Fact No. 1:
A sexually-transmitted disease (STD), also known as a sexually-transmitted infection (STI) is any infection or disease that is passed on from one person to another during sexual intercourse or other types of sexual activity, such as oral sex.
Some STDs, such as HIV/AIDS, can also be transmitted via the shared use of infected needles by drug users.
Fact No. 2:
Someone who is infected with an STD, but is showing no signs or symptoms can still infect their partners, if they engage in sexual activity, or, in the case of HIV/AIDS, share needles. People do not always know that they have a sexually-transmitted infection because they don't have any symptoms of the disease. Symptoms of an STD such as herpes, for example, include blisters and sores. But even when they aren't present, the disease may still be active. While the symptoms are not there, the infection lives on. The herpes virus can be transmitted up to days before the symptoms arrive. Living with herpes can be easy if you regularly see your doctor and follow a medical course.
Fact No. 3:
The only way to stay safe from infection and disease is to stop engaging in sexual activity with an infected partner or to use latex condoms. There are male and female condoms available on the market. The contraceptive pill, as the name suggests, prevents conception, but will never prevent an STD from being transmitted. If have been prescribed medication for an STD, you should always complete the course and see your doctor just in case further treatment is required.
About The Author
Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.your-sexual-health.net
Friday, November 30, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
HIV And Fitness
Key Importance for HIV Patients:
Fitness
One of the fatal mistakes that many people make when they’re deciding to get into shape is to tackle the entire concept of “fitness” at one time. Incorporating fitness into your life takes time and won’t happen overnight. Your body, mind, and spirit need time to adjust to the many changes that will be happening as you start to add exercise to your daily routine. This is why fitness in small steps is so important and will ensure that you’re less likely to quit when you become overwhelmed with the changes in your life.
The first thing that you need to do is start moving. If you haven’t been active in a while you’ll want to start by adding walking to your day. You need to walk for at least 30 minutes each day before you start to see changes in your fitness level. You may decide that you want to continue walking after you’ve become more fit, or you may decide that you want to start power walking or hiking so that you can start to increase your fitness level.
Make sure that you invest in a good pair of walking shoes so that your feet are well supported and cushioned as you walk. If you get sore feet from walking you won’t want to continue your fitness routine. You might also want to buy a pedometer so that you can keep track of how far you walk each day.
For the first couple of weeks stick to the same walking routine so that you get used to some type of fitness. You should measure the distance that you walk, as well as how long it takes you each day to walk this distance, so that you have a measuring stick against which you can calculate your fitness progress. After a couple of weeks you can add some distance to the original total so that you’re slowly starting to walk more and more each week. This way you won’t injure yourself by attempting to do more than your body is ready for.
Besides your daily walking routine you can find any and all ways to get moving. This means taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking your car around the corner from your destination and walking a block or two, and leaving your car at home whenever you can. Your goal for fitness is to get moving and to keep moving.
After a couple months of taking the above small steps towards fitness you’ll start to see a significant change in your fitness level. You’ll find that you feel better, have more energy, are sleeping more soundly, and feel better about yourself.
Chinese Forms of Exercise
There are specific Chinese forms of exercise that you will want to concentrate on when are introducing Chinese medicine into your life. These forms of Chinese exercise include:
• T’ai Chi. This form of Chinese exercise uses movement to achieve peace and harmony in your mind and body.
• Yoga. As mentioned previously, yoga uses certain body postures to reduce stress, promote relaxation, and relieve the physical symptoms of ill health.
• Martial arts. Use a variety of marital arts, such as Kung Fu, to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
• Qi Gong. This form of Chinese activity combines breathing exercises and mental exercises to prevent as well as treat health problems and disease.
The more different types of exercise that you can include in your week the most results you will see in your level of physical health. The combination of diet and exercise are very important parts of Chinese medicine.
Your Health and Effectively Treating Arthritis
Arthritis is a disease that affects thousands of people each year. In most cases doctors will be agreeable to prescribe medication to you for both the disease and for the pain that is associated with all forms of arthritis. There are many natural and alternative ways to treat arthritis and the symptoms associated with it.
