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Special Thanks to Seth Riker

Everything You Need to Know About PrEP

What is PrEP?

 Once seen as a death sentence, living a normal life with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is possible. However, prevention is still an important goal in the community. Once HIV is present in the body, the virus attacks and weakens the immune system leaving the person susceptible to many illnesses.

 PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) can be prescribed to you by a physician to reduce the risk of HIV infection by blocking and preventing the spread of the virus. Before the physician can prescribe the medication, you must have tested HIV negative from the 3-6 months that you last had engaged in unprotected sex (oral, anal, vaginal) or injected drugs.

Why should you take PrEP?

    Choosing to be on this medication is empowering. You are taking a stance to protect your body from HIV BEFORE potentially being exposed to the virus. HIV can be spread through:

• Semen or vaginal fluid when engaging in oral, vaginal, or anal sex.
• Blood
• Breast Milk

Who takes PrEP?

If you plan to engage in sex with an HIV positive (+) partner or are planning a pregnancy with an HIV (+) partner. PreEP is mainly taken by MSM (men who have sex with men), transgender women, and heterosexual women. Anyone who wants to protect themselves can talk to a physician to see if they can get prescribe PrEP.

****In case of emergency situations with risk of exposure to HIV such as sexual assault, PrEP should not be taken. Instead, PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) can be prescribed to reduce the chance of infection. PEP is taken AFTER possible exposure to HIV and must be taken with within 72 hours, either once or twice daily for 28 days.

What precautions should I be aware about?

DO continue follow-ups with your physician for an HIV and STI tests every three (3) months.

DO take the pills daily as directed. If taken correctly, the medication has a higher chance of protecting you from the virus.

DO continue to take other preventative measures.

DON’T stop wearing a condom. PrEP will not protect you from contracting STI’s such as chlamydia & gonorrhea. Plus, using a condom alongside with PrEP will increase the chance of preventing HIV.

DON’T share your PrEP pills with anyone else. Taking PrEP that was not prescribed for you can bad for your health.

Be aware that PrEP doesn’t take effect immediately! The CDC states that PrEP will provide for receptive anal sex after 7 days, and after 20 days for oral & vaginal sex or injection drug use. Nausea is a common side effect when taking this medication, but there are no known serious side effects.

Check out https://www.worldaidsday.org/ to learn more about HIV/AIDS and to see how you can fight the stigma.

To learn more visit:

http://www.utahaids.org/

http://www.aids.org

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/

Diabetes Prevention and Management

November is here is which marks the beginning of Diabetes Awareness Month. In the United States, diabetes is an epidemic that is growing at an alarming rate. Do you have a hard time believing this? As the 7^th leading cause of death, the CDC estimates that 1 in 11 have diabetes and is projected to increase to 1 in 3 by 2050 [Source: State of Obesity].

What is diabetes? Normally, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to lower blood glucose (sugar) levels. A person with diabetes cannot produce enough insulin or use insulin which causes blood sugar levels to increase. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where your immune system accidentally confuses pancreas cells for an infectious agent & attacks it. As a result, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. In Type 2 Diabetes, a person develops insulin resistance (the body is not using insulin like it should) & overtime the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin. 

Here is the important part: Type 2 diabetes is preventable through exercise and a well-balanced diet!!!

Here are some tips to follow whether you have diabetes, pre-diabetes, or want to prevent diabetes.

Eat well. Contrary to the common belief, a person with diabetes does not need to eliminate all sweets. The key is management! Start by planning meals in advance, researching healthier recipes, and getting advice from a dietician. The goal is to consume less saturated fats & sugars, eat smaller portions, & eat more fiber, beans, & dark green or orange vegetables.

Stay active. The National Diabetes Association suggests engaging in aerobic exercise & strength training for 150 minutes each week. It is highly recommended to create a plan, get support by getting the people you care about to join you, and to switch up the routine often.

Take care of yourself. A person diagnosed with chronic disease, like diabetes, is at high risk for depression and other complications. Try enrolling in a support program or joining an online community. Set up appointments with your physician to examine your mental health, foot care, and to monitor your blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. While you are at it, get a flu shot. Did you know that you are 3 times more likely to get the flu if you have diabetes? Don’t have diabetes? Protect those around you!

How will you raise awareness about diabetes? What can you do to take care of yourself? The Center for Health & Counseling is available to help our students. Call 801-957-4268 to schedule an appointment to at our clinic to be examined for risk of diabetes & managing diabetes or meet with a counselor if you are struggling with depression. Keep an eye out for workshops on nutrition, exercise, & other useful health information.

For more information on diabetes, visit

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/home/

http://www.diabetes.org/ or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383)

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes

By: Esteban Benites-Moreno

Keep Your Eyes Safe This Halloween

Don’t let your Halloween turn into a nightmare because of an eye infection. Decorative contact lenses are medical devices like other contact lenses. Wearing decorative contact lenses without being properly fitted by an eye care provider can lead to serious problems – ulcers (open sores), scratches, infection, and vision loss—and haunt you long after October 31. 3 Tips to Follow When Using Decorative Lenses 1. GET A PRESCRIPTION: Contact lenses acquired without wear and care education and a prescription are illegal and could lead to serious eye injury or infection. 2. CHECK YOUR BUYING SOURCE: Decorative contact lenses purchased from costume shops, online stores, beauty salons, drug stores, flea markets, or anywhere not issued by an eye doctor will not properly fit. 3. PROTECT YOUR EYES: One night is not worth your eye health. The best way to protect your eyes from potential complications is to talk to your eye doctor and learn about healthy contact lens wear and care habits. Celebrate virtually on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Look for and use the hashtag #OnePairTakeCare and/or #Halloween Check with your eye care providers for free tear-off pads that have important contact lens tips. By: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Alternatives to Drinking

Often times in college, we find ourselves surrounded by alcohol. Whether it’s at a party or just a few friends, peer pressure can often make us feel like we have to drink. It makes us feel like we may not be “cool” or accepted. Well, I’m here to tell you that there are other ways to have fun and party without really drinking.

