HPV and Pregnancy – The Myths

There exists an unproven belief that HPV is correlated with premature births, miscarriages and a host of various other complications with being pregnant. The truth of the matter is, there is no scientific studies to associate the virus with these complications – even during cases when the mother is contaminated with the harmful HPV 16 strain on the virus. When you have HPV, and are either pregnant or would like to be, there isn’t any reason to worry about these issues springing up from your infection.

What You Need To Know About HPV and Pregnancy

HPV Transmissions to the Infant

Although unusual, we have seen documented instances of women with HPV passing the virus on to their babies during childbirth. In the most of these extremely rare cases, the baby’s immune system clears the virus on its own and presents no health hazards. In some instances, however, it’s possible to the infant to become contaminated with the virus in his or her throat – bringing about a probably-critical condition referred to as respiratory papillomatosis.

If the child has respiratory papillomatosis, laser surgery is necessary to take away the resulting warts which develop in the throat before they could lead to difficulties with breathing. In order to avoid subjecting the infant to this particular risk, some doctors advocate caesarean births for females with HPV.

Problems with Genital Warts

Genital warts as well as othersymptoms of  HPV in women’s tend to increase more quickly during pregnancy. Such happening is the results of heightened hormonal activity and, in certain women can lead to problems which need the physician to take out the warts prior to giving birth. For example, there has been cases where genital warts have multiplied so quickly, and grown so large, they have partly blocked the mother’s birth canal.

As with other issues linked to HPV and pregnancy, problems with excessive wart growth are quite rare and definitely will even clear themselves without treatment in most cases. Because of this, most doctors would prefer to wait as long as possible to see if the infection clears by itself.

Coping With HPV While Pregnant

Apart from problems that may potentially affect your unborn baby, living with HPV while pregnant will show some extra challenges to the pregnant woman. Due to the likelihood of secondary infection which affects the child, a lot of doctors will advise against removing any warts which could form during pregnancy, aside from in situations where too much enlarged genital warts are bleeding or causing other agitation. This may be a departure from the norm for some women, however is just about the trade-offs that must be made where HPV and pregnancy are involved.

Studies underway around the world have found that a critical protein found in certain cells may protect against the invasion of the HIV virus. This finding is another building block in the work researchers are doing to find better ways to fight the spread of this virus. This finding is also a building block that may help with fighting other viruses such as the herpes family. Understanding this piece of the puzzle can help scientists learn how to fight certain infections better and possibly how to stop the spread of the virus.

The protein in question is the SAMHD1. It appears naturally, as part of the white blood cells known as macrophages as well as in the related dendritic cells. That protein helps to prevent the HIV-1 virus from invading the macrophages. The HIV-1 virus is the most virulent form of the virus known. Further research though has shown the SAMHD1 protein is a natural destroyer of the raw material that makes DNA building block. The HIV-1 replicates itself using this raw material known as dNTP. Where the SAMHD1 protein is found in abundance, the HIV-1 virus has extreme difficulty in replicating itself.

The HIV-2 virus appears to have a natural ability to destroy the SAMHD1 protein. This form of the virus is more frequently found on the continent of Africa. It has a protein known as Vpx that destroys the SAMHD1 protein. Despite this natural resistance, the HIV-2 virus is less virulent than the HIV-1 form. That mystery is a line that researchers are studying for new insights in how these proteins interact.

The results of this study is published this month in the Nature Immunology journal and highlights a fantastic collaboration between different scientists from different countries. Although this work is still far from practical implications for patients, it is first necessary to completely decipher the interactions between the HIV virus and the different parts of the immune system.

These authors hope that further research will help identify ways to reduce drug resistance among patients and to make drug treatments more effective.

Slow down. It sounded so good there for awhile. What happened? Well maybe you haven’t been as responsible as you might have been. Sure it’s easy to look back in hindsight and say, I should have done that, why didn’t I do that? But taking responsibility for such epic things is much harder when you’re going through it. So, listen up: before you find that one right person-the one that makes you get all tingly and that you can see spending the rest of your life with-go to a STD clinic and have testing administered for HIV and other potential life-altering illnesses.

There’s nothing wrong with being out there and doing your “thang” as the kids today call it (if the kids lived in the 1980s, that is). But while you are out there, you should be doing all the right things. First off, you should never even have to worry about becoming infected with HIV because you have been practicing safe sex and using condoms your entire life. What? That’s not true? You’ve cheated? Welcome to the terror dome. Rapid HIV test is available.

There are so many illnesses, disease and viruses that fall into the STD category. It’s a great thing that clinics specializing in sexually transmitted diseases are out there in abundance. But they’re not doing anyone any good if they are not visited. HIV may be the biggest bummer possible, yet millions of Americans catch over twenty five different STDs a year in this country. Do your best to NOT make the list. Safe sex is the first thing you can do to remain healthy-testing is next on the list. It’s much better to know. If you have become infected with anything treatment can begin sooner rather than later.

The bottom line is that rates of HIV infection are rising in four new groups. Here’s a brief rundown on these groups and another call for testing to commence as soon as possible…

Suburban & Rural People

Early on in the HIV epidemic, the big cities were infused by cash by the federal government and charities. According to published reports statistics show HIV rates increasing in rural communities all across America

The Elderly
The number of Americans over the age of 50 infected with HIV is steadily rising. Whether it is because of longer life spans or the popularity of Erectile Dysfunction drugs, older Americans should undergo testing just like their younger counterparts.

Women
In America men still outnumber women regarding HIV infection, but there are countries where the infection rates of women outnumber that of men by a significant margin. Since the mid-eighties rates of infection in women has nearly tripled. Currently, one out of every four HIV infected individuals in America is a woman. Testing is imperative.

Young People
These days, some young people view HIV as a disease that is controllable with medicines, and they do not realize the significance of becoming infected. This has directly affected infection rates in the young. Teens need testing at the same rates as adults if not a higher rate. In fact, many new studies show that the amount of new infections can be dramatically decreased with younger testing and treatment.

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. Many people actually think that HIV is a disease not a virus. The truth is that the virus, HIV, causes the disease known as AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome. This is because the virus attacks the human immune system to the extent that the immune system can no longer function. This then leaves the infected person open to all kinds of infections. The most common ones, the ones that most often take the lives of the person infected with HIV, are pneumonia and tuberculosis.

It is possible to contract HIV through the exchange of intimate bodily fluids. This would be things like blood and semen, not saliva or urine. This means that promiscuity places you at a very high risk for contracting the virus since condoms are not truly able to prevent the virus from leaving the host’s body and entering yours. The virus is much smaller than the inevitable gaps between the molecules of the latex the condoms are made from. It also means that if you are a nurse or doctor or paramedic you are also part of a high risk population as you are working with injured people on a daily basis and may accidentally get some of an infected person’s blood into your blood stream through a scratch in your skin. It is also possible for a mother to transmit the virus to her unborn child through the placenta.

There are drugs known as anti retro virals that can be used to keep the virus under control. The problem is that the virus cannot ever be completely removed from a person’s system, much like a cancer of the immune system. This means that while a person might not be actively suffering from AIDS, they are still infected with HIV and can still pass the virus on to other people, they are in effect in remission rather than cured. These anti retro viral medications have made it possible for a person to live for many years with the virus in their system without suffering from the depressed immune system.

As you can see, HIV is actually quite a complex and tough virus to live with as it cannot be eradicated and it can easily be passed from one person to another with just a moment’s carelessness. This is why it is able to spread so far across the world so quickly. It is doubtful whether a cure for HIV will be found in the near future. In the meantime, all that we can do is learn to live with it and do our best not to get infected with the virus and, if you are already infected, to try and avoid passing it on to anyone else.

We’ve engaged in testing our entire lives. In fact, these days babies engage in testing to get into a good preschool! We have had tests in school, for jobs and for fun. STD testing should be high on the list, but unfortunately sometimes it’s easier to turn a blind eye to our past behavior and start fresh at some arbitrary time. For anyone who engages in sexual behavior, testing for HIV and other STDs should be a priority.

Yes, it is sometimes difficult to face past behavior. Sometimes we think of things that we have done in the past and are faces scrunch. This is called growing up and becoming responsible (it may also be called sobriety, but that’s a whole other article!) For those of us who have turned a page in our lives for the better, congratulations, but have testing performed to make sure you’re healthy.

It may be a bummer to face a positive diagnosis, but because of the treatment available these days, HIV testing is the best possible route to take. Only after one realizes they are positive can they apply real, medical treatment to their new-found positive behavior. It’s part of the responsibility that you have undertaken. A positive diagnosis for HIV does not mean a death sentence. It means it is time to get the care and medicine you need to remain as healthy as you currently feel.

And what if the testing administered shows that you are negative? Just think about the stress that will be relieved from your shoulders. Just think about that little voice in the back of your head that visits you at night as you attempt to fall asleep that whispers to your battered brain: What if… What if…?

Testing for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is quick and easy. Some clinics can have your results back in an hour, although the average wait is a few days as your blood sample goes out to a professional lab for the test(s) to be run. As stated earlier in the article, people infected are not struck down in the prime of their life any more.

Testing

The mode of testing for the HIV virus is a blood test called the HIV Antibody Test. This HIV testing searches for antibodies made by the immune system in response to an HIV infection and is 99.5% accurate.

In the case of a positive test, a follow up test is performed using the same blood sample. It is called the “Reflex to Western Blot Confirmation” (also known as an EIA test).

Treatment

The first drug to hit the market for HIV infection was AZT. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration way back in 1987. There was finally help available for those suffering from HIV and AIDS. The drug worked on your T cell count. These are the cells that help your body fight all forms of infection. A T cell count is the measure of the strength of your immune system.

AZT was only the first of a series of drugs that would be prescribed after the testing procedure would come back positive. Although AZT and similar drugs helped prolong life, the quality of life was typically poor. Today there are new drugs on the market called protease inhibitors. The statistics on prolonged life and quality of life are significantly higher with these drugs.

HIV is a virus that is carried in blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and in some cases breast milk. In order to contract HIV you need to have an exposure to one of these infected bodily fluids. Additionally, the infected fluid then needs to make it’s way into your bloodstream. The means of transmission are often reflected in those who have contracted HIV. HIV is noticeably prevalent in intravenous drug users and individuals engaging in unprotected receptive anal sex. The obvious reason for this is that these acts create a direct opening to the bloodstream. Needles literally go directly to the blood stream, while anal lining simply tears during intercourse and creates a pathway.

It’s not that these are the only ways to get HIV, they are just considered higher risk activities. For example, many people are concerned with contracting HIV from receiving oral sex. Is it possible? Absolutely. Is it probable? Absolutely not. You’ll notice that saliva was not listed as one of the fluids that carries HIV. That was no mistake – HIV is not carried in saliva. From oral sex, the only (somewhat) likely fluid you would be exposed to would be blood. On top of that, even if the person was HIV positive, and they were actively bleeding in their mouth, that blood still needs to make it’s way into your bloodstream. HIV is not the type of virus to dig through the skin. It needs a direct entrance (i.e. a cut or open sore).

As I mentioned before, certain acts are considered more risky than others. The acts are generally considered risky because they are more likely to create a direct exposure to the bloodstream. IV drug users who share needles are at an elevated risk, because a dirty needle goes directly into the bloodstream. People who engage in receptive anal sex are also at risk, because the anal lining often tears during intercourse which opens the pathway to the blood. Vaginal lining is more durable and doesn’t tear as easily, so the risk is lessened with vaginal intercourse. And of course, using protection always plays a large factor in protecting yourself against HIV.

So, if you have ever asked “how do you get HIV?”, consider the factors involved before worrying. If you didn’t see any blood, and/or you didn’t have any cuts that may have been exposed – take a sigh of relief. Chances are that everything is going to be fine. However, if you think you may have been a bit risky or just want the peace of mind, get tested. The testing process is easy and you’ll be glad you did.

I am going to share with you five easy steps to deal with being HIV positive.

First, remember that being HIV positive does not stop you from being who you are. You are the same person you were before you tested positive for HIV.

Second, get involved in a support group. Associating with other people who are HIV positive can help you cope with your diagnosis. They can also help you learn how to disclose to HIV status to family and friends.

Third, seek medical treatment. Getting on the right combination of medicine can help you live a productive, healthy life. Get involved with you medical treatment, ask questions, know what your CD4 counts are and what they mean and know your viral load and what that means.

Fourth, accept that you are HIV positive. Acceptance is the key to living a long, healthy life with HIV. When you are in denial you tend to not take care of yourself as well as you would if you accept that you are HIV positive. Keep a positive attitude and talk about your disease openly. Trust me you will find that this will make you feel better about yourself and be able to cope with your diagnosis.

Finally, take care of yourself. This means eating right, exercising, taking your medication as prescribed, and taking precautions when around someone who is sick, because what just makes a healthy person feel bad could ultimately kill you. Remember to keep a positive attitude. You will find that if you follow these five easy steps you can live a long, healthy and happy life with HIV.

I have been an AIDS advocate for 13 years. I have worked as a first person speaker for Nashville CARES, and appeared on two talk shows about HIV and AIDS. I just want to spread the word that AIDS doesn’t have to be a death sentence, that there is life after an AIDS diagnosis. I also tell my stories so as to put a face on this deadly disease.

I am a 38 year old, web article writer, poet, author of two books-TRUE INSPIRATIONS and SLEEPING WITH THE ANGELS; and a colllege student at Nashville State Community College where I am pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Office Administration-Medical Professional Concentration. I have been HIV positive for 24 years and had full-blown AIDS for 17 years.

HPV infections are transferred primarily through sexual contact making the Human Papilloma Virus the leading cause of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) worldwide. In a few instances, some types of HPV infections may cause cancer. In women, it is cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina and the anus. In men, the areas most affected are the penis, the tongue, tonsils and the throat. The most common HPV strains that cause infections in the anogenital tract of humans are HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. Other HPV types like HPV-5 may still cause warts but those are likely to appear on other sensitive parts of the body rather than in the anogenital area.

The majority of people carrying HPV infections do not usually have common symptoms of the Human Papillomavirus and are usually cleared of its presence after some years. However, once a person has been infected with HPV they are still capable of transmitting HPV infections to other sexual partners. In order to tell if a person is infected, he or she has to undergo some HPV DNA tests.

HPV infections are classified into two groups: the “low-risk” HPV infections and the “high-risk” HPV infections. Low-risk HPV types include HPV-6 and HPV-11, which create abnormalities in cells and are responsible for the appearance of genital warts. These HPV types are those that are curable and the abnormalities caused by them do not turn into cancer. On the other hand, HPV-16 and HPV-18 and a few other types of HPV are termed as oncogenic, carcinogenic thus are high-risk for developing cancer. These are persistent infections causing abnormalities in cells that lead to cancers in women such as severe dysplasia of the cervix.

All sexually active people are at risk of contracting the Human Papillomavirus. Having multiple sexual partners heightens the risks of getting infected with HPV so staying in a monogamous relationship is advantageous. The Human Papillomavirus infections are commonly transmitted through skin contact and the use of condoms to protect both the male and female genital regions are not a guarantee for not becoming infected. Studies have shown however, that condoms have been associated with lowering a woman’s chances of contracting the virus and getting cervical cancer.

There is no medical treatment to cure the Human Papilomavirus itself, however there are methods to remove common warts, genital warts or cervical lesions caused by various types of the HPV infections.

Cryosurgery or freezing, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and conization are just some of these methods. The last two involve the removal of tissue from the affected area. There are drugs available for treating genital warts as well.

Two vaccines have been developed and approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for general use. Gardasil® and Cervarix® have proven to be effective against HPV infections particularly in treating high-risk HPVs such as HPV-16 and HPV-18.

Apart from various methods of wart removal treatments mentioned above it is important to keep your immune system healthy. High immune resistance will naturally fight the presence of HPV infections in your body therefore eliminating the appearance of warts.

New hope for a cure emerged after the Berlin Patient was discovered. The patient, an HIV-positive man who also suffered from leukemia, was given a bone marrow transplant. The marrow donor was a person with a very rare genetic mutation that renders the person practically immune, or at very least highly resistant to acquiring HIV. This mutation, known as CCR5-delta-32, removes the coreceptor that HIV uses to enter the cells. Several years later, the patient is HIV-free, with no signs of the virus. Such a story is quite the medical breakthrough, but scientists and doctors have been very cautious.

The successful transplant raised questions as to whether gene therapy could help. The goal is to genetically alter cells by attempting to mimic the genetic mutation in some way. Zinc finger nucleases were developed to delete the CCR5 receptor gene from the cells, which would make those cells resistant to HIV infection. In order to test this theory, a study was conducted consisting of six patients with long persisting HIV infection. The patients had blood drawn from them and the CD4 T-cells were removed. Those cells were then given the zinc finger procedure to remove the CCR5 receptor gene.

These treated cells were then reinserted back into the patients’ bodies. The result? Five of the six patients experienced a significant CD4 cell increase, averaging about 200 cells each. This approach could make it possible for HIV-positive patients to stay off of antiretroviral therapy medication for longer periods of time. Using gene therapy is giving researchers hope that it may be the key to finding a cure for HIV. Other methods such as reducing or eliminating HIV reservoirs are being looked into as well. HIV has reached a milestone of sorts, having been the catalyst for 30 years of research in trying to slow it down or eradicate it. Progress has been made, but the quest toward a cure continues.

Individuals infected with HIV have a higher risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, broken bones, and other illnesses. This physical health risk can prevent what seems like a lifelong obstacle course laid out before patients who are dealing with physical issues that should be a decade or more away. With one challenge arising after another, discouragement, depression, and anxiety can diminish hardiness. Hardiness is basically the perception that difficulties are challenges to be fought rather than overwhelming obstacles which stop you in your tracks. Accelerated aging with HIV moves from physical to emotional and cognitive with the decline of hardiness.

Emotional and cognitive aging are entwined in the accelerated aging with HIV. Patients may find themselves forgetting things often or having to think through the steps to complete a task over again. One possible reason for this is a lack of healthy sleep patterns. Healthy sleep amounts and routines promote cognitive processing. Depression and anxiety, as well as sickness, undermine the ability to sleep, exacerbating cognitive problems. Fatigue, lack of social and/or cognitive stimulation can also contribute to the neurocognitive aging effect of HIV.

However, each person’s progress must be measured individually because a 50-year-old who has the heart of a 65-year-old is not necessarily infected with HIV. Other factors, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, using recreational drugs, excessive weight, a sedentary lifestyle, and genetics also play a large part in aging both physically and mentally. These factors will also have an effect on the accelerated aging with HIV that infected patients experience. Experts recommend improve the overall lifestyle health, social interaction, and cognitive stimulation to combat the aging effects while scientists search for new ways to find a complete cure for HIV/AIDS.

Human papillomavirus vaccinations were introduced in 2006 and were approved by the FDA in 2009. While these vaccinations were originally intended for young women as a way to help fight against not only HPV but against cervical cancer as well, it is now recommended that males receive the vaccination as well since the disease is highly prevalent in men and can lead to numerous other more serious diseases. Men who have sex with men are especially at risk of developing HPV and diagnosis can be difficult due their reluctance to admit to homosexual behavior. Papillomavirus infection in HIV-infected individuals can be serious issue and one that must be addressed if not prevented outright.

Pap smears are commonly used to help identify Papillomavirus infection in HIV-infected individuals and in those who aren’t infected with HIV. This method is commonly used to diagnose the issue in women who are carrying the disease, but HIV infected men as well as women are recommended to undergo an anal pap smear on a regular basis in order to ensure that HPV is not present. Certain risk factors may be identified, in which case a test known as an anuscopy should be undergone to confirm the existence of the virus. Biopsies are normally taken to help determine whether or not any lesions or polyps are indeed cancerous, in which case further steps may need to be taken.

Papillomavirus infection in HIV-infected individuals may present itself orally as well as around the genitals or anus, and any sign should be taken seriously. While standard guidelines concerning HPV diagnosis and treatment in men and women are still being developed, there is no doubt that the issue is one that necessitates concern and action. With its linkage to serious types of cancer and the added stress it can create in an HIV infected patient, preventing, diagnosing, and treating HPV is of the utmost importance in any situation.

Though there are several variants of the virus, all of which do not cause cancer. Still, it becomes almost imperative to be able to detect and comprehend as to what are the probable symptoms for these genital warts in women. The lesions may be skin colored or pinkish in appearance with raised or flat structure and possess rough texture. They may evolve on the labia or even inside the vaginal tract. At times they may surface in or around the anus. Many women affected by the HPV may not have lumps develop, but they are contagious. These lumps on the skin generally itch, burn or even cause gentle sensation in the genital area. Urination at times can cause pain.

Just diagnosis of the ailment is not enough. Proper medication and removal of the warts become of utmost importance. There are medicines and creams and other treatments available for wiping off the warts. But none of these guarantee permanent solutions as some tissues may still remain affected by the HPV. Gardasil® and Cervarix® are two vaccines that are available in the market that can be used to prevent certain types of the virus that create the genital warts in women.

Some of the medicinal techniques include applying creams or liquid gels on the warts by swabbing with cotton and washing it off after 6 to 10 hours. Podophylox and Podophylin are two ointments that are to be applied by the doctors only, though they are not used in pregnant women due to side effects. Imiquimod, interferon, bichloroacetic acid and trichloroacetic acid are few other solutions that trigger the depletion of the genital warts in women. Some other methods to remove the warts include surgical treatments, cryotherapy, electrocautery, excision and even laser operation. These are expensive and often painful. However, one must consult a doctor as soon as one detects the warts on one’s body for proper preventive measures.

HIV is transmitted from one person to another through the exchange of infected body fluids such as blood and semen. Therefore, HIV infection prevention rests on employing safety measures that limit contact with infected fluids. The most common way HIV is transmitted is through sexual contact. Being vigilant about employing safe sex methods is the key to reducing the risk of becoming infected. Although the number of women spreading the infection is much lower than men, a person can still be infected through vaginal fluids that come in contact with cuts in the mouth or penis. Condoms should be used during vaginal and anal intercourse as well as fellatio. Sexual partners should used dental dams when performing oral sex on females. Partners should avoid kissing if sores or open wounds are present as the disease can be transmitted through saliva containing blood.

When we speak of condom, we usually think about male condoms. However, female condoms exist, but are not well accepted. A number of new female condoms are currently developed to address the common disadvantages of those on the market. However, wider use of the condoms in countries with severe HIV/AIDS epidemics depends on the commitment of governments and other major donors. To achieve its full potential, much greater effort needs to be made worldwide to make condoms more affordable, accessible and acceptable.

Male circumcision has also been proposed to reduce HIV transmission from women to men. However, circumcision is much less effective than condom use at preventing HIV transmission and it is estimated that it only prevents around 50 percent of infections.

Another common way HIV is acquired is through intravenous drug use. Many drug addicts share needles which provide the perfect conditions for transmission of HIV from person to another. For HIV infection prevention, many health agencies advise drug addicts to use fresh needles or at least to not share needles with other users. This also goes for anyone who takes intravenous medication such as insulin. Not only should needles not be shared, they should be properly disposed of to prevent the accidental spread of the disease to others who may share the same living or working space.

Pregnant infected women can prevent contaminating the foetus by taking antiretroviral therapy and having undetectable viral load. They should also not breastfeed as the disease can be passed along to babies through the milk. In 2009, around 400,000 children became infected with HIV, mainly through mother-to-child transmission. About 90% of these infections occurred in Africa where AIDS is beginning to reverse decades of steady progress in child survival.

Healthcare professionals are also at risk of contracting HIV through accidental exposure. Therefore, it is important to follow safety guidelines when working with patients. Always wear protective gear, such as gloves and masks, when working with bodily fluids, sores, and open wounds. Use safe collectors to get rid of used needles.

If all these measures were seriously implemented, we could curb down the evolution of the pandemic.

The sex work industry in Asia is very large: upward of 75 million male clients for about 10 million actual sex workers. Thailand was one of the first countries to notice the high rate of HIV infection amongst its sex workers, and began enforcing mandatory condom usage in the brothels; this practice has helped reduce the rate of HIV infection. The Indian government, for example, estimates that about 5% of all prostitutes in India are infected with HIV. And there is clear overlap with other high risk groups, such as intravenous drug users. In Vietnam, about one-third of all such drug users admitted to purchasing sex within the previous year, but only one-fifth of them used a condom during sex.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of HIV infection amongst female prostitutes is 20 times higher than the prevalence in the entire population. Male and transgendered prostitutes have a more difficult time using safer sex practices. Less than half of Kenyan male and transgendered sex workers use condoms, which contributes to the high rate of HIV infection. The high HIV infection rate is also prevalent in Central and South American countries such as Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The U.S./Mexico border towns on the Mexican side, such as Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana, have a high rate of HIV infection among prostitutes who also use inject drugs; the reason being that these sex workers will often trade unprotected sex for drug money.

Sex work is often controlled in many European countries and is largely illegal in the United States, which limits the data available on HIV infection (especially in the U.S.) or contributes to a low overall HIV infection rate in the European countries that regulate the practice. It is, however, important that sex workers get the access to HIV prevention programs that they need and continue to promote condom usage amongst sex workers throughout the world.

This is one of the most common STIs in the world.

The important thing to note is that not all infections with Chlamydia produce symptoms. In fact, many of the adult infections caused by this bacterium are asymptomatic, particularly in women.

Is it important to detect this?

Yes. This organism is sexually transmitted, which means you can transmit the infection to your sexual partner even if you feel well. It can also lead to complications and may even lead to pelvic infection and infertility in women.

Screening is recommended if you have had a change in sexual partners, had unprotected sexual intercourse or had sex with persons who have had multiple sexual partners themselves.

How is it diagnosed?

There is a specific test for it. Usually, a PCR test (polymerase chain reaction) is recommended. This can be taken from a swab of the affected area or through a urine specimen. Results are usually ready within a week and positive results indicate the need for treatment as well as screening and treatment of sexual partners. Blood tests are not usually recommended for this particular infection.

How is it treated?

Effective treatment with antibiotics provides a cure. Drugs such as azithromycin, doxycycline or erythromycin can be used. Some medications such as azithromycin require only a single dose, while the others have to be taken for 1 to 2 weeks. Do not resume sexual activity until you have completed all the medications, or at least for a week after the single dose of azithromycin.

I think I may have an infection – what should I do?

If you are at risk of being infected with Chlamydia, it is very important to have regular checkups, which includes a physical examination, and which will include laboratory tests.

Most people assume that they only need to seek medical attention when they start to develop a symptom, such as an itch, a discharge or a rash. This is WRONG! It is important to have regular screening even if there are NO symptoms. This is because many STIs may not actually cause symptoms. This is especially so for women.

