“It’s All About the Numbers”
With the US Census upon us we are faced with the fact that a lot of what we have or do not have is based upon how many of us there are and where we are. The following statement is taken directly from the US Census website” “When you do the math, it's easy to see what an accurate count of residents can do for your community. Better infrastructure. More services. A brighter tomorrow for everyone. In fact, the information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services….”
Likewise, with men who face their annual check ups, it’s all about your numbers. You can go down the list: height and weight, body temperature, blood pressure, PSA, cholesterol, glucose and on an on. With each of these there is an ideal level or number and then there is a level that draws the attention of your health care practitioner. That is what happened to me about a year ago with my PSA and cholesterol levels. The number associated with my PSA test raised a flag that started a series of events that I had not anticipated. A “4.02” waved a red flag during an application process for life insurance. However, 3.99 would have been acceptable. Three one hundredths determined the course of action that impacted me over the last 11 months. A cholesterol level of 233 was a little unnerving as well
With all of this now in the rearview mirror I have a new set of numbers with which to work. As of April 5th, 2010 my PSA level is down to 1.42 (thanks to Protons) and my cholesterol is down to 165 (thanks to diet and exercise). If all goes according “to the numbers’ my PSA level should continue this downward trend in the following years to where it will eventually level off. I am aiming for similar results with my cholesterol.
With the US Census upon us we are faced with the fact that a lot of what we have or do not have is based upon how many of us there are and where we are. The following statement is taken directly from the US Census website” “When you do the math, it's easy to see what an accurate count of residents can do for your community. Better infrastructure. More services. A brighter tomorrow for everyone. In fact, the information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services….”
Likewise, with men who face their annual check ups, it’s all about your numbers. You can go down the list: height and weight, body temperature, blood pressure, PSA, cholesterol, glucose and on an on. With each of these there is an ideal level or number and then there is a level that draws the attention of your health care practitioner. That is what happened to me about a year ago with my PSA and cholesterol levels. The number associated with my PSA test raised a flag that started a series of events that I had not anticipated. A “4.02” waved a red flag during an application process for life insurance. However, 3.99 would have been acceptable. Three one hundredths determined the course of action that impacted me over the last 11 months. A cholesterol level of 233 was a little unnerving as well
With all of this now in the rearview mirror I have a new set of numbers with which to work. As of April 5th, 2010 my PSA level is down to 1.42 (thanks to Protons) and my cholesterol is down to 165 (thanks to diet and exercise). If all goes according “to the numbers’ my PSA level should continue this downward trend in the following years to where it will eventually level off. I am aiming for similar results with my cholesterol.
