Aids Victims

Aids Victims

Aids: a Psychological Roller-coaster at a Crossroad

The recent XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City covered some interesting topics, including up-to-date medical treatments and the impressive increments in programs to address the AIDS calamity in Africa.  Conspicuously absent was any discussion with regards to the psychological vicissitudes experienced by AIDS victims, and their loved ones, in the developed world. In the last twenty-five years, Americans have was struggling with the disease both medically and psychologically as AIDS persons who requires medical care have transited from shame through acceptance and on to self-respect. Currently, we stand at a crossroads which will determine if the psychological road in front will be healthy.

The Early Shame: During the early years of the AIDS pandemic in America, the victims had to endure the humiliation of their sickness called "the gay plague." Even the scientific community initially used the degrading nomenclature of "GRID" for gay related immunodeficiency disease. Well-known figures like Reverend Jerry Falwell said we "needed to return to moral sanity" and not to "favor homosexuals" in medical research. President Ronald Reagan refused to mention the disease for the introductory six years of his eight-year presidency. The late Senator Jesse Helms passed what is known as "the Helms Amendment" -- a law that imposes a travel-ban on humans with HIV whether they are tourists or proposed immigrants from coming into the United States. This combined battering was successful in establishing a sentiment in a lot of elements of America that "homos got what they deserved" even even though there were adequate stats (and logic) to prove that the virus had no sexual preference. Prior to 1987 it was almost out of the question for an AIDS patient not to experience shame.

Acceptance: The Third International AIDS Conference held in June, 1987 in Washington, DC was a psychological turning point for AIDS people who are in need of medical care and their families. Over 6,000 policymakers, medical researchers and masters from fifty countries heard then Vice-President George Bush deliver a non-judgmental opening speech. Keynote speaker and United States Surgeon General C. Everett Koop’s remarks in the end emphasized education and acceptance.

Because AIDS had decimated the art world including Hollywood, numerous celebrities begun speaking out. Elizabeth Taylor, for example, was clear regarding her help for friends engaged in a struggle with AIDS. At the AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, she displayed authenti emotion as she staged Surgeon General Koop with an award for his attempts to advertize acceptance of AIDS patients.

By 1989 well-organized protests were erupting. In March, assorted thousand angry demonstrators coordinated by Act-Up picketed New York's City Hall in protest of Mayor Koch's lack of progress in providing assistance to AIDS patients. Shortly thereafter, Act-Up continued their effective protests at strategic locations, including the New York Stock Exchange and AZT manufacturer Burroughs Wellcome corporate headquarters. This queer demonstration resulted in the pharmaceutical giant’s reduction of AZT’s price by twenty percent. Other protests took place in Montreal, Canada and at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge to commemorate "a day without art" due to the huge numbers of stricken artists.  The result was that the intermediate American saw an angry yet humane face on HIV/AIDS as major news networks covered marchers waving banners saying "silence = death."

AIDS people who are in need of medical care watched in awe as HIV positive Mary Fisher spoke at the Republican National Convention in 1992. It seemed unimaginable that the daughter of billionaire, philanthropist Max Fisher and consultant to various presidents would become a vocal and open Republican AIDS activist. Her aroused speech emphasized tolerance and rebuked a lot of members of her party who claimed that HIV/AIDS was a "self-inflicted plague" caused by immoral behavior. A clear sentiment of AIDS acceptance had been established.

Self-respect: By 1995, anger and acceptance started out to turn into self-respect in the gay community. Gone were the days when actor Rock Hudson hid his impairment of normal physiological function until the very end. AIDS was no longer thought of as a "gay curse," and the disease was quickly disseminating to the heterosexual community, mainly poor inner-city neighborhoods. Numerous well-known gay celebrities' disclosure of their positive HIV status fueled a sense of pride. Four-time Olympic gold medalist, Greg Louganis, considered to be the biggest competitory diver of all time, admitted that he had been "diagnosed" (with HIV) prior to the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.

