Reducing HIV Levels Across the World

Various campaigns are created to stop the spread of HIV infections that run rampant, especially in countries like Africa. It is disappointing when an initiative fails to yield the expected results, as was the case with a study that spanned three years in several Zimbabwe communities. Researchers were hoping a program which offered free condoms, peer-to-peer education for the entire community and counseling sessions along with treatment of STD's aimed at women in the sex industry and their male counterparts would have an impact on HIV infection rates amongst the sex industry as well as the whole community. However, the study determined that this initiative to impact those people who had much higher risk of being infected with HIV (sex workers and clients) did very little in reducing the rates of HIV infection in the general population. While this initiative actually succeeded in lowering the number of infections of HIV in men, it did not reduce that risk for women. Those researchers participating in this study for three years were optimistic that by targeting the men and women involved in the sex industry, the rates of infections in the entire community could be lowered. A reason for this is that sex workers who spend much of their time prospecting at bars are a prime reason HIV infection rates are so high throughout the community. In targeting these women and men, the researchers felt an impact on the community as a whole would be made. In addition to the condom distribution and clinical services, this initiative went a step further by offering loans that were interest-free to female sex workers along with training in the management of small businesses. The reason for this is so these sex workers could learn skills that would stop them from being financially dependent on the sex trade. Despite these efforts geared towards the female sex workers, only male participants in this study saw any benefit: decrease in rates of HIV infection, fewer symptoms of STD's and a lower rate of unprotected sex.Many researchers in this study feel this initiative proved to be largely unsuccessful because of financial reasons. The male participants in the study were impacted more because they started using condoms more efficiently and consistently and may have stopped visiting sex workers. Female participants, despite loans and training, may have found it difficult if not impossible to find any other means of making money. Some female sex workers may also have taken an increased payout from clients who did not want to use the condoms provided. A lead researcher of the initiative, Dr. Gregson, had this to say about the disappointing results: “Targeting smaller high-risk groups didn't have the effect we had hoped and in addition, we weren’t able to reduce the incidence of HIV in women in a way we had anticipated. We wanted to reduce women’s reliance on sex work through our micro-credit scheme but this did not work, partly because of the sharp economic downturn in Zimbabwe.” He also states that the initiative would have proved much more successful if it targeted a larger population and if it had focused more on skills training that would impact the entire community and help to stem poverty.

How To Lower Your Cholesterol Levels

Getting Down high cholesterol levels will lengthen your life and raise the quality of life because it reduces the hazard of heart disease and stroke. Whenever possible it's safest to control cholesterol points without medicine, first. Constantly consult with your primary care physician about this. Even if you feel yourself demanding medicine to lower cholesterol, you may ask less if you can reduce the degrees about without medicine. The methods to get down cholesterol without medicine: 1. Diet 2. Working out DIET Diet exchanges can be hard and challenging, but once you develop recent eating usage and begin feeling healthier, it will bring fewer attempt. The methods to switch your food eating habits to aid in decreasing cholesterol levels : Eliminate and cut foods that are higher in cholesterol - some suggest that cholesterol that occurs from food should be fewer than 300 mg per twenty-four hours. For those with high cholesterol who wish to take down their cholesterol may need to keep down the amount to 200 mg. Foods which have high cholesterol levels: 1. Eggs (mainly the yolk) 2. Chicken 3. Liver 4. Beef 5. Hotdogs 6. Butter 7. Sponge cake 8. Ice cream 9. Processed and deep fried foods Limit foods that take trans fat or saturated fats- your human body will produce cholesterol from both saturated fats and trans. The government has intervened and implemented rules regarding trans fat. Most fast food eating places adopted voluntarily with the recent guidances while others were forced to. Some needed a little longer due to the desire to have exchanges but didn’t desire to convert the taste of their products. The head requires some fats for proper function, so be certain you don’t wipe out every fat from your diet. Upgrade soluble fiber- it binds with fatty acids and gets the stomach to empty more slowly so that the rate of sugar release and absorption is prolonged. Soluble fiber shrinks the cholesterol that is absorbed in the intestines. Sources of soluble fiber: 1. Oats/bran 2. Nuts 3. Barley 4. Fruits 5. Vegetables 6. Flaxseed Increase healthy foods to take down your fish, cholesterol-fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and lean meats will aid cut cholesterol. Converting the direction you eat may get the beneficial side impact of weight loss. This is advantageous because sometimes even a 5-10 lb weight loss can take down cholesterol levels. Decreasing cholesterol too drastically will cause the body to produce its own cholesterol and that is more complicated to control and often will take medication. Cholesterol is wanted for the following : 1. Fixing cell and broken tissue 2. Antioxidant properties 3. Part of every cell 4. Necessary for correct brain use and memory 5. Bile (aids in digestions) portion 6. Shaping of hormones 7. Keeps inflammation 8. Portion of vitamin production Consume a high protein immune globulin supplement – a report released in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2005 81 (4) p 792) discovered that men and women who carried reasonably high cholesterol, between 210 and 270 whole calculate, experienced a 6% drop in all cholesterol after only 3 weeks of having an immune globulin supplement. Of importance to mark, the LDL cholesterol point dropped 7% while the HDL cholesterol degree stayed constant. EXERCISE HDL (positive cholesterol) raises with exercise and will contribute to taking down high cholesterol degrees. Doing exercise at least 4 days out of the week- when the workout is mild activities ; it's advisable to strain to do it every twenty-four hours. Conventional exercises, weight lifting, and running aren’t the only exercises you can do to aid reduce cholesterol; the following activities can be part of cholesterol taking down workout habits: 1. Walking 2. Gardening 3. Chores 4. Dancing Exercise at least thirty minutes per twenty-four hours- the minutes can be separated into lesser workout sessions as long it amounts thirty minutes by the end of the day. Life-style exchanges like eating right and exercising take time to become portion of a daily act. Stick with it and the benefits will be valuable. When efforts to take down your cholesterol haven't been successful, your doctor may decide to put you on medication to take down your cholesterol levels.