One of the first things that you may want to consider is looking at your diet and what you are putting into your body. Studies show that there may be a direct correlation between what you eat and your risk of arthritis. These studies showed that those people who ate a diet that was rich in certain vitamins and antioxidants had a reduced risk of pain associated with arthritis as well as further progression of the disease. The vitamins and antioxidants in question are as follows:
• Vitamin E. Studies show that a dietary supplement of Vitamin E helps to reduce arthritis inflammation.
• Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to slow all forms of arthritis as well as reduce knee and joint pain.
• Beta-carotene. Beta-carotene works the same as Vitamin C in reducing inflammation and slowing down arthritis.
• Lutein (antioxidant). Studies show that lutein lowers the risk of knee osteoarthritis.
• Lycopene (antioxicant). Lycopene is another antioxidant that is effect for osteoarthritis of the knee.
Exercise is also very important in the treatment of arthritis. Many people with all forms of arthritis avoid exercise due to the pain but it is important to keep as mobile as possible and to incorporate some form of beneficial exercise into your daily routine. Exercises that work well with all forms of arthritis include Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Both of these exercise methods but little strain on your muscles and limbs, therefore giving you the movement that you need.
Living with the chronic pain of arthritis and osteoarthritis takes a great deal of courage and perseverance. Try to include some of the about herbs and supplements into your diet to alleviate some of the pain and discomfort that arthritis causes.
Two: Eating Healthy
When it comes to healthy eating there are many different aspects to consider. Perhaps the easiest to place to start is by understanding what your food is all about. Your focus should be to try to eat a diet that is balanced and nutritious.
Eating a balanced diet means getting all of the five basic food groups each day. A great guide is the food pyramid which tells you how many servings of each food group you should be getting each day. A balanced diet means eating a wide variety of foods and eating everything in moderation.
Fitness
One of the fatal mistakes that many people make when they’re deciding to get into shape is to tackle the entire concept of “fitness” at one time. Incorporating fitness into your life takes time and won’t happen overnight. Your body, mind, and spirit need time to adjust to the many changes that will be happening as you start to add exercise to your daily routine. This is why fitness in small steps is so important and will ensure that you’re less likely to quit when you become overwhelmed with the changes in your life.
The first thing that you need to do is start moving. If you haven’t been active in a while you’ll want to start by adding walking to your day. You need to walk for at least 30 minutes each day before you start to see changes in your fitness level. You may decide that you want to continue walking after you’ve become more fit, or you may decide that you want to start power walking or hiking so that you can start to increase your fitness level.
Make sure that you invest in a good pair of walking shoes so that your feet are well supported and cushioned as you walk. If you get sore feet from walking you won’t want to continue your fitness routine. You might also want to buy a pedometer so that you can keep track of how far you walk each day.
For the first couple of weeks stick to the same walking routine so that you get used to some type of fitness. You should measure the distance that you walk, as well as how long it takes you each day to walk this distance, so that you have a measuring stick against which you can calculate your fitness progress. After a couple of weeks you can add some distance to the original total so that you’re slowly starting to walk more and more each week. This way you won’t injure yourself by attempting to do more than your body is ready for.
Besides your daily walking routine you can find any and all ways to get moving. This means taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking your car around the corner from your destination and walking a block or two, and leaving your car at home whenever you can. Your goal for fitness is to get moving and to keep moving.
After a couple months of taking the above small steps towards fitness you’ll start to see a significant change in your fitness level. You’ll find that you feel better, have more energy, are sleeping more soundly, and feel better about yourself.
Chinese Forms of Exercise
There are specific Chinese forms of exercise that you will want to concentrate on when are introducing Chinese medicine into your life. These forms of Chinese exercise include:
• T’ai Chi. This form of Chinese exercise uses movement to achieve peace and harmony in your mind and body.
• Yoga. As mentioned previously, yoga uses certain body postures to reduce stress, promote relaxation, and relieve the physical symptoms of ill health.
• Martial arts. Use a variety of marital arts, such as Kung Fu, to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
• Qi Gong. This form of Chinese activity combines breathing exercises and mental exercises to prevent as well as treat health problems and disease.
The more different types of exercise that you can include in your week the most results you will see in your level of physical health. The combination of diet and exercise are very important parts of Chinese medicine.