Concurrently, HIV researchers and infectious disease physicians who had antecedently been observed with substantial contempt were getting highly respected.  The transition was finish when AIDS scientist and protease inhibitor pioneer, David Ho, was named Time Magazine's 1996 "Man of the Year", which added to a new sense of prideful identity in the HIV world.

The Crossroads: Toward the end of last century, the majority of Americans knew, or knew of, somebody who had been stricken with AIDS, and they growingly exhibited compassionateness in much the same way as they understood the disaster of cancer. Fear and hatred started out to turn into empathy and a thirst for data gradually substituted discrimination.

Even so, curious and alarming trends started out to emerge in the AIDS community. One condition is known as "the Lazarus Syndrome," named after the biblical figure who returned from the dead. The term, original coined in 1996, referred to comparatively young, ill people who are in need of medical care who are living longer than they had anticipated. One of the resulting troubles is highly inadequate resources given that they had planned for a shortened life followed by a untimely death. Many found themselves financially and in an emotional manner challenged by aborted careers. Newly formed AIDS assistance programs scrambled to address both the financial and psychological repercussions of the altering times. The New York Times Sunday Magazine offered the initial perceptivities to the phenomenon on November 10, 1996 in an article titled "When AIDS Ends," by Andrew Sullivan. It addressed the unexampled experience in innovative times of the end of a plague, for the duration of which victims would have contemplated their deaths and adjusted their lives hence only to reassess and handle their possible survival. Sixty years ago the father of Existentialism, Albert Camus, described a population's mindset as it faces death in his book, La Peste (The Plague). Sullivan studied the psychological difficulties came upon when that condition is at least partially reversed.

In his book, Dry Bones Breathe, the late Eric Rofes analyses a similar condition in a chapter titled "The Protease Moment takes Hold." He points out how, starting in the late 1990s, national syndication campaigns for new HIV medications showed very healthy, smiling faces atop buffed bodies boasting which medicine they were using. Many AIDS people who are in need of medical care were facing a life "beyond AIDS" -- a life that no longer would be solely specified by having AIDS. Rofes talks with regards to a "new language" to deal with this condition to which we ought to add new behaviors. The challenge now is how to assure that these new behavings are as healthful as possible.

Almost each American city has at least one non-profit AIDS assistance program which deals with the vast majority of local AIDS patients. Nowhere is the need to shape this new conduct more important than in these organizations. The programs are more-or-less well furnished by a combining of federal and state grants supplemented by private donations from concerned local citizens. Their attempts grant the "clients" (a term which emphasizes self-esteem) to fight housing discrimination, attend aid groups and be seen by local health masters of a heap of disciplines. Most programs also offer a heap of free meals, financial subsidies and, importantly, assistance in obtaining the clients' regularly every month supply of very costly medicines. 

Some agencies give hope or courage to clients to become self-sufficient and, when energy levels allow, go back to work. This presents a severe dilemma, however. As clients re-enter the work-force, elements or all of the complex mix of local and federal assistance evaporate. When earned income rises the person may become largely independent but not prosperous sufficient to afford the vitally important, hugely costly medications.

Yet without getting financially independent, a sense of entitlement is likely to develop. The resulting effect is often times diminished self-esteem and restricted mental freedom. Equally dangerous is hiding behind a "disability" and avoiding responsibilities. Even the most mentally and physically healthful people have to strength themselves to persevere in times of setbacks.  The most self-assured of us will, on occasion, doubt their convictions but then strength themselves to move forward. These people end up growing and become more inviolable -- demonstrating a trait called "resilience". However, if one is allowed, without doubt at times encouraged, to "give into" a bad day or piece of problematic news, one runs the danger of killing the survival instinct.

The challenge for AIDS assistance programs is to address these paradoxes on a person-by-person level. Those who may be encouraged to push themselves may well transit from "AIDS victims" to "taking responsibility" for an ailment.  It is critical for mental health counselors to not only explore their clients' fears and psychological goblins but likewise to emphasize the individual's potential in order to publicize resilience.