Common symptoms of Chlamydia infection may include the following:

• Burning sensation in the genital area
• Itching in the genital area
• Discharge from the urethra or vagina
• Painful bowel movements

These symptoms need not always indicate the presence of Chlamydia; however, medical attention should be sought when they do appear, and you should avoid any form of sexual activity until the cause has been determined

Trichomonas Vaginalis

In men there are not really any symptoms but if not treated it can cause infertility and urinary problems along with prostatitis.

To treat this in addition to the natural methods you may need a drug treatment.

However, in addition to the suggesstions that follow, do a parasite, kidney and liver cleanse, and use a zapper or frequency generator to kill the parasites. At the end of this article will be links for the cleanses, zapper and Rife digital frequency generator.

Eating organic is always a good place to start. Stay away from the processed foods, and drink plenty of filtered water. Eat only free-range meats, and chicken and fresh caught fish, not farmed. Also avoid alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, which you should always avoid anyway – no exceptions; also dyes, dairy, and preservatives. No trans-, hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils. Use virgin coconut butter/oil, extra virgin olive oil, high lignin flax seed oil, and hemp seed oil.

Cleansing the vagina through the use of douches is highly recommended. Useful douche solutions include adding two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to one quart of pure, filtered water, or open 2 capsules of acidophilus to the same amount of water. Do this 1 to 2 times daily till all symptoms are gone.

Another good douch is Betadine or povione iodine mixed with water – 1 part to 100 parts water and again 1 to twice a day for about 2 weeks. You can use an herbal douche also using Echinacea and goldenseal. This will also help with killing the parasites.

Supplements that can help are Vitamins B12, B3, C, A, Zinc, B2, folic acid, e and garlic caps, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Vitamin E Cream.

Most disease can be linked to parasites. One of the things that allows parasites to get a hold is the mercury in old fillings. For a complete healing you will also want to remove the old fillings and get the toxins out of the mouth. Also and environmental clean-up so you do not re-infect yourself. This will not only help with this STD but will keep you from getting cancers, MS and a whole host of other less than desirable ailments.

What causes scabies, you might be asking yourself. Mites are the number one cause for this condition. They are formally called carcoptes scabei, which is where the name “scabies” originates. These little guys are not possible to spot with the naked eye, making diagnosis a bit tricky. These mites dig into the top layer of your skin and lay their eggs with proliferation. This burrowing is what sends your skin into itching overload.

The worse part of a scabies infection isn’t the itch or the physical sufferings. It is the stigma attached to such a condition. Everything from rumors that your bathing habits need a little work, to having a bad habit of not washing your clothes the right way. Others think that scabies sufferers live in disgusting conditions. People need to be properly educated to know that these are not the symptoms of a scabies sufferer, that anyone can become susceptible to the bite of a mite. Scabies is highly contagious, and it is easy for a sufferer to pass their misery on to others.

Pets can catch scabies infections also. Ever hear of mange, as in a mangy dog? Scabies is the cause, and pets can transfer this mangy condition to their human companions easily enough. The good news is that pet-based parasites don’t live out their lives too long in a human carrier. If your pets suffer, see a competent vet to determine a treatment.

This advice works well for humans also. If you find yourself suffering, get with your doctor immediately to work on a cure. There are several over the counter cures as well as a host of home remedies, but a doctor should be able to guide you to what will work best for you, based upon what you are able to use and how much everything will cost.

Home remedies can be very effective against scabies infections, such as those remedies that contain tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is an excellent anti-fungal agent, and is known to repel bacteria also.

Over the counter offerings include those that contain sulfur cream. You’ll want to base your purchase on the amount of sulfur cream is in the ingredients, as some contain more or less of a percentage of sulfur cream, depending on whether or not the usage is for children or adults. You can also use antihistamines in your fight against the scabies itch.

There is no mistaking a scabies infection, and symptoms can manifest themselves as early as a day, and as long as six weeks after setting up their new digs under your skin. Another thing you can’t avoid is noticing when the symptoms kick in. This little problem just won’t be going away through ignoring them. The most common problem areas on the body are the skin between the fingers, in the armpits, along the wrists, elbows and penis, and the waist. The nipple area can also be troubled.

You’ll feel no end to the itching. You’ll start getting little blisters and your skin will scale and flake. Scratching your sore spots will do nothing to relieve the irritation, but it will bring on more sores on the infected areas. These sores will bring with them harmful, and even dangerous bacteria. Does this sound like something you can simply ignore?

The tunneling done by female scabies are highly visible as welts with a crooked shape, and a gray, white or skin-toned pallor. You’ll find these along folds of skin and between your extremities. Children will see rashes on their heads, faces and under feet and hands.

So, how to take care of this problem? Easy, if you have a scabicide that you can apply to all the sore spots. You put this on, leave it on for a while, wash it off. But you don’t want to look over the counter for this solution, as topical creams, pills and the like are not really good treatments for scabies, and none of them certainly have the good seal of approval from the FDA. And if you fall short on a proper treatment, you run the risk of those awful sores making an encore performance on your skin. This will also happen if you come across another infected person, like a family member. Never forget that humans are contagious when infected. If you continue to feel itchy after an initial treatment, by all means, keep treating your infection, or start the treatment over again. Most people have to do this the first time.

Actually, we can find many types of HIV research. Their task is to work on different therapies to find a HIV cure. Unfortunately, we have problems with finding a good cure. We should provide more funds for such researches. They can save many lives of people who are infected. Unfortunately, its persistence in HIV reservoirs is very high. Without additional funds, finding a cure for this illness will be a very big problem. Let us hope that more and more people will fund these researches.

HIV persistence is very high so it is a very difficult “opponent” to beat. Fortunately, people are incorporating to find an effective HIV vaccine. We can find many different HIV cure workshops. They do many different researches. People can help them by funding new equipment. We can look for some information about researches to know what we are funding. Many workshops are providing information in different types of media (TV, radio etc). We can find more and more information in the internet on official websites of HIV workshops. These sites provide info about meetings, conferences and effects of researches.

The websites of HIV workshops provide not only information about researches and about the workshop. We can also find some basic information about HIV on these sites. We will know how we can become infected and how to avoid sources of HIV infection. It is better to avoid different illnesses than to cure them (the same situation is in case of HIV and AIDS). Even the small amount of money can help us to save lives of many people infected by HIV and AIDS. Maybe we can find a cure for these serious illnesses very soon.

Sexually transmitted diseases, or STD’s are infections of the body that are caused by parasites, bacteria, and viruses. These infections are transmitted mainly through sexual contact, although there are other ways to contract them. These diseases are also passed by blood-to-blood contact by sharing needles for drugs, body piercings, tattoos, child birth, or even breast feeding. Since these diseases can be deadly, it is important to learn about the diseases, how to protect yourself, and how to identify symptoms of the disease so you can get early treatment if you do become infected.

Some of the most common things to look for if you are wondering, “how do I know if I have and STD?” are unusual discharge from the male penis, painful urination, sore genital and anal area, unusual discharge form the vagina in females, intense itching, stomach cramps (not associated with menstrual cycle) and sores around the vagina and anus. These are the most common symptoms for an STD, and if you are experiencing on or more, you should seek medical treatment immediately so your physician can get you on a treatment plan as soon as possible.

One of the biggest things that you will want to do is protect yourself against STD’s so you never have to worry about having one. Always make sure you use some sort of protection against these diseases. You may want to make checkup appointments with your doctor at STD test clinic if you are sexually active, to test for the STD’s that are out there. Remember, STD’s are dangerous and sometimes deadly diseases that can be prevented. Never leave yourself in the situation wondering, “how do I know if I have an STD?”

The bombardment of news stories regarding HIV is truly stunning. The most scary aspect of this epidemic is how vulnerable teenage adolescents are to contracting this disease. HIV does not discriminate between the first and third world. Undoubtedly the most irresponsible action one can take is not bothering to wear any kind of protection during intercourse. There’s no arguing with the fact that a moment of pleasure is not worth a lifetime of living with HIV. Transmission most commonly occurs when you engage sexual intercourse with someone who’s infected; keep in mind that the majority of the population has not undergone HIV testing. Most people go about their lives blissfully unaware if they are infected and only get tested if their company requires it. Ideally, I believe the government should require every citizen over the age of 14 to be regularly tested for HIV.

Unfortunately, physical appearance is a unless indicator of whether someone is infected with HIV. Someone may look like Jessica Alba but is still carrying this incurable disease. Indeed this is a really scary thought. The key to prevention is accountability and responsibility. You have to keep in mind that we are not the only party involved and the that the same potential applies for whoever you’re hooking up with. HIV transmission is a very serious subject and we can’t afford to bury our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist.

Herpes: the basics

Cold sores are a form of the Herpes Simplex virus. Even though it is two different strains that cause genital and oral sores, the strains can infect either site with blisters and sores. It is possible for the Herpes virus to infect your nose, mouth, hands, genitals, and even your brain. The general rule of thumb for the medical community is that the HSV1 virus affects areas above the waist, and the HSV2 virus affects areas below the waist.

No matter where in the world you live, there’s no denying the social stigma attached to herpes. It’s as if people hear the word and are morbidly repulsed. In truth, cold sores and Herpes can affect anyone. It’s as likely that a prostitute to have the virus, as it is for a nun to have it! From wealthy executives to young children, it’s a virus that doesn’t play favorites. Of course, it doesn’t help matters that it’s just so easy to contract either! Some statistics estimate as many as 80% of the population has come into contact with the herpes virus. In one frightening study done in 1997, less than ten percent of the people who tested positive for the herpes virus knew they were infected!

About the term “herpes”

The word “herpes” came from the original Latin word meaning, “to creep” or “crawling”. The use of the word dates back to ancient Greece and originally referred to a wide range of skin disorders, none of them pretty. Through the many hundreds of years in between, the word herpes has come to refer to the genital strain of the STD, which is not always the case. In fact, the herpes virus also causes Shingles and chickenpox. Some sources say that most HSV1 infections occur before the age of 10, and there are some shocking statistics about possible future infection rates. When it comes to herpes, the stigma runs deep and the fear is very real.

The terms “cold sores” and “fever blisters” are euphemisms for the herpes simplex virus. There is more than one kind of herpes. Just because you suffer from one, does not mean you will suffer from genital herpes, and vice versa. Although it’s generally accepted that cold sore caused by the herpes virus, “are they a form of herpes?” must rank highly as one of the most frequently asked questions by newly diagnosed sufferers. The good news is that they are caused by a different strain of this virus; the bad news is that this virus is also known as herpes. The harsh reality is that once you tell someone you suffer from Herpes, his or her immediate assumption will be that you are talking about the genital variety

Slowly but fortunately, society is becoming more aware every day. Not only can you prevent it, but you can successfully treat any sores that may appear. Anyone can now make it a manageable part of their lives.

There’s no need to panic if you suffer from cold sores and are afraid that your cold sores are a form of the genital herpes. Are cold sores a form of herpes? Yes. Does this mean the end of the world? No! Take preventative measures and be careful in the days leading up to an outbreak and the chances are slim that you will ever have to suffer through this STD.

First off, someone with the HIV virus should take a close look at his or her diet. While eating healthy is a good idea for everyone, a person with HIV will need to eat healthy foods and avoid unhealthy ones if he or she wants to avoid serious medical complications. A diet that is high in fruits and vegetables is advisable and one should avoid eating processed foods and foods with high sugar content. Whole grain foods such as brown rice and whole wheat bread are much better than white rice and white bread. One should also avoid drinking too much alcohol as this lowers a person’s resistance to infections.

Aside from eating healthy foods, there are also a number of herbal, vitamin and mineral supplements that can be of great help to a person living with HIV. Kava, St. John’s wort, turmeric and milk thistle are particularly good herbs. Some of these herbs help the liver to better handle the HIV drugs that an HIV positive person is taking. Other herbs help a person battling with HIV to combat depression and anxiety.

A person with HIV should also exercise on a regular basis. Exercise has a lot of positive health benefits for anyone. One should choose a form of exercise that he or she enjoys and exercise at least three times a week, although daily exercise is the ideal.

Keeping a positive attitude is also important. Stress is not only unpleasant but it also has a negative effect on a person’s health. A person with HIV should set goals and find a purpose in live that will provide him or her with an incentive to strive to stay healthy and free from complications. The power of positive thinking should not be underestimated when it comes to living with HIV. One should also avail him or herself not only of the medical help that is available from a doctor but also of the many natural means of staying in good health when battling with HIV.

However, the embarrassment is that motivating factor compelling people to rid themselves of genital warts. There is never a cure for ridding your life of genital warts but there is a great product called Wartrol that will eliminate the symptoms exhibited by many people.

Motivation Seeks Solutions

Whatever the motivation, people suffering from genital warts will go to the earth’s ends seeking an effective solution to suppress the symptoms exhibited. Reality does reveal that only one-third of people suffering from genital warts infection actually present symptoms. People can be infected with the virus without ever showing wart. The virus gets spread through skin contact – which is usually spread through intercourse.

However, although a lot of embarrassment is attached to the disorder – and it is sexually transmitted – even though it is not a typical disease and is specifically a skin condition. But, people who are sexually active, or seek to be, are highly motivated to find an effective solution and spend tons of money on every cure promise that comes along.

Typical Wart Treatment is Not Considered

People can develop warts anywhere on the body. There is usually never any danger associated with getting body warts other than they are not attractive. People are not suffering a disease when getting body warts, but human beings have long associated warts with evil and bad things such as witched and other mystical, magical or whimsical creatures. Humans have never considered warts to be anything other than disgusting so whenever they occur the first reaction is to find a way to get rid of them.

Since there is no medication to kill the virus producing warts, medical professionals have a few techniques to get rid of warts. Warts are usually frozen, burned off or treated with a chemical to make them disappear. But, consider the location of genital warts. Yes, you see, there really is no way any of the described methodologies is going to work for genital warts.

Choose a Natural Remedy Like Wartrol

Due to the location of genital warts, the only solution that should ever be considered is one that is a natural remedy with no adverse effects from its applied use. Using Wartrol is quite different than any masking agent and, obviously, does not include freezing, burning or unhealthy chemical treatment. What Wartrol does is help improve the body’s immune system like getting a booster shot or flu vaccine.

Wartrol introduces small amounts of virus that aid in the production of effective antibodies that are necessary to fight the warts-producing virus. This technique is not unique. This is the same way the medical profession has fought serious diseases such as small pox and polio and has been doing so successfully for more than a half century.

Feel Confident Again

Imagine how great you will feel and how much your confidence will be regained when you feel good about your body again. If you were infected yesterday, don’t wait beyond today to get the relief you deserve using a proven and effective formula such as Wartrol.

Honesty really is the best policy. If you have been diagnosed with Herpes Simplex 2, or genital herpes, you must tell anyone that you are going to have sex with. There are no exceptions to this rule. HSV 2 can be spread even if you use a condom. If your partner is not infected, they need to understand what the risks are.

Notice that the sentence says you must tell “anyone that you are going to have sex with”. This means that unless your relationship has developed to the point that sex is imminent, you don’t have to tell if you don’t want to. Depending on your own personal acceptance level, you can decide at what point is the right moment to reveal this information.

Improve your chances by seeking like-minded individuals. It is worth mentioning that they type of companion that you are looking for can go a long way towards them accepting you. Look for someone who is not quick to judge and stereotype. Openness is a great quality, even if you don’t have genital herpes.

Don’t share the wealth. If you are not under a physicians care to help you manage outbreaks, then get there. While there is no cure, many treatments are available to reduce the frequency and severity of genital herpes outbreaks. Work with your doctor to know when you are most likely to be contagious and follow your treatment regimen. If it doesn’t appear to be working for you, discuss other options.

Consider dating sites that allow you to connect with others who also have genital herpes. This can take the pressure off you. You don’t have to worry about breaking the news, transmission of your herpes, and dealing with rejection. This can be a win – win situation for everyone involved. These sites provide you with multiple formats for meeting a compatible partner. They are often free and it is easy to register.

Regardless of the method that you choose for dating when you have genital herpes, you should pat yourself on the back. Getting out there is a positive step in accepting your infection. After all, Herpes is just that… an infection. It does not have to rule your life, nor does it make a statement about the quality of person that you are.

The system also will extend to sustain Kenya’s Ministry of Public Health & Sanitation as it widens its efforts on preventative measures for PMTCT (Mother-to-Child Transmission) services to over 3,000 facilities during the next 2 years.

The efforts with CHAI and the Kenya Ministry of Health demonstrate the serious role technology can have in improving access to healthcare worldwide and driving positive change for millions of people. President and CEO of HP, Léo Apotheker states, “Technological innovation holds immense promise for addressing societal challenges,” said, president and chief executive officer, HP. ”

Backed by HP, a custom database application was created by students at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. The database application will improve medical tracking and allow test results in real-time. Similarly, it will allow SMS/GSM-enabled printers to print results in real-time.

Ultimately, the database will streamline results across multiple data centers and forward them directly to the appropriate medical professionals.

The HP Office of Global Social Innovation has already finished the installation of two data centers in Nairobi at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the National AIDS/STI Control Program (NASCOP) headquarters.

Former President Clinton, who’s known for his great support of HIV/AIDS research in Sub-Saharan Africa has also partnered (CHAI) with HP via the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and CHAI (as previously mentioned). Brainchild of the infamous personal aid Doug Band, The CGI is a collaborative unit of global leaders, nonprofit directors and government officials that convenes to “devise and implement” innovative solutions to “some of the world’s most pressing challenges.” This includes things like healthcare, green issues and global education. Both Doug Band and President Clinton plan to provide structural and systemic improvements in the way in which they treat and test infants in Kenya.

1.) http://www.strathmore.edu/News.php?NewsID=426

Because of the nature of STDs, many are hesitant or embarrassed to talk to their family physicians and do not want to risk having any record of an STD test or a diagnosis of an STD in their medical or insurance records. Fortunately, there is another way to get tested discretely. You can use an online service and talk to a counselor who will send you to a laboratory in your area that does all types of medical testing so no one there besides the staff will know why you are there in case you are seen. You will provide a blood or urine sample that will be tested and you can learn the results in one to three days by phone or on a secured website that only you may access with a login name and password. You may even receive a text message with results if you prefer.

If the STD test is positive, free counseling is available to advise you on discrete treatment options. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. Get tested.

Look Out For These Symptoms

Symptoms for the STDs vary from case to case, but most common include painful urination, rashes, itchy sensation in the pubic region, sometimes flaky skin too. You might feel that it is taboo to talk about STDs and feel embarrassed to visit a doctor too. A visit to an STD clinic becomes necessary if men experience tiny painful sores on the penis, sometimes accompanied with flu like symptoms and swollen glands, which are commonly mistaken for insect bites may turn out to be herpes. Gonorrhea and chlamydia have other symptoms, such as, painful urination and intercourse. Burning, itching sensations around the genitals is also evident. Swelling of the testicles and abnormal discharge, and bleeding in the anus if indulging in anal sex too is a symptom also.

Women tend to experience painful urination and intercourse, bleeding in between the menstrual cycle and sore throat too can be signs. All these symptoms can be mistaken for some other disease and that is why they are so dangerous. Flaky skin and lice in the pubic area leaving bluish marks too are signs to be wary about. Regular testing and early treatment is the solution for a healthy and happy sexual life. When treated on time, the ailments can be cured. HIV too can be kept in control with proper care.

The trend of early marriages is still prevalent in many parts of the world. In many developing countries more than 20% women give birth before the age of 18 while in many other countries more than half of the young girls in their teens give birth to their first child. They are victims of physical assault in the male dominated society. This makes them more vulnerable to HIV and problems related with pregnancies. The pregnant women who are HIV infected are forced to abort the unborn child and most of the times are treated as an outcaste.

More than half of the women die of pregnancy complications every year in developing countries. It is of great concern to equally fear pregnancy as HIV-AIDS. Pregnancy at an early age is associated with many complications. There is fear of premature delivery that harms the baby. The teenage girls are not fully developed and healthy. The teenage girls are not able to take care of the babies as a grown up mother. In developed countries the teens who become parents due to unprotected sex have poor eating habits and are unable to take care of them and the child. Moreover they involve into drinking and create problems for them as the teenage mother and for the child.

In many poor countries the women feel the pressure of giving birth to a male child and as such result in getting pregnant a number of times until they give birth to a son. This is typically seen in orthodox and poor families. Getting pregnant continuously causes the women to become weak and fragile especially when no proper care is taken.
Women have complications when they get pregnant in unplanned and at an early age whether they are from a developing or developed country. Even normally women develop pregnancy complications if proper care is not taken. Every year half a million women die due to complications of pregnancy and out of these 99% deaths occur in developing countries.

In America more than 1 million teenagers become pregnant every year which is highest than any western industrialized country. This is alarming as pregnancy in teens brings down the level of education and employment opportunities.
Another great risk attached with pregnancy is the spread of infection from the mother to the baby. The virus can be transmitted to her baby during pregnancy, labor, delivery and breastfeeding. If the HIV positive woman takes the correct treatment during pregnancy then the chances of passing the virus to the baby are quite low.
Lack of proper means to prevent unintended pregnancies is a public health threat as it results in deaths of a large number of women. There is yet another factor related to pregnancy that is unwanted delivery. Such deliveries are bad for the parents as well as the child who is to be brought up. It creates a lot of psychological problems for the child. Moreover if women go for abortions then too there is a risk for the women as complications arise due to unsafe abortions.

Education associated with pregnancies should be given in underdeveloped countries and especially to teenagers in both the developed and developing countries. Knowledge should be imparted on pregnancy complications so that the risk involved in it does not arise and cause harm to both the mother and the child.

A preventative HIV vaccine is a substance that teaches the body’s immune system to recognize and protect itself against HIV. Vaccines currently under development are created from man-made materials that cannot cause HIV. This is unlike other vaccines, which uses a small amount of the disease to teach your body to be immune.

Supporters of the HIV vaccine hope for several outcomes of the research. The goals include preventing infection in most men and women living with HIV/AIDS; preparing a person’s immune system to block continued infection and eliminate the HIV virus; and delaying or preventing the onset of AIDS.

The goal is to create a vaccine that is 100 percent effective in preventing infection in everyone, but even a partially effective vaccine will also make a great difference. Creating a partially effective vaccine will stop the disease in a portion of the population, thereby decreasing the number of people able to spread HIV to others.

There are two kinds of HIV vaccines currently being researched – therapeutic and preventative. A preventative vaccine is given to HIV negative people. It’s designed to stop infection and control the spread of HIV. It does not cure AIDS. Scientists believe that much like current HIV/AIDS treatments, multiple vaccines will be needed to treat people already infected with HIV. A therapeutic vaccine is one that is researched for the treatment of people with HIV or AIDS.

There are three phases an HIV vaccine must go through before it can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Phase I includes testing on a small number of healthy HIV negative people. During this phase, volunteers are given different amounts of the vaccine. Phase I can last between 12 and 18 months. Phase II can last up to two years, and includes hundreds of HIV negative volunteers who test the safety and immune responses of the vaccine. The final phase—Phase III—includes thousands of HIV negative volunteers and can last between three and four years.

An effective HIV vaccine is one of the best long-term solutions to stopping the epidemic spread of AIDS. The vaccine cannot be developed fast enough! Nearly 25 million people have died from AIDS worldwide. An estimated 40 million people are living with AIDS and approximately 14,000 people are infected every hour. Even more concerning, approximately 13 million children who are 15 years of age and younger have lost one or both parents to AIDS. This is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.

There is no cure for AIDS, so the continued push to find a vaccine is crucial. The availability of anti-retroviral therapy can dramatically decrease AIDS related deaths; however, the regimen is complex and costly. Often it can have serious side effects on the patient’s health. Finding a working HIV vaccine will save millions of lives, much like the polio vaccine did so many years ago. HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is May 18th – take time today to find out how you can help raise awareness in your community!

HIV Precautions:

- Discuss HIV and other STDs with your sexual partner.
- Learn as much as possible about your partner’s past sexual behavior, other sexual partners, drug use and lifestyle.
- Use a condom every time you have sexual intercourse.
- Never share needles or syringes with anyone.
- Get tested for HIV and other STDs.

Although there is no known cure for HIV/AIDS, it is a manageable virus. Advances in HIV treatments since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the 1980s have helped to weaken the progression of the HIV infection to AIDS. As a result of advancements in medical research and sciences, the number of fatalities resulting from AIDS has decreased in the United States. All blood donated to blood banks and infirmaries in the United States are now tested for HIV. As a result, contracting HIV from a blood transfusion is very rare.

Like many drug treatments, the medications used to treat HIV/AIDS can cause complications and side effects. Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) on rare occasion can cause serious medical complications including: changes in metabolism and bone loss. Patients need to be aware of possible complications when taking any medication and be alert to their body’s response to the drug. It is important to communicate any concerns regarding your HIV treatment India with your physician.

Research has shown that HIV can create strains resistant to antiretroviral drugs when patients fail to take all their prescribed medications consistently. It is essential for patients to talk to their physicians regarding their concerns or hardships with their suggested drug regimens. Some patients experience disagreeable side effects and may have difficulty keeping up with the required daily medication schedule. If this is the case, it is recommended that the patient and physician find an alternative solution as quickly as possible as inconsistency with antiretroviral drugs may allow the HIV infection to become resistant to that specific treatment.

Various procedures can be applied in STD testing; first thing to ask you in your visit in a clinic and prior to any test will be about your risk factors, after the initial interview, this will be the basis of the necessary tests to diagnose your condition. Screening for STD’s like Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, or others should be more often and more advised to sexually active people with a new partner or those with multiple sex partners.

STD clinics offer a more comfortable and upfront approach for individuals who would like to discover their current condition on whether they are infected or not. Unlike most private medical practitioners who does not perform STD screening unless you specify too, STD clinics are dedicated primarily and only for STD testing and information. Confidentiality on your results is a primary concern for STD clinics, thus your results will be kept confidential between you and the doctor, the process of testing will be coded and some STD clinics are not required to archive STD results. Most people would assume that a test will be given directly upon visitation, but testing for STD is only done upon request, not unless you have shown tremendous symptoms leading to a diagnosis of STD. But STDs unluckily do not manifest symptoms most of the time.

Any slight symptom of STD should not be ignored; it is vital that you submit yourself for testing to confirm your condition and avoid further complication. STD symptoms are often asymptomatic but if it comes to manifest, it would include symptoms such as abnormal discharges from the genitals, sores, itching, sensation of burning during urination, and pain during intercourse.

