March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer in men and fourth leading cause of cancer in women in the United States. The frequency of colorectal cancer varies around the world; common in the western world and rare in Africa and Asia. According to the American Cancer Society, almost 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed and approximately 50,000 people died from the disease last year in the US. Because it's so common and potentially devastating, colorectal cancer awareness is very important. That's why March is colorectal cancer awareness month. While colorectal cancer affects so many people, it is preventable through regular screenings, regular exercise, and a healthy diet. Simply put, colorectal cancer awareness is necessary if colon cancer is going to be beaten.
Talk to your doctor at your next appointment. Do you have risk factors that increase the chance you may get colorectal cancer? Come to think of it you do...HIV. HIV increases your risk of colorectal cancer. That along should urge you to speak to your doctor and see if you are in need of a colorectal cancer screening.
More About Colorectal Cancer
- The Importance of a Colon Cancer Screening
- The Dangers of Rectal and Anal Cancer
- 15 Causes of Colon Cancer
Source
Scotti, P.; "March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month"; Mayo Clinic; 2 Mar 2009.
Ten Facts About HIV Everyone Should Know
HIV is a complex disease that continues to take its toll around the world. For those living with the disease, understanding it is key to staying healthy. For those of us who aren't infected, an important key to staying that way is to understand how the disease spreads from person to person. This feature presents ten facts about HIV that everyone should know. Read more....
Even More About HIV
A Letter to Charlie Sheen - Please Use a Condom!
Everyone wants a piece of Charlie Sheen. Every talk show host, radio personality, and news outlet wants Charlie to unload for them. In fact, there are porn stars, prostitutes, and gold diggers looking for a share of Mr. Sheen as well. And according to Charlie, he is all to happy to oblige. He has admitted to a wild life, filled with wild parties, drugs, beautiful women, and lots and lots of sex. Everyone wants to talk with Charlie, including myself. My chances are slim, so instead, I have written him a letter.
Dear Charlie,
I'm worried about you my friend...very worried. In fact, I'm worried about all those women you party with too. For many, Charlie, you're living a dream; fast women, wild parties, drugs, and sex. But I wouldn't be an educator; I couldn't live with myself if I didn't reach out to you with some sound advice. Charlie...please use a condom. It's such a simple thing...inexpensive, plentiful, colorful, and even a bit tasty depending on your brand, lube, and sexual practices. I know what you're thinking...condoms ruin the spontaneity. Not so. There are plenty of ways to add a condom to your sex life and make it fun. And yes, Charlie...you can feel as much with a condom as without...there are tricks to help with that...really there are. Why not set a good example for all of those guys that can only dream to have a sex life like yours...stand up and say...I"M CHARLIE SHEEN and I USE a CONDOM! You could do so much good for so many people...keeping you and your partners safe at the same time.
Charlie, you have the right to live your life the way you choose. But I hope you take my letter to heart and say YES to a condom...and yes Mr. Sheen they come in packages of 12 for those real busy nights.
With concern,
Mark
More About Condoms
Cholesterol Lowering Drugs May Slow HIV Progression
Because many HIV medications raise cholesterol levels, it is not uncommon for people living with HIV to be taking cholesterol lowering drugs. Results of a small study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggest that a class of these cholesterol lowering drugs, "statins" as they are referred to, may in fact benefit HIV positive people in a way other than just lowering their cholesterol levels. Dr. Brian Agan, director of HIV research with the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md. reports that this study suggests that statin drugs may suppress the inflammatory process of HIV positive people. Chronic inflammation is common in people living with HIV and if left unchecked can be very detrimental to the health of the HIV positive person.
In this study, researchers recruited 24 people to randomly take high doses of the cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) or a placebo. While the Lipitor did not affect HIV levels it did appear to decrease inflammation in those people taking the drug. While the study is far from conclusive, the results are promising enough that researchers are looking at expanding investigations to encompass more patients for longer periods of time. It's known that the persistent inflammation associated with HIV can be very damaging. The suggestion that statins may be able to diminish that inflammation is definitely cause for further study.
More About Cholesterol and Triglycerides
- Understanding Cholesterol and Triglycerides
- More Information About Lipitor (atorvastatin)
- The Problem of Lipodystrophy
Source
Dotinga, R.; "Statins Might Help HIV Patients, Study Suggests"; US News and World Report; 24 Feb 2011.