Today's youth has largely forgotten the devastation of AIDS because they do not face it with almost the same frequency as did the generation that preceded them. Gay Americans in their twenties and thirties have not lost huge numbers of friends and do not make regular visits to hospitals followed by attending memorial services as the former generation did. This fortunate condition presents challenges, however. Many youths believe that AIDS is a "manageable disease," and, consequently, safe sex is no longer an sheer priority. The result is a renewed incidence of HIV transmission in teens as well as seniors. This tragic condition may subsist because less churches, schools and television commercials address the risks of HIV transmission, and a good deal of community organizations no longer give hope or courage to open discussions on safe sex.

In a way, we have come full circle. The new American challenge is to take delight in the progress we have made while not losing our focus on how to stay both medically and psychologically healthy. AIDS assistance programs need to sort out their clients respective abilities and to give hope or courage to them to offer those natural abilities and qualities to the community -- and to be salaried for them. Community programs, in turn, urgently need to re-prioritize the importance of educating their constituents in HIV prevention.  If for no other reason, we owe that to the approximated five hundred thousand Americans who passed from physical life horrid deaths caused by AIDS for the duration of the amount of time when some so-called leaders humiliated them.

©2008 Richard René Silvin

Author Bio
Born in New York, from the ages of seven through eighteen, Silvin grew to adulthood within the confines of rigorous and homophobic Swiss boarding schools. After earning his bachelor's degree from Georgetown University (1970) and an MBA from Cornell (1972), where he likewise later lectured and was voted one of the most successful graduates. He expended twenty-five years as a senior executive in a New York Stock Exchange hospital company. There Silvin rose to the head of the international division of American Medical International, Inc., which owned and operated one hundred hospitals in ten countries. René lives with his beloved canine companion, T-Cell, in Atlanta, Georgia, and Palm Beach, Florida. His awards include being a Chevalier (Knight) of the Franco-Britanic Order. He has written a great deal of articles on hospital management and is listed in Who's Who in the World (1988), Who's Who in Finance and Industry, and Who's Who in Health Care. His book, Walking the Rainbow, is available now from Whitmore Publishing Co.

About the Author

For more information, please visit http://www.walkingtherainbow.com.

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Playing Unicef: Save the AIDS victims

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For years the lemon has sat awkwardly amongst other fruits. As children we knew the lemon tasted bitter, and because of this, we many times found ourselves drawn to it is peculiar mystique.

In recent years, the lemon has been employed to control the disseminate of the HIV virus, and has been demonstrated in exploration studies to kill the HIV virus.

Dr Peter Piot of UNAIDS hailed the invention that the juice of the lemon kills HIV in the test tube, declaring: " UNAIDS would like to give you (Professor Roger Short and your 'LemonAIDS' team) each encouragement to pursue this stimulating new lead."

Keeping the liver healthful is a critical step in the health and recovery of both cancer people who are in need of medical care and those with HIV / AIDS.

According to Dr Leo Roy MD, ND [Immune Perspectives], "No disease, in particular degenerative sicknesses including cancer and AIDS, could survive longer than a few weeks in the presence of a healthful liver."

A recent invention by those working with HIV / AIDS has found that combining the simple lemon with extra virgin olive oil and blending these together (with the lemon rind and seeds) and a glass and half of spring water, may and does construct amazing results, when drunk on a every day basis.

The lemon and the extra virgin olive oil, when taken together, act as a potent liver and gallbladder flush, detoxifying the liver, letting down biliruben levels, removing heavy metals, increasing the production of bile from the liver, stimulating lymphatic flow, and restoring the pH of your saliva, which in turn helps you to absorb the nutrients from the feed you eat.

The liver is genuinely the master organ of the immune system, developing chemicals to combat viruses (including the HIV virus) and bacteria, supporting phagocytic [immune function], and devising antihistamines to neutralize substances that promote the growth of cancer. When the liver is not functioning the right way - and is over-blocked by toxins - the body's immune scheme is gravely weakened leading to chronic illness. The lemon & extra virgin olive oil drink not only prevents chronic illness, but works to reverse it.