STDs are out there in many types with varied symptoms and this can be prevented by abstinence or the practices of safe sex through using condom but also remember that not all STDs are curable; hence prevention is better than cure. If you suspect that you are infected, or if you suspect that you have come in contact sexually with an infected person, have yourself checked for STD right away and do not let the virus spread and cause irreversible damage on your body!

STD can be very dangerous to men and women, young or old, pregnant or not, this can bring about many irreversible damage in an individual’s body like pelvic inflammatory disease and epidydimitis that both can lead to infertility. STDs can complicate to medical conditions such as meningitis, or can lead to irreversible damage to the human internal organs and thus you must do all you can to prevent it and if possible, detect it early on to have the proper cure or treatment.

If you’ve gone on a mission trip anywhere on the globe to help repair the devastation wrought by HIV/AIDS, or if you are up-to-date on current information and therefore all too familiar with the heartbreaking statistics—that the percentages of women, young people, and African Americans with AIDS keep increasing at a scary rate, and in fact are at an all-time high; and that more than 25 million people have died from AIDS related diseases and currently more than 33 million people are living with the HIV virus—you may be shocked to discover that many other people are not only unaware of the devastating scope of this epidemic, but also lack awareness of the basic facts about HIV/AIDS.

I recently spoke to an American woman who had been moved by stories of women living with HIV/AIDS and wanted to volunteer at mission organizations such as Beaded Hope. Speaking of Beaded Hope in particular, she suggested that its focus should be shifted from selling jewelry to selling items never to be worn by the customer. She thought jewelry or any other item worn next to the body carried a risk of contracting HIV if it had been made by someone with the virus.

I was stunned that at this point in time, after all the massive efforts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness, a well-meaning, concerned volunteer could be so poorly informed. It is impossible to transmit the HIV virus on an inanimate object – the only way to contract it is through infected body fluids.

This woman’s disturbing suggestion confirmed a growing fear of mine: that in spite of a glut of readily available information regarding HIV/AIDS, complacency about and ignorance of the facts are on the rise.

It is crucial that those of us who work to raise HIV awareness in Africa and elsewhere maintain our efforts to educate everyone about those facts. Such as:

1. HIV can only be transmitted in three ways, through unprotected sex with someone who has the virus, by sharing needles and by an infected mother to her child during delivery or breastfeeding.

2. HIV/AIDS is a pandemic. In 2008, 33 million people in the world were living with HIV/AIDS. An estimated two million people died from AIDS related causes that year.

3. The number of people living with HIV has risen every year since the discovery of the virus and continues to grow.

4. Regarding women and HIV, even though far too many people think this is a “men’s” disease, fully half of those living with HIV/AIDS are women.

5. AIDS is the second most common cause of death among 20-24 year olds.

Now more than ever, anyone who has ever been touched by inspiring stories of people living with HIV, or who has seen AIDS awareness falling while widely available knowledge of other diseases such as cancer permeates public discussion, has an important obligation to get the word out. Don’t let complacency and ignorance add to the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS.

HPV is known to cause these warts and a different variant may cause cervical infections that may progress to cervical cancer. However, the variant that causes the warts is not the same type that causes cervical cancer. The chances of you developing cancer from the warts are close to impossible. There has been no link that the kind of HPV in genital warts is the same type that causes cancer.

Cancer in the cervix, vagina, or vulva is caused by an HPV infection that if left untreated may progress into cancer. Although warts found in the cervix, vagina, or vulva, cannot progress into cancer. There has been no scientific evidence that the strain of HPV that causes genital warts if left long enough can lead to cancer. This is however not a reason to be complacent about cancer and genital warts. With HPV infecting about 70% of sexually active individuals the chances of contracting these warts or cancer or even both is still high.

HPV does not manifest itself almost all the time, and sometimes it can stay in the body for years. Even after contracting an HPV infection, the virus may still be in the body. There are now vaccines that can prevent HPV infections, especially those variants that can possibly develop into cancer. About the question: genital warts can it lead to cancer?

The answer is a big NO! However, it won’t hurt us to remain vigilant and careful. After all an HPV infection of any type should not be taken lightly. Who knows.

he infection of HIV can be controlled and cured if the diagnosis is done on time and is detected.

Normally, it is very difficult to know whether the person sitting in front of our eyes has HIV or not, because most of the people who are infected with HIV seem to be perfectly healthy. Others who seem sick with the HIV may show symptoms that can be of other common diseases also. Therefore, it is not simple to see a person and tell whether he or she is HIV positive or not.

The initial HIV symptoms can resemble the symptoms of flu or common cold or of sexually transmitted diseases like hepatitis or ‘mono’. anxiety and stress can also cause such symptoms in people that may resemble those of HIV.

Some people with HIV may experience strong symptoms of HIV while others may have no problem at all. People who do show symptoms of HIV experience fatigue, fever, and rashes often. Other symptoms may also include swollen nymph node, sore throat, and headache.

Such HIV symptoms may occur within some days or even weeks after the exposure to HIV virus during the period known as acute or primary HIV infection. Because of non-specific HIV symptoms associated with acute or primary infection, the symptoms are usually not reliable to diagnose an HIV infection.

Testing is the only sure-shot way to identify whether a person has been infected with HIV or not.

In the initial stage, the symptoms that a person may show are not other than something ordinary like fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes in groin and neck and fatigue. After some time, these symptoms get away without any hint that the person is HIV infected.

Normally the severe symptoms of HIV show up only after at least 8-10 years during which the HIV virus actively spreads into the body and kills the immune cells, which leads to more complications in the patient’s system. Other symptoms like low energy, night sweat and weight loss are also symptoms of rheumatic diseases, tuberculosis and other diseases. Later, loss of immune system leads to skin rashes, yeast infection in vagina or in mouth and inflammatory conditions that are unable to be controlled by ordinary treatment methods.

Eventually, other unusual tumors and infections start taking place in the person’s body and herpes and shingles become most frequent guests.

As the person’s system of immunity gets completely damaged, he or she becomes susceptible to infections and other HIV symptoms. It includes persistent exhaustion followed by giddiness and headache, intense dry cough, frequent occurrences of fever higher than 100°F. It is followed by shivering and chills for many weeks continuously. Distorted and indistinct vision, bleeding from mucous membranes, out-growth in the skin for no possible reason, persistent rashes and white spots all over the person’s body, sore throat followed by a white thick layer on the tongue are amongst few symptoms.

It is usually due to yeast infection, frequent infections in vagina of HIV positive ladies, acute soreness and numbness in limbs followed by fractional loss of strength and control in muscles, chronic pelvic inflammation and herpes zoster infection in women and other serious diseases like cancers. Cervical cancer, lymphoma, and Kaposi’s sarcoma are quite common types of cancer that can be seen in people who are HIV positive.

When one actually reads the early research on AIDS, before the picture was muddied with the declaration that it’s caused by HIV, it seems fairly obvious that AIDS is actually caused by drug use, just as we can now see with perfect hindsight that lung cancer is caused by cigarette smoking. In fact, most of the early AIDS researchers saw this with crystal clarity and many still do. Their voices are silenced, however, by the germ hunters who run the CDC, the pharmaceutical companies who sell anti-retroviral drugs, and by other vested interests who want you to be afraid of germs or sex. These people have absolute control over what research is funded for AIDS and since the discovery and conviction of HIV all research has been slanted toward learning how to kill or suppress it. Professor Peter Duesberg, Ph.D. of U.C. Berkeley, who was the first person to ever map the genome of a retrovirus is one of the most outspoken critics of the HIV=AIDS hypothesis. He says HIV could not possibly be the cause of AIDS. Another very credible source who takes this contrarian view is Nobel Laureate Kary Mullis, Ph.D. who says he can find no reason to explain why anyone should believe that HIV causes AIDS. The truth is, no matter what you’ve heard or how many times you’ve heard it, the evidence simply isn’t there and the story doesn’t add up. There is so much to this fascinating story that only the broadest of strokes can be covered here, but let’s dig a little deeper.

Though the definition of AIDS has changed considerably over the years, the original syndrome occurred exclusively in fast-track homosexuals. All of these patients had at least two things in common. They all used heavy doses of antibiotics to ward off urinary tract infections and STDs and they all had a long history of heavy recreational drug use – especially amyl nitrates or “poppers.” Of course, other drugs, especially inhaled drugs like methamphetamines and cocaine contributed to the picture as well. The diseases these patients died from were fungal infections (thrush and pneumocystis carinii) and a rare skin cancer (Kaposi’s sarcoma). Pneumocystis carinii is a lung disease. Kaposi’s sarcoma often affects the lungs in these patients, as well as the face and the tip of the nose. Thrush affects the oral cavity. These findings tie in well with the inhaled drug use factor. Fungal infections are primarily caused by the overuse of antibiotics. Amyl nitrates are carcinogenic. Like cigarettes, long-term use of them causes cancer. Both types of drugs also weaken the immune system.

When the definition of AIDS was expanded (because no one was interested in studying a gay disease), we saw new groups enter the picture-namely hemophiliacs and IV drug users. Hemophiliacs use something called Factor VIII to help their blood clot. Commercial grade Factor VIII, which is cheaper and comes from thousands of donors, causes immune system dysfunction, whereas purified Factor VIII does not. Only hemophiliacs who receive commercial Factor VIII get AIDS and if they switch to the pure form, they often recover. Need more proof? HIV has been absent from the blood supply since 1984 but the number of hemophiliacs contracting AIDS has not decreased. And by the way, hemophiliacs’ spouses never get AIDS, even when they practice unprotected sex.

It’s probably no big surprise to find out that IV drugs suppress the immune system as well. These users often die of things like blood infections and if the person happens to have HIV in his/her body, the death certificate says they died of AIDS. Statistically, HIV status does not affect the age at which IV drug users die either. In fact, if anything, HIV-positive drug users live longer than their HIV-negative counterparts.

AIDS in Africa is a completely different syndrome with totally different diagnostic criteria from what we have here. The diseases people die of there, supposedly caused by HIV, have been in Africa forever. HIV is completely irrelevant in the clinical picture and often it’s not even tested for. But HIV is being blamed for these deaths because AIDS receives more funding than Malaria or other African diseases do.

Since HIV was discovered, many patients who are HIV-positive, but healthy, have been put on anti-retroviral drugs like AZT. These drugs stop the virus from spreading, but they destroy T-cells in order to do so. This loss of T-cells leads to a sickening patient and the diagnosis of AIDS. The doctor interprets this as the natural progression from HIV-positive to AIDS, but it’s really AIDS by prescription. This is precisely what happened to Magic Johnson. Luckily, he was smart enough to stop taking the drugs and recovered completely. Wimbledon champ Arthur Ashe was not so lucky.

For all viral diseases other than AIDS, the presence of antibodies in the blood means your immune cells have been in contact with the virus and successfully eliminated or at least learned how to suppress it. For AIDS, however, the presence of antibodies (which is what the AIDS test actually tests for) supposedly means the virus is living and breeding within you. Why do they reverse this time-honored laboratory standard only for AIDS? Because it is virtually impossible to find any active HIV in a patient, even if they have full-blown AIDS! Your body produces millions if not billions of T-cells every day. In order for HIV to kill more T-cells than are being produced, there would have to be millions and millions of HIV particles circulating in the blood. This just isn’t the case.

What about patients with supposedly high viral loads? Nobel Prize winner, Kary Mullis, who I mentioned before, invented the PCR test which is used to test these viral loads. He says the test is “meaningless” when used in this way. To help justify this inability to find HIV in AIDS patients, researchers have created elaborate stories regarding HIV. The long and the short of these stories is that HIV does not have to be present in order to kill all these cells. I call this, “The Magic Virus Theory”.

By the way, in order to produce the HIV antibody tests, they grow the virus in human T-cells. The strange thing is the virus doesn’t kill the T-cells! It lives harmoniously with them. That’s because retroviruses don’t kill cells. Why would they? They need them in order to reproduce.

Until they arbitrarily created a new name for it, there were thousands of patients suffering from AIDS who weren’t even HIV-positive! But because these patients screwed up their statistics, rather than considering other possibilities as to the cause of AIDS, the CDC decided to create a brand new diagnosis (ICL) for these patients. Further, they said that from then on HIV must be present in order to give a diagnosis of AIDS. No one knows or seems to care what causes ICL.

On the other side of the coin, there are millions of people who are HIV-positive (many who have been positive for decades) who have never developed AIDS. As long as they stay away from AZT, poppers, cocaine, etc. they remain healthy. Also, the number of HIV-positive people has remained relatively constant since testing began. According to epidemiologists, the overall stability of HIV infection rate indicates the virus has been with us for a long time. We just discovered it in the 1980s.

All these facts and many more indicate that HIV (like most viruses) is actually a “passenger virus”. It basically just hangs out in the body, but doesn’t cause any disease. At most, it may kill a few cells here and there. Research has confirmed this fact again and again. But unless you read the right medical journals, you won’t hear this news.

So how did HIV come to be the AIDS scapegoat? The main character in this story is the man who is usually credited with the discovery of HIV, Robert Gallo. Gallo has been discredited on many occasions and at several points he’s been the laughing stock of the scientific community. Most pertinent to our story, however, he was convicted of fraud and scientific misconduct and asked to leave the National Cancer Institute because he had falsified all the research he had done on AIDS. In fact, his papers, which supposedly made the connection between HIV and AIDS, never actually say that HIV is the cause! The titles of these papers (which did indicate HIV was the cause) were simply taken at face value and never confirmed by another lab. Before the papers had even been published, it was simply announced to the world that we (the Americans) had found the cause of AIDS. But Gallo actually stole the infamous virus from a French scientist named Luc Montagnier and claimed for years that he had found it himself. Interestingly, the patient Montagnier found the virus in didn’t even have AIDS! Thusly, Montagnier, the true discoverer of HIV, also says that it cannot and does not cause AIDS!

This is all just the tip of the iceberg. The full story on HIV and AIDS is contained in my book “Thugs, Drugs and the War on Bugs, How the Natural Healthcare Revolution Will Lead Us Past Greed, Ego and Scary Germs”.

Dr. Brad Case is a holistic chiropractor, clinic director of the Holistic Healing Center in Prunedale, California, and author of “Thugs, Drugs and the War On Bugs, How the Natural Healthcare Revolution Will Lead Us Past Greed, Ego, and Scary Germs”, Book I in the Why We’re Sick™ healthcare series. He’s also a contributing author of “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health”. Dr. Case has dedicated his life to exposing the myths and lies perpetrated by modern medicine and the mainstream media. His personal and professional mission is to revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered in this country and the world, leading to complete freedom of choice in healthcare and a common sense approach to treating and preventing disease. He puts out a quarterly newsletter and a monthly e-newsletter.

Dr. Case has discovered that there are just seven foundational causes for all disease. To help combat these stumbling blocks to health, he’s developed the 20 Steps to Perfect Health™, a holistic program designed to get even the sickest patient well again. He has also developed a series of healthcare lectures called “The Perfect Health Seminars.” His casual style and dry, irreverent wit tend to delight and buoy his audience, allowing them to digest this serious, and often scary information.

Dr. Case has a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology, and received his Doctor of Chiropractic from the National University of Health Sciences.

To schedule an appointment or book Dr. Case as a speaker, call: 831-663-2284. He can also be reached by email at drbradcase@sbcglobal.net. You can also follow him on Twitter at drbradcase. For more information about the Holistic Healing Center, including many amazing patient testimonials, or to sign up for his free health e-newsletter, please visit http://www.HealthIsNatural.com?

Human Papilloma Virus is also one of the key factors that stimulate the growth of genital warts. Few of other causes of genital warts are multiple sex partners, regular use of birth control pills, indulging in sex at an early stage, etc. Signs of genital warts are not known immediately to the infected victim, it takes more than nine months for the virus to incubate.

Symptoms are rarely noticeable at an early stage, but with the progression of disease symptoms become clearly visible. Once a victim is exposed to virus, small fleshy soft tissues arise in the genital area and it is painless and hardly noticed by the patient.

They are diagnosed through colposcopy, small cauliflower shaped tissues can be found while examination. Biopsy of the vaginal tissue and testing out for HPV genetic material helps to rule out the infection in patients. Also it can be detected at home with acetic acid (vinegar), swabbing the penis or cervix with vinegar swab makes HPV affected area to appear whitish.

Symptoms are

(a)Small lump tissues, painless but are itchier in nature.
(b)It forms as swollen muscles in the form of cauliflower when warts join together.
(c) Snowy discharge from genital organs.
(d) Swollen bumps that discharges and bleed.
(e) Mild fever accompanied with nausea or vomiting.
(f) Incontinence or burning sensation while passing urine.
(g) Sore throat or runny nose

There are some specific signs of disease such as genital warts (soft raised tissues) in penis, anus and in scrotum of men. In females it usually occurs in moist areas especially the labia minora, labia majora, vaginal area and cervix. Few infected women experience bleeding after intercourse or have occasional vaginal discharge.

Disease can spread even if one of the partners is infected with genital warts (i.e.) either male or female.

There are so many drugs and medications to treat it, but most drugs cause unwanted damage rather than good. Adverse effects outweigh the goodness produced during treatment.

But still there are few drugs that can produce healing effects and cure the disease without producing any side effects. So choose the drug carefully so that one infected with it can get healed safely without facing any unwanted effects.



There are only two exceptions to this rule. Firstly, babies born to positive mothers retain their mother’s antibodies for up to 18 months, which means they may test positive on an HIV antibody test, even if they are actually HIV negative. This is why babies born to positive mothers may receive a PCR test after birth. Secondly, some people who have taken part in HIV vaccine trials may have HIV antibodies even if they are not infected with the virus

What is a PCR test

PCR tests detect the genetic material of HIV itself, and can identify HIV in the blood within two or three weeks of infection.

Most people develop detectable HIV antibodies within 6 to 12 weeks of infection. In very rare cases, it can take up to 6 months. It is exceedingly unlikely that someone would take longer than 6 months to develop antibodies.

Getting tested earlier than 3 months may result in an unclear test result, as an infected person may not yet have developed antibodies to HIV. However, the person may already have high levels of HIV in their blood, sexual fluids or breast milk. Someone can transmit HIV to another person during the window period even though they do not test positive on an antibody test. So it is best to wait for at least 3 months after the last time you were at risk before taking the test, and abstain from unprotected sex or drug use with shared needles in the meantime.

Not-so-good things about testing

There are some things about having an HIV test that aren’t so good:

* Finding out that you are positive can be very stressful and your quality of life might suffer.

* If others know you have HIV you might get bad reactions or feel that you are being talked about, although many people get good reactions too.

* Travel restrictions apply to people with HIV and you may be restriced or denied entry into a country

* If you have had a positive HIV test result it can be difficult, although not impossible, to get life insurance and/or a mortgage.

* If you are prepared for these in advance, they can make it easier to take the decision to have a test, and deal with the after-effects.

* Whatever you decide there is support for you to help you reach that decision.

Being diagnosed as hiv positive is a very stressing thing to undertake but it does get better as time goes on. There is much help and support available so please use it and dont ignore it.

HIV home test kits that are FDA approved provide nearly 100% accuracy. This accuracy is up to six months after an individual has been possibly exposed to the HIV virus. This test is not as easy as people may think. You must be thorough when deciding to take it. Included within the test is plenty of material that needs to be read in order for you to know how to take the test correctly. It is recommended that should you decide to take a home test for HIV, you have a minimum of two hours to do so. This will give you time to read through all of the materials and to take the test itself.

You may choose to use HIV home test kits because perhaps you fear going to a clinic. If you are afraid of being seen inside a clinic that tests for HIV, you may feel more comfortable taking the test by yourself. This way, no one outside of your home will have to know about it. However, you should be aware that taking the test at home costs more than going to a local clinic in many cases. If you decide to take the test at home, you can purchase online, over the phone or in store.

Beware of HIV home test kits that claim you can receive your results without sending in work to a lab. These same tests or other tests may also claim that you can know these results in as little as 15 minutes. These tests are not approved by the FDA, and therefore present an unknown accuracy rate. You may see these companies advertise on the Internet, but if they do not have FDA approval, you have no real way of knowing that you received accurate results. Ultimately, it is your decision to decide whether HIV home test kits are right for you.

Herpes Simplex is not dangerous virus and is not a symptom of any other underlying disease. It is harmless but will stay in your system there is no herpes treatment that can eradicate the virus..

Herpes simplex virus is very contagious. If you have an active lesion, you can spread the virus to other people in all sorts of ways, sharing cups or eating utensils with other people, including using a towel other people are going to be using, touching your cold sore, and then touching someone else with your hand, sneezing, coughing and kissing will lead to the transmission of the virus.

There are a few tips to avoid an outbreak. It goes without saying that a healthy diet helps as does getting enough rest and drinking plenty of fluids, avoid intake of soft drinks containing sugar and also limit caffeine intake.

It is best to treat the cold sore as soon as you get the tingling sensation, a cold sore can last a week or longer if it is not treated quickly

There are various over-the-counter ointments that provide pain relief and promote healing, as well as many prescription medications that require a doctor’s visit beforehand. Zovirax ointment is very effective in cold sores or herpes treatments, and can actually reduce the time a cold sore is present by up to half. It is fairly inexpensive is available at your local pharmacy and some supermarkets, and can diminish the cold sore in 2 or 3 days.

Some people swear by home remedies for cold sores and there is no doubt they can be a good course of action against this painful herpes sore.

The application of a tea bag over the cold sore can help. The tannic acid in tea is antiviral agent and can be an effective cold sore treatment. I have read that when the sore starts to crack and become open, warm moist tea bags bring healing blood to the wound.

Ice relieves pain and reduces swelling. Start using it as soon as the itching starts. Do not use it once the sore opens as it can slow the healing process.

STD symptoms in women are hard to detect because her genitals are not as exposed as the male, thus making symptoms less likely to be seen and noticed. More than often, because of the common symptoms, the symptoms of STD in women is commonly mistaken to be another kind if disease; a Chlamydia infection can be mistaken for a yeast infection and a red pimple like could be mistaken as a bump wherein it could be a symptom of syphilis! This makes women more prone to untreated STD and leaving them to suffer more complicated effects of STD.

Every single sexually active women sis strongly advised to subject themselves to regular STD testing as symptoms are less likely to be noticed in women and the effects of STD especially when left untreated is considerably more devastating. Though STDs are commonly unnoticed, it can be helped with the right information and knowledge on its symptoms and signs upon infection.

Syphilis is a STD that appears as a Chancre around the vagina or the rectum. A chancre is a painless sore that is often mistaken to be a bump and commonly self-treated with over the counter remedies. In the 10th to the 90th day of infection, chancres will start to appear in the genital area and this can last for 3 to 6 weeks but it can also heal by itself. If syphilis is unnoticed and untreated on its first appearance it will now move on the second stage wherein after some time, it will re occur and attack again causing rashes all over the body of the infected. The palms of the hand and bottom of the feet will be filled with red spots and will be accompanied with fever, sore throat, swollen lymph glands, hair loss, weight loss, fatigue, and muscle pain. If the syphilis infection is still left untreated in this stage it will now develop into the latent stage and infest on internal organs causing irreversible damages that can lead to paralysis, loss of muscle coordination, blindness, and even death.

The number of infected women is greater than those of men and the effect of the disease had greater effects in women as well. Untreated and complicated situations of STD in women cam manifest as burning sensation while urinating, pain during sexual intercourse, and abnormal vaginal discharges but it can also cause damage in the reproductive system, causing inflammation in the fallopian tube and cervix and disowning infected women her chance to bear a child. It is best for sexually active women to have yourself tested regularly to avoid such complications.

STD Symptoms in women – know these symptoms, be vigilant, and get tested.

1. HPV is the “human papillomavirus”. You may have heard that it is just a virus that causes warts. That is only half true. The term “papillomavirus” does indeed refer to any one of several strains of the virus that causes warts. When someone gets an outbreak of warts on their hands or feet, that is caused by HPV. But other strains of HPV cause warts, or “lesions” in other areas of the body, such as on the genitals or even internally where they are never seen but may over the long term cause more serious health problems.
2. HPV is not the same thing as HIV/AIDS. It is a different virus altogether, and results in different consequences and damages to the body. There are more than 250 separate strains – or types – of the HPV virus. Each of these strains behaves differently from the others; in its own unique way it replicates itself and acts upon your body. In most cases it goes away by itself, but in the case of a few strains, it can leave long-term damage. Sometimes, in some people, this damage can eventually lead to cancer.
3. HPV often shows no symptoms, but it can be easily passed from one person to another. In the case of the strains which cause common warts, the carrier might or might have an active infection visible on their skin. They can spread it to another person by touching that person, or even by touching something that another person might touch. The HPV virus can live on cold, dry surfaces for days. This means that you should keep in mind when you use a public restroom facility, or when you walk across a public shower room barefoot, that you are taking a risk. Keep yourself safe from infection by avoiding contact with surfaces which may be contaminated; cover a public toilet seat before using it, and wear flip-flops in a show room.
4. If you are sexually active, practice smart sex and safe sex, every time you engage in sexual contact. This means that you should be aware of some basic facts: the Pill will not protect from STDs; you cannot tell if your partner has HPV and you partner may not know whether they have it; condoms offer some protection, but not completely; you can acquire HPV through oral sex or anal sex, and these strains can lead to serious health issues.
5. If your partner tells you that they do not have HPV, ask if they are a virgin. Because being a virgin (and that includes never having engaged in oral or anal sex) is the only sure way to know you don’t have HPV! If you cannot be certain that your partner is a virgin, always assume that there may be HPV virus present, and protect yourself through safe sex!

HIV AIDS, as soon as it infects the body, you can be rest assured, has no cure. Yes, there are some anti retro viral injections and other medication which can stop the quick spread of the germs in the body. These medicines can help the victim to lead a normal life for some time, but then, there is no escape from the clutches of HIV AIDS permanently. So, as a responsible citizen, you have to focus on the complete eradication of the disease, by preventing it from spreading from one person to another. Blood transfusions from the body of an infected patient and unsterilized needles are also some of the modes of transmission. But in most cases HIV AIDS gets transmitted sexually.

There are certain diseases like herpes and other viral infections which are transmitted sexually. Long periods of overlooking the symptoms of these diseases can be harmful, as then it may invite the virus of AIDS in the body. HIV AIDS infection attacks the immunity systems of bodies. They slowly paralyze the systems and ruin the natural mechanisms of bodies to fight with ordinary diseases. Ultimately the victims die out of some very common and benign diseases, which it could fight in ordinary circumstances.

