Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). By killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers.
One solution is to treat people infected with HIV with antiretroviral medications to help them lead longer, healthier lives. The goal such treatment is to reduce the amount of the virus in a person’s body and prevent destruction of the immune system.
Most people taking antiretroviral medications have some side effects.
Some side effects are mild. Others can be severe. Some may last for a few days or weeks and then lessen or go away, but others might continue as long as you take a medication, or even after you stop.
Some occur within days or weeks of starting a drug. Others may only show up after months or years of therapy. Some side effects are very common and will happen to most people taking a drug. Other side effects are very rare.
Your age, body weight and size, gender, and overall health can play a role in how you experience side effects. Common side effects with all HIV medications are: diarrhea, feeling tired (fatigue), headache, liver problems, upset stomach (nausea), stomach pain, vomiting, and poor appetite.
Side effects are one of the main reasons why people stop taking HIV medications.
No matter how bad the medication makes people feel, the job of a dietitian and/or nurse is help those being treated to keep taking the full dose of the drug until the doctor tell them otherwise. Missing even a few doses or taking less than a full dose, could cause the drug to stop working all together.
We remind clients that it can take time for their bodies to get used to the medication. It deserves a chance to do so. However, when side effects continue for several months and affect quality of life for a long period of time, then it's best to consult a health care provider about changing the treatment.
There is something else clients can do. Many side effects can be managed nutritionally.
For example, if the medication makes them feel nauseous, they might eat small but frequent meals that include dry, salty foods such as pretzels and crackers. Or, sometimes, it helps to drink ginger ale. Here are some other resources that may help:
• AIDS Info, which is a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• AIDS Info Net, which provides reliable, up-to-date treatment information.
At Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN), a registered dietitian is available to provide counseling to decrease some medication side effects through nutrition therapy.
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Dondero Elementary Walks For AIDS
For the second consecutive year, Dondero Elementary School has been one of the top fundraising teams for AIDS Walk Las Vegas. Last year, the team raised more than $3,000. This year, they have already raised $2,361.17.
Their hard work and effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. Penn & Teller asked to match whatever Dondero Elementary School raises. The team is excited to learn the news, giving them inspiration to raise even more.
At the same time, Keith Frank, team captain and a fourth grade teacher at Dondero Elementary School, puts a human face on their efforts. For him, it isn't just about the money raised. It's about awareness and protecting his students.
Every year, he spends several months educating his class about HIV/AIDS. This includes age appropriate books and in-class discussions. He wants all of them to learn how to protect themselves from the disease while dismantling the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. AFAN staff members are also invited to meet the students in order to build awareness during an ice cream party. More than 150 students participate.
According to Frank, this year was especially impactful. When Jared Hafen, client services supervisor at AFAN, arrived, he asked that all of the students write down the four most important things in their lives — whether it be family members, pets, friends, etc.
“It is so encouraging to have elementary school kids ask questions about HIV,” said Hafen. “It gives me hope that with teachers like Mr. Frank we will be able to decrease the infection rate of HIV/AIDS in young adults.”
Then, after the students had finished writing down their lists, Hafen told the class his is HIV positive. And slowly, he walked around the room and took away every list that revealed who and what where most important to the students.
That's how HIV/AIDS changes your life, he said. It takes away everything you know about life, and your relationships with family members and friends will never be the same.
If you would Like to help Dondero Elementary in support of the AIDS Walk, please visit the AFAN website.
Their hard work and effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. Penn & Teller asked to match whatever Dondero Elementary School raises. The team is excited to learn the news, giving them inspiration to raise even more.
At the same time, Keith Frank, team captain and a fourth grade teacher at Dondero Elementary School, puts a human face on their efforts. For him, it isn't just about the money raised. It's about awareness and protecting his students.
Every year, he spends several months educating his class about HIV/AIDS. This includes age appropriate books and in-class discussions. He wants all of them to learn how to protect themselves from the disease while dismantling the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. AFAN staff members are also invited to meet the students in order to build awareness during an ice cream party. More than 150 students participate.
According to Frank, this year was especially impactful. When Jared Hafen, client services supervisor at AFAN, arrived, he asked that all of the students write down the four most important things in their lives — whether it be family members, pets, friends, etc.
“It is so encouraging to have elementary school kids ask questions about HIV,” said Hafen. “It gives me hope that with teachers like Mr. Frank we will be able to decrease the infection rate of HIV/AIDS in young adults.”