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Arthritis Drugs - Be Careful With Dangerous Medicines
By: Michelle Armstrong
Now this is a very broad subject. I could literally write an entire book on this subject. There are simply too many drugs that fall into this category. There are so many reports of people suffering badly as a result of taking prescribed medication. This includes medications prescribed for arthritis. The following is just one example of this.VioxxVioxx is a pain killing drug produced by Merck. It was approved in 1999 and has been widely used throughout America and UK until September 2004 when it was withdrawn.A jury in Texas on Friday awarded a $253.4m settlement to the widow of the 59-year-old Robert Ernst who died suddenly after using Vioxx. The court heard claims that Merck had played down safety fears about the drug for an entire decade.You many consider this to be old news but it is quite clear that people were placed under unnecessary risks. The drug was prescribed to over 20 million people worldwide before it was withdrawn. Experts estimate that Vioxx could have caused 27,785 heart attacks since it was approved for use in 1999.The above is only one example of an arthritis drug that has been reported to have side effects. The more research I do the more drugs that come to my attention. There are so many reported incidents that very little searching needs to done to find a new incident.It seems as if the pharmaceutical companies are putting profits before the welfare of patients, but I'm sure this isn't something new you're hearing. To me it seems as if they are weighing up how much profit they can make in comparison to how much they expect to pay in damages to people who suffer adverse effects and so long as the profit outweighs the compensation they expect to pay out, they are willing to go ahead and launch. If I am wrong then the only other explanation I can think of is that they are simply not taking enough care in testing there products. Regardless of what the true reasons the outcome is always the same. Innocent people end up suffering.I don't think they have set out to harm us. I truly believe that scientists and doctors who develop the drugs in the labs really do want to help. However it isn't always them that make the final decision. It is the people in the board room that make those decisions and their motivations may not always be as pure.As an arthritis sufferer this is very worrying. Personally I don't want to be the unfortunate individual that does have a bad reaction to a drug. The only advice I can give to everyone out there is be very careful. Try to make sure that the drugs prescribed to you have already been widely used for a long time with no reports of serious side effects.As a result of these reports of prescribed drugs causing potentially lethal side effects more and more people are looking to alternative medicine. Natural remedies are not a new fad, if anything they are the original medicine, before everything was repackaged in a laboratory. Natural medicines have been around and practiced for thousands of years. More and more studies are revealing that there is sound scientific reasoning why natural remedies work and modern medicine is taking advantage of this by repackaging it in a bottle and selling it for a huge profit.For the skeptics out there the only thing I have to say is that you should try them at least once and see for yourself. So many people have and enjoy a much better quality of life. As you can tell I am very much in favor of natural remedies, more so now than ever as the pharmaceutical industry doesn't seem to have my best interests at heart.

Whey Protein - Nature's Amazing Muscle Builder


Are you concerned about taking care of your body before and after strenuous activities or workouts? Do you try to avoid supplements that contain additives and possible side effects? If you are interested in better health and improved physical fitness you have surely heard that bodybuilders and other athletes are turning to a simple, natural supplement called whey protein. WHY DO ATHLETES USE WHEY PROTEIN? Protein levels are depleted through exercise. Muscles require amino acids to prevent deterioration, give endurance and build mass. Proteins supply these amino acids to the muscles which is why athletes use whey protein. WHAT IS WHEY PROTEIN? Commercial whey protein comes from cow's milk. Whey is the by-product of making cheese and was usually thrown away as a waste product. Now researchers know that whey protein is high quality, natural protein that is rich with amino acids essential for good health and muscle building. It is naturally found in mother's milk and also used in baby formula. It is being considered for use as a fortifier of grain products because of its considerable health benefits and bland flavor. Although protein is also found in other foods such as meat, soy and vegetables, whey protein is proven to have the highest absorption (digestion) levels in comparison to all others. WHO SHOULD CONSIDER USING WHEY PROTEIN? Whey protein has many health benefits including immune support, bone health, sports health, weight management and overall well being. Because amino acids are 'building blocks' for the human body it is sometimes used by patients to speed up the healing of wounds or burns. The high quality protein that comes from whey makes it a recommended choice for those who need optimal benefits from restricted diets including diabetics, those on weight management diets and even ill patients not able to consume enough protein in their diet to assist with healing. CAN WHEY PROTEIN BE DANGEROUS? Whey protein is a food and so it does not have have the risks associated with other supplements. That said, too much of anything carries risks. Extremely high use of whey protein can overload the liver which can cause serious problems. Moderation is always recommended. If you are lactose intolerant you might try whey protein isolate which has less than 1% lactose and should be tolerable for most users. Whey protein is a natural and healthy way to bring protein into your diet and increase well being.