Health Report

by norrie mAy welby

Reducing Viral Load With Complementary Therapies

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

Complementary Therapies have been used extensively and successfully by people with H.I.V. in Australia for many years. Many people have demonstrated that these therapies can increase well-being, reduce drug side effects and reverse deterioration in health due to H.I.V.. Complimentary Therapies have been particularly important in the treatment of symptoms which are usually not successfully treated by doctors, such as night sweats, fatigue and exhaustion, some forms of chronic diarrhea and weight loss, loss of libido, some types of intermittent or low-grade fevers, chronic sinus infection and other problems. There has been lots of published research on the value of Complimentary Therapies for treating these kinds of symptoms. - Source: With Complements Vol.7, No.4.

Positive Women Funded

The Department for Women has given the AIDS Council of N.S.W. (ACON) a grant of $18,000 to support its work with H.I.V. positive women and women affected by H.I.V. The money will be used to provide skills based training for positive women. - Source: Talkabout, No. 77, July.

The International Community of Women Living with H.I.V. / H.I.V. has started publishing its own newsletter. If you are an H.I.V.+ woman and would like to be on the I.C.W. mailing list or would like further information contact Vivienne Munro, AIDS Council of N.S.W., P.O. Box 350, Darlinghurst, N.S.W. 2010.

AIDS Related Pneumonia (P.C.P.) - What is it?

The full medical name for P.C.P. is Pneumoystis Carinii Pneumonia (pronounced new-mow-sistus-careenee). AIDS related pneumonia or P.C.P. is an illness that clogs up the lungs making it hard to breathe.

P.C.P. is caused by a bug that most people have in their bodies. It is usually harmless, unless you have a weakened immune system. P.C.P. can be very serious. If not treated it can kill you. Prophylaxis can bring the illness under control and stop you from getting sick. It is estimated that without prophylaxis eight out of ten people with H.I.V. will develop symptoms of P.C.P. at some point in time.

If you could like to have more info or have any questions you would like answered, contact the P.C.P. Outreach Worker at the Centre.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.