It is important that you should know the risk of getting involved with multiple partners during sexual activities. The probability of getting infected with HIV AIDS is more for people involved in queer and tedious sexual acts for sheer pleasure than others. Changing sexual partners very often invites the germs of HIV AIDS more readily in the body. It is advisable that you should stay away from group sex, because your life is too precious to put at stake for momentary pleasure and fun. Always maintain safe sexual relationship with your partner by using condoms. It should be remembered by pregnant mothers that the germs of HIV AIDS can infect the developing fetus with the calamitous diseases. It is so wrong, that an innocent, who knows nothing about worldly ways, be infected with such a disease. It is a costly price he pays for the careless act of his predecessors.

As responsible citizens, it is the duty of this generation to inculcate good values to the up coming generations. They should be instructed about the power of abstinence and self control which can help them reap rewards in future by getting rid of sexually transmitted HIV AIDS completely from this world.

The story tells the tale of Prince Prospero who ruled in some far off land. A plague came to his realm and struck with ferocity upon the people he ruled. The plague became known as the “Red Death” and in Poe’s own words:

” The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour…”

When about half of the people Prince Prospero ruled over succumbed to the illness, the prince hatched a plan to take one thousand healthy friends and take refuge in one of his castles. He barred entry and exit from the castle and intended to wait out in splendor, the disease that coursed through his land.

At the end of 2006, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 34 million and 47 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. During 2006, between 2.5 million and 3.5 million people died from AIDS. Over half of all the people who live with HIV/AIDS and die from AIDS live in Africa.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, 5.9% of the adult population is infected with HIV/AIDS. In the same area, 2.1 million adults and children died of the disease in 2006. In North America, 0.8% of the population is infected, and 18,000 people died from AIDS in 2006.

Prince Prospero’s idea was simply to let the Red Death burn itself out. Once the disease had left, he and his guests could leave the castle and repopulate the land. This is the reason why the prince chose his guests principally from among the nobles and knights of his realm. To be fair, he also brought in some entertainers and artists, knowing that he and his guests would have to be entertained during their seclusion.

In 2001, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria was started. Since then, $3.3 billion has been obtained from nations throughout the world to help fight disease in Africa. In addition to this, the U.S. Government has contributed an additional $1.1 billion under the President’s Plan for AIDS relief.

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, in 2005, the U.S. Government distributed nearly $3 billion for HIV/AIDS assistance to the 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This single-year assistance is nearly equal to all of the assistance given by all nations over the past 5 years to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa.

After being locked up in the castle for six months, Prince Prospero’s guests were experiencing a little “cabin fever”. So the prince decided to throw a big costumed ball in his apartments within the castle. The prince had seven apartments – a not insignificant number. Each apartment was decorated in differing styles with different colors. One apartment, however, was black and blood red. Most of the guests didn’t go into this apartment because it seemed so dark and foreboding.

Because HIV/AIDS suppresses the human immune system, diseases that were normally suppressed within the human population have returned. Tuberculosis (TB) is one of those diseases. Contrary to what most people believe, TB was never actually cured. Through a regime of drugs, man found a way to suppress the disease. But for the most part, the disease is suppressed by one’s own immune system. Today, it is believed that as many as one-third of the human population on Earth carries a TB strain within their bodies. But so long as their immune system is unimpaired, these estimated 2 billion people may anticipate living their entire lives without ever experiencing a single symptom of TB.

The ball the prince holds is a delight to everyone in the castle. People are enjoying themselves and seem to be completely oblivious to the horrors taking place outside the castle walls. But then, all of a sudden, there appears one person who is costumed as a victim of the Red Death. The crowd shrieks in horror and moves away in fear and loathing from this person. The Prince flies into a rage at seeing one of his apparent guests mocking and terrorizing both he and everyone else at the ball. He demands that the perpetrator be apprehended and hanged from the castle wall for his effrontery.

Because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, and the lack of drugs and money to combat the disease, TB has not only returned to plague the people of Africa, it has also mutated into new strains. Multi-Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a strain that is extremely difficult to control and requires the use of many anti-retroviral drugs to combat. WHO has issued repeated warnings that, left unchecked, this new strain of TB can become a global pandemic. Because TB is spread by air, there is no way to protect oneself from contracting the disease. If you are around someone with active TB, then you are probably going to contract the disease.

Now, a new strain of TB has been discovered and identified as Extremely Drug Resistant TB (XDR-TB). Some scientists believe XDR-TB is untreatable. In studies conducted by WHO and the U.S. Center for Disease Control, in Russia and Asia, 53 patients suffering from XDR-TB were treated with anti-retroviral drugs. Despite this treatment, 52 of the patients died within just 25 days of contracting the illness.

The prince and his knights pursue the offending guest through the apartments until they corner him in the black and blood red, seventh apartment. There, to their shock and horror, they discover that the perpetrator was not wearing a costume, but in fact, is infected with the Red Death plague. Within a short time, the prince and all who had gathered within the castle walls perished from the disease.

According to WHO, today approximately 4% of all known XDR-TB cases are found in patients residing in the United States. WHO and other agencies warn that the failure of developed nations to seriously confront and combat this growing epidemic and the HIV/AIDS epidemic that has spawned XDR-TB, will result in a severe mortality impact worldwide.

If you have received a diagnosis, it is important that you have a solid support system in place. Unfortunately, most individuals actually discriminate against those that are diagnosed with the condition. While this is a devastating fact, it is an actuality. It is important that you learn to effectively cope with the HIV/AIDS stigma and in this guide; you will learn how to do just that.

In order to effectively cope with the HIV/AIDS stigma, you must first understand the reasons why it exists. First, and foremost, most individuals have a natural fear of dying. Given the fact that the virus is deadly, many will try to separate themselves from you. Yes, many do so because of the fact that they fear contracting the illness.

However, many will do so because they understand that you may eventually die from HIV/AIDS. This is a normal defense mechanism that occurs in those that are attempting to protect their own emotional well-being. The fear of death, the fear of coping with death, and the fear of contracting the virus contributes heavily to the HIV/AIDS stigma that exists today.

If you are trying to cope with the HIV/AIDS stigma as a patient, it is important to learn as much as you possibly can regard the condition. You should also attempt to join support groups and encourage your friends and relatives to do the same. Not only do support groups offer emotional support, they also offer educational support.

There are many organizations that focus on assisting those with HIV and AIDS as well as those that are close to the patient. If you gain an understanding of why the HIV/AIDS stigma exists and follow these strategies, you will be able to cope in an effective manner.

About the Author: Anne Ahira is an established entrepreneur and successful coach in her country of Indonesia. Her success story has been published in many nationwide publications in Indonesia.

Making a lucrative income online is a challenging endeavor, but by getting the *right* information, it is an endeavor that you can succeed at!

While this news is indeed encouraging, the question is India in a AIDS-safe zone? India is the third largest nation with HIV AIDS after South Africa and Nigeria, being home to 2.3 million AIDS victims.

How can we fight this debilitating disease? What are the facts on this deadly condition called AIDS that we must know.

AIDS, the abbreviated form of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is the advanced stage of infection by Human Immunodeficiency virus.

AIDS is a global pandemic, and nations across the world are fighting it.

How AIDS spreads: You can contract the infection by having unprotected sex with an infected partner, transfusion of infected blood, or sharing of infected needles. It can pass on to the unborn child of a pregnant mother, who has tested positive for the HIV virus; or after childbirth through breastfeeding;

Signs and symptoms of AIDS may not appear immediately after one contracts the HIV virus infection; in fact, it may take as many as ten long years for the HIV virus to manifest into AIDS, and destroy the body’s immune system completely.

Can AIDS be treated completely? No, it cannot. But it is possible to survive if detection is early by administering antiretroviral therapy as advised by doctors.

Once tested positive for the HIV virus, the victim must make contact with ICTC (Integrated Counseling and Testing Centers).

A survey in 1988 found that 44% of sex workers in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand were already infected with HIV. But it was not until 1991 that the government got serious in its efforts to curb the spread of the infection.

Eventually greatly increased budgets led to a massive public information campaign on the dangers of AIDS. The government also introduced a “100 percent condom program” in which condoms were distributed free to brothels and massage parlours, and sex workers were required to use them. Brothels that did not comply were closed.

As a result of these and other programs, the number of new HIV infections was reduced from 140,000 in 1991 to 21,000 in 2003. Still, 1% of the 65 million people in Thailand are infected with HIV, and AIDS has become the leading cause of death.

It is projected that more than 50,000 Thais will die each year from Aids-related causes, at least until the end of 2006. More than 90% of these deaths will be young people aged 20-44.

So although a concerted effort has been made to stem the tide of HIV infection in Thailand, the success rate has only been moderate. And little has been done to stop infection amongst injecting drug users (IDUs) who share needles.

Most new infections still start with sex trade workers or IDUs and within two years are passed on to spouses.

Thailand to donate 50,000 condoms to Africa

In a move consistent with their own moderate success at fighting HIV/AIDS with condoms, the Thai government announced they were donating 50,000 condoms to seven African countries as part of their “forward engagement” program to help with the UN effort to fight HIV/Aids in Africa.

The condoms will be provided by Thailand’s foreign and health ministries and shipped by the United Nations Development Programme to Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Gabon, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the most heavily infected area in the world. An estimated 25.8 million people had been infected by HIV at the end of 2005 and approximately 3.1 million new infections occurred during last year.

Apart from abstaining from sexual contact altogether, the use of condoms is the only effective means to help prevent the spread of HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Donation of condoms condemned by Nigerian Archbishop

In an announcement that underscores the debate taking place in many countries over tactics being used to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, a leading Thai Catholic Archbishop voiced strong opposition to ongoing distribution of condoms.

In spite of its endorsement by the U.N. the condom donation annouced by the Thai government has been vigorously condemned by Nigerian Archbishop Anthony Cardinal Okogie. He described the move as immoral and quite likely to promote irresponsible sex and promiscuity.

In a press release he said, “Do they know the effect of the production to the youths and the nation? The government should fight poverty, hunger, sicknesses, diseases, and the lack of social amenities plaguing the nation, instead of fighting AIDS with condom production,” he stated.

He also opposed any NACA (National Action Committee on Aids) Bill before the Nigerian National Assembly that included manufacturing of condoms in Nigeria, saying; “it will encourage immorality, sex on demand, promiscuity, irresponsibility and prostitution. Condom, knowingly and intentionally, offends the ends of marriage, which is procreation and says no to the bearing of children but promiscuity.

“It is unfortunate that while other embassies are promoting trade, bilateral relations, we are encouraging cheap money and cheap production of condoms to encourage our youths on immorality.”

Rick Hendershot publishes Linknet News. See how to promote your website with articles [http://www.linknet-promotions.com/linknet-news.php] and blog posts.

In Bangladesh, the intravenous drug users (IDU) are the most potential carriers of HIV/AIDS among the vulnerable groups in the country. The fourth round of national HIV and behavioural surveillance report showed that the HIV infection rate among the injection drug users (IDUs) is now 4 per cent, up from 2.5 per cent previously which is just short of the 5 per cent mark of a concentrated epidemic. About 93.4 per cent IDUs in central Bangladesh admitted that they share same syringe while taking drugs. Even they use the same syringe several times for taking drug.

UNCDP estimates that between 500,000 and 1,00,000 people in Bangladesh are addicted to drugs. Although HIV rates are comparatively lower (one per cent) among the sex workers but Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) rates are still quite high (20 per cent) among this group.

On the other hand, brothel-based female sex workers in Bangladesh report the highest turnover of clients than anywhere in Asia (an average of 18.8 clients per week).

Meanwhile, most of the people of country are unaware about the deadly disease. The 1999-2000 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey found that only 31 per cent of married women and 50 per cent of newly married men had heard of AIDS. Over 90 per cent of rickshaw pullers could not identify a single method of HIV prevention.

About 13,000 to 17,000 people are living with the incurable virus in Bangladesh, according to the UNAIDS report 2001.

According to the National AIDS Committee and surveillance team members and experts, the rate is quite alarming as it remains one per cent less than the highest five per cent HIV epidemic index. The rate of HIV/AIDS remains less than one per cent among the other vulnerable groups — truckers, migrant workers, gay, hijras (hermaphrodites), professional blood donors, heroin smokers and, hotel, brothel and street based commercial sex workers.

Bangladesh is bordered with India, the second largest HIV infected country in the world; the country is therefore at high risk for the HIV epidemic, said Morten Giersing, UNICEF’s country representative.

Mohammad Khairul Alam Executive Director ‘Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation’

24/3 M. C. Roy Lane Nowbabgonj- Section Post Cod- 1211, Dhaka Bangladesh Tel: 88-02-8628908 Mobile: 0171344997 Email: Rainbow.Foundation@gmail.com Web: [http://www.plusbangla.com/shaheen]

MSS (Master in Social Science) Subject- Social welfare, Dhaka University

Father’s Name : Al-Haz Dr. MD. Abdul Matin

Mother’s Name : Ms. Kadija Matin

Date of Birth : 29th October, 1970

Nationality : Bangladeshi (by birth)

Specialization synopsis

HIV/AIDS program consultant

-Have a sound experience in research and development field. -Good competency in research, planning, monitoring and evaluation; Participated in a number of International Seminars, Training Programs and Workshop. -Smoothly participates in PPME (participatory Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation) -Proficient in Non- Formal Education, Technological Based Education, Gender, HIV/ AIDS Project Proposal writing, Reporting, Project Design, Strategic Planning etc.

Other longer-term effects concern urban-rural disparities in terms of all aspects of service and development. Conversely, the concerted efforts to deal with all these issues has increased awareness and efforts concerning gender equity, primary health and capacity, and mobilised diverse organisations in the pursuit of common objectives. If anything else, profound change – both negative and positive – has, and is, occurring as a direct result of HIV/AIDS.

1. In my view, there are a number of options available to not only accelerate the attainment of the various MDG objectives, but also to improve the effectiveness of diverse efforts. Probably the most important is a re-evaluation of the fundamental value bias of primarily Western-based agencies: In Africa specifically, the foundation of social norms is a group-mindedness, whereas Western-based social norms are focused primarily upon attainment of individual actualisation. This may not appear significant, but this bias has impacted upon delivered programs and methods in profound ways: The ethics of confidentiality in individual testing and counseling, versus relationship or group-based procedures, is such an example. Without the structures of individual confidentiality – both in counseling and medical treatment – the scope of efforts could be significantly broadened, and the relational basis of the pandemic could be more effectively – and rapidly – addressed. Recent research concerning concurrent relationships clearly indicates that it is not sexual frequency that is driving the pandemic, but rather the nature of sexual relationship networks. I believe it is time we deal directly with those relationships, versus its’ individual parts, in both testing, prevention, and treatment.

How do you apply group-mindedness in practice? Setting aside the implied legal changes required, what I would like to see is: Couples counseled and tested for HIV, together, not separately; Family units treated medically, such as with ART. Quite literally, a family – such as the husband and wife – going through the medical testing for CD4s and viral load together, knowing each other’s results, and then being treated with the full knowledge (and counseling) of both persons. This should address many of the non-adherence problems, including the rise of drug-resistant strains of HIV. More controversially, the Zero Grazing (Uganda) model should be revived, where family, friends and neighbours are encouraged to name-and-shame community members who are being unfaithful to their primary relationship, thus reducing the ease of engaging in concurrent relationships. Essentially I am proposing behavior-change methodology that focuses upon group and relationship dynamics, versus individual decision-making.

Recommendations:
(a) VCT: Redesign/expand protocols to include couple/family HIV testing and pre/post-test counseling. I.e., all stages of the process conducted in the presence of both persons (or family members);
(b) ART: Medical examinations, diagnosis, explanations conducted in the presence of a family member/spouse.
(c) Prevention: Revive/adapt the Zero Grazing model to focus upon reducing multiple concurrent relationships.
(d) Create processes that enhance relationships including but not limited to increasing levels of intimacy, communication, trust and combined future dreams/plans that both partners desire.
(e) Adopt mandatory counseling sessions within the workplace with opt-out testing.

2. Secondly, with exceptions, leadership at the macro-political leadership level is weak or absent in terms of setting the social normative tone for the changes that are required. Instead, leadership tends to be overly concerned with being seen to be cut from the same cloth as their constituents, versus leading those constituents through difficult changes. The need for popularity supercedes the desire for effectiveness. This is partly associated with the post-colonial desire to build identity and esteem through adherence to cultural values, some of which directly impede the attainment of the MDG objectives. This is particularly the case with gender-related social norms, and the role of women in positions of authority. Although great strides – legally and constitutionally – have been made in this regard, it is simply not enough, and certainly not implemented with great vigour.

It is a fact that one of the primary drivers of the spread of HIV is concurrent relationships, which has many roots, some cultural (polygamy), and some economic. However, this form of open-ended polygamy results in a radical increase in transmission of HIV during the acute infection stage, the Window Period. Regardless of our desire to be value-neutral in this regard, we have few options in eliminating this wide-spread practice. We have almost no chance of changing this practice when our leaders openly have multiple partners, some long-term, and some casual. Until they – the leaders – change, the populace will resist monogamy. The alternative is to legalise and normalize multiple partnerships in such a way that the responsibility to economically support and care for a second or third partner is legally enforceable, similar to closed polygamy, but with the emphasis upon full economic responsibility. This approach should resonate with many people who refer to ‘traditional values’ – which included polygamy – with penalties for breaking the rules. This should, if done carefully, reduce the casual sex, and also the Sugar-Daddy (or Sugar-Mommy) and similar situations, which is based upon attaining economic support. A simple avenue to implement this would be to reduce the period of time required for a relationship to be recognized as Common Law marriage, increase the amount of spouses permitted per person, and then implement an advocacy campaign educating people about their rights under this system. The bottom-line with this proposal is: If you want more than one partner, then you’d better be ready for the economic and legal consequences.

Recommendations:
(a) Implement a scorecard for politicians and community leaders which includes knowledge level of HIV/AIDS, and also the number of public statements/projects delivered – personally – regarding HIV/AIDS, poverty, and other MDG goals.
(b) Evaluate traditions and customs that enhance and reduce the attainment of MDG goals. Facilitate public discourse on these beliefs, customs and traditions.
(c) Evaluate the existing legal framework regarding multiple partnerships. Consider legal changes to strengthen the economic and legal rights of concurrent partners, to bolster the level of responsibility of the common partner, in order to close what is currently an open polygamous system.
(d) Conduct a public advocacy campaign to make concurrent partners aware of their legal and economic rights, with respect to the common partner.
(e) Revisit current legislation on the paternal laws that hold men accountable for their off-spring to lessen the burden on State systems.

3. The third major factor concerns the urbanisation of our populations, and the economic power of these urban areas: Rural areas are simply neglected or given token attention. The reality is that many governments and businesses are applying an utilitarian approach to the rural areas: It is – per person – more expensive to develop rural areas, compared to the more densely populated and economically active urban areas. The current focus is primarily upon job creation – which mainly focuses upon urban areas – and the needs of urban populations, while the food production, education, medical care in rural areas are given second place, consistently. The general situation – at least in terms of HIV and AIDS – is that if you are employed in an urban area and have HIV, you will be okay. However, if you live in a rural area, the outcome is dire. This does not only apply to HIV and AIDS – it is a generalised scenario in terms of education, medical care, and service delivery of basic services. As a result, the migration from rural to urban areas continues relentlessly, with a resulting decrease in food production, for example. We sorely need greater attention for the development of rural areas to counter this increasing marginalisation and impoverishment of large sections of our populations. Young people in particular would prefer to be unemployed and living in fringe suburbs, than work on land inherited from their family. This is a direct result of social marketing, which depicts farming and food production as the domain of the poor and uneducated. We need the social status of rural areas to be increased and enhanced, making activities such as farming a desired career and future, particularly with younger people.

Africa – with South Africa as an example – is hell-bent on economic development, as this generates the revenues for the various services the government is obliged to provide. However, in this process, the ability of the population to support and feed itself through homestead farming is neglected in favour of commercial farming. Tremendous dependency is being created upon industry and government services, with little attention given to increasing the capacity of individuals and families to take steps to improve their own food security (e.g., home gardens), and entrepreneurship (self-employment). These two areas need a great deal of attention, if we are to uplift both rural and urban areas from unemployment and poverty: The current mind-set is that if you are not employed or on a government grant, your prospects are dim. Although programmes exist for developing entrepreneurship, these are weak, half-hearted, and limited. Entrepreneurship should be a key subject of education in the education system.

The rural areas in particular require far more development in terms of quality education for children, skills development (e.g., improved farming methods, homesteading), and adult literacy programmes. Primary health services are in dire need of improvement and expansion. If we could double – even treble – the number of primary health nurses in these areas, and also capacitate them to assume the responsibilities of diagnosing and prescribing medications such as ART, we may start to address the severe shortages of doctors in these areas, thus stopping the worsening poverty cycle caused by removing children from school to take care of sick family members, and also adults who would be otherwise engaged in food production. We bemoan the poverty and dire circumstances of many communities, and ask how we can ‘save them’. However, we fail to recognize that those communities have the inherent ability to ‘save’ themselves, given the necessary information, education, and start-up resources. We need to end the hand-out era, and start the hand-up process: When dependency decreases, so does poverty. When self-reliance increases, so does pride and productivity.

Recommendations:
(a) ‘Create your own job’: Raise awareness and knowledge regarding entrepreneurship at all levels of society, including at secondary schools. Local, regional and national competitions which promote and reward such activities – including in the rural areas – would facilitate such awareness, status, and skills.

(b) Significantly increase the budgets and efforts focusing upon self- and family-sufficiency regarding food security. This would include practical support regarding seed and fertilizer supplies, skills transfer regarding issues such as soil quality, water-wise methods, crop rotation and/or intercropping. Such efforts could be implemented at all primary and secondary schools, not only to provide food to the children, but also to provide the venue for such skills development. Include such activities in annual performance assessments of such schools and personnel.

(c) Expand the role of Dept Agriculture extension workers to support and capacitate homesteads in food security, versus focusing primarily upon commercial farming. Development and research into non-hybrid seed varieties to encourage seed banking, and thus sustainability of such food security methods. Dry-land and permaculture methods (e.g., mulching, recycling used water) to be refined and promoted. I.e., reduce the dependency upon purchasing processed foods of low nutritional value, and increase self-produced home produce.

(d) Raise the awareness of homestead food security methods through the media (television, radio, newspapers), with regular awards to raise the status of homestead food production.

(e) Revise the policy and education structures to expand the capacity of nursing personnel to diagnose and dispense medications such as ART and prophylaxis.

(f) Elevate the status of the nursing and teaching profession to attract more applicants from schools. Make such recruitment a national strategic priority.

(g) Attach conditions to receipt of social grants for the unemployed. For example, attendance of skills training (including entrepreneur-related and food security methods), and demonstrations of application.

(h) Introduce micro-lending systems to stimulate economic activity in rural settings, giving people basic business education to ensure sustainability.

(i) Utilize Post-Test clubs in rural settings to support healthier living through health empowerment programs and education.

It is high time we started having some very challenging, courageous and difficult conversations if we hope to be truly effective. We need to have the courage to challenge so-called ‘norms’ that are sustaining this pandemic once and for all.

A commentary by David Patient- Person living with AIDS since his diagnosis with GRIDS back in March, 1983

David Patient is one of the longest documented people alive in the world today living with HIV.
He was diagnosed with GRIDS, which later became more commonly known as HIV/AIDS.
He has been an activist and advocate for the rights of those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, initially in the United States from 1983 till 1995, when he returned to Africa where he has worked ever since.
He is an author of several best-selling books and is an international facilitator and program designer in the areas of health, behaviour change and thought leadership.

http://www.davidpatient.com/

The AIDS dogma and its grip on the public consciousness

A conscious campaign program has been unleashed on the public. We are made to believe that the HIV virus is deadly and can cause the entire immune system to collapse, that once infected death by AIDS is certain. There are anti viral drugs such as A.Z.T , D.D. C and D.D.I that is said to slow the progression of the disease but they are highly toxic and can actually bring the unset of AIDS itself.

Below are some essential questions that needs urgent answers

First, after spending billions of dollars, H.I.V. researchers are still unable to explain how the H.I.V., a retrovirus with a very simple genetic organization, damages the entire immune system, and there seems to be no means to stop it. The present stalemate contrasts dramatically with the confidence expressed in 1984 by Dr Gallo-the chief architect of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis and the then Secretary of health Margaret Heckler announced the probable cause of AIDS has been discovered, At that time Gallo thought the virus killed cells directly by infecting them, and the U.S. government officials predicted a vaccine would be available in two years. Twenty five years on, no vaccine is in sight, and the certainty about how the virus destroys the immune system is yet to be resolved. Could we be barking up the wrong tree?

Second, Over 4,000 scientists including two Nobel peace prize winners, eminent virologist and immunologist question the HIV/AIDS hypothesis. Why hasn’t their findings made public if truly we are looking for answers?

Third, predictions based on the H.I.V. epidemic theory have failed spectacularly. For instance, AIDS in the United States and Europe has not spread through to the general population. Instead, twenty five years on, it still remains almost entirely confined to the original risk groups-mainly sexually promiscuous gay men, homophiliacs and intravenous drug abusers. The H.I.V infection rate among Americans has increased more slowly rather than increasing rapidly as predicted, which suggests that at best H.I.V. is an old virus that has been with us for hundreds of years without causing an epidemic.

Fourth, a new dimension into diagnosis has entered into medical practice with AIDS, where a person with a certain type of symptoms is said to have a disease. AIDS without H.I.V. is especially prevalent in Africa, where being H.I.V.-positive is not even a factor in diagnosis. The definition of AIDS in Africa is fundamentally different than the definition of AIDS that is used in the West. If an African is diagnosed with the following clinical symptoms-a persistent cough, a high fever, chronic diarrhea, a ten-percent weight loss in the last two months-and lives in Africa that person has AIDS, irrespective of any other possible disease such as dysentery, malaria or T.B. Never the less, Western scientists claim that 85 percent of the African population is positive for H.I.V anti bodies, when tests are rarely, if ever, performed. How can they make such conclusions?

Lastly, HIV-AIDS has the hallmarks of a disease that most terrorises the minds of people with whom it affects their way of life. Since we are told that HIV the virus that causes AIDS can be spread by sexual intercourse- an activity most adults find extremely pleasurable, it has thus made the public respond in a manner quite unlike any other disease. However, that doesn’t quite hold up. There is, in fact, no support for the idea that AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease anywhere in the world. For example-people who are diagnosed as having AIDS but whose partners remain uninfected. There are thousands of these. One of the most famous examples is Arthur Ashe. He had H.I.V. for ten years and died of AIDS, but his wife and daughter are both H.I.V.-negative…. There are 15,000 American haemophiliacs who are H.I.V-positive, and there isn’t one study that shows that the wives of haemophiliacs get AIDS from their partners. Why is this so?