1    Mocktails – Mocktails are a delicious alternative to actually consuming alcohol. You still get the fancy drink, without the burn or negative effects of consuming alcohol. There are hundreds of recipes online, or if you know of some, make it and just cut out the alcohol.

2    “Drinking” Games – Drinking games are one of the biggest ways you can binge drink, but they’re just so fun! Try replacing the “beer” in Beer Pong with juice, soda, or even water! #StayHydrated.

3    Throw Your Own Parties – This one is probably the easiest way to avoid drinking. If you find yourself sick and tired of being the DD for your friends, or you just hate being that person who has to hold someone’s hair while the projectile vomit, throw your own alcohol-free parties. Make some mocktails, play some “drinking” games and you and your friends will have a blast!

If none of these interest you, and you still choose to drink, that’s fine. Just make sure you are 21 years of age or older, and that you do it safely. Binge drinking never ends well, whether you wake up with a major hang over, or leave three sad voice-mails to your ex, something will go wrong. Even if you do drink, make sure you try out these three awesome alternatives to drinking.

By: Giselle Fagundes

Binge Drinking

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Oh just one more ____ can’t hurt?” How many of us have been guilty of this statement? This can be with anything, nothing in particular. But then take a step back to when you said this to yourself and that ‘just one more’ turned into 3-5 more than what we had planned?

In this case “Oh just one more drink can’t hurt”, is a statement that is said a little too often. More than not, that one more drink will turn into 3 or 5 more. Let us first ask ourselves, how many/much have you already consumed tonight?

Binge drinking is a problem that not a lot of people give credit to or think that it even happens that often. But let me reassure you with a few stats that the Center for Disease Control has come out with; More than 38 million US adults binge drink (that is not including all the underage drinkers), Binge Drinkers do so about 4 times a month, and the largest number of drinks per binge is on average about 8. Drinking too much, binging, causes about 80,000 deaths in the United States each year and recently accumulated, costed the economy about $223.5 billion.

Binge Drinking means that men have 5 or more alcoholic drinks within a short period of time and for women 4 or more.  You may then look at all the stats and say that this doesn’t apply to you or it is not within my age group but the age group with the most binge drinkers are 18-34-year old’s. That is us, the students of Salt Lake Community College. So when you go to that party tomorrow or next weekend, know your limit and think before you drink.

-By Brittany Parry

Ready. Set. Test.

Strategies to Reduce Testing Anxiety

By Andrea Morgan, LCSW

Intense fear of failure, anxious thoughts, dizziness, sweating etc.  Worse than that, the ultimate blank you might experience when you freeze up and can’t remember a single thing you studied for hours the night before.  Sound familiar?  You guessed it!  I am talking about Testing Anxiety.  Believe it or not, you might not be the only one that’s avoided taking a test, or who has high tailed it out of the Testing Center. 

This experience can be traumatizing to say the least.  Yet students often drop classes when they fail exams, not even realizing there could be a term, let alone supportive services, for what they are going through.  Below are a few strategies for addressing this very common problem among college students.  If you find these strategies are not enough to help, our campus counseling center provides solutions for addressing this problem (801) 957-4268. 

Testing Strategies

·       Prepare-give yourself plenty of time to cover the material you will be tested on.  If you have procrastinated for your upcoming test, do your best, and set up a better study system for next time!

·       Be positive-stay centered in the idea you can pass your exam.  Avoid negative or self-defeating thoughts. 

·       Know testing protocol-ask ahead of time if you need pencils, paper, calculators etc., and whether or not your school I.D. will be required.  Make sure you are clear about your testing location.

·       Arrive rested and on time-get a good night sleep the night before your exam.  Exercise if needed to tire yourself out!  Arrive to your exam with enough time to go in and feel relaxed, not rushed. 

·       Eat healthy-make sure you go into your exam well fed.  Avoid excess sugar, caffeine, junk food etc.

·       Relax- being able to relax will increase your focus and concentration.  Know your method of relaxing, and take a few deep breaths to signal yourself into this state before you start your exam.

·       Wear loose clothing-make sure you are comfortable during the exam.  It will assist you in relaxing and breathing deeply.

·       Pay attention to detail-read questions thoroughly and pay attention to your time frame.  Answer what you know first, and then return to the other questions.  Review your test at the end to ensure you have completed all questions.

·       Congratulate yourself-it takes a lot of courage to face your fears.  Every time you take a test you learn something new about yourself and your abilities.  Use this information to improve each time you test.

·       Seek help-The Center for Health & Counseling at Salt Lake Community College provides support to students who are struggling to resolve Testing Anxiety.  Call (801) 957-4268 for support today!