Eating a healthy diet, exercising, getting a regular Pap smear and mammogram— these are just a few of the many steps women can take to help ensure they live longer, healthier lives. However, it can be tough to figure out what to do, given the mountains of information that are available. So, how can women determine which services and screenings are right for them—and when? You can start by being aware of what the science says about preventing certain health conditions and by having an open and honest conversation with your doctor about your values and preferences.
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death for women. Fortunately, you can help prevent CVD by addressing important risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. For example, if you are age 40 to 75, talk to your doctor about your CVD risk and whether a low- or moder-
ate-dose statin may be right for you. Statins are medications that lower your cholesterol, prevent buildup of cholesterol and fats in your arteries, and reduce your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
Depending on your age and risk factors, taking a low-dose aspirin daily can also potentially help prevent CVD. When blood clots form in narrow blood vessels, such as the ones in your heart and brain, it can cause a heart attack or stroke. Aspirin can help keep these blood clots from happening, lowering your risk. There are some risks associated with taking low-dose aspirin every day, so make sure you talk to your doctor about whether aspirin is right for you.
Taking statins and aspirin to prevent CVD are effective but they are just one part of CVD prevention. You can reduce your risk of CVD by quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, and becoming more physically active. If you
smoke, talk to your doctor about ways to help you quit. If you are overweight and have other CVD risk factors or even if you are healthy and simply want to stay that way, ask your doctor about how you can develop heart-healthy habits. Cervical Cancer
Screening for cervical cancer finds the disease when it is most treatable. Unfortunately, 12,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. Most cases of cervical cancer happen in women who have not been regularly screened or appropriately treated. That is why it is critical for women to get screened regularly starting at age 21. There are several effective options for screening, depending on your age and preferences. The Pap test and the human papillomavirus (HPV) test are the most effective ways to screen for cervical cancer and are done during a visit to your doctor’s office.
One of South Carolina’s oldest and largest slave cemeteries, Roseville Plantation Slave and Freeman Cemetery (RPSFC) in Florence, is going to be preserved. A racially diverse committee — consisting of slave and freedmen’s descendants, current owners of Roseville Plantation and a certified genealogist — is currently working closely with Francis Marion University, who owns the cemetery land, to preserve the cemetery for future generations.
“I am overjoyed that we have come together to show respect for the souls that once walked this earth, just as we are today,” said Vivian Guyton, Vice President of the Roseville Planation Slave and Freedman’s Cemetery Committee (RPSFCC). “We are here to remember history. To learn from history. And to allow history to help us grow in unity, harmony and appreciation that all people are created in the image of God. We live in a time when it is easy to use history as a divisive tool. However, I believe that if we have a genuine commitment to the betterment of all of society then we can study history with
an eye towards better understanding people.” Ms. Guyton’s great grandmother, Minerva Cato Brockington, was a slave at Roseville Plantation.
Located in a wooded area less than a mile from the main plantation house, the number of graves in the antebellum cemetery is thought to exceed 250 and date back to the 1770s, according to a 1997 archeological survey conducted by the Chicora Foundation. Depressions in the soil, not tombstones, mark the final resting places of most of the former slaves and their descendants.
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History awarded the cemetery a historical marker in 2004. It states, “This was originally the slave cemetery for Roseville Plantation. Roseville, established about 1771 by the Dewitt family, was later owned by the Brockinton, Bacot and Clarke families from the 1820s through the Civil War. A 1,200- acre plantation, it had more than 100 slaves living and planting cotton here by 1850. Slaves, freedmen and their descendants were buried here for two hun-