So many unanswered questions but we must seek answers to them. According Albert Einstein the greatest scientist of the last century, ”the important thing is never stop questioning”
Is there a possibility that everything we thought about AIDS is wrong? According to Neville Hodgkinson of the Sunday Times London, wrote an article on April 26th 1992 stating ”If HIV does not cause AIDS….then we will have witnessed the biggest medical and scientific blunder of this century. I cannot agree with him more.

Bolaji Alli is the founder and CEO of Holistic Miracles, an international organisation committed to empowering the physical well being of humanity. He has spent the last twenty years researching into various areas of alternative healing meth

That is according to the World Health Organisation, which describes the global HIV epidemic as “the fastest growing threat to human development today.”

You wouldn’t think so if you’re one of the lucky ones living in a wealthy developed nation. The developed world has been lulled into a false sense of security over HIV and AIDS.After all, it’s the gay plague isn’t it? And the occasional snippet of news coverage tells us it’s a bit of a problem in Africa. Nothing too much for middle class, heterosexual whites to worry about.

The stark truth is that there’s a lot to worry about. And everyone needs to start worrying – not just gays and Africans.

Global complacency over the HIV crisis is allowing whole nations to be decimated. And it’s this very same complacency which is allowing the killer virus to snare a whole new generation of youngsters in developed countries such as the UK and USA – youngsters who never saw those infamous and unforgettable tombstone adverts of the 1980s.

Facts about HIV/AIDS

Joe Public in the developed world thinks we’ve cracked the AIDS problem. New drug treatments enable people infected with HIV to live relatively normal and productive lives and these treatments have reduced the number of AIDS cases quite dramatically. So what is there to worry about? Here’s just a few things:

1. HIV infection is now rising dramatically among young heterosexuals in many northern European countries and in the USA

2. According to UNICEF six people aged between 15 and 24 become infected every minute of every day

3. The ease of global travel in recent years means the huge epidemics sweeping Third World nations inevitably affect developed countries. No single area of the global community is safe as long of millions of people continue to become infected with HIV

4. In sub-Saharan Africa more than 25 million people are now infected with HIV and the numbers are rising each year

5. Extreme poverty, civil war and domestic violence expose millions of women and children around the world to HIV infection on a daily basis

6. Babies in Africa are routinely raped by HIV infected men who believe this will rid them of the virus

So what are we supposed to do faced with the sheer enormity of this global catastrophe? Most of us do nothing. Television footage of the Tsunami disaster, which claimed an estimated 250,000 lives, prompted the world’s population to react as never before in response to a humanitarian disaster. In that same year the HIV epidemic killed 2.5 million people in the sub-Saharan countries and left 12 million children orphaned. This is a disaster on a scale the world has never seen before – a disaster which, unlike the Tsunami, is preventable. But the developed world, by and large, is turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to it.

Some might argue that the scale of the crisis and the cost of tackling it are just too unmanageable to contemplate.

WHO estimates that around $1.5 billion a year is needed to implement HIV prevention programmes in the African countries worst hit by the virus. An impossible amount, you might think. Until you consider that some of the western oil corporations which continue to exploit Africa’s natural reserves make more than 10 times that amount in a single year.

And the USA alone spends a staggering $22 billion a year treating people suffering from heart disease because of their obesity.

It’s certainly food for thought.

There are numerous young men and women who suffer from various STDs, HIV/AIDS. They are not aware of this disease yet, which is very sad to reflect, and hence the easy target. If one gets severely affected with this disease, his or her immune system gets destroyed completely.

Due to this the patient becomes easy victim to many other diseases, which are easily curable under normal circumstances. The syndrome massively destroys body’s natural capability to combat diseases by preventing it from producing antibodies as reaction to foreign antigens.

You should know that the magnitude of HIV/AIDS is great mainly because of having sexual contact with multiple partners. Unprotected sex, like, non usage of condoms during sex, is one of the causes acting as catalyst for the spread of the STD HIV/AIDS. This also inflicts damage to private genital parts of the body of both men and women equally.

If you feel perplexed that you might have contracted the disease in any way, you should contact your doctor without any hesitation. There are quite a number of rules and procedures that are followed by the physicians to come to a conclusion. If you are detected with HIV positive you must not lose hope because there are chances that you are not in the risk zone of AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

The sad story is that people who are still engaged in research in the field of the STD HIV/AIDS have been unable to suggest any strong recommendation of medicines to cure this disease completely. But yes, there are some injections and anti retro viral medications which can decelerate the growth of the virus inside the body if not completely eradicate it.

Due to this an HIV AIDS patient can lead a normal life at least for some time. No antibiotic can individually fight the disease completely.

Joint United Nations program has submitted a report which says around 34 million people are affected with the STD HIV/AIDS. It is said by most physicians that once infected with sexually transmitted diseases like herpes, you should be extra careful and active. You should be concerned about how to remove this infection as quickly as possible, so as not to invite the bigger trouble that is the STD HIV/AIDS, which has got practically no cure.

The Importance of Testing

The virus might have entered your body while having unprotected sex with a partner, who is also unaware of his/her HIV-status, or while donating blood in a camp where proper precautions were not taken, or even while sharing injection needles. To put it in simple words, this deadly virus can be present in anyone’s body, regardless of age, sex, race, income or sexual orientation.

The presence of this deadly virus in a person’s body does not necessarily imply that he/she will contract AIDS and start to show the symptoms of the syndrome immediately. Many a times, the virus remains dormant in the body for several years, owing to which the carrier feels he is healthy and unknowingly puts others, especially his/her sexual partner, at risk. Thus, it is not possible to prevent the viral transmission until and unless you know your HIV-status, and an AIDS test is the only way to find this out. Once you get to know whether you are HIV-negative or HIV-positive, you can act accordingly to prevent transmission.

The Importance of Counseling

Mere testing is not enough. If your test gives positive results, indicating that you are a carrier of the AIDS virus, you would need expert counseling. Certified counselors will help you in following ways:

1) Help you to get into the needed care as soon as possible.
2) Provide you all the required information pertaining to transmission risk reduction and safer sex.
3) Assist you in those first hours or days after learning the bitter fact of your life.

You should go to a counselor even if you are HIV-negative. This is because they can help you understand your test results and provide you with necessary information about the AIDS-related resources available in your locality.

No Need to be Ashamed

Many people avoid going for HIV/AIDS testing and counseling because of their fear of being snubbed from social communities, family or religious groups. But, there is nothing to be ashamed of or scared of. If you really wish to lead a healthy life and protect others, especially your sexual partner, you should not ignore the importance of HIV testing and counseling. At-risk individuals as well as the people with no-risk behaviors should definitely go for it.

Where to Get HIV Testing/Counseling Done?

HIV testing and counseling centers are located in almost all the localities in the country. You can avail this facility in specialized centers in large cities, in rural hospitals, as well as in local clinics. Do Not Wait Anymore; Get your test done as soon as possible and Save Your Life and Lives of Others

The expression of universal intelligence through matter is the chiropractic meaning of life. This is the 2nd principle.

This intelligence is present in the body and it’s called innate intelligence (principle #20). There are many functions of innate intelligence. It adapts the body to it’s environment and maintains health (principle #23), and does everything in the body that we don’t have to think about such as digestion, assimilation, excretion, healing of wounds, immune system function, and thousands of other activities.

Innate intelligence operates through the nervous system (principle #28). Interference with this innate intelligence, results in lack of harmony or disease (principle #29 & #30). Interference in the body is due to subluxation in the spinal column (principle #31). A vertebral subluxation is a misaligned vertebra causing interference with nerve messages between your brain and your body. Doctors of chiropractic specialize in locating, analyzing and correcting vertebral subluxations. Subluxations can be caused by trauma, toxins( impurities through diet, breathing, exposure to toxins, etc,.) and thoughts( that can result in stressful responses).

Most of the chiropractic work done with HIV/AIDS patients is new and very clinical. Clinical studies indicate chiropractic can: 1) boost immune system function, 2) help with secondary symptoms (i.e. peripheral neuropathy), 3)address quality of life issues (reduction in stress, the prevention of disease and symptoms). All of these are self empowering HIV/AIDS patients to live a more positive quality of life. This in turn increases life expectancy.

Chiropractic has been proven on a very introductory scale.

In Psychoimmunity and the Healing Process : A Holistic Approach to Immunity and AIDS, the use of chiropractic is highly recommended:

Chiropractic alignment of the body, specifically to alleviate stress and tensions placed upon the medulla oblongata and the coccyx, is important in cases of AIDS and immune dysfunction. Adjustment of the medulla oblongata allows for clear flows of energy along the neurological pathways which help stimulate immune system. Correct alignment of the coccyx, which is the reflex point for the adrenals, helps with proper functioning of endocrine system and nervous system; by helping to “ground” and center an individual, it promotes calm and reduces stress.

To alleviate stress upon the medulla oblongata, we suggest alignment of the entire cranial area- in particular loosening and alleviating tension at the sagital suture and the temporal mandibular joint. Pg. 127

*(Make note of the anatomy and the reduction of stress)

PNI (psychoneuroimmunology)

There is a new science, deeply rooted in western empiricism, called Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). This is a science that blends immunology, neurology, and endocrinology. It started, accidentally, with the discovery of experimental conditioning of the immune system. Robert Ader and Nicholas Cohen were studying taste aversion in animals by pairing a saccharin flavored solution with a nausea-producing drug, that coincidently suppressed the immune system. After conditioning, (the drug no longer given) suppression of the immune system was still created when given saccharin, and in turn higher mortality rates. Conditioning of the immune system was also demonstrated with other animals.

PNI has been getting increased attention do to its sound research. No one has done more then Dr. Candice Pert. She is a pharmacologist and research professor at Georgetown University in the Depart of Biophysics and Physiology. Dr. Pert also was Chief of Brain Biochemistry at The National Institute of Health for 13 years. She has done research that proves the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems have a “multidirectional network of communication, linked by information carriers known as neuropeptides. There are many well-studied physiological substrates showing that communication exists in both directions for every single one of these areas and their organs.”.

Dr. Pert goes on to state,

A number of brain loci , many within emotion-mediating brain areas, are enriched with many types of neuropeptides receptors, suggesting a convergence of information processing at these nodes. Additionally, neuropeptide receptors occur on mobile cells of the immune system: Monocytes can chemo tax to numerous neuropathies via processes shown by structure-activity analysis to be mediated by distinct receptors indistinguishable from those found in the brain. Neuropeptides and their receptors thus join the brain, glands, and immune system in a network of communication between brain and body, probably representing the biochemical substrate of emotion.

Ultimately, she has proven that emotion can have an effect on immune function! Not only that, but she also concluded that the body is the subconscious mind! Do you think that anyone self empowered, with a good self image, and feeling good about themselves isn’t health. Think again. PWA (people with AIDS) have this battle daily, minute to minute, moment to moment.

Chiropractic’s role can now be viewed as a mind /body therapy. Whereby, working with the nervous system, we effect the emotions and the whole PNI network systems. This, in conjunction with Yoga, represent a powerful model of self healing.

There is plenty of anatomical information that can correlated to the effects of Chiropractic. Harvard educated Medical Doctor, Herbert Benson ‘s first book, The Relaxation Response, written in the seventies, concerned the physiology of meditation. Meditation has allowed it’s practitioner to perform so called “super human” feats, like lowering heart, respiratory, and metabolic rates, and decreases in response to pain, muscle tension, and stress response. He concluded that meditation’s power came from alteration in the nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic pathways. The parasympathetic system counterbalances the “flight or flight” (sympathetic) response. The sympathetic system response is what happens in time of stress.

“When stress prevents the molecules of emotion from flowing freely where needed, the largely autonomic processes that are regulated by peptide flow, such as breathing, blood flow, immunity, digestion, and elimination, collapse down to a few simple feedback loops and upset the normal healing response.” (Pert, pg 242-243)

It is common knowledge that stress can play a big part in health, especially PWA. Stress engages the sympathetic nervous system to release glucocoticords (steroids). Long term consequences of steroid use include diabetes, osteoporosis, suppression of immune system (making people susceptible to infections and cancer), peptic ulcers, internal bleeding, elevated cholesterol, impotence, interruption of menses, and ulcers just to name a few.

Anatomically Chiropractic seeks to balance the nervous system allowing for the parasympathetic nervous system to respond correctly. This allows the whole system to function at optimum, including the immune system. As mentioned earlier, in Psychoimmunity and the Healing Process : A Holistic Approach to Immunity and AIDS, the parasympathetic system is referred to indirectly. The coccyx isn’t only a reflex point for the adrenals, but located directly in front of it is the Ganglion Impar, a nerve center for the parasympathetic system. The authors also make mention of the medulla oblongata. The medulla oblongata is the control center for the vagal nerve. This “wandering” nerve is the parasympathetic innervation to the heart, lungs, stomach, esophagus, stomach, entire small intestine, proximal half of large intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and upper portions of the ureters. ( This same anatomy is used in yoga, discussed later).

There are many techniques that seek to provoke a parasympathetic response. One technique is Sacral Occipital Technique discovered by Major Bertrand De Jarnette, D.C. Logan technique is another one that works with the sacrotuberous ligament to indirectly effect the Ganglion Impar. Dr. John Upledger found CranioSacral technique, which also evokes a parasympathetic response.

In many ways, Yoga and Chiropractic share similar philosophies and anatomy. Yoga calls the life force (innate) Prana. Prana is in matter, but it is not matter. Prana is conserved through the charkas, which are centers of energy. There are seven charkas, six of which correlate to neurological plexuses. There is the Muladhara, which corresponds to the sacral plexus. The Swadhisthana is equivalent to the prostatic plexus. The Manipura corresponds to the solar plexus. The Anahata is analogous to the cardiac plexus. Parallel to the laryngeal plexus is Vishudda. Ajna is located between the eyebrows and corresponds to the cavernous plexus. The pineal gland is anatomically equivalent to the Sahasrara, which is the Crown Chakra.

Nadis are nerve channels through which prana flows. The Sushumna nadi is the spinal cord; and the Pingala nadi and Ida nadi are correlated with the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system, respectively. Asanas and pranayama are designed to purify nadis. When these nadis are blocked prana cannot flow freely and poor health results.

Chiropractic and yoga also address lifestyle issues as well. Chiropractic and yoga firmly believe that you are what you eat. A pure and moderated diet is the best possible guarantee of physical and mental health, bringing harmony and vitality to body and mind. In Chiropractic philosophy there is a concept of limitation of matter (principle #24). Innate intelligence works 100% of the time and is perfect, however the material it works in is not. The material is the body and it (unfortunately) has a tendency to get old and breakdown. In order to be at optimum health, innate intelligence must have an optimum medium to work in. An optimum body, via good nutrition, would give innate intelligence as close to perfect medium as physically possible.

B.J Palmer, the developer of chiropractic, wrote in his book, Palmer’s Law of Life (vol.36, 1958):

The yogis of India have the right principle, mentally.

The sincere yogi would make an excellent Chiropractor for getting sick well, if he had knowledge and ability to correct the intermediary adjustment to restore power of internal Innate, to perfect greater understandings. Yogis assume what is, to each, the most relaxed posture, which they assume for hours or days. In this way, they attain the peace and poise of plenty, and become “In Tune With the Infinite” (Sheldon).pg 22

Another mutual concept is exercise. Exercise is essential of health. There must be a certain amount of activity for our bodies to be healthy. Unfortunately, I believe the American society has put an overemphasis on exercise to the point of stressing the body to induce subluxation(s). Yoga is not a stressful exercise. It lets everyone work at their own pace and endurance. Ironically enough, during the asanas, posture is continually focused on. This prevents subluxation(s) and the impingements of vital energy. This brings up another similarity. The idea of positive thought is also inherent in Chiropractic philosophy. There are three things that can induce a subluxation(s). They are trauma (bodily harm), toxins (poor nutrition, environmental, self induced (ie cigarette smoking)), and thought. Negative thoughts can cause stress on the body; there by causing muscle tension and possibly a subluxation. Subluxations cause impingement on vital energy.

There are five main principles found in Yoga philosophy. 1) Proper relaxation, which entrains the body to release muscle tension, conserve energy, and to let go of all worries and fears. 2) Proper exercise: this is done through yoga postures called asanas. These work systemically on all parts of the body by stretching the muscles and ligaments, thereby keeping the spine and joints flexible while improving circulation. 3) Proper diet with natural foods. It keeps the body light and supple, while giving a high resistance to disease. 4) Positive thinking and meditation. This helps to remove negative thoughts and calm the mind. 5) Last, but not least, is proper breathing. Proper breathing is breathing fully and rhythmically thereby making use of all lung capacity, eventually increasing oxygen intake. (Side note: it is interesting that the sacral pump’s function would be increased if both posture and breathing were practiced more). Yoga breathing exercises called pranayama, trains a person to recharge the body and control the mental state by controlling the flow of life force called prana.

Having given a brief synopsis of both Yoga and Chiropractic philosophies, I will concentrate on the yogic idea of prana and innate intelligence, how they are controlled and related. Innate intelligence is in living matter and prana is in all matter. Intelligence is divided into universal (which everything possesses) and innate (which only living matter possesses). Prana is not divided into living and non-living, but all things are energy (vibrating at a different rate). Innate intelligence relates to distinctly organized matter called living. Since matter without innate is not living, innate intelligence is considered the source of all living activity. Prana is the life force in matter, but is not matter (as is innate intelligence). Prana flows along the neuro pathways (as does innate intelligence). If this flow of energy is interrupted disease will result. This energy has been called by many different names by many different cultures (IE chi, vital energy, life force, qi, etc…). Regardless of what one calls it, the fact remains without it there is no life.

I will focus on three aspects of yoga: postures (asana), breath control (pranayama), and meditation (dyhana). These are 3 of the 8 stages of Yoga.

In Yoga, breath is life. There are two functions of proper breathing. One is to bring more oxygen to the blood and thus to the brain. Two, in order to control prana.

Your breathing pattern is a reflection of your mind. If you are in a flight or fight situation (angry or scared), your breath will be shallow, rapid and irregular. The opposite is also true, when you are relaxed or in deep thought, your breathing pattern changes. It becomes slow, deep and regulated. Yogic breathing teaches how to control prana and thus control the mind.

Since state of mind is reflected in the quality of the breath, controlling the breath is also controlling the state of mind. “The practice of pranayama quickly induces the relaxation response and its accompanying enhancement of immunity.” According B.S.K. Iyengar (founder of Iyengar Yoga), the practice of asana and pranayama balances the nadis and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Candice Pert helps to validate the effects of pranayama:

Conscious breathing, the technique employed by both the yogi and the women in labor, is extremely powerful. There is a wealth of data showing that changes in the rate and depth of breathing produce changes in the quantity and kind of peptides that are released from the brain stem, and Vice versa. By bringing the process into consciousness and doing something to alter it – either holding your breath or breathing extra fast- you cause the peptides to diffuse rapidly throughout the cerebrospinal fluid, in an attempt to restore homeostasis, the body’s feedback mechanism for restoring and maintaining balance…..The peptide-respiratory link is well documented: Virtually any peptide found anywhere else can be found in the respiratory center. This peptide substrate may provide the scientific rationale for the powerful healing effects of consciously controlled breath patterns.

Let’s talk anatomy. The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is located in the midbrain. It is responsible for keeping the brain awake. It receives direct and indirect input from many other brain centers, most or all sensory systems, and from chemicals circulating in the blood.

When the RAS becomes quiet, brain waves in all regions slow down. To reduce the RAS activity, there must be a decrease in sensory stimulation. Decrease in sensory stimulation will increase stimuli that inhibit the RAS.

There are areas that actively inhibit the RAS. One is the solitary tract nucleus in the medulla. This nucleus can be activated by stimulating the baroreceptors (blood pressure indicators). These receptors, located in the carotid sinus and aortic arch, when stretched, by increase in blood pressure, send nerve signals to the solitary tract nucleus. The solitary tract nucleus then sends signals that activate parasympathetic nuclei and inhibit sympathetic nuclei. Ultimately resulting in a slowing of the heart and dilation of blood vessels, which cause blood pressure to fall. (This will be revisited in the discussion of asana).

Now let’s discuss the respiratory center. It’s comprised of three groups of neurons located in the medulla oblongata and pons. (1) The dorsal respiratory group which is responsible for inspiration. (2) Ventral respiratory group which does both, inspiration and expiration. (3) The pneumotaxic center group helps control rate and pattern of breathing. The dorsal respiratory group of neurons plays the most fundamental role in the control of respiration.

All or most of its neurons are located within the nucleus of the tractus solitarius, although additional neurons in the adjacent reticular substance of the medulla probably also play important roles in respiratory control. The nucleus of the tractus solitarius is also the sensory termination of both the vagal and the sensory termination of both the vagal and the glossopharyngeal nerves, which transmit sensory signals into the respiratory center from the peripheral chemorecpetors, the baroreceptors, and several types of receptors in the lung. Guyton pg. 525

The release of peptides in the respiratory center would have a direct effect on the parasympathetic system. This helps activate the relaxation response.

“Our intention as we work with the breath is to regulate it so as to calm and focus the mind for meditation” In meditation the breath becomes still and the mind becomes still.

“That is why it is important that the conscious mind go on a vacation, be vacant, open, receptive, to permit something new to come through the void to make itself known”The Glory Of Going On. B.J. Palmer 1961,PG 87

With this statement, B.J. Palmer is telling us to quiet the mind. How do we accomplish this? We accomplish this through art of meditation. Meditation allows us to turn our senses inward and stops the internal chatter of the educated mind. When the mind is focused on a single thought, internal chatter stops. (Control of the senses is central to the Yoga discipline).

On a mind/body/spirit level, B.K.S Iyengar says, “Meditation is integration-to make the disintegrated parts of man become one again. When you say that your body is different from your mind, and your mind is different from your soul, that means you are disintegrating yourself. “(The Tree of Yoga, pg143).

Meditation can be of several different forms. Transcendental Meditation, pranayama, chi gong, tai chi, knitting, adjusting, and the list goes on. Anything that focuses the attention on a single action, idea, or emotion can be called meditation. Athletes, very focused in their sport, call it the zone. Stilling the mind, focusing attention and stopping extraneous thought, you begin to understand your true nature. You discover the wisdom and tranquility that lie within. This wisdom is the innate intelligence.

Many sages and gurus have practiced meditation. Jesus meditated for 90 days in the desert. He was in touch with his innate and universal intelligence to such a great degree, his presence had a healing effect. This is the greatest example of our bodies true healing capabilities. Buddha meditated to gain enlightenment under a bodhi tree. Several studies have been done on meditation. These studies have been through various disciplines and researchers.

One such study, by Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School, in 1981 studied the Tibetan Monks tradition called tumo. Tumo is the ability to withstand cold, by raising internal body temperature through meditation. It is practiced by sitting naked in the snow, while being wrapped in a wet sheet at high altitudes. The here lama monks were all able to raise their body temperature to prevent hypothermia or frost bite.

Other studies referenced to in Michael Murphy’s book, entitled The Future Of The Body: Explorations into the Further Evolution of Human Nature, documents remarkable control of the body. Alleviation of pain (something we see a lot of), lowered blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, muscle tension, lactate, and metabolism are a few of the physiological effects. Synchronization of brain waves between right and left, and between front and back could be the reason for meditation’s behavioral effects. These are documented as enhanced sensory, perceptual, reaction time, motor skills response and cognitive abilities, including concentration and attention.

In 1978, Robert Keith Wallace studied Transcendental Meditators. He studied the effect of meditation on aging. He tested three simple variations: blood pressure, acuteness of hearing, and near point vision. These three deteriorate as body biologically ages. Biological age shows how well a person’s body functions compared tothe average of the population. Wallace found out that meditators were biologically 20 years younger than their counterparts.

Candice Pert believes,” … the most effective method for reducing stress is meditation, because it allows us, even without conscious awareness, to release emotions that are stuck in modes that subvert a healthy mind-body flow of biochemicals.” (pg 293). “Meditation, by allowing long buried thoughts and feelings to surface, is a way of getting the peptides flowing again, returning the body, and the emotions, to health”. (Pert pg.243)

T.K.V. Desikachar seems as though he was talking to PWA. He writes,” Dhyana (meditation) strengthens self sufficiency. Yoga makes us independent. We all want to be free, although many of us are dependent on psychologists, gurus, teachers, drugs, or whatever. Even if advice and guidance are helpful, in the end we ourselves are the best judge of our own actions. No one is more interested in me than me. With the help of dhyana (meditation) we find our own methods and systems for making decisions and better understand our behavior.” (The Heart of Yoga, pg83)

B.K.S Iyengar has developed a series of passive poses called restorative postures (asanas). These poses are extremely effect at engaging the relaxation response. “The relaxation response experienced during Savasana, meditation, pranayama, and the restorative poses promotes healthy immune surveillance and responsiveness.”

The restorative poses are modifications of classical poses. The muscles remain quiet. The poses are held in alignment with props. The poses are the reclining hero’s pose, child’s pose, supported bound angle,

supported half plow, supported bridge, supported two legged inverted staff, legs up the wall.

The last four poses are example of poses the have a physiological effect of producing the relaxation response. Roger Cole has a Ph.D in health psychology. He is also a yogi. He states,” The fact that a full blown relaxation response, comprised of so many diverse, mutually reinforcing physiological processes, can be elicited all at once by stimulating a single area of the brain is very important for our understanding of how to practice relaxation. It means that the ability to relax, the wiring if you will, is built into all of us. Our mission, then, is not to create relaxation, but to allow it- to release an ability we already have. The secret is to set up the circumstances for relaxation, then to remain passive and allow the process to unfold of its own accord.”

The parasympathetic nervous system is activated by head down postures, muscle relaxation, slight pressure on the eyeballs. and exhalation. The head down postures stimulate baroreceptors in the carotid sinus and aortic arch. “These receptors. When stretched by increase blood pressure, send nerve signals to the solitary tract nucleus in the brainstem. The solitary tract nucleus, in turn sends signals that activate one or more brainstem parasympathetic nuclei and inhibit one or more sympathetic nuclei. The result is slowing of the heart and dilation of the blood vessels, which cause blood pressure to fall. At the same time, the solitary tract nucleus also promotes relaxation in other parts of the nervous system” (see figure 1).

