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Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapies (HAART) For Treating HIV

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TThe primary source of the medical battle against aids comes from highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) for treating HIV. HAART regimens consist of a number of different drugs, sometimes referred to as a “cocktail,” and serve as powerful defenses against the ways in which the HIV virus attacks the human body. Though these drugs are not able to rid the body of HIV, they can significantly delay the onset of AIDS and can help clients experience better health. HAART prescriptions are available in a number of different combinations, each of which is most suitable for different stages of the virus, as well as its different strains. As each combination of HAART therapies is associated with different potential dangers and side-effects, clients are most often closely involved in the selection of a treatment regimen. These drugs tend to be effective due to their multiple replications blocking approaches. While the HIV virus is not particularly adept at making improved copies of itse...
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Dating With HIV

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Being diagnosed with HIV can be an overwhelming experience. One of the issues many HIV positive people wonder about is how and whether they will be able to date or have relationships in the future. Although the idea may seem daunting at first, your HIV status definitely does not have to mean you won’t be able to have happy, healthy and fulfilling relationships in the future.  As with any health condition which could be passed on to your partner you will need to take a few precautions when you launch into the dating scene. Disclosure: It is absolutely essential that you inform any future partners of your HIV status before you are sexually intimate. This can be a nerve-wracking experience as you never know how people will react and unfortunately not everyone will respond in a positive or supportive manner. How far into the relationship you disclose is up to you, as long as it is before any sexual contact has taken place. Explain your situation calmly and in a matter...
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Dating Someone Else With An STD

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It is an unfortunate fact that stigma around STDs is still around in our society. Although STDs are merely infections like any other, they do still have a lot of negative associations surrounding them, which can make those who have them feel uncomfortable disclosing their status to new partners for fear of rejection. Dating another person with the same STD can seem like an ideal solution. Someone else in the same position won’t judge you for your infection, and you don’t have to worry about passing the illness on to them.  A Word of Warning As many STDs have different strains associated with them, particularly HIV and herpes, it is important that you do your research regarding the risk of re-infection, or passing on a different strain of the infection to your partner. Having one STD does not mean you can’t catch another one, and you may even be more susceptible to becoming infected, particularly if the illness you have causes sores or bleeding. Just because your pa...
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Contacting Previous Partners When You Have An STD

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One of the most uncomfortable parts of learning that you have been infected with an STD is the thought of telling your previous partners. If you have found out that you have an STD, it is essential that you inform your previous recent partners so that they can get tested and avoid spreading the infection further. There are a number of reasons you may not feel comfortable contacting previous partners. Guilt, shame and embarrassment are common reactions to an STD diagnosis, and in addition to this, you may also feel anger towards the person who gave you the infection. If your previous partner was abusive, you may not feel safe getting in contact with them, particularly to tell them something that could cause a volatile reaction. There are a number of ways you can contact your previous partners to inform them. A quick phone call, text or email is convenient for many people, and in the majority of cases should be enough to motivate them to seek testing. If you would prefer to...
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