Elite Controllers - Are They the Key to an HIV Vaccine?
Since HIV emerged 30 years ago, experts still agree that the Holy Grail of HIV research is the quest for an effective HIV vaccine. While a few have shown some promise, we are still without the vaccine that would halt this HIV epidemic we are living through. However, new research into what experts call elite controllers may hold the key to an effective HIV vaccine. Read more...
More About HIV Vaccines
An Interesting Look at HIV
Scientists from the 2010 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge got a look at a unique representation of HIV. Ivan Konstantinov and his team at the Visual Science Company in Moscow spent months combing through the latest research, compiling data from more than 100 papers and assembling the information into a coherent image of a 100-nanometer HIV particle. What resulted was the winning image and gave us all a very haunting look at HIV and its structure. HIV is a very complex virus that few of us get to see close up. Konstantinov's illustration allows us a peak at this amazing and deadly virus.
Understanding More About HIV
New York Health Department Offers Condom Smart Phone App
In an effort to get a condom in everyone's purse or wallet, the New York City Health Department has released an iPhone application (App) that will identify five places where you can get a free condom; the five places closest to your location. The key to stopping HIV and STDs in their tracks is a condom and this new app will help people locate condoms without worrying about cost. Sure, it may be unconventional but getting a condom to even one more person is an improvement that is worth the effort. The App is available for download on PC and on your iPhone.
All About Condoms
Smart Phone Apps are Now Helping People Take Their Meds
Since the first HIV medications and the first HIV medication regimens, adherence to drug therapy has been the main hurdle to effectively controlling HIV. While once a day regimens and combination medications have made adherence easier, adherence continues to be an issue with some HIV positive people.
The advent of the smart phone may help patients adhere better to their medicines. We have heard of all the smart phone apps; small programs that can be loaded on your smart phone to make your life easier. There are apps to make reservations at restaurants; apps to buy movie tickets; and apps to entertain you while waiting for a flight to leave. There are now apps hitting the market that will help people take their medications on time. Montuno Software, makers of apps for smart phones has released a new app called Dosecast, an app for the iPhone, Ipad, and Ipod Touch that helps you to remember when to take your medicines each day; including your HIV medicines. While the app is available free of charge, the free version is limited in its ability to handle multiple medications. For less than $5.00 there is a premium version that can list multiple medications taken at different times during the day. The app also will tell you if you have taken your last dose and if you are due for a prescription refill. Finally, the app tells you when you last took a dose a medication; for those of us who can't remember if we took our meds.
Technology has made it's way into all of our lives. While Montuno's app is just one example of what is available for smart phones, it is another tool that could help you better adhere to your medications and in doing so stay healthier. Obviously, not all of us are able to own a smart phone but for those of us who do, medication dosing apps like Dosecast may be just what the doctor ordered.
Tips to Help You Adhere to Your Medication Regimen
Online Dating - Be Safe While Looking for that Special Someone
In this age of social networking, meeting people is no longer something you do only at bars and nightclubs. Online matchmaking sites, chat rooms, instant messaging, and social networking sites are bringing people together in greater numbers, allowing them to "meet" in cyberspace in the safe confines of their home, protected by the anonymity of the internet. But eventually, when it's time to take the next step and meet in person, safety becomes a concern. After all, how much do you really know about your new online acquaintance? From the first instant message to the first face-to-face meeting, you must take every precaution when meeting people online. This feature provides you with a few rules to keep you safe in the new online dating world. Read more...
More About HIV and Romance
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
This February 7 marks the eleventh year of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). The African American community continues to be hit particularly hard by the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The purpose of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is to encourage members of the African American community to get educated, tested, treated, and to get involved with HIV prevention, education and awareness.
The African American community, while making up only 13% of the population accounts for about 50% of all new infections. The purpose of NBHAAD is to encourage the black community to come together in an effort to educate and raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. NBHAAD has a four-fold focus; education, testing, treatment, and involvement. Leaders in the black community encourage all African Americans to come together and take a stand against the HIV issue in their community. Experts believe that a united front against HIV is the key to cut new infections in the black community. Do your part...spread the word....on February 7 be an important part of the HIV solution in your community.