Dr. Cole proves that the physiology is there, and can be obtained through Yoga restorative poses. He also proves that exhalation activates the solitary tract nucleus. The solitary track nucleus actively inhibits the medullary RAS. This also refers back to the pranayama.

YOGA

Yoga means union. The union of the individual soul with the Universal Spirit is yoga. But this is too abstract a notion to be easily understood, so for our level of understanding I say that yoga is the union of body with the mind and of mind with the soul. Ninety per cent of us are suffering in some way, physically, mentally or spiritually. The science of yoga helps us to keep the body as a temple so that it becomes as clean as the soul. The body is lazy, the mind is vibrant ad the soul luminous. Yogic practices develop the body to the level of the vibrant mind so that the body, and the mind, having both become vibrant, are drawn towards the light of the soul

Having discussed the physiological and anatomical effects of each, of the three limbs, of yoga, The secondary benefits and testimonials are just as compelling. Stress for PWA is greatly increased by additional factors: side effects of medicine cocktails (diarrhea, neuropathy, liver dysfunction, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, nausea, digestive problems), discrimination, disclosure, racism, and homophobia.

A May study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that PWAs with more than average amounts of stress got sick two to three times faster. And a study released last summer from the University of Miami, Florida, reported that the stress hormone nor epinephrine was significantly lower in PWAs who attended weekly stress management group sessions. Even better, the study also showed that the same group had higher levels of CD8 cells, which are known to help control the HIV virus.

Catholic priest, Father Joe Pereira, of the Archdiocese of Bombay, has been practicing yoga for over 27 years. In 1981, he founded Kripa Foundation. He believes if we reconnect with the Divine Presence that resides within us, we can heal ourselves. This is what his 24 centers help people understand through Yoga. He started with addicts and has expanded to include PWA.

When asked about his results with HIV positive people. He replied, “…I can only say this much: at my therapeutic communities, when you emphasize yoga and meditation, people who are worried and tense about being HIV-positive drop this anxiety and live their lives. And we’ve found that those who are living life with a sense of joy and well-being and have taken a Western Blot test have so far tested negative.”

When Mary Schatz M.D addressed the question can yoga halt or reverse the progression of AIDS? Her answer was “no one knows….. Yoga’s stress management and anxiety reducing aspects are useful in many chronic and incurable diseases and would certainly be appropriate in this, one of life’s most stressful situations. Practice of asana and pranayama can help maintain the health of unaffected organs and tissues. Finally, a yoga practice offers something positive for the AIDS patient to do to help counteract feelings of depression, helplessness, and despair.”

River Huston is an AIDS activist, published poet and author. She has used Yoga to combat fatigue, headaches, and nausea associated with her weekly intravenous drug treatment for an AIDS related auto immune condition attacking her bone marrow).”It’s about going deep under the waves – the hurricane that’s HIV- and finding a stillness. As debilitating and emotional as HIV is, yoga helps me transcend it so that I can rediscover myself. Then I remember I’m not HIV; I am not the face of AIDS. I am me.”

Yoga has a great many immune boosting techniques. It is useful to boost the immune system, cope with secondary effects and to address lifestyle issues.

In clinical trials, Chiropractic has shown great potential to boost immune function. A clinical study, conducted at Life University by several Chiropractors, demonstrated CD4 cell levels increased 48% compared to control group. Both groups were monitored with Rand Corp. SF-36 to determine quality of life as rated subjectively. The adjusted group exhibited greater subjective improvement than the control group.

Several other preliminary studies also show the promise of immune system boosting. In 1991 Patricia Brennan, PhD conducted a study that demonstrated an increase of polymorph nuclear (PMN) and monocytes following a thoracic adjustment. Dr. Pero states in his research, “Chiropractic patients in the study had 200% greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic, and 400% greater immune competence than people with cancer or other serious disease.”

Chiropractic can also help with secondary symptoms. These secondary symptoms are usually the primary reason chiropractic care is sought out. In his article, Craig Martin D.C states,” 80 % of those patients reporting some degree of neuropathy (i.e. numbness, tingling and/or burning in either one or both of the extremities), report significant decrease in these symptoms post-care.

Patrece Frisbee D.C, of Stratogen Health of Miami Beach, a multidisciplinary clinic, reports 80% of her patients are HIV positive, ” and they need extensive chiropractic care because of the wide array of side effects that accompany the powerful prescribed medications.”

The vertebral subluxation is comprised of five components.
1) Spinal kinesiopathology – the inability to comfortably turn neck, hips, or back in every direction.
2) Neuropathophysiology – Impingement of nerves creating numbness, tingling, pain or pins and needles.
3) Myopathology (tight, spastic, weak, sore, and/or overly sensitive muscular responses.
4) Histopathology Swelling, tenderness, painful spots, and other soft tissue changes.
5) Pathophysiology – muscles, joints, ligaments, and organs show wear and tear and premature aging.( This has proven true in numerous low back pain studies ). These are usually the reasons people see chiropractors. Adjustments alleviate these components, providing a powerful medium to combat primary ,as well as secondary symptoms.

Quality of life is an issue, that has a profound effect on HIV/AIDS patients. Increasing quality of life symbiotically decrease stress, as I will demonstrate, plays a major part in life expectancy.

Testimonials of Chiropractic HIV/AIDS patients are good indicators to quality of life issues. Dr. Craig Martin best describes chiropractic’s role in lifestyle:

My own clinical experience has led me to believe that people with AIDS are looking to be educated as to how they can best help themselves with infection. As a Chiropractor, I attempt to provide useful information for leading an immunopositive lifestyle. This includes recommendations on exercise, nutrition, rest, attitude, education and personal habits.

HIV is present in the form of free virus particles as well as virus in within the infected immune cells of the body fluids. The HIV infection is passed from one person to the other though the direct contact of infected body fluids. However, the main means through which HIV is transferred is through unsafe intercourse with an infected person, contaminated needles, breast milk and from an infected mother to her child.

HIV infection is spreading at a very fast pace infecting more and more number of people with each passing day. According to a latest estimation, about 0.6% of the total population of the world is infected with HIV, of which most of the people belong to Africa.

HIV starts spreading in the body, by mainly infecting the vital cells of the human immune system. The number of cells start declining and the body starts to loose its immunity due to which the body starts to become more prone to the different infections and diseases.

If the needed treatment is not available, then most of the people infected with HIV, develops AIDS in the long run which comes to an end along with death. Treatment with antiretroviral helps in increasing the life expectancy of people infected with HIV.

At present there is no complete cure or vaccine known for HIV (AIDS). The only protection from HIV is avoiding getting infected by the virus. However, antiretroviral treatment is believed to reduce the risk of the infection being spread if the treatment is started soon after exposure to the infection. Studies have shown that it is easier to control and treat children infected with HIV compared to adults.

Glutathione is an essential tripeptide present in our bodies. It is the body’s own master antioxidant, detoxifier and immune booster.

Studies and researches conducted for many years have suggested that, with an increased level of glutathione in the body, HIV infected patients can improve their survival with the help of glutathione.

If the HIV infected patients have sufficient level of glutathione in the body, the body’s master antioxidant, detoxifier and immune booster can prove to be beneficial for HIV patients to a great extent.

Studies and researches have shown that patients infected with HIV were having lower levels of glutathione in the body or were suffering from glutathione deficiency. Also due to depletion of glutathione in the body, the progression of the HIV infection in the body was faster which reduced the survival period of the infected persons.

Therefore, if a person infected with HIV maintains and improves the glutathione level in the body, it will prove to be of great help for him/her as the progression pace of the infection will be reduced and the survival period will also be improved.

Dr. Robert Keller, the formulator of MaxGXL, created it specifically to treat the patients in his clinic in Hollywood, Florida. Dr. Keller’s patients are typically immuno-affected with AIDS, Hepatitis C or Cancer.

Dr. Keller has created a non toxic, inexpensive HIV/AIDS treatment that was designed specifically to addresses the huge HIV/AIDS crisis that exists in Africa and other 3rd world locations

The statistics from the CDC are an important resource for tracking changes and measuring the impact of efforts, whether focused on treatment or prevention. An overview of recent data reveals important trends. First, prevention awareness and educational programs that aim to inform and promote less risky behavior are reducing the number of new cases within the United States.

Second, despite the efforts of these programs people are continuing to transmit HIV/AIDS. This is largely due to risky behavior revolving around drug use and unprotected sex, but continued lack of HIV/AIDS testing is also to blame. It is estimated that close to thirty percent of people infected with HIV are asymptomatic and do not know it. Routine testing remains major priority, and as such, officials have tried to institute these blood tests as a routine clinical procedure.

Third, while the number of new active cases has decreased, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS has increased. This illustrates the improvements of drug therapy. Successful drug regimes help contain HIV so that it does not become AIDS and help the body fight off opportunistic infections – infections or diseases that can capitalize on a weakened immune system of an HIV/AIDS patient, but not in a healthy person – which are normally the ultimate cause of death.

Thanks to these efforts and more, today’s picture is brighter than the past. People with HIV/AIDS are now living longer and healthier lives, but they still face serious health problems. These complications include aversion to medicine, afflictions stemming from a weakened immune system, and adverse effects of the infection itself. Because of these on-going vulnerabilities, in 2004 HIV/AIDS was reclassified from an infectious disease to a chronic disease. As such, the treatment strategy, adopted from the Guide to Primary Care for People with HIV/AIDS, stresses a comprehensive long-term model that involves clinical attention, proactive community groups, and self-management.

Within this model, the contributions of community groups provide HIV/AIDS patients with resources and support to improve their lives. Services and direct care programs help patients with financial matters, housing, nutritional needs, counseling, support groups, and transportation. Given that the national budgets are invested in large-scale educational programs and research, individual impact is felt most strongly when contributions go to organizations that provide services directly to individuals in need.

It seems that there are three issues that are appearing to play a crucial position in HIV transmission in Bangladesh: female sex work substance use, Intravenous drug use, professional blood donor and mobility. Female sex workers and their clients have been a major factor in the heterosexual transmission of HIV. Separate but unstable epidemics have been seen in some IDU populations in Dhaka city. And mobile populations, particularly at national borders are at higher risk of HIV acquisition due to the fact of being away from home, community and the anonymity and loneliness of traveling. The following three segments focus on the monitoring of the HIV epidemic in these vulnerable populations.

Commercial/Professional sex workers operate in all over the country. But it is important to know how large the sex-worker population may be to adequately interpret surveillance results. It is hypothetical that in some region, rapid increases in the absolute numbers of sex workers have resulted from significant political, social or economic changes. The nature of sex work and the profile of sex workers vary enormously within and between countries. There are most female sex workers, and those that work full-time, part-time or seasonally. Sex workers may operate in variety of settings such as brothels, riverbanks, bars, parks, under contraction buildings, street corners, hotels, etc. Sex work does not consider in Bangladesh, expect 14 reported brothels. Some HIV/AIDS or social workers suspected that brothel sex worker in Bangladesh is limited, near about 35,000 to 45,000, but other category sex workers is no countable, it is suspected more then 1,00,000. Dhaka city, for example, has approximately 5,000-15,000 female sex workers–an estimate (Source: Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation). In most Cities, however, validated estimates of the numbers of sex workers are almost non-existent.

All estimates require regular updating and validation but these two approaches are worthy of repetition in other settings. Neither method can work without the trust and involvement of commercial sex workers themselves.

Frequency of exposure to HIV infection through sexual intercourse is the key factor for transmission of HIV among sex workers. For example, there are many countries; a significant proportion of sex workers is infected with HIV. The rates might vary from less than 1 percent to 40 percent or higher in some settings.

Even where HIV infection has not yet increase extensively, STD infection is often very high among sex workers. For example, in one brothel area in Bangladesh, 95 percent of 466 sex workers tested positive to antibodies for genital herpes virus and 60 percent for syphilis, although HIV was not detected among any of them. With the sequence of the epidemic, HIV tends to increase where other STDs are present.

There are many aspects to the nexus of drug use and HIV infection, In most of Bangladesh, people who choose to use drugs (Smoking-drug, morphia, heroin, hashish, Medicare-drug some kinds of sleeping pill, cold syrup, injections etc) that are not all socially sanctioned are treated as entirely outside society, enemies even of the social structure. The factor of Injection/ intravenous Drug Users (IDUs), which is directly can influence of HIV/AIDS, STDs/STI. For the majority of injecting drug users (IDUs), it means that lip-service is paid to the principles supposedly learned through the course of the epidemic: in relation to IDUs and the risks of HIV transmission, issues such as human rights, peer education, community participation, and legal and social change are unachievable fictions.

Besides, better estimation of populations at risk (i.e., those currently injecting drugs, or sex partners of IDUs and populations coming to be at risk), and a better understanding of the dynamics of drug utilization and social association of drug use are all necessary for targeting interventions efficiently.

Populations in Bangladesh are moving across land and sea borders in increasing numbers. International trade supports this growth in population mobility, international border between India and Bangladesh, more than 500 trucks come daily. Also occurring in Bangladesh are high levels of maritime trade, and seamen on fishing vessels travel widely in the region, enabling the transmission of HIV to populations in areas where the virus was previously unfamiliar.

Crossing land or sea borders often requires overnight stays, leaving the individual with idle time and opportunities to visit drinking and gambling establishments and brothels. HIV surveillance data for female sex workers, male STD clinic patients and young males at two sea ports – Cittagong & Mongla –show a clustering of high prevalence sites.

Medical ozone is produced by passing clinical pure oxygen through high voltage quartz tubes and a cold spark method is used to generate uncontaminated medical ozone, thus suitable and safe for treatment purposes.

At right concentration, medical ozone kills 99.999% lipid viruses and bacteria in the test tube, water, bodily fluids and in the air.

Active oxygen deactivates and eventually kills the virus by destroying its protective skin. Using omnivir medicine properly will help to reduce the HIV viral load in the body, enabling the body to fight opportunistic infections on its own. Omnivir gas is quickly absorbed into the whole body and lymph, even into the bone marrow where it acts against the viruses. The active oxygen’s destructiveness nature on HIV, virus and bacteria is partly attributed to the oxidation (burning of viruses) of unsaturated bonds in the phospholipids and lipoprotein architecture of the bacteria, viruses. All viruses cant live in oxygen , (they breathe nitrogen) , thus surrounding them with highly active form of oxygen / medical ozone will quickly inactivate and kill them.

Omnivir treatment gas does not only kill HIV or opportunistic infections, but also helps to boost the immune systems by raising the CD4 count. The immune system contains different types of cells that help protect the body from infection. One of these types of specialized cells are called the CD4 or T-cells. HIV attacks these types of cells and uses them to make more copies / multiply. And in doing so, HIV weakens the immune system, making it unable to protect the body from illness and infection. The less the CD4 cell count the more you are susceptible to AIDS causing infections. Using omnivir will help you stay health and live a normal long life by killing the HIV and aiding reproduction of the CD4 T Cell

How Electrotherapy and Far Infrared helps on HIV: Product Name – HiCare

Specific electrical current levels, when exposed directly to HIV adversely affects it multiplication process by ripping off its skin and eventually the kills it. The special current that is pulsed into the body to kill the HIV is about 10, 000 times smaller than the current needed to electrocute an average human being or damage human cells. These micro electrical current pulses, aid production of vital CD4 cells, hence boosting the immune system. The CD4 cells are needed to kill foregin bodies eg germs, bacteria that enters your body. Without or with few CD4 cells, you will be prone to AIDS and to a wide range of opportunistic infections. Microcurents are so potent in cell regeneration, its even improvised to accelerate wound healing and for facelifts. HiCare uses electromagnetism to induce micro-currents deep into the body and lymph system to inactivate and kill HIV by ripping off its protective protein envelope /lipid layer.

The built in electro-acupuncture (Acupoint) system harnessesthe most powerful medicine known to man, that is body’s own natural healing and curing mechanism. Based on the principles of acupuncture, it also sends electric micro curent pulses (or wave form) to stimulate the correct flow of electromagnetic energy to the relevant part of your body. Using the Approved Medical Grade microcurrent pads, you can target swollen glands and part of the lymphatic system to inactivate and kill the viruses and other opportunistic pathogens locked inside. Acupoint does not only help to fight the HIV, but is also very effective in accelerating tissue repair, cell regeneration and boosting the immune system. In fact, such is the success of Acupoint that today it is used by doctors and medical professionals throughout the world to treat hundreds of serious and minor ailments – even when everything else has failed. HiCare Acupoint has eight (8) different intensity level settings, making it suitable for use by persons of all ages

HiCare also features a portable Far Infrared Radiation Detox System, which sends far infrared radiation energy deep into the body to help rid the body of, toxic heavy metals, reduce body’s level of acid and residue such as chemical toxins (eg by-products of chemical drugs), free radicals caused by HIV, and other impurities. Infrared radiation also improves blood circulation, fights infections, improves general wellbeing, pain relief, reduces physical and headache pains.

HiCare remedy helps to fight HIV / AIDS by inactivacting the virus and fighting opportunistic infections which leads to AIDS. If HIV progression is not controlled, it normally leads to immune deterioration whereby the body is prone to a variety of infections. In most cases HiCare reduces viral load to near or undetactable levels within six months, without any side effects. The less the viral load in the body, the stronger the immune system might become. HiCare helps to keep the immune system strong enough to fight opportunistic infections on its own.

HIV is a retrovirus with two primary types: HIV-1 and HIV-2. There are many strains of both types and all mutate rapidly, which has made it particularly difficult for researchers to find an effective vaccine or treatment for the virus. HIV infection is often mostly or entirely asymptomatic (without symptoms) and the most common signs, which include fever, fatigue, rash, and lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), are often mistaken for mononucleosis, flu, or similar, comparatively harmless diseases.

AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection. People who have AIDS grow weaker because their bodies loose the ability to fight off illness. In adults, AIDS develops 7 to 10 years after infection, on an average. In young children, it usually develops much faster.

It is not possible to get HIV /AIDS from touching those who are infected. Hugging, shaking hands, coughing and sneezing will not spread the disease. HIV /AIDS cannot be transmitted through toilet seats, telephones, plates, glasses eating utensils, towels, bed linen, swimming pools or public baths.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is an incurable but preventable disease. HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that cause AIDS, spreads through unprotected sex (intercourse without a condom), transfusions of unscreened blood, contaminated needles and syringes (most often those used for injecting drugs) and from an infected woman to her child during pregnancy, childbirth and breast feeding.

All people including children are at a risk for HIV/AIDS everyone needs information and education bout the disease and access to condoms to reduce this risk.

Anyone who suspects that he or she might be infected with HIV should contact a health worker or an HIV.AIDS center to receive confidential counseling and testing.

The risk of getting HIV through sex can be reduced if people don’t have sex, if the reduce the number of sex partners, if uninfected partners have sex only with each other, or if people have safer sex- sex without penetration or while using a condom. Correct and consistent use of condoms can save lives by preventing the spread of HIV.

Girls are especially vulnerable to HIV infection and need support to protected against unwanted and unsafe sex.

Parents and teachers can help young people protect themselves from HIV /AIDS by talking with them about how to avoid getting and spreading the disease, including the correct and consistent use of male or female condoms.

HIV infection can be passed from a mother to her child during pregnancy or childbirth or through breastfeeding. Pregnant women or new mothers who are infected with HIV, or suspect that they are infected, should consult a qualified health worker to seek testing and counseling.

Un-sterilized needles or syringes, most often those used for injecting drugs, can spread HIV. Used razor blades, knives or tools that cut or pierce the skin also carry some risk of spreading HIV.

People who have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) are at a greater risk of getting HIV and of spreading HIV to others. People with STIs should seek prompt treatment and avoid sexual intercourse or practice safer sex.

NUTRITION AND AIDS

Consuming a balanced diet lessens the impact but does not cure the disease, whereas poor nutritional status definitely contributes to onset of symptoms such as body wasting and fever.

All persons with HIV infections and AIDS need early ongoing medical nutrition therapy. The goal should be to educate individuals about the importance of consuming a well- balanced diet, to provide adequate nutrition for maintenance or improvement in the nutritional status and to prevent protein- energy malnutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

HIV/AIDS is transmitted through the exchange of blood directly or indirectly from an infected person to another person. The use of unsterilized sharp instruments such as a needle, razor, injection syringe, and hair clipper can cause the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Unprotected sexual intercourse can cause the transmission of HIV/AIDS. A mother living with HIV/AIDS can transmit to her unborn child through the umbilical cord which connects the mother and the unborn child. Blood transfusion can also lead to transmission of HIV/AIDS if the transfused blood is infected with HIV/AIDS. So there are only four known ways through which you can contact the virus that causes AIDS. There’s no way you can contact HIV through mosquito bites, having a hand shake with someone that is infected, hugging, kissing, and sharing personal effects such as towel and clothes with someone that is living with the virus.

The only way you can find out whether you have contacted the virus is through having a blood test. And you have to go for the blood test from time to time, at least twice in a year, because the virus has an incubation period of about 3-6 months. If you are not yet married abstinence from sexual intercourse is the best option for you but if you cannot abstain you have to protect yourself with condom. Then if you are married you just have to be faithful to your partner – stick to him or her because he or she has got whatever you are looking for out there. You have to make sure that you avoid unprotected sexual intercourse, and other ways of getting infected with the disease. I also think that you know these things I have just said about HIV/AIDS.

But there is one thing you don’t know about HIV/AIDS. What you don’t know is that HIV/AIDS kills slower than the stigma attached to it by some people in our various societies. Yes you heard me well. Stigmatization has killed more people living with HIV/AIDS than the virus or the disease itself. Some people living with HIV/AIDS have been rejected by their families and friends simply because they tested positive to the virus. Some people living with the virus have lost their jobs simply because they are living with the virus. I can go and on to tell you what some people have been passing through because of the fact that they are living with HIV/AIDS. Some of them have committed suicide because they thought they could not live to face the stigma. More and more people living with HIV/AIDS have died as a result of stigmatization or the psychological trauma that follows the disease.

You have to show love to these people living with HIV/AIDS. You have to show that their families and friends still want them. You have to show them that the society still wants them irrespective of the fact that they are living with HIV/AIDS. You have to let these people know that they are not less human because of their medical condition. You have to let them know that living with HIV/AIDS is not the end of the world. Let them know that they can still live a normal life though they are living with HIV/AIDS. As a matter of fact, anybody can live with the virus so you have no right to stigmatize anybody because of HIV/AIDS.

Community based strategic plan to address HIV/AIDS should be outlined to prevent escalation of epidemic through action research in ways that recognize human rights and self-respect. In this aspect, it is greatly essential to organize social mobilization and accelerate support form local stakeholders and development partners involved in the community based response to HIV. There is no doubt that community based approach is a fundamental mechanism to stimulate the local contribution to deal with HIV/AIDS. To gather maximum support for community based efforts on HIV/AIDS, at first programs have to emphasize on coming in close contact with the local people. This is the effective means to be familiar with the values and perception of local people. Then they will be made to understand and perform the desired responsibility in response to HIV/AIDS.

Community based strategic plan encompassing local expertise and constructive commitment should be initiated to subvert the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the light of national HIV policy framework and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It would allow a profound and greater understanding of the nature of epidemic, its spread and eventuality.

According to UNAIDS estimates, over half of new HIV infections are occurring among young people (15-24 years) – or over 7,000 new infections a day worldwide. Around 95% of people with HIV/AIDS live in the communities of developing countries. Nowadays HIV is a common threat to men, women and children in all communities throughout the world. The challenges in responding to HIV/AIDS may vary enormously from community to community owing to geographical location, livelihood status, social infrastructure and so on. Cross border movement, women trafficking, neighboring to high prevalent communities, gaps in health care delivery, low levels of HIV/AIDS awareness and sexual bondage because of poverty make the communities vulnerable affecting public health systems. To combat this vulnerability with regard to HIV/AIDS, there is no single solution. But integrated community approach may play an influential role to protect from sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This is why adopting a gender sensitive and human rights based approach, community oriented strategic plan will be well-equipped and groomed with a wide range of local stakeholders’ support and participation to address HIV/AIDS. Side by side community people will be efficient to discuss and develop norms, values and practice as to safe sexual behavior.

Community focused strategic plan for HIV/AIDS has to be based on the reality of the epidemic engendered from thorough case studies. The prevalence of HIV may remain low in communities. But there are some considerable factors that can play vital role to fuel its rapid spread extensively. Polygamy, dowry, gender violence & discrimination, believes in superstitions as well as lack of safe health practice may kindle the spread of HIV/AIDS. If the awareness is not shaped fruitfully community wise, all of the programs to undermine the spread of HIV/AIDS will be failed. For instance, HIV/AIDS prevalence was low for many years in Indonesia even with lots of risky behavior. But in the past two or three years, the circumstances have been changed. At present, HIV/AIDS prevalence is growing severely in several communities of the country.

At last we may infer that any kind of community based strategic plan should be comprehensive, consistent, coordinated, constructive, consequence oriented and above all committed to community exclusively. Capitalizing on these key characteristics indicated by six C’s, it will be possible to attain a high watermark of success to combat skyrocketing vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Anirudha Alam is a prominent human resource development specialist and trainer. At present he is working in a national NGO and community centered national organization named Bangladesh Extension Education Services (BEES) as a Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) and Trainer. He is the Executive Board Member of Bangladesh Project Management Institute (BPMI) a training & research organization as well. He writes and edits more than forty books and a good number of articles on various issues like human resource development, training, community development & mobilization, women empowerment, human rights, education awareness, social development, income generating activities, environment awareness, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS awareness, juvenile literature, short stories and so on. His noteworthy books are Kulsums and Karims (a collection of success stories of disadvantaged community people of Bangladesh), Kulsums (a collection of success stories of disadvantaged & destitute community women of Bangladesh), The Reflections (a collection of posters on literacy & education of Bangladesh), Towards a New Hope, Social Assistance Message Collection, Social Assistance Advocacy Manual, Eaisab Rat Din (a collection of juvenile poems), Du Sha Bachharer Sera Bangla Kishor Galapa (a collection of juvenile Bengali stories of two hundred years) etc

As the number of cases spread from Cameroon to neighboring countries, namely the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Central African Republic, they drew little attention even as victims died in scattered numbers from a series of complications (e.g. Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), Kaposi’s sarcoma, etc.) later attributed to AIDS. This was likely because of Africa’s limited interaction with the developed world until the widespread use of air travel, the isolated, low incidence of cases, HIV’s long incubation period (up to 10 years) before the onset of AIDS, and the absence of technology, reliable testing methods and knowledge surrounding the virus. The earliest confirmed case based on ZR59, a blood sample taken from a patient in Kinshasha, DRC dates back to 1959.

