tip: Keeping Seniors on Their Feet
When an elderly person falls, it could cause life-threatening injury.
Here are steps you can take to make your home safe for seniors, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
* Keep the house well lit. Use bright lamps and overhead lighting, and keep night lights throughout the house.
* Fasten area rugs and carpeting well to the floor, and use nonskid rug pads.
* Keep electrical cords neat and out of areas where people walk.
* Install hand rails in bathrooms and stairways.
* In the kitchen, keep items within easy reach. Don't store things too high, where a stepladder is needed to reach them.
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