Your Health and Effectively Treating Arthritis
Arthritis is a disease that affects thousands of people each year. In most cases doctors will be agreeable to prescribe medication to you for both the disease and for the pain that is associated with all forms of arthritis. There are many natural and alternative ways to treat arthritis and the symptoms associated with it.
One of the first things that you may want to consider is looking at your diet and what you are putting into your body. Studies show that there may be a direct correlation between what you eat and your risk of arthritis. These studies showed that those people who ate a diet that was rich in certain vitamins and antioxidants had a reduced risk of pain associated with arthritis as well as further progression of the disease. The vitamins and antioxidants in question are as follows:
• Vitamin E. Studies show that a dietary supplement of Vitamin E helps to reduce arthritis inflammation.
• Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to slow all forms of arthritis as well as reduce knee and joint pain.
• Beta-carotene. Beta-carotene works the same as Vitamin C in reducing inflammation and slowing down arthritis.
• Lutein (antioxidant). Studies show that lutein lowers the risk of knee osteoarthritis.
• Lycopene (antioxicant). Lycopene is another antioxidant that is effect for osteoarthritis of the knee.
Exercise is also very important in the treatment of arthritis. Many people with all forms of arthritis avoid exercise due to the pain but it is important to keep as mobile as possible and to incorporate some form of beneficial exercise into your daily routine. Exercises that work well with all forms of arthritis include Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Both of these exercise methods but little strain on your muscles and limbs, therefore giving you the movement that you need.
Living with the chronic pain of arthritis and osteoarthritis takes a great deal of courage and perseverance. Try to include some of the about herbs and supplements into your diet to alleviate some of the pain and discomfort that arthritis causes.
Two: Eating Healthy
When it comes to healthy eating there are many different aspects to consider. Perhaps the easiest to place to start is by understanding what your food is all about. Your focus should be to try to eat a diet that is balanced and nutritious.
Eating a balanced diet means getting all of the five basic food groups each day. A great guide is the food pyramid which tells you how many servings of each food group you should be getting each day. A balanced diet means eating a wide variety of foods and eating everything in moderation.
HIV Complementary Management
HIV/AIDS: COMPLEMENTARY MANAGEMENT VIA IMMUNE-ENHANCEMENT
Latest technology complementary and supportive products are achieving remarkable results.
A leading firm of clinical consultants who have been contracting to Medical Aid Funds to manage approximately 6 500 persons living with HIV/AIDS on an ongoing basis for many years, reports as follows:
"We are contracted to render HIV disease management services to numerous patients of several medical schemes. We have been using Phytogard as an immune booster for the past 4 years with exceptional results.
Some patients are currently controlled on Phytogard alone and maintain or improve their CD4 counts while reducing Viral Loads.
Five of our contracted medical schemes are funding the inclusion of Phytogard in our disease management protocols."
The success of Phytogard is mainly due to Foodstate*tm technology. For the first time in history specialised vitamin and mineral combinations are presented to the body as food. Utility is improved by up to 15 times compared to chelated chemical isolates and inorganics.
The unique, synergistic and cost-efficient combination of ingredients in Phytogard has been developed in collaboration with leading laboratories from all over the world. They consist of vitamins A and B12, Selenium and Zinc, all in Foodstate*tm form, n-Acetyl Cysteine, Betasitosterols and Alpha Lipoic Acid.
These products can add significant value to complementary health services worldwide.
For more information, please contact Jan Greeff in Barberton, South Africa
Tel. +2713 712 2436 e-mail to grewe@absamail.co.za. SMS only to +278 454 838 90 or visit http://wellness.oppiweb.com.
About The Author
I’m Jan Greeff, married to Juanita since 1973. We have four children, four grandchildren, and are known as the wellness family.
I have been a Lifestyle Consultant for more than twelve years. It has been my privilege to be instrumental in safe, natural intervention to improve the quality of life of countless persons.
My intervention strategy is aimed at achieving optimum wellness via balanced nutrition, moderate exercise and fulfilling relationships.
by:Jan Greef
Latest technology complementary and supportive products are achieving remarkable results.