The outbreak of AIDS finally gained attention on June 5, 1981 after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) detected a cluster of deaths from PCP in Los Angeles and New York City. By August 1982, as the incidence of cases spread, the CDC referred to the outbreak as AIDS. The responsible retrovirus, HIV, was isolated nearly a year later (May 1983) by researchers from the Pasteur Institute in France and given its official name in May 1986 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. During this period, HIV-related mortality rates rose steadily in the United States peaking in 1994-1995.

HIV:

HIV is spherical in shape and approximately 120 nanometers (nm) in diameter (or 60 times smaller than a red blood cell). It is composed of two copies of single-stranded convoluted RNA surrounded by a conical capsid and lipid membrane that prevents antibodies from binding to it. HIV also consists of glycoprotein (gp120 and gp41) spikes and is a highly mutating virus. Its genome changes by as much as 1% each year, significantly faster than “killer” cytotoxic T-Cells (CD8+) can adapt. It is transmitted through bodily fluids.

Per CD4 Cell Tests (Fact Sheet Number 124, AIDS InfoNet, 21 March 2009), when “HIV infects humans” it infects “helper” T-4 (CD4) cells that are critical in resisting infections. HIV does so by merging its genetic code with that of T-4 (CD4) cells. HIV’s spikes stick to the surface of T-4 (CD4) cells enabling its viral envelope to fuse with their membrane. Once fused, HIV pastes its contents into the DNA of T-4 (CD4) cells with the enzyme, integrase, so that each time T-4 (CD4) cells replicate, they produce additional “copies of HIV,” reducing the count of healthy T-4 (CD4) cells. Then as healthy T-4 (CD4) cells, which come in millions of families geared towards specific pathogens are eliminated, the body is rendered defenseless against the pathogens “they were designed” to fight until ultimately, the immune system is overwhelmed.

When the T-4 (CD4) cell count drops below 200 cells per cubic mm of blood (or a percentage of? 14% of total lymphocytes; normal counts range from 500-1600 or 30%-60% of lymphocytes), indicative of serious immune system damage, the victim is deemed to have AIDS (“the end point of an infection that is continuous, progressive and pathogenic per Richard Hunt, MD (Human Immunodeficiency Virus And AIDS Statistics, Virology – Chapter 7, Microbiology and Immunology On-line (University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 23 February 2010)) and is vulnerable to a multitude of opportunistic infections. Examples are PCP, a fungal infection that is a major killer of HIV-positive persons, Kaposi’s sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that attacks the brain and other parts of the body and cryptococcosis, a fungal infection that attacks the brain and spinal cord (both usually occur when the T-4 (CD4) cell count drops below 100), and mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), a bacterial infection that can be localized to a specific organ (usually the bone marrow, intestines, liver, or lungs) or widespread, in which case it is referred to as disseminated mycobacterium avium complex (DMAC) (which often occurs when the T-4 (CD4) cell count drops below 50).

Natural Immunity:

Since the onset of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in 1981 cases of people with a natural immunity to HIV have been documented. Although these persons, called long-term non-progressors (LTNPs) are infected with HIV, they never develop AIDS. When LTNPs are infected, some suffer an initial drop in their T-4 (CD4) cell count. However, when their T-4 (CD4) cell count reaches around 500 it stabilizes and never drops again preventing the onset of AIDS. Furthermore, while CD8+ T-Cells (even in large numbers) are ineffective against HIV-infected T-4 (CD4) cells in progressors (persons without a natural immunity to HIV), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported in a December 4, 2008 press release that “CD8+ T-Cells taken from LTNPs [can efficiently] kill HIV-infected cells in less than [an] hour” in which “a protein, perforin (produced only in negligible amounts in progressors), manufactured by their CD8+ T-Cells punches holes in the infected cells” enabling a second protein, “granzyme B” to penetrate and kill them.

Per Genetic HIV Resistance Deciphered (Med-Tech, 7 January 2005) the roots of this immunity dates back a thousand years due to “a pair of mutated genes – one in each chromosome – that prevent their immune cells from developing [Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5) receptors] that let [HIV penetrate].” This mutation likely evolved to provide added protection against smallpox according to Alison Galvani, professor of epidemiology at Yale University. Based on the latest scientific evidence, the mutated CCR5 gene (also called delta 32 because of the absence or deletion of 32 amino acids from its cytokine receptor) located in Th2 cells, developed in Scandinavia and progressed southward to central Asia as the Vikings expanded their influence. Consequently up to 1% of Northern Europeans (with Swedes being in the majority) followed by a similar percentage of Central Asians have this mutation, which if inherited from both parents provides them total immunity while another 10-15% of Northern Europeans and Central Asians having inherited the mutation from one parent exhibit greater resistance in lieu of complete immunity to HIV.

At the same time, even though the CCR5 mutation is absent in Africans, a small also exhibit percentage natural immunity (possibly developed through exposure) to HIV/AIDS – CD8+ T-Cell generation that effectively kills HIV-infected cells and mutated human leukocyte group A (HLA) antigens that coat the surface of their T-4 (CD4) cells to prevent HIV from penetrating based on an intensive study of 25 Nairobi prostitutes who per The Amazing Cases of People with Natural Immunity against HIV (Softpedia, 27 June 2007) have “had sex with hundreds, perhaps thousands of HIV-positive clients” and shown no sign of contracting HIV.

In addition, people with larger numbers of the CCL3L1 gene that produces cytokines (proteins that “gum” up CCR5 receptors) to prevent HIV from entering their T-4 (CD4) cells, per Genetic HIV Resistance Deciphered have greater resistance to HIV in comparison to others within their ethnic group that possess lesser quantities of the CCL3L1 gene and get “sick as much as 2.6 times faster.”

At the same time, up to 75% of newborn babies also possess natural immunity (for reasons still not known) when exposed to HIV-positive blood. Although born with HIV antibodies – thus HIV-positive, newborns “usually lose HIV antibodies acquired from their HIV-positive mothers within 12-16 – maximum 18 months,” in which their “spontaneous loss of [HIV] antibodies” without medical intervention is called seroreversion. “However, with the exception of very few instances, these infants are not HIV-infected” conclusive proof of a natural immunity to HIV.[1] Furthermore, when pregnant HIV-positive women are administered highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which lowers the viral concentration of HIV in their blood, an astonishing 97% of their newborns lose their HIV antibodies through seroreversion to become HIV-free per the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) as posted under Surveillance Monitoring for ART Toxicities Study in HIV-Uninfected Children Born to HIV-Infected Mothers (SMARTT) (Clinical Trials.gov, 29 March 2008). However, at this time, it is not known if these newborns retain their natural immunity throughout their lives.

Eradication:

With a cure perhaps unattainable, eradication of HIV/AIDS in the same way as smallpox (with no cure) was eliminated, may be the most feasible option. According to Dr. Brian Williams of the South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, eradication of HIV/AIDS is an achievable goal that could be attained by 2050 if the current HIV/AIDS research paradigm is changed from focus on finding a cure to stopping transmission.

Per Dr. Williams such an effort would require testing billions of people annually. Though costly, the benefits would exceed the costs “from day one” according to the South African epidemiologist. Anyone found with HIV antibodies would immediately be administered antiretroviral therapy (which reduces HIV concentration 10,000-fold and infectiousness 25-fold) to halt transmission, effectively ending such transmission by 2015 and eliminating the disease by 2050 as most carriers die out, according to his estimate. The reason for this optimism, per Steve Connor, Aids: is the end in sight? (The Independent, 22 February 2010), is a “study published in 2008 [that] showed it is theoretically possible to cut new HIV cases by 95%, from a prevalence of 20 per 1,000 to 1 per 1,000, within 10 years of implementing a programme [sic] of universal testing and prescription of [HA]ART drugs.”

Even though clinical trials to test Dr. Williams’ vision will start in 2010 in Somkhele, South Africa, access to HAART still needs to be improved greatly to purge the disease. Presently only about 42% of HIV-positive people have access to HAART.

Furthermore, for eradication efforts to succeed, prevention programs (which currently reach fewer than 1 in 5 in sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of the pandemic where the average life-expectancy has fallen below 40 leaving about 15 million children orphaned) will have to continue to play an essential role in stopping transmission. Such programs though not limited to, must include abstinence, condom distribution, education re: transmission, safe sex, etc., and needle distribution to drug users (the latter which is badly lacking according to Kate Kelland, Failure to aid drug users drives HIV spread: study (Reuters, 1 March 2010) with “more than 90% of the world’s 16 million injecting drug users offered no help to avoid contracting AIDS” despite the fact that such users often share needles and approximately 18.75% are believed to be HIV-positive).

Proof that such efforts can work is evident when the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) created in 2003 for Africa that provides funding focused on HAART and palliative care for HIV/AIDS patients, HIV/AIDS awareness education and prevention programs (condoms, needle-exchanges, and abstinence) and financial assistance to care for the pandemic’s orphans and other vulnerable children, is considered. Per Michael Smith, PEPFAR Cut AIDS Death Rate in African Nations (Med Page Today, 6 April 2009), the program “averted about 1.1 million deaths [from 2004-2007]… a 10% reduction compared to neighboring African countries.”

The “Disappearing” Victims:

Despite reason for optimism based on Dr. Williams’ vision of eradication, the “disappearance” of HIV/AIDS victims is highly disturbing. In fact, when current statistics are compared to past statistics, more than 19 million victims or triple the number of murdered Holocaust victims (1933-1945) have been purged from the official record (effectively minimizing the severity of the pandemic) without as much as a whimper of protest, possibly because demographically speaking, a statistically-significant number of the deceased fall into groups that have been and continue to be the subjects of racial, gender, cultural, and even religious discrimination. In the words of Charles King, an activist who spoke in San Francisco on World AIDS Day in 2007, it is likely because HIV/AIDS has mainly “taken the lives of people deemed expendable”[2] the same mentality used to justify Hitler’s “Final Solution” and other pogroms.

Back on January 25, 2002 in AIDS Death Toll ‘Likely’ to Surpass That of Bubonic Plague, Expert Says in British Medical Journal Special Issue on HIV/AIDS (Kaiser Network), it was written, “AIDS – which has already killed 25 million people worldwide – will overtake the bubonic plague as the ‘world’s worst pandemic’ if the 40 million people currently infected with HIV do not get access to life-prolonging drugs…”

A year earlier, UNAIDS listed the global death toll as 21.8 million with an increase of 3.2 million in 2002. By 2003, based on statistics reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, and U.S. Census Bureau as tabulated in The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Current & Future Challenges by Jennifer Kates, M.A., M.P.A., Director HIV Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation the global death toll had risen to 28 million by February 2003. Add annual mortality statistics of 3 million (2003), 3.1 million (2004 and 2005), 2.9 million (2006), 2.1 million (2007), and 2 million (2008, the most recent complete year of reporting) per UNAIDS, and an estimated, conservative total of 1.4 million (if another 28% decline as occurred between 2006 and 2007 took place between 2008 and 2009) the global death toll for year-end 2009 would be roughly 45.6 million. Yet, when UNAIDS released its latest report in November 2009 as reported in the Mail & Guardian (South Africa, 24 November 2009) the worldwide death toll through 2008 was listed as “passing 25 million,” approximately 19.2 million below the actual mark.

Per AIDS cases drop due to revised data (MSNBC, 19 November 2007), the “disappearing” victims can be attributed to “a new methodology.” While this may make sense with regard to prevalence since “[p]revious AIDS numbers were largely based on the numbers of infected pregnant women at clinics, as well as projecting the AIDS rates of certain high-risk groups like drug users to the entire population at risk” versus the new methodology that incorporates data from “national household surveys,” it does not with regard to mortality figures which are calculated primarily from national AIDS registries and/or death certificates based on the presence of HIV, T-4 (CD4) cell counts below 200, and death caused by opportunistic AIDS-related infections resulting from such low T-4 (CD4) cell counts.

In retrospect, when viewing the approximate 45.6 million figure, few pandemics have killed more than HIV/AIDS – Smallpox (which had come in waves since 430 BC until the World Health Organization (WHO) certified its eradication in 1979), killed 300-500 million, Black Death/Bubonic Plague killed approximately 75 million from 1340-1771, and Spanish Influenza killed between 40-50 million from 1918-1919.

Optimism for the Future:

Until HIV/AIDS can be certified as eradicated by the WHO, despite the terrible economic toll it has taken, especially on sub-Saharan Africa (due to lost skills, shrinking workforces, rising medical costs) and other developing regions and its devastating toll in human lives and on families, there is reason for optimism.

As of December 2008, per UNAIDS, 33.4 million people are infected with HIV, a 1.2% increase from a year earlier with much of the rise attributed to a declining mortality rate due to a 10-fold increase in availability of HAART since 2004. About 2.7 million persons were newly infected in 2008, 18% and 30% decreases in new HIV infections globally since 2001 and 1996, respectively. In another promising sign, new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa, responsible for about 70% of all HIV/AIDS-related deaths in 2008, has fallen by 15% since 2001. At the same time, there were approximately 2 million HIV/AIDS-related deaths in 2008, a 35% reduction from 2004 levels when the global mortality rate peaked.

Presently, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has begun to decline or stabilize in most parts of the world. Declines have been recorded in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia (although the mortality rate is increasing in East Asia) while the pandemic has stabilized in the Caribbean, Latin America, North America and Western and Central Europe. The only part of the world where the HIV/AIDS pandemic is worsening is the Eastern European (especially in Ukraine and Russia) and Central Asian region.

The declines should continue as new methods of prevention and treatment are developed. Based on studies of NLTPs, a new class of treatments focused on genetic therapy to delete the necessary 32 amino acids from CCR5 receptors, elicit perforin and granzyme B production, and develop protease inhibitors to provide immunity to HIV and halt its spread may be developed in the future.

Though still a long way off and potentially very expensive (up to $20,000 per treatment), Drugs.com Med News reported in Gene Therapy Shows Promise Against HIV (19 February 2010) that when researchers removed immune cells from eight HIV-infected persons, modified their genetic code and reinserted them, the “levels of HIV fell below the expected levels in seven of the eight patients [with] signs of the virus disappear[ing] altogether in one” even though HAART treatment was halted. A study by UCLA AIDS Institute researchers, which removed CCR5 receptors by “transplanting a small RNA molecule known as short hairpin RNA (shRNA), which induced RNA interference into human stem cells to inhibit the expression of CCR5 in human immune cells” mimicking those of LTNPs through the use of “a humanized mouse model,” as reported on February 26, 2010 in Medical News Today in Gene-Based Stem Cell Therapy Specifically Removes Cell Receptor That Attracts HIV, showed similar success in that it resulted in a “stable, long-term reduction of CCR5.”

At the same time, as announced in HIV/AIDS drug puzzle cracked (Kate Kelland, Reuters, 1 February 2010), British and U.S. scientists succeeded (after 40,000 unsuccessful attempts) in growing a crystal to decipher the structure of integrase, an enzyme found in HIV and other retroviruses. This will lead to a better understanding how integrase-inhibitor drugs work and perhaps to a more effective generation of treatments that could impede HIV from pasting a copy of its genetic code in the DNA of victims’ T-4(CD4) cells.

Likewise, per Structure of HIV coat may help develop new drugs (Health News, 13 November 2009) scientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine “unraveled the complex structure” of the capsid coat (viewing its “overall shape and atomic details”) “surrounding HIV” that could enable “scientists to design therapeutic compounds” to block infection.

At the same time, researchers at the University of Texas Medical School may have finally discovered HIV’s vulnerability, per Achilles Heel of HIV Uncovered (Ani, July 2008) – “a tiny stretch of amino acids numbered 421-433 on gp120″ that must remain constant to attach to T-4 (CD4) cells. To conceal its weakness and evade an effective immune response, HIV tricks the body into attacking its mutating regions, which change so rapidly, ineffective antibodies are produced until the immune system is overwhelmed. Based on this finding, the researchers have created an abzyme (an antibody with catalytic or helpful enzymatic activity) derived from blood samples taken from HIV-negative people with lupus (a chronic autoimmune disease that can attack any part of the body – skin, joints, and/or organs) and HIV-positive LTNPs, which has proven potent in neutralizing HIV in lab tests, thus offering promise of developing an effective vaccine or microbicide (gel to protect against sexual transmission). Although human clinical trials are to follow, it might not be until 2015 or 2020 before abzymatic treatments are available.

Elsewhere, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) scientists recently isolated two antibodies from a NLTP HIV-positive African patient – PG9 and PG16 (called broadly neutralizing antibodies (BNAbs) that bind to HIV’s viral spike composed of gp120 and gp41 to block the virus from infecting T-4 (CD4) cells. Per Monica Hoyos Flight, A new starting point for HIV vaccine design (Nature Reviews, MacMillan Publishers Limited, November 2009) “PG9 and PG16, when tested against a larger panel of viruses [HIV] neutralized 127 and 116 viruses, respectively” providing additional hopes for developing an effective vaccine and novel treatment regimens that induce the body to produce BNAbs, which currently only the immune system of NLTPs can create.

At the same time, studies of newborn seroreversion and medically induced production of human leukocyte group A (HLA) antigens that coat the surface of T-4 (CD4) cells could also eventually lead to anti-HIV vaccine that could protect billions of people.

In the meantime until such developments bear fruit, HAART (despite its mild side effects such as nausea and headaches in some and serious to life-threatening side effects in others) has proven to be highly effective in containing HIV with, per Gerald Pierone Jr., MD in The End of HIV Drug Development as We Know It? (The Body Pro: The HIV Resource for Health Professionals, 18 February 2010) reporting, “about 80% of patients [receiving HAART] reach an undetectable viral load.” Furthermore, greater access to antiretrovirals, per Drop in HIV infections and deaths (BBC News, 24 November 2009) “has helped cut the death toll from HIV by more than 10%” from 2004-2008 and saved more than 3 million lives based on UNAIDS and WHO statistics. HAART has also cut the age-adjusted mortality rate by more than 70% according to Kaiser Family Foundation’s July 2007 HIV/AIDS Policy Fact Sheet, because of its effectiveness in delaying and even preventing the onset of AIDS.

Despite HAART’s cost ($10,000-$15,000 per patient per year), the State of California in a report titled, HIV/AIDS in California, 1981-2008 called it “dramatic and life-saving” especially since early intervention results in greater mean T-4 (CD4) cell counts translating into fewer opportunistic infections and deaths. It also results in real cost savings because of the strong inverse relationship between T-4 (CD4) cell counts and associated medical expenses.

In conclusion, despite HIV/AIDS’ “disappearing” victims, there is reason for optimism. Research over the last year has offered several promising leads – the underlying cause of NLTPs’ immunity has been discovered, the structure of the HIV virus solved, and its weak point found – while improved access to HAART and HIV/AIDS education and prevention measures (with the exception of addressing intravenous drug users) have made significant inroads in reducing infection and mortality rates buying victims additional years and an enhanced quality of life.

______

[1] Orapun Metadilogkul, Vichai Jirathitikal, and Aldar S. Bourinbalar. Serodeconversion of HIV Antibody-Positive AIDS Patients Following Treatment with V-1 Immunitor. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology. 7 September 2008.

[2] Michael Crawford. AIDS: Where is Our Rage? The Bilerico Project. 2 December 2007. 28 February 2010. http://www.bilerico.com/2007/12/aids_where_is_our_rage.php

Additional Source:

Wikipedia. 24-28 February 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/

Many of the effects that HIV/AIDS or the ARV’s (anti-retrovirals) have on health are similar to that of aging. This creates challenges in knowing what the causes of certain conditions are. The following conditions are common to both age, and HIV infection:

- Immune function decline

- Cardiovascular diseases

- High blood pressure

- Kidney disease

- Cancers

- Diabetes

- Dementia

- Depression

- Nutritional problems

- Sexual dysfunctions

It is unfortunate, but adults over 50 years of age do not participate in many clinical trials. This is helping to fuel the lack of data on the older adults and antiretroviral therapy. Some studies do indicate that the ARV’s are just as effective in older people as they are for younger people.

However, it may be partly due to the fact that older adults tend to follow their HIV prescription therapy better than younger adults. Adherence to HIV therapy is important as it offers fewer chances for the virus to adapt and grow strong again. Non-adherence often leads to patients having to switch from a single ARV therapy to a cocktail of two or three anti-AIDS medicines.

Side effects of the medicine do not seem to be any more frequent in older adults, however they may be felt to be more severe. Also, it is worth noting that CD4 counts may not increase as much in older people.

There is a mistaken belief out in society that older adults are not at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. This is simply not true, but due to this belief, many older people are diagnosed late. A consequence of this is delayed treatment, depending on which specialist you refer to, can be a good thing or a bad thing.

Those who are diagnosed later in life also face a dual stigma. Our society holds negative attitudes towards HIV and AIDS, as well as aging. As a consequence, older adults who are diagnosed more commonly experience depression.

For those who are newly diagnosed, there are some very specific screening tests which should accompany routine tests for monitoring HIV. These following tests can be an effective tool for you and your doctor to measure health, and identify early on, conditions related to HIV, AIDS, and aging:

- Bone density exam

- Blood pressure

- Fasting blood glucose

- Lipids profile

- Kidney function

Recognizing and addressing problems early on is key to successful treatment. Addressing depression and anxiety in older adults, as well as young adults, can ensure adherence to the treatment guidelines as set out by the doctor. It also serves to ensure regular health care visits, participation in social activities, and personal relationships which include a healthy sex life. Non-adherence can lead to declining health for individuals, and more virulent strains of HIV/AIDS which require more financial resources to manage.

How can HIV/AIDS be caught?

HIV and AIDS are transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids. There are several common ways that people are infected:

• Sexual contact through vaginal or anal sex
• Sharing needles with an infected individual. Rarely, this can include tattoos and piercings
• Blood transfusions or accidental exposure to infected blood
• Mother to child transmission during pregnancy or during birth. Breast feeding, in some cases, can also lead to HIV infection

How can it be prevented?

The most important precautions to take are to make sure that you always use a new, sterile needle for any injection that you take, and to always use a condom during sex unless both you and your partner have had an HIV test. The contraceptive pill, diaphragms and spermicidal jelly cannot prevent infection during sex – only condoms are an effective preventative.

What are the symptoms?

Unfortunately, HIV and AIDS do not present any clear symptoms. Approximately 4 weeks after infection, most people will suffer a fever, glandular swelling, rashes, a sore throat and muscle aches. Since these symptoms are so general, they are frequently mistaken or misdiagnosed. The only way to be certain is to take an HIV or AIDS test.

What are the treatments?

There is currently no cure or vaccine for HIV or AIDS. However, there are various courses of retroviral drugs that can help to manage the symptoms and greatly increase the quality and length of life. Early diagnosis is critical, which is why HIV tests are so important for anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to the virus.

How do I get an HIV test?

There are numerous sexual health clinics around the US that offer confidential HIV tests. Most people choose to purchase them privately rather than through their insurance for the sake of privacy.

The first HIV test that is usually administered is the HIV-1 test. This is a blood test that checks for the antibodies that the body produces to fight the HIV infection. However, it can only be taken six weeks or more after exposure, as it takes time for the body to generate these antibodies. Another HIV test, the HIV PCR, can detect the virus 4-11 days after exposure. If either of these initial tests gives a positive result, follow tests are required to confirm it (the HIV-1 test can occasionally give false positive results, as it is very sensitive.)

How often should I have an HIV test?

Comprehensive STD screening, including an HIV test, is recommended once a year for all sexually active adults who have three or more sexual partners in that year. An HIV test is also recommended if you intend to start having unprotected sex with a partner, and, due to the risk of transmission to a child, is usually part of a standard health check up at the start of a pregnancy.

In the past, people were not too concerned about AIDS or any kind of issues related to HIV. Society was very reserved, and there were few opportunities for sexual investigation.

But with the advent of modern times, human lives are quickly changing contemporary culture and the hospitable spirit of rock. Now, if you feel that there is good exposure to various sexual acts, and sex becomes a commodity in trade.

In various films and novels, you’ll feel the presence of sexual activity. Become the main source of entertainment.

Honestly, young people should be well informed about the devastating effects of STDs for HIV, which reduce the force of vengeance and self-defense. This will lessen the possibility of resistance to various diseases in front of sexually transmitted HIV. How will you affect the venereal diseases or AIDS? Frankly, due to massive sexual intercourse with multiple partners, you can cultivate the victims chances of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. In addition, you may be exposed to HIV infection through blood transmission.

Therefore, you must have self-control powers to regulate my mind, so it should not be encouraged to use sex in the wild by encouraging sexual perversion. Sex is a very important factor in increasing the possibility of AIDS.

Of course, accelerate HIV causes AIDS. If you view the on-line expert opinions, we certainly see that, especially for those who love sex cartoon natural, engaging in various sexual activities and invite the risks and dangers of HIV invasion.

You need to have your head a few relevant facts before him to make a commitment to increase sexual. A condom is the mast to resist the abnormal growth of HIV in the body. Please include a good penis condoms, which is hollow and therapeutic fully refined.

Use a condom and put it into a sexual relationship. It will be risky selection of used condoms. Ask your partner, whether infected or not STD related diseases. If she has HIV, not to engage without wearing a condom.

Proper clinical trials are needed to detect HIV. You should know that HIV / AIDS is not curable, and should therefore seek preventive measures against AIDS. Before sending your blood, it must determine whether the blood is clean and free from STD, HIV and AIDS virus. Consult with physicians, how to overcome this deadly virus HIV.

On a pessimistic note, hope of a vaccine in the short term isn’t anywhere in sight as France’s National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (ANRS) has expressed. Though not in the short run, the Scripps Research Institute expressed optimism with a possibility of a vaccine in about 10 years. Till that time, the available HIV drugs need to reach one and all.

Apparently, HIV/Aids is quite a multi-headed monster. While efforts to curtail it continue, research reveals newer risky trends among people, and unravel findings that appear to be quite startling.

Risky Trends

Consider the case of India where and estimated 2 to 3.1 million HIV infected persons reside. Researchers inform that young call center workers are becoming a breeding ground for the infections because of unprotected sex with many partners amongst the staffers. About 1.3 million people graduate in India, many of whom choose to work in call centers due to good starting salaries of US$ 600 (from Indian standards).

But if you thought that India was alone, leading the trend, look at the trend in the UK, where about 33% men who have men as their sexual partners, and are aware of their HIV status, engage in unprotected and risky sexual behavior. The study was released by the Medical Research Council.

