Nowadays, there are a lot of seals on products. Everyone from the American Academy of Dermatology to the American Cancer Society seems to offer some sort of seal for products you buy every day. Obviously, the manufacturers love it because they hope it leads to increased sales. Did you know, however, that many of the approving organizations are paid for their seals? In many cases, there are no independent tests performed and the consumers are sort of left wondering what it all means.

Today, we learned that Wrigley paid the American Dental Association to review some of the studies the company performed on its own products. After a review of that data and accepting $36,000, the ADA has offered its seal of approval on Wrigley sugar-free chewing gum products. That's right. These products now get the same seal of approval seen on some toothbrushes and on mouthwash. The ADA stands by its seal and told us any company can apply for the seal, as long as the company pays for it.

The ADA is not alone. The American Cancer Society has an ongoing relationship with Neutrogena. It offers the ACS seal, not as an endorsement, it says - but rather as recognition of Neutrogena's cancer-prevention programs. In case you're curious, Neutrogena pays $300,000 a year to get that seal of recognition.

Do you think that these organizations should be held to a higher standard when it comes to dispensing seals of recognition, approval or whatever? Or, is it acceptable for these seals to be purchased as long as the money is put to good use? And, should companies that make products be allowed to submit their own data, or should all data come from independent sources? What do you think?

Last year, when doing some investigations on the incidence of HIV/AIDS around the world, I heard a fact that stuck with me. I was moderating a discussion with former President Bill Clinton and Pfizer CEO Hank McKinnell. I had asked the CEO why Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies didn't offer life-prolonging AIDS medications to certain countries at a lower cost. He told me even if the cure for AIDS came free in the form of a glass of clean water, we still wouldn't rid the world of AIDS. I thought about that for a while and it made sense. The point was that the pharmaceutical companies certainly needed to do their part, but that people on the ground also needed to systematically guarantee access and the funding needed to be available to make it all happen. Lots of moving parts.

As I have covered the Clinton Global Initiative for the past three years, I have come to better understand the value of putting people in the same room who control these various parts. There are plenty of famous faces including Desmond Tutu, Al Gore, Angelina Jolie, Lance Armstrong and Ted Turner to name a few. But there are also people like Paul Farmer. A physician from Boston, Paul lived with his family in a modified school bus for a chunk of his childhood. Now, he is a Harvard M.D. who has made it his life's work to provide access to health care in some of the most remote and dangerous places on earth. Haiti, Rwanda, and many other places.

Paul is the kind of guy that will sit in the room with the CEO of large pharmaceutical companies, Clinton and lots of concerned citizens. He will lay out exactly what he has seen around the world and what will be needed to provide the crucial access that has proven a stumbling block for so long. If history is a good measure, CGI will raise billions of dollars again this year as it has in years past, but with the help of the more than 1,000 leaders from around the world, including Paul Farmer, it will make strides toward getting that "free clean glass of water" to those who need it most.

The Clinton Global Initiative, along with other forums such as Davos, Switzerland, are typically a yearly gathering of people who define global problems and potential solutions. Do you think these sort of non-governmental organizations make a difference? Would you get involved?

Five years ago, I marched into a meeting and declared, "We need to do a big story on the looming blood shortage crisis." My conviction was met with unmoved facial expressions. My young producer self was very confused. After all, this story was important. An executive producer said, "Chris, there is always a blood shortage in this country." I was humbled, but determined to find out more and to get a story on the air.

Truth is, there is always a shortage of blood in this country. It's no surprise given that 4.5 million Americans need lifesaving blood transfusions every year according to America's Blood Centers. They also say that 3 gallons of blood supports the nation's blood needs for just 1 minute. Blood bank experts say there often is a surge in giving blood after an emergency such as the September 11 attacks or Hurricane Katrina. The problem is that much of the oxygen-carrying red blood cells have a shelf life of just 42 days. Cancer-treating platelets can be kept for only seven days. Blood-clotting plasma can be kept frozen for up to a year. Bottom line is that people need to donate blood often and regularly in order to meet the need for fresh blood.

A new study out this summer in the journal Transfusion finds that the pool of donors is shrinking. It's actually 60 percent smaller than experts had previously thought. There are a whole host of reasons why fewer people can potentially donate. Dr. Jay Menitove of the American Association of Blood Banks says Generation Xers and younger people seem less into blood donation than baby boomers, who are getting older, and in some cases too sick to donate. There also are tight restrictions on people who've spent significant amounts of time in Europe, especially in the 1980s and early to mid 1990s.

But youth can provide the greatest boost for the pool of donors. The American Red Cross has sweetened the deal by raffling off Apple iPod Nanos and $1,000 scholarships to teenagers who donate. Potential blood donors have been recruited on popular networking sites including myspace.com and facebook.com. Many states that had higher age limits than the minimum, including Washington, Kansas and Georgia, have now dropped the donor age to 16. Also, many states are now allowing people who have recently been tattooed to donate blood as long as they were inked in a state-licensed and approved tattoo parlor. Previously, freshly tattooed people would have been deferred from donating blood.

It's an effort to get people hooked early. Don Doddridge of America's Blood Centers says that if you get someone to donate three times then you get a lifetime donor.

Do you donate blood? Why do you do it? How can you get more people to donate blood?

OK. I'll admit it. I don't know my cholesterol numbers. That's right. A seasoned medical producer and I'm clueless when it comes to my levels. My eyes glaze over at the mention of HDL and LDL, the same way they do when my husband talks about the NBA. And the sad thing about it is, I'm not alone.

You would think by now that most Americans would know their numbers. But a new study by a group called the Society for Women's Health Research in Washington, D.C., found that older adult American women are better informed about cholesterol and more likely to monitor it than younger adult women. The study also found that more than half the women surveyed under the age of 45 did not know their numbers at all and didn't feel the need to know. Doctors say that's not good, because people of all ages, even children, can have high cholesterol, which can result in such problems as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart disease, stroke, and even early death.

Physicians say knowing your numbers is key. LDL is the "bad" cholesterol because when there is too much of it, it circulates in the blood, and can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. HDL is the "good" cholesterol because it helps remove "bad" cholesterol from arteries and prevent blockage. And then there are triglycerides, which are forms of fat. They're made in our bodies and also come from food. People with high triglycerides often have high total cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol and a low HDL cholesterol level. It's good to keep the HDL up and the LDL and triglycerides down. Ask your doctor what numbers are the healthiest for you.

So how can you keep all those numbers at the right levels? Some folks have to take medication. In fact recent studies have shown that Americans spend billions, not millions, but billions of dollars on cholesterol medicines each year. But doctors say many people could avoid medication if they just changed a few things in their lives.

According to the American Heart Association, the best ways to keep your cholesterol down are to eat foods low in cholesterol and saturated fats, maintain a healthy weight, exercise on a regular basis and see a doctor every year. And if you smoke, quit. If your levels don't even out after making those changes, then it may be time to think about going on medication.

September is National Cholesterol Awareness month. Hey, what's the old saying? "Do as I say, not as I do"? Forget it. I think it's time that I got my cholesterol checked. What about you? Let's do it together. It can make the difference in our health and in our futures, no matter what age we may be.

Are you fighting cholesterol problems? What do you do to keep your cholesterol at a healthy level? We'd like to know.