A leading firm of clinical consultants who have been contracting to Medical Aid Funds to manage approximately 6 500 persons living with HIV/AIDS on an ongoing basis for many years, reports as follows:
"We are contracted to render HIV disease management services to numerous patients of several medical schemes. We have been using Phytogard as an immune booster for the past 4 years with exceptional results.
Some patients are currently controlled on Phytogard alone and maintain or improve their CD4 counts while reducing Viral Loads.
Five of our contracted medical schemes are funding the inclusion of Phytogard in our disease management protocols."
The success of Phytogard is mainly due to Foodstate*tm technology. For the first time in history specialised vitamin and mineral combinations are presented to the body as food. Utility is improved by up to 15 times compared to chelated chemical isolates and inorganics.
The unique, synergistic and cost-efficient combination of ingredients in Phytogard has been developed in collaboration with leading laboratories from all over the world. They consist of vitamins A and B12, Selenium and Zinc, all in Foodstate*tm form, n-Acetyl Cysteine, Betasitosterols and Alpha Lipoic Acid.
These products can add significant value to complementary health services worldwide.
For more information, please contact Jan Greeff in Barberton, South Africa
Tel. +2713 712 2436 e-mail to grewe@absamail.co.za. SMS only to +278 454 838 90 or visit http://wellness.oppiweb.com.
About The Author
I’m Jan Greeff, married to Juanita since 1973. We have four children, four grandchildren, and are known as the wellness family.
I have been a Lifestyle Consultant for more than twelve years. It has been my privilege to be instrumental in safe, natural intervention to improve the quality of life of countless persons.
My intervention strategy is aimed at achieving optimum wellness via balanced nutrition, moderate exercise and fulfilling relationships.
by:Jan Greef
HIV Facts
HIV Information
by: Melissa Albright
AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome it causes a destruction of the immune system. It is the most advanced stage of the HIV virus (HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the presence of a positive HIV antibody test and one or more of the illnesses known as opportunistic infections.
The HIV virus, type 1 or 2 is widely known to be the cause of AIDS. HIV breaks down and attacks your T cells so your body is unable to defend itself against different infections. The HIV virus also attacks your peripheral nervous system, this causes nerve and muscle pain, especially in the feet, legs, and hands.
HIV is spread through direct contact with semen or blood of an individual that is infected. This can be transferred in many ways the most common is unprotected sexual intercourse. Other means of infection are infected blood transfusions, mother to infant (at time of birth, or through breast milk), sharing needles with an infected person, and rarely a healthcare worker that gets pricked with an infected needle.
Often people who are infected with HIV have few symptoms and in some cases there are none. Other times, symptoms of HIV are confused with other illnesses such as the flu. This may be severe, with swollen glands in the neck and armpits, tiredness, fever and night sweats. This is where as much as 9 out of 10 of the infected individuals will develop AIDS. At this point the person may feel completely healthy and not even know that he/she has the virus. The next stage begins when the immune system starts to break down and the virus becomes more aggressive in damaging white cells. Several glands in the neck and armpits may swell and stay swollen for an extended period of time without any explanation. As this disease progresses boils or warts may spread over the body. They may also feel tremendously tired, night sweats, high fevers, chronic diarrhea, and they may lose a considerable amount of their body weight. Most cases have shown thrush as a symptom as well. At this point the person is in the final stages of HIV--AIDS. Severe chest infections with high fever are common and survival rate is above 70% but decrease with each recurrence.
A person is diagnosed with AIDS when he/she has one or more positive HIV screening and the presence of an AIDS defining condition. Some of the common conditions include but are not limited to: Meningitis, Encephalitis, Dementia, Pneumonia, Kaposi sarcoma, and Lymphoma. There is also a blood test called an Immune Profile that can be done. This test is used to measure the loss of immunity and help decide on the best treatment. There is a test that is rarely used due to its high cost, it is known as a Viral Load: This test detects the virus itself, and also measures the amount of HIV in the blood. It shows how quickly the HIV infection is likely to advance. A high viral load suggests that the person may progress rapidly to AIDS.