Research

Research, while it unravels mysteries, sometimes it does so at the cost of shaking you out of comfort zone. For instance, the report, from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, notices increasing HIV/AIDS infection rates among intravenous drug users, sex workers and gay men. Or that, as a study published in the Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases reveals, that many people think their partners aren’t infected, even without an STD/HIV testing.

However, not all is grim about the HIV/Aids scenario, a lot of efforts to fight it are underway.

A Shining Workplace Program

Realizing the gravity, the corporate sector in Mozambique has stepped forward to take the bull by the horns. Mozambique’s Confederation of Business Associations (CTA) has unveiled a program called EcoSIDA that’s meant to address the malady in workplaces. The aim of the body is to test workers find their HIV status. Perhaps, there are lessons in the initiative, for Indian call center industry to learn from.

Education

In Florida, US, and with the National HIV Testing Day approaching on Friday, June 27, the health agencies and not-for-profit groups would host several educational events to inform and seek active participation Southwest Florida’s minority communities. Minorities have higher than average infection rates.

Policy

Recently, the teenagers of the New York state made a request to the political leadership asking them to enact a Healthy Teens Act meant to provide fund for comprehensive sex education in schools. Similarly in India’s National AIDS Control Board has approved the country’s National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) to make care centers for kids with HIV.

Although it’s heartening to see efforts on many fronts, however a lot remains to be done. While governmental policies do take time to take effect, education and initiatives to improve the reach of existing pharmaceutical drugs for HIV can perhaps be accomplished much faster.

Others contract the virus but remain healthy. This is because they have strong immune systems, and are able to fight if off. It is my belief, based on numerous research findings, that what we call Aids is actually the result of massive nutrient deficiencies caused by the HIV virus. Research has shown that while malnutrition is a hallmark of full blown AIDS, nutritional abnormalities also occur early in HIV disease. Doctor K. baum, together with colleagues form the University of Miami School of Medicine, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham examined blood levels of vitamins a, e, b6, b12 and zinc in early diagnosed HIV-positive patients.

The researchers discovered that when the patients were given recommended daily allowances (government-recommended dosages) of these nutrients, they were still found to be deficient. It was not until after they received six to then times the RDA did the majority have normal levels.

Without essential nutrients, a complete breakdown of the immune system is imminent, and the body succumbs to opportunistic cancers and infections. Like a crack in the sidewalk that is widened and worsened by weather and pollutants, the HIV virus takes advantage of environmental and dietary pollutants that weaken the body’s ability to fight back. As long as deficiencies are present, the patient cannot heal.

Numerous factors contribute to AIDS. The problem begins with vitamin and mineral deficiencies, legal and illegal drugs, “fast lane” living, vaccinations, steroids, birth control pills and recurrent sexually transmitted diseases that allow usually harmless bacteria to multiply into toxic amounts. All beat down the immune system so that exposure to HIV can mean a death sentence.

Thankfully, there are doctors out there determined to show the world HIV and AIDS do not have to be death sentences. They are the ones who have red the research, stepped out of the pack and used mega-nutrients and lifestyle recommendations to treat their patients.

In one study conducted by Brighthope, M.D. of Melbourne, Australia, the lives of 18 out of 20 AIDS patients and all 100 aids related complex patients he treated were prolonged he prescribes massive intravenous doses of vitamin C initially, plus various other vitamins, minerals and herbs, as well as exercise to achieve these results.

A man suffering from AIDS for five years came to Joan Priestley, M.D., a practicing physician In LA California. The man’s doctors told him his case was terminal and he had five months to live. He was suffering from severe weight loss and diarrhea and was ravaged by infections and an intestinal ailment. Today, over one year after beginning aggressive treatment with the Dr. the man is symptom-free and has regained forty pounds.

Dr.Robert Cathcart III of Los Altos, California, was approached by a man suffering from night sweats and fever, His low T-cell count alerted the Dr. to test for the HIV virus. The Dr. is a pioneer in the use of vitamin C therapy for illness. Fifteen months after beginning intravenous vitamin C treatments, the patient’s T-cell count rose from under 300 to 600. He was elated, and celebrated when he went a year without having a cold or flu.

My point here is to demonstrate that a growing number of doctors are successfully treating AIDS. Do not settle for questionable conventional treatment when you could increase your chances of survival by looking outside of orthodoxy

Some studies conducted on Viagra and sexually transmitted diseases, form this link when sexual acts are done between two identical partners especially of older age. The studies are more indicative that older individuals are not usually told about the safe sexual practices, and perhaps this is one of the reasons of the links between the erectile dysfunction drugs and sexually transmitted diseases. This relation between ED drugs and STDs seems much lower in younger individuals.

The link between Viagra and sexually transmitted diseases clearly establishes its soundness when researches concluded that men on erectile dysfunction drugs are three times more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases when compared with those who do not take such drugs. The more frequent STD cases can be seen as HIV/AIDS and Chlamydia. Until now, the researchers could not establish the factors that link Viagra or other erectile dysfunction drugs with sexually transmitted diseases. It is not yet clear whether Viagra or other erectile dysfunction drugs are directly responsible for the complaint. Further studies are underway to sort out the causes and safety of such drugs. So far, only the link is established, not the actual causes.

With the introduction of erectile dysfunction drugs, Sildenafil or Viagra, the use of such drugs has grown up dramatically. It is also a fact that not only those who need some ED medications use Viagra or similar drugs, but also those who wish to boost their performance, or who get tempted by the heavy advertisements, use ED drugs. Many such men are in higher risk groups and use such drugs without proper medical supervision. According to Dr. Peter Leone of the National Coalition of STD, and Professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina, the fault is more with the users, not in the drugs. According to him, it is not the drugs that cause the problems, but it is the users who are to blame.

In any case, it is always better to consult an expert who will be able to prescribe you the ED drugs according to your individual medical conditions and the degree of the weakness. Do not get tempted to the commercial attractions of such drugs, and take the advice of your doctor before using any such drugs.

Women only accounted for 31 percent of the population with HIV/AIDS in Florida in 2006, but that meant that 25,365 women were trying to survive AIDS in Florida. The rate per 100,000 in 2006 was 89.4 for black women, 14.6 for hispanic women and 5.1 for white women. AIDS was the leading cause of death for black women between the ages of 25 and 44 for 15 straight years in Florida.

July 21st has been designated National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day by the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS. They are calling upon clinicians to talk more openly about the epidemic and HIV testing, and even test themselves to lead by example.

July Will See the First U.S. Comprehensive Plan to Fight AIDS

For the first time, the federal government is developing a comprehensive plan to deal with the AIDS epidemic. Its three-point focus will be unveiled on July 13th. It’s aimed at reducing the number of people who become infected, increasing medical intervention to improve patient outcomes and addressing HIV-related disparities.

States are getting $25 million more from the Health and Human Services Secretary to buy medication for those living with HIV/AIDS, but that’s not expected to get everyone off the waiting lists. As record numbers lost their health insurance through rising unemployment, the number of people waiting for help to get lifesaving medicine soared. Add to that recent state budget cuts, and about 2,100 people from 11 states were stuck on waiting lists as of July 1st.

New Hope for an AIDS Testing and an AIDS Vaccine

Federal researchers have found a pair of naturally-occuring antibodies that can kill over 90 percent of all AIDS virus strains. This could spawn the development of new treatments and the first successful vaccine. That promise could make testing more popular and reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, but prevention is still key.

One of provisions in the new health care law has already addressed this, but several provisions seem to have been lost by a media industry trying to one up competitors by reporting only controversy. As of September 23rd, both copayments and deductibles for preventive services (including certain screenings for sexually-transmitted disease) will be dropped.

By eliminating what copays and deductibles cost patients, this provision encourages people to address health problems earlier while they’re usually more treatable. More access to preventive services gives the insured more value for the price of their premiums, making Florida Health Insurance a better deal.

Because these changes will apply to policy years that begin after September 23rd, it may not go into effect until most new plan years begin as of January 1st of next year. Still, this July marks a welcome change in our attitude of ignoring the AIDS epidemic, and providing more funding, a break through in research and more access to preventive screenings. This year is just the beginning of the results we can expect from the new healthcare law. The government is pushing insurance companies to cover more people even before the 2014 mandate. As Health Insurance in Florida is forced to offer greater access to care, now is the time to look for new plans and new benefits.

Closer to home, 40,000 people per year in the U.S. are infected, more than half of whom are African-American women. The latter group by itself accounts for 72 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in women.

In the face of these overwhelming statistics, what can be done? Some corporations are making a difference with contributions to charities supporting the cause and helping in other ways.

For example, Roche, a pharmaceutical company that developed the HIV protease inhibitors Invirase and Viracept, has not filed any patents for its medicines – including those for HIV/AIDS – in the least-developed nations and sub-Saharan Africa. This means that these countries, which are devastated by the epidemic, can manufacture and sell cheap, generic versions of the drugs without waiting for the patents to expire.

The company also is dedicated to increasing awareness of the illnesses.

“Roche is committed to driving social responsibility programs that increase awareness and combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the local and international level,” said George Abercrombie, president and CEO, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., the U.S. pharmaceuticals headquarters of Roche.

Beyond this, Roche and its employees are working more directly to address the problem through the company’s annual Global Employee AIDS Walk in observance of World AIDS Day.

Roche employees have been participating in the walk for more than two years. In December 2005, more than 11,000 employees from 85 affiliates in 42 countries walked to raise funds for AIDS organizations. The money raised through their pledges was matched by the company.

Some of the funds are distributed to local HIV/AIDS organizations. In New Jersey, for example, funds will go to the NJ AIDS Partnership. The rest goes to children in Malawi, Africa, who have been orphaned by AIDS. The money goes to buy everything from food and clean water to shelter, books and sewing machines.

HIV is spread by sexual contact with an infected person, by sharing needles or syringes with someone who is infected or – less commonly – through transfusions of infected blood. Babies of HIV-infected women may become infected before or during birth or through breast feeding.

When the person is infected with HIV, the virus gradually begins wrecking that person’s immunity. How fast this take place varies in every individual. Some fresh treatments can help with slowing or halting the obliteration of the immune system. Once the immune system is sternly harmed, that person acquires AIDS, and is now at risk of infections and cancers that the majority healthy adults wouldn’t obtain. Yet, antiretroviral treatment can still be really useful, even at that interval of illness. Speak to your health care provider if you acquire any of the risk factors for HIV infection, or if you grow signs of AIDS. According to the law, AIDS testing should be kept classified; your health care provider should assess results of your examination with you.

There is some AIDS prevention ways that you can utilize to avoid being infected. See articles concerning safe sex to find out the way to trim down the likelihood of getting or spreading HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Never utilize injected drugs; if IV drugs are utilized, don’t share syringes. A number of communities actually have needle exchange program, where you can remove the usage of syringes and acquire new, sterile ones at no cost. This sort of programs can also present referral to addiction treatment. Evade contact with another person’s blood; it is appropriate to wear protective clothing, masks, and goggles when looking after individuals who are wounded. Someone who is positive for HIV can pass the contamination to others and shouldn’t donate blood, body organs, plasma, or sperm. An infected person need to notify any potential sexual partner about their HIV-positive condition. They shouldn’t exchange body fluids during sexual activity, and ought to utilize whatever preventive steps will provide the partner the most defenses.

HIV-positive women who desire to become pregnant are ought to ask for counseling concerning the peril to unborn children, and medical advance that might help out with preventing the fetus from procuring infection. Utilization of positive medications can significantly decrease the odds that the baby is going to be infected during pregnancy. Mothers who are positive for HIV must never breast feed their babies. Safe sex practices like latex condoms are quite effective in avoiding HIV transmission. Nonetheless, there’s still a hazard of obtaining the infection even in utilizing condoms. Abstinence is the simply the definite means to avoid sexual transmission of HIV.

The hazardous sexual activities are unguarded receptive anal intercourse, while the least unsafe sexual action is engaging in oral sex. Executing oral sex on a man is linked with some jeopardy of HIV transmission, but this is less precarious than unguarded vaginal contact. Female-to-male viral transmission is much less possible than male-to-female transmission; and doing oral sex on a woman who doesn’t have her period have low-risk of transmission. To avoid the complications of the disease, it would be wise to find consult at a STD clinic and get tested immediately; before things get too much out of hand.

Once the person is infected with HIV, the virus steadily starts wrecking that person’s immunity. How fast this take place differs in every individual. Some new treatments can aid in slowing or halting the obliteration of the immune system. When the immune system is sternly injured, that person acquires AIDS, and is now susceptible to infections and cancers that the majority healthy adults wouldn’t acquire. Yet, antiretroviral therapy can still be really useful, even at that period of illness. Talk to your health care provider if you acquire any of the risk factors for HIV infection, or if you grow symptoms of AIDS. According to the law, AIDS testing need to be kept classified; your health care provider should evaluate results of your assessment with you.

There is some AIDS prevention ways that you can utilize to avoid being infected. See articles relating to safe sex to find out how to trim down the likelihood of getting or spreading HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Never utilize injected drugs; if IV drugs are utilized, don’t share syringes. Various towns actually have needle exchange program, where you can remove the usage of syringes and acquire new, sterile ones at no cost. This sort of programs can also provide referral to addiction treatment. Evade contact with another person’s blood; it is appropriate to wear protective clothing, masks, and goggles when looking after people who are wounded. Someone who is positive for HIV can pass the infection to others and shouldn’t donate blood, body organs, plasma, or sperm. An infected person need to tell any potential sexual partner about their HIV-positive affliction. They shouldn’t trade body fluids throughout sexual activity, and should utilize whatever preventive measures will provide the partner the most defenses.

HIV-positive women who desire to become pregnant are ought to inquire about counseling about the peril to unborn children, and medical advance that might help out with avoiding the fetus from acquiring infection. Utilization of positive medications can radically reduce the odds that the baby is going to be infected during pregnancy. Mothers who are positive for HIV must never breast feed their babies. Safe sex practices like latex condoms are quite effective in avoiding HIV transmission. Nonetheless, there’s still a hazard of obtaining the infection even in using condoms. Abstinence is the simply the certain means to stay away from sexual transmission of HIV.

The hazardous sexual activities are unguarded receptive anal intercourse, while the least unsafe sexual action is participating in oral sex. Executing oral sex on a man is linked with some jeopardy of HIV transmission, but this is less precarious than unguarded vaginal contact. Female-to-male viral transmission is much less possible than male-to-female transmission; and doing oral sex on a woman who hasn’t got her period have low-risk of transmission. To avoid the complications of the disease, it would be wise to seek consult at a STD clinic and get tested immediately; before things get too much out of hand.

When the person is infected with HIV, the virus steadily begins destroying that person’s immunity. How fast this take place differs in every individual. Some fresh treatments can aid in slowing or halting the obliteration of the immune system. When the immune system is sternly injured, that person acquires AIDS, and is now vulnerable to infections and cancers that the majority healthy adults wouldn’t obtain. Yet, antiretroviral therapy can still be really useful, even at that period of illness. Speak to your health care provider if you acquire any of the risk factors for HIV infection, or if you grow signs of AIDS. Based on the law, AIDS testing ought to be kept classified; your health care provider need to evaluate results of your assessment with you.

There is some AIDS prevention methods that you can utilize to avoid being infected. See articles relating to safe sex to find out the way to trim down the likelihood of getting or spreading HIV, along with other sexually transmitted diseases. Never use injected drugs; if IV drugs are utilized, don’t share syringes. Several towns currently have needle exchange program, where you can eliminate the usage of syringes and acquire new, sterile ones at no cost. This sort of programs can also present referral to addiction therapy. Evade contact with another person’s blood; it is appropriate to wear protective clothing, masks, and goggles when caring for individuals who are wounded. Someone who is positive for HIV can pass the infection to others and shouldn’t donate blood, body organs, plasma, or sperm. An infected person should notify any potential sexual partner about their HIV-positive affliction. They shouldn’t exchange body fluids during sexual activity, and must utilize whatever preventive measures will provide the partner the most defenses.

HIV-positive women who would like to become pregnant are ought to ask for counseling about the peril to unborn children, and medical advance that might help in avoiding the fetus from getting infection. Utilization of positive medications can drastically reduce the odds that the baby is going to be infected during pregnancy. Mothers who are positive for HIV must never breast feed their babies. Safe sex practices like latex condoms are quite efficient in avoiding HIV transmission. Nevertheless, there’s still a hazard of obtaining the infection even in utilizing condoms. Abstinence is the simply the definite means to avoid sexual transmission of HIV.

The dangerous sexual activities are unguarded receptive anal intercourse, while the least unsafe sexual action is engaging in oral sex. Executing oral sex on a man is linked with some jeopardy of HIV transmission, but this is less precarious than unguarded vaginal contact. Female-to-male viral transmission is much less possible than male-to-female transmission; and doing oral sex on a woman who hasn’t got her period have low-risk of transmission. To avoid the complications of the disease, it would be wise to look for consult at a STD clinic and get tested immediately; before things get too much out of hand.

Once the person is infected with HIV, the virus gradually starts destroying that person’s immunity. How fast this take place varies in every individual. Some new treatments can help with slowing or halting the obliteration of the immune system. Once the immune system is sternly harmed, that person acquires AIDS, and is now susceptible to infections and cancers that the majority healthy adults wouldn’t obtain. Yet, antiretroviral therapy can still be very helpful, even at that period of illness. Speak to your health care provider if you acquire any of the risk factors for HIV infection, or if you grow signs of AIDS. Based on the law, AIDS testing need to be kept classified; your health care provider need to evaluate results of your evaluation with you.

There is some AIDS prevention techniques that you can utilize to avoid being infected. See articles regarding safe sex to find out the way to trim down the likelihood of getting or spreading HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Never use injected drugs; if IV drugs are used, don’t share syringes. Various towns surely have needle exchange program, where you are able to remove using syringes and acquire new, sterile ones at no cost. This sort of programs can also provide referral to addiction treatment. Evade contact with another person’s blood; it is appropriate to wear protective clothing, masks, and goggles when taking care of people who are wounded. Someone who is positive for HIV can pass the infection to others and shouldn’t donate blood, body organs, plasma, or sperm. An infected person should inform any potential sexual partner about their HIV-positive situation. They shouldn’t exchange body fluids throughout sexual activity, and need to utilize whatever preventive measures will provide the partner the most defenses.

HIV-positive women who would like to become pregnant are ought to ask for counseling concerning the peril to unborn children, and medical advance that might assist in avoiding the fetus from procuring infection. Utilization of positive medications can significantly reduce the odds that the baby will be infected during pregnancy. Mothers who are positive for HIV must never breast feed their babies. Safe sex practices like latex condoms are really efficient in avoiding HIV transmission. Nevertheless, there’s still a hazard of acquiring the infection even in using condoms. Abstinence is the simply the certain means to stay away from sexual transmission of HIV.

The hazardous sexual activities are unguarded receptive anal intercourse, while the least unsafe sexual action is engaging in oral sex. Executing oral sex on a man is linked with some jeopardy of HIV transmission, but this is less precarious than unguarded vaginal contact. Female-to-male viral transmission is much less possible than male-to-female transmission; and doing oral sex on a woman who doesn’t have her period have low-risk of transmission. To avoid the complications of the disease, it would be wise to find consult at a STD clinic and get tested immediately; before things get too much out of hand.

When the person is infected with HIV, the virus steadily starts destroying that person’s immunity. How fast this occur varies in every individual. Some fresh treatments can aid in delaying or halting the obliteration of the immune system. Once the immune system is sternly injured, that person acquires AIDS, and is now susceptible to infections and cancers that the majority healthy adults wouldn’t acquire. Yet, antiretroviral treatment can still be quite useful, even at that interval of illness. Consult your health care provider if you acquire any of the risk factors for HIV infection, or if you grow the signs of AIDS. According to the law, AIDS testing ought to be kept classified; your health care provider need to assess results of your evaluation with you.

There is some AIDS prevention ways that you can utilize to prevent being infected. See articles regarding safe sex to find out the way to trim down the likelihood of getting or spreading HIV, along with other sexually transmitted diseases. Never employ injected drugs; if IV drugs are used, don’t share syringes. Various communities actually have needle exchange program, where you can remove the usage of syringes and acquire new, sterile ones free of charge. This kind of programs can also provide referral to addiction treatment. Evade contact with another person’s blood; it is appropriate to wear protective clothing, masks, and goggles when caring for individuals who’re wounded. Someone who is positive for HIV can pass the contamination to others and shouldn’t donate blood, body organs, plasma, or sperm. An infected person need to tell any potential sexual partner about their HIV-positive condition. They shouldn’t exchange body fluids during sexual activity, and must utilize whatever preventive measures will provide the partner the most defenses.

HIV-positive women who would like to become pregnant are ought to ask for counseling in regards to the peril to unborn children, and medical advance that might assist in preventing the fetus from obtaining infection. Utilization of positive medications can radically reduce the odds that the baby will be infected during pregnancy. Mothers who are positive for HIV must never breast feed their babies. Safe sex practices like latex condoms are extremely effective in avoiding HIV transmission. Nevertheless, there’s still a hazard of acquiring the infection even in utilizing condoms. Abstinence is the simply the certain means to avoid sexual transmission of HIV.

The detrimental sexual activities are unguarded receptive anal intercourse, while the least unsafe sexual action is engaging in oral sex. Executing oral sex on a man is linked with some jeopardy of HIV transmission, but this is less precarious than unguarded vaginal contact. Female-to-male viral transmission is much less possible than male-to-female transmission; and doing oral sex on a woman who hasn’t got her period have low-risk of transmission. To avoid the complications of the disease, it would be wise to find consult at a STD clinic and get tested immediately; before things get too much out of hand.

- Acute HIV syndrome, followed by a latent period
- Growth of lymph nodes – a raising generalized lymphadenopathy
- AIDS-related complex (ARC)
- AIDS

Some time after a someone has been infected with the HIV virus, more or less 70% of them get signals of severe HIV syndrome. Symptoms last about 2 calendar weeks and they are similar to flu signals. Unluckily, nearly all of the infected do not discover them, but identification of these symptoms in this early stage would give to better handling. Some of the symptoms are: fever, sore throat, rash, diarrhea, headache, loss of appetite, nausea…

After the initial reaction of the body, starts out latent period during which there is no visual aspect of any symptoms, except sometimes slenderly enlarged lymph nodes. HIV antibodies can be found by examination in the lab, but the virus is tough to trace in the blood. At this point, the patient is contagious, and he can transfer HIV to other people.

Following stage is growth of lymph nodes. This phase can be passed over and patients can shift immediately from latency phase in the ARC point.
The key signals of ARC are the temperature, long-term diarrhoea and weight loss along with some opportunistic infections, mouth candidiasis, vaginal candidiasis, herpes zoster, peripheral neuropathy, cervical dysplasia…

At Last, AIDS phase. The patient in this point can recover from opportunistic infections, but they shortly re-occur, with strong and frequent symptoms. Healing of them all gets more and more hard and in the end the patient dies. Results are visual on the brain, bowels, junctions, kidneys, blood forming organs and skin. Common symptoms are present as in the ARC: temperature, diarrhea and loss of bodily mass. Weight loss is in particular pronounced and the patient in the last phase looks like a real skeleton.

Those who abuse drugs and those who engage in sexual intercourse with persons whose sex or drug history places them at risk of HIV, with persons whose sex or drug history is unknown, or who have had multiple partners, are likewise considered to be at risk for the disease.

Worldwide, more than 40 million people are carrying the HIV virus and more than 20 million have died of complications of AIDS. In Africa, roughly 8,500 new infections occur each day. Alarmingly, millions of people living outside industrialized countries are infected with HIV, and most of these cases are due to a different strain of the virus than cases commonly studied in the Unites states and Europe. An estimated 5 million people in low- and middle income countries do not have the AIDS drugs that could save their lives.

CAUSE AND RISK FACTORS

Most people get the HIV virus by:
• Having sex with an infected person.
• Sharing a needle (shooting drugs) with someone who’s infected.
• Being born when their mother is infected, or drinking the breast milk of an infected woman.

SIGN AND SYMPTOMS

The first symptoms of HIV and AIDS are nonspecific and variable. One of the most common is a tongue coated with white bumps. This is oral thrush, or candidiasis. Candidiasis indicates a compromised immune system. Intestinal parasite is another common problem. Other possible symptoms include: ——-
• Prolonged, unexplained fatigue.
• Swollen glands( lymph node)
• Unexplained fever lasting more than ten days.
• Excessive sweating (especially at night).
• Mouth lesions, including thrush and painful, swollen gums.
• Sore throat.
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

HIV/AIDS SELF TEST

There is a new test available called the OraQuick HIV-1 Antibody Test .Because of the potential public health benefits of rapid HIV testing the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service are working with officials to make the test widely available.
• The FDA has approved only one home test kit, the Home Access Express HIV-1 Test
• System from Home Access Health Corporation. Beware of fraudulent or unproven home
• HIV test kits. Doctor say if a kit claims to provide” instant” test results through a visual
• Indicator such as a colored dot on a piece of paper after saliva has been applied, the
• Outcome may be unreliable. If you believe you have used a questionable test kit, contact
• Your doctor for another test or use the approved test kit.

HERBAL TREATMENT

AIDS is an immune system disorder in which the body’s ability to defend itself is greatly diminished. Organic supplements without any side effects are very useful in HIV/AIDS and make your immune system strong and healthy.

What to do if you have had a positive test?

As soon as your test comes out positive there are chances that your stress levels will soar. After all, it isn’t good news is it? You will feel scared, all alone and worried about a lot of things. But please remember that its not all bad. With greater advances in the field of medicine, antiretroviral therapy has now made several new drugs available to the common person to prolong life. Get in touch with an AIDS support group so that you can find out what to do to make your life a much better experience.

Choose a good doctor!

Getting AIDS is not your fault. You could have got it due to several reasons like blood transfusions, injections or even from a careless partner. But no matter how you got it, no one has the right to judge you. Find a doctor who is considerate enough to care for you and your needs at this sensitive time. If he is critical of your case, your care and your lifestyle, then you need to find another doctor.

Getting information about the disease!

AIDS is undergoing changes by leaps and bounds. There are so many new articles on the disease that it can be confusing. But no matter what happens, you have to keep updated on the disease and the latest medications, preventions and lifestyle changes that other patients have tried. Try joining online support groups to ensure that you have the latest information and news about the disease to ensure a longer life.

Do you need to tell the world you have AIDS?

I personally don’t think anyone has a right to find out personal information about anyone unless it is authorized. That means, if you do not want to tell anyone about your disease; it is your legal right to do so. But you do require the support of your family as you struggle through the complications that the disease will bring. Tell your family, they will support you.