HIV & Social Conditions...

 

This piece asserts that intervention on social factors is as important as focusing on risk behaviors in regards to contracting HIV.  Instead of looking purely at individuals' relations with high risk behaviors, we should be looking at what got them there.

Many approaches to therapy & rehabilitation focus on correcting & modifying individual behaviors.   Even if they can "fix" the person, they then put them back into a broken environment.  Psychological, social, emotional issues & addictions don't occur in a bubble.  They are not always the issue, but just a symptom of greater problem, often external of the individual.  You can't heal the person & toss them back into a damaged life & expect them to stay healthy.

44% of people with HIV have some kind of disability and 43% have a household income at or below the poverty line. 

This article details the presence of social factors in those who are living with HIV.  "...depression, homelessness, individual and neighborhood poverty, education disparities, lack of insurance or unemployment."  It states 78% of people diagnosed with HIV were affected by 1 of these factors, 58% by 2 & 20% by 3 or more. 

These factors impacted the person's living situation & the options they felt availables to them.  They impact decision making & life choices.  Instead of just focusing on individual risk behaviors, we should be trying to better the surroundings where they live. 

There is no silver bullet, medicine alone isn't going to eradicate HIV or numerous other illnesses.  Society isn't invested in these people & they have a hard time investing in themselves.  If a healthier society is what is wanted, a lot of social leveling will have to occur.  Too bad, that will never happen.

It's a good article.  Take care.

Cya...

Med Issues & HIV...

OK, my pharmacy still isn't on board with my new med yet, no surprise there.  They say call back later today.  Same thing they said yesterday.  Acquired Hypothyroidism is what my doctor is calling this condition.   I have it in my family (always before in women) & I have HIV.  Even though my numbers are good, my body is still being affected.  Thyroid issues are reasonably common in HIV patients.  The thyroid can seriously mess you up.  Google it.

This med has caused me to shuffle again.  The problem here is it has interactions with my other meds & needs to be taken on an empty stomach.  I already have a med that needs to be taken on an empty stomach & it's 1 of the drugs this new Levothyroxine doesn't like.  

This new med interacts with my Didanosine, Norvir & even my multivitamins.   Most the drug interactions I've faced have altered the efficacy of my HIV meds.  That's not the case this time.  In this instance my other meds are lowering the efficacy of the thyroid med.    They'll have to be spaced out & the new 1 will have to be taken some ways after eating.  New meds are always so much fun.

OK, let's talk about drug interactions again.  They happen all the time & your doctor may not know about them. You need to know about them.  It could literally save your life.  If you find 1 talk to your doctor about it.  Here are 2 websites for checking your medications for interactions.

Drug Interactions Checker

HIV Drug Interactions

Cya...

PS - I saw a trailer for a new movie about HIV survivors coming, check it out, Desert Migration.

EMR...

I've talked about EMR's (Electronic Medical Records) before.  There are some worries these records could be hacked.  Then there is the fact, these EMR's help medical staff when dealing with patients' medical needs.

This article discusses how EMR's helped lower the case of prescription errors in hospitalized HIV patients from 16% to 1.1%.  That's over a 90% reduction.  That's huge.

The problem lies in most medical professionals unfamiliarity with HIV medications.  They aren't aware of how these regimens work & what drugs may react or interact with these HIV meds.  Anyone on a regimen knows there are things we can ingest that will alter how our meds work.  Some foods, supplements & other medications will do this.  These interactions can increase or decrease the efficacy of 1 or more of the drugs being taken in tandem.  

Unfortunately, many patients whose regimens are altered in hospital, often stick with the wrong regimen until they see their primary care provider again.  By this time, the consequences could be quite pronounced.  These interactions could lead to toxicity or even viral resistance.  

Even if you are concerned about the safety of your medical records, which is a valid point, the benefits would seem to outweigh the danger.  Hopefully, the results from this study will be repeated & the application of EMR's will increase.

Cya...

Connected...

I mentioned yesterday it was my birthday & a lot of Facebook people wished me a happy one. What I didn't mention is that besides my roommate & my dentist's office, those were the only acknowledgements I received.  I'm not angling for sympathy here, I'm trying to make a point.  In today's world it's very easy for people, especially those who are chronically ill, to become disconnected.  

I used to live in a much larger city & was highly social.  It was rare for me to ever be home at all.  All I really did there was shower & sleep.  That's no longer the case.  Now, for a myriad of reasons, I hardly ever go any where.  For me & many other people, the net has become are means of "going" places & interacting with people.  

Is it the best way?  For most people it's probably not, but it's better than nothing.  For others, it may be the only interaction they can handle.  For some people, those interactions via Facebook, Twitter or other chats/forums may be all they have.   Those daily acknowledgements may be the only thing keeping some people going.  

It's very easy to become isolated when you're ill.  You don't feel well. A lot of people get irritated when others are ill for extended times.  Some people just can't handle being around sick people.  For whatever reason a lot of people living with HIV become isolated.  This solitude can affect their mental condition &  worsen their health.  Even though social media may not be a perfect answer or a replacement for 1 on 1 interaction, it still beats nothing.  

Cya...