Dating With HIV - What Positive Singles Are Doing About It

By Dr. Craig Brighton

Mother Teresa once said that loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. This truth is no stranger to many who have found themselves victims of the AIDS / HIV virus, a scourge that has threatened humanity for so many years and not only challenged the competency of researchers but also undermined the dignity of human beings. Many people associate being diagnosed with the disease with the end of life as they know it, but this is really not the case as many carriers and their loved ones have found out. Even more, single people in this category have landed very fruitful and fun-filled relationships with people who understand them and enjoy their company. In fact, HIV positive singles can continue to date their loved ones or find new love and enjoy a healthy and romantic lifestyle worth living.

Loneliness is about the scariest thing out there in the universe. Online dating sites understand this and spend lots of time and resources to develop and maintain a system that understands their clients better and cater for them fully. Such dating sites have provided a very viable way for HIV dating to be possible and are heavily frequented by those who have discovered them. Joining is very easy and usually free requiring one to go through a series of questions to set up his or her profile. HIV positive dating is indeed a reality for those who qualify and are willing to lighten up their romantic life with a partner of their dreams.

Approaching someone with the main purpose of striking a romantic deal is generally tough for almost all people, but it is uniquely challenging to HIV positive singles because of stereotypes and the fear of being labeled or even threatened by members of one's society. This need not be the case when using an online dating site that is dedicated exclusively to cater for the needs of AIDS and HIV positive singles seriously looking for a date to spice up their life. Very mature, responsible and fun-filled relationships have started this way. These dating sites allow one to post their ad and also to browse thousands of ads of one's choosing from which a perfect date or match can be found. They do a fantastic job of pre-screening members to ensure that a search yields only the desired results.

As always, it's important to exercise caution when meeting someone for the first time on any website. There's a difference between falling in love and feeling that one is in love making it very important not to share any personal information like phone number and home address before really being comfortable with someone. Even if arranging to meet at a common venue, certain personal information should not be shared. Any feelings of insecurity or threats should not be ignored. These dating sites do have options to stop any further communication from someone that one is not comfortable with and block them from contacting you.

Get Rid of Embarrassing Herpes

By Gerry Restrivera

Genital herpes is the most common sexually transmitted disease and most infected people are not aware that they have it. It is a condition caused by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2). People do get infected by herpes through sexual contact with a partner who has the virus. There are reports that females are more likely to be infected by males who have the infection than females transmitting the infection to males and so genital herpes is most common to females as they are easily infected. It is important to get rid of embarrassing herpes to stop it from spreading and to improve the quality of your life.

Most people with herpes do not have any symptoms and unaware that they are infected by the virus causing herpes. When symptoms do occur, they usually notice soreness or blisters around the genital area and the rectum. Genital herpes can be painful for some people when there are fluid filled sores and blisters on the genital area. Fever and body pain or aches can also be experienced when an HSV-2 outbreak occurs. The infection can be diagnosed by your doctor through visual inspection, laboratory testing of the sample taken from the sores and blood test. It is best to consult your doctor when you suspect you have the infection to get rid of embarrassing herpes.

There are preventive measures and treatments to get rid of embarrassing herpes and those who have the infection must be aware of them to avoid further health issues.

Genital herpes are usually treated with antiviral medications. It is best to consult your doctor when you suspect you are infected with HSV-2. It is important to follow your doctor's instruction and complete the course of the antiviral medicines to get rid of embarrassing herpes.

Genital herpes has the tendency to recur after treatment. Practicing safe sex is important to avoid getting and spreading the virus causing genital herpes. Although condoms can provide some degree of protection, it cannot provide total protection as there are infected areas that are not covered by condoms and so transmission of virus can still happen. The best way to prevent recurring infections and spreading the virus is to abstain from sexual activities while undergoing treatments. Limiting the number of your sexual partner will also reduce your risk of getting and transmitting genital herpes.

While treatments and safe sex can be really helpful, there are some people who keep on getting recurring genital herpes. Natural treatment is an option if you want to get rid of embarrassing herpes naturally once and for all. To know how visit Get Rid of Herpes

To know more about health and beauty natural remedies visit Health and Beauty Link
Gerry Restrivera writes informative articles on various subjects including Get Rid of Embarrassing Herpes. You are allowed to publish this article in its entirety provided that author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and included with every reproduction.

What You Need to Know About Various HIV Tests

By Slava Fuzayloff

Given its status as a widespread disease and major concern for medical foundations across the globe, it should come as no surprise that HIV treatment and detection have come a long way since their inception. Over time, new methodologies have emerged to highlight improvements across a number of HIV testing metrics: speed, reliability, accuracy, and applicability have all increased as new generations of HIV testing emerge.

What does this have to do with you? Plenty! Doctors and healthcare professionals everywhere increasingly encourage routine HIV testing as a means of ensuring personal health and addressing the spread of HIV. Remember, HIV can survive in its host without obvious symptoms for long periods of time. Seeking this at a trusted facility not only protects your future health, but also that of your loved ones and intimate partners.

No matter which test you take, it's mandatory to follow up a positive result with alternative tests-this drastically reduces the chance of a fluke in the test. You should also know that many of the home HIV testing kits on the market haven't received FDA approval and are rife with inaccuracy. With that in mind, here are some details on various professional HIV testing options that are available to you:

Antibody Tests

These are the most common HIV testing procedures for routine screening. They take advantage of the fact that your body naturally produces anti-infection proteins calledantibodies in response to HIV infection. This method detects antibodies from a blood, saliva, or urine sample. Usually an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the preferred antibody test due to its high sensitivity.