Although there is no cure for AIDS there are medical treatments that aide in prolonging, and maintaining the best quality of life possible. These include two nucleoside inhibitors, lamivudine and zidovudine. Actual treatment plans will vary with each patient, along with the physical aspect of this disease. The psychological side has to be addressed in order for a treatment plan to be effective.
The easiest way to escape contracting this disease is to avoid the risk factors that you are in control of. Such as: unprotected sex, not sharing a needle, and if you are in the healthcare field be sure to use all precautions necessary to avoid an accidental prick from a possible infected needle (remember that in this diseases early stages it is common for the person not to even know they are infected). Today AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among all adults aged 25 to 44 in the United States. Among African-Americans in the 25 to 44 age group, AIDS is the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death for women. Our society needs to become aware that by not protecting ourselves we are killing ourselves and that this has to stop.
About The Author
Melissa Albright is the webmaster for the website Know More Get More http://www.knowmoregetmore.com/healthyliving Giving you the information you need.
by: Melissa Albright
AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome it causes a destruction of the immune system. It is the most advanced stage of the HIV virus (HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the presence of a positive HIV antibody test and one or more of the illnesses known as opportunistic infections.
The HIV virus, type 1 or 2 is widely known to be the cause of AIDS. HIV breaks down and attacks your T cells so your body is unable to defend itself against different infections. The HIV virus also attacks your peripheral nervous system, this causes nerve and muscle pain, especially in the feet, legs, and hands.
HIV is spread through direct contact with semen or blood of an individual that is infected. This can be transferred in many ways the most common is unprotected sexual intercourse. Other means of infection are infected blood transfusions, mother to infant (at time of birth, or through breast milk), sharing needles with an infected person, and rarely a healthcare worker that gets pricked with an infected needle.
Often people who are infected with HIV have few symptoms and in some cases there are none. Other times, symptoms of HIV are confused with other illnesses such as the flu. This may be severe, with swollen glands in the neck and armpits, tiredness, fever and night sweats. This is where as much as 9 out of 10 of the infected individuals will develop AIDS. At this point the person may feel completely healthy and not even know that he/she has the virus. The next stage begins when the immune system starts to break down and the virus becomes more aggressive in damaging white cells. Several glands in the neck and armpits may swell and stay swollen for an extended period of time without any explanation. As this disease progresses boils or warts may spread over the body. They may also feel tremendously tired, night sweats, high fevers, chronic diarrhea, and they may lose a considerable amount of their body weight. Most cases have shown thrush as a symptom as well. At this point the person is in the final stages of HIV--AIDS. Severe chest infections with high fever are common and survival rate is above 70% but decrease with each recurrence.
A person is diagnosed with AIDS when he/she has one or more positive HIV screening and the presence of an AIDS defining condition. Some of the common conditions include but are not limited to: Meningitis, Encephalitis, Dementia, Pneumonia, Kaposi sarcoma, and Lymphoma. There is also a blood test called an Immune Profile that can be done. This test is used to measure the loss of immunity and help decide on the best treatment. There is a test that is rarely used due to its high cost, it is known as a Viral Load: This test detects the virus itself, and also measures the amount of HIV in the blood. It shows how quickly the HIV infection is likely to advance. A high viral load suggests that the person may progress rapidly to AIDS.
Although there is no cure for AIDS there are medical treatments that aide in prolonging, and maintaining the best quality of life possible. These include two nucleoside inhibitors, lamivudine and zidovudine. Actual treatment plans will vary with each patient, along with the physical aspect of this disease. The psychological side has to be addressed in order for a treatment plan to be effective.
The easiest way to escape contracting this disease is to avoid the risk factors that you are in control of. Such as: unprotected sex, not sharing a needle, and if you are in the healthcare field be sure to use all precautions necessary to avoid an accidental prick from a possible infected needle (remember that in this diseases early stages it is common for the person not to even know they are infected). Today AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among all adults aged 25 to 44 in the United States. Among African-Americans in the 25 to 44 age group, AIDS is the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death for women. Our society needs to become aware that by not protecting ourselves we are killing ourselves and that this has to stop.
About The Author
Melissa Albright is the webmaster for the website Know More Get More http://www.knowmoregetmore.com/healthyliving Giving you the information you need.
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