Then, after the students had finished writing down their lists, Hafen told the class his is HIV positive. And slowly, he walked around the room and took away every list that revealed who and what where most important to the students.
That's how HIV/AIDS changes your life, he said. It takes away everything you know about life, and your relationships with family members and friends will never be the same.
If you would Like to help Dondero Elementary in support of the AIDS Walk, please visit the AFAN website.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Fraternity Promotes Awareness
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., which is the oldest African-American Greek-lettered organization of collegiate men, is setting an excellent example in February by participating in National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). NBHAAD is a national mobilization effort designed to encourage African-Americans to get educated, get tested, get treated, and get involved with the fight against HIV/AIDS, as it continues to devastate black communities.
“Our work is to make sure that we die on time, not before time,” said Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., the newly installed general (national) president of Alpha.
In addition to encouraging every fraternity member to get tested, they encourage every member of the community to be tested. Mason said it was important given that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that blacks represent 49 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases reported each year. African-Americans infected with HIV/AIDS also face other disadvantages; shorter survival times and more HIV/AIDS related deaths than other ethnic groups.
“Historically, Alpha Phi Alpha has always played a major role in health issues concerning the African-American community,” said Mason. “Now we’re asking every member of Alpha Phi Alpha to get tested for HIV/AIDS. If every Alpha man gets tested, we’ll be able to definitively say that hundreds of thousands of African-American men now know their HIV status.’”
What stands out about the action planned by Alpha Phi Alpha is that groups, fraternities and sororities, can encourage members to be tested every year. In addition to raising awareness, group efforts can provide support for individual members who may otherwise never seek testing.
“Our work is to make sure that we die on time, not before time,” said Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., the newly installed general (national) president of Alpha.
In addition to encouraging every fraternity member to get tested, they encourage every member of the community to be tested. Mason said it was important given that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that blacks represent 49 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases reported each year. African-Americans infected with HIV/AIDS also face other disadvantages; shorter survival times and more HIV/AIDS related deaths than other ethnic groups.
“Historically, Alpha Phi Alpha has always played a major role in health issues concerning the African-American community,” said Mason. “Now we’re asking every member of Alpha Phi Alpha to get tested for HIV/AIDS. If every Alpha man gets tested, we’ll be able to definitively say that hundreds of thousands of African-American men now know their HIV status.’”
What stands out about the action planned by Alpha Phi Alpha is that groups, fraternities and sororities, can encourage members to be tested every year. In addition to raising awareness, group efforts can provide support for individual members who may otherwise never seek testing.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
AVERT Develops An Online Educational Tool
AVERT, which is an international HIV and AIDS charity based in the United Kingdom, recently launched an interactive educational tool that focuses on the history and science of AIDS and HIV. The informative presentation covers numerous topics, including its possible origins.
Some of the most compelling information reminds us that HIV is a highly variable virus that mutates very readily. This means that there are many different strains of HIV, even within the body of a single infected person. In most cases, researchers classify them as HIV-1 and HIV-2, with each having various subgroups.
The implication of variability is one of many reasons people respond differently to various treatments. Likewise, the development of an AIDS vaccine is also affected by the range of virus subtypes as well as by the wide variety of human populations who need protection and who differ, for example, in their genetic makeup and their routes of exposure to HIV.
One of the many topics covered by the site includes why it is so difficult to cure AIDS. Specifically, curing AIDS is generally taken to mean clearing the body of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Unfortunately, this virus replicates (makes new copies of itself) by inserting its genetic code into human cells, particularly a type known as CD4 cells. For more information, visit "A Cure For Aids at AVERT.
Some of the most compelling information reminds us that HIV is a highly variable virus that mutates very readily. This means that there are many different strains of HIV, even within the body of a single infected person. In most cases, researchers classify them as HIV-1 and HIV-2, with each having various subgroups.
The implication of variability is one of many reasons people respond differently to various treatments. Likewise, the development of an AIDS vaccine is also affected by the range of virus subtypes as well as by the wide variety of human populations who need protection and who differ, for example, in their genetic makeup and their routes of exposure to HIV.
One of the many topics covered by the site includes why it is so difficult to cure AIDS. Specifically, curing AIDS is generally taken to mean clearing the body of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Unfortunately, this virus replicates (makes new copies of itself) by inserting its genetic code into human cells, particularly a type known as CD4 cells. For more information, visit "A Cure For Aids at AVERT.
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