There are a few important considerations with antibody tests. Because the body takes time to develop antibodies, there is a "window period" during which HIV-positive individuals may receive false negative results because they tested too early. For this reason, this method of HIV testing is recommended three months after potential exposure. If an HIV-positive mother has a child, their antibodies will be passed on and retained in the baby's body for up to 18 months; other tests are recommended in this case. Similarly, people who have participated in HIV vaccine trials should take multiple tests to minimize the chance of false results.

Rapid HIV Tests

These operate on the same principles as antibody tests with much quicker turnaround. They take less than an hour and often require no follow-up visit; all the analysis is done on-site by healthcare professionals. They are easier for medical staff to conduct and minimally invasive for the patient. These are suited to urgent medical situations or areas where clients are unlikely to return to check on their results.

Antigen Tests

These tests seek substances from the HIV virus itself, called antigens. Specifically, they seek the P24 protein produced in the early stages of HIV infection. This variety of testing isn't very sensitive and isn't particularly recommended by itself. Instead, doctors administer hybrid HIV testing by combining antigen tests with standard antibody tests to improve accuracy while reducing the "window period." Called fourth-generation tests, these new trends in this testing will show up with more frequency as medical technology continues to advance.

PCR Tests

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests also detect HIV infection early by testing for the genetic material of the virus. Also known as the viral load test or nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), PCR HIV testing is suited for screening blood supplies or newborns and is effective within two or three weeks of initial infection. Due to the expense and expert analytical skills required, they are not often used for individual HIV testing.

New York City residents should consult STD Center NY for unrivaled, board-certified medical attention for all of your questions, concerns, or inquiries. Just blocks from Grand Central Station and easily accessible by train or bus, STD Center NY features affordable, private, state-of-the-art HIV test nyc services. Call 1-212-696-5900 for an appointment or log onto www.stdcenterny.com for more information. Find out which HIV testing choice is most appropriate for your needs.

A Genital Herpes Conundrum Begets a Herpes Testing Verdict

By Victor Battles

Because of improvements in methodology in recent years herpes blood tests for diagnosing genital herpes have made herpes testing more accurate and reliable. Currently available FDA approved tests are highly sensitive and specific, which means they result in few false positive and few false negative herpes test results. Given the reliability of these tests, when ordered appropriately, they can provide answers to some of the puzzling questions and concerns that arise following an apparent new onset of signs and symptoms of herpes.

For the purpose of this discussion and to illustrate the central point, consider a scenario in which two individuals (partner A and partner B) have been involved in an intimate relationship for approximately one year. Partner B has been monogamous throughout the relationship and has never been diagnosed with genital herpes, but one day notices the acute onset of signs and symptoms of the disease including blisters in the genital area. After seeing a physician and being diagnosed with genital herpes via testing of fluid from the blisters partner B is rather distraught, angry, disappointed and confused.

Because partner B has never had any prior signs and symptoms of genital herpes he or she assumes that the std was contracted from partner A and wonders if partner A is aware of having it but concealed it or is unaware. Before any form of guilt is attributed to partner A however, partner B needs to be absolutely certain that the newly experienced signs and symptoms are in fact an initial outbreak and if so determine if the std was contracted from partner A. Judicious herpes testing can provide answers.

Today's commercially available herpes blood tests diagnose genital herpes by detecting antibodies produced by the body which are directed against the herpes simplex virus which causes the disease. Antibodies are small molecular particles generated by one's immune system (defense mechanism) in an attempt to fight off and rid the body of foreign particles including those that cause infection. Antibodies that are produced early on, generally within days to a few weeks following infection, are called IgM antibodies. Those that are produced much later, sometimes up to 6 months after infection, are called IgG antibodies.

Because genital herpes may not cause the body to produce IgG antibodies for weeks to months following infection the IgG test is primarily for establishing a diagnosis of chronic disease well after the initial infection. The herpes blood test which measures IgM antibodies, on the other hand, is for diagnosing acute disease unless a diagnosis has been made via testing of fluid from blisters in the area of an outbreak as was the case in the scenario presented.

IgM antibodies usually recede or vanish after the initial acute infection but IgG antibodies usually remain detectable as long as infection is present, whether it is active or latent. Since there is not any known means of eliminating the virus from the body once infection is established, IgG antibodies are presumed to remain detectable throughout the life of an individual who has been infected.

In the scenario presented partner B could prove with reasonable certainty that the disease was contracted from partner A providing partner A undergoes herpes blood testing and has elevated IgG antibodies, partner B undergoes herpes blood testing and has elevated IgM antibodies within 4-6 weeks of the outbreak, and partner B's IgM antibodies begin to decline 4-6 weeks after the genital outbreak. One caveat to relying on IgM antibodies alone to diagnose acute genital herpes and an initial outbreak however, is the discovery through recent research that in some individuals' IgM antibodies rise again during recurrent genital outbreaks, in which case herpes testing partner B with measurement of IgG antibodies at least 6 week intervals and as far out as 6 months from the initial genital herpes outbreak if necessary could confirm that partner B contracted genital herpes from partner A providing the IgG antibodies are initially not elevated but rise during the period of time just stated.

The scenario discussed in this article is but one example of how herpes blood tests can elucidate some of the questions and circumstances surrounding newly discovered genital herpes. Appropriate herpes testing can also be helpful in other scenarios depending on the circumstances if the herpes testing is done thoughtfully and methodically.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice or a substitute for medical consultation with a qualified professional. If you are seeking legal advice or are unsure about your medical condition you should consult an attorney and/or physician.

Victor E. Battles, M.D. is a board-certified internist with 30 + years of patient contact. He currently is a disability consultant. He has been a principal investigator in several clinical research trials primarily involving hypertension and diabetes. For more information about genital herpesand for sources of herpes testing visit http://www.proactivehealthoutlet.com.