According to Mark Konlee from his paper How to Reverse Immune Dysfunction - "The immune scheme has two 'arms' - the TH1 and TH2 systems. They tend to be connected: when the one is strong, the other is weak, and visa versa. The Lemon / Extra Virgin Olive Oil drink has been reported to remainder the two arms of the immune system. This would help in both suppressed immune system and autoimmune conditions (including HIV / AIDS and cancer)."

Restoring pH levels to normal alkaline levels of 7.0 or greater, is of vast importance for the cancer patient. Lemons are one of the most alkaline forming foods on the face of the planet, and when consumed on a regular each day basis (especially with the rind and seeds), cause pH levels in the body to rise and become very alkaline, to levels specifically above 7.4 or greater, making it difficult for cancer cells to survive because of the amount of oxygen present. The majority of cancer persons who requires medical care have acidic pH levels of underneath 6.5, meaning that normal cells are not competent to respirate or "breathe" properly. This causes cells to mutate and become cancerous. This invention was made by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Otto Warburg, who came upon that cancer cells only thrive in a low-oxygen state. In this way, the simple lemon may support to fight cancer.

The lemon & extra virgin olive oil drink likewise helps to lower and restore biliruben levels in those with liver cancer and liver disease. An elevated biliruben level is a key indicator of a damaged liver. Recently a patient of mine with liver cancer, who had a systematically high biliruben level of 36 (disqualifying her from chemotherapy), took for the introductory time the lemon & extra virgin olive oil drink. She drank her introductory and only drink on Thursday. Her biliruben levels had been measured 3 days before and were at the popular 36. She was tested on Friday (one day after her basi drink) and her biliruben level measured 28, then two days later it was measured, and it was at 22 (to a near normal level)! This commonly skeptical woman was gobsmacked!

So the next time you find yourself walking past a lemon tree, consider how the simple lemon may and is beginning to wage the war versus two of the world's most ravaging diseases - cancer and HIV / AIDS.

For further info on the Lemon / Extra Virgin Olive Oil Drink and related articles and exploration on cancer and HIV / AIDS and beating these diseases naturally, go to www.alternative-cancer-care.com

• Released on: 2012-04-30

Aids Victims Image

Aids Victims Photo

Aids Victims Photo

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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
10 years down.
By ADRIENNE MILLER
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - The Tenth Year coud've been a lot stronger if that chick from One Tree Hill was never cast as the new District Attorney, the writers came to their senses and got rid of her halfway through the season. Stephanie March returned as Alexandra Cabot, glad to see her back - she is such a natural! Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni continue to impress me, two of the best actors on t.v. Some of the episodes were over-the-top especially that illegal tiger meat episode, what was that?! This show has become kind of campy the last couple of seasons, that can start to annoy loyal fans who have been with the show since the beginning. good season but ditch the lame jokes.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Love SVU
By S. Moon
What can I say. This show is still good to watch after ten seasons. It is still one of the best shows on TV today and will continue to watch it. This is a good season for those fans of SVU. Loved the last episode. Go get this dvd if you are a fan, you won't be disappointed.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Still Worth Watching But Formula Tedious and Stale
By carol irvin
We are all familiar with the Law & Order SUV formula. It has been rigid from day one. We start with the sex crime being committed, then with the detectives working on it, to its being kicked over to the prosecutor for trial. This is often the show's strength but also its weakness. We know the formula so well that we're getting inured to it. I can consult my watch to see exactly where we should be in each show. I don't think there is much that can be done about this. Every show has a finite life span and the most any seem to eke out is ten or eleven seasons. And those are the very best shows ever! So I suspect that we are nearing the end with this series. I still enjoy the detectives and their cases and I think the actors do a fine job. I would not replace anyone who is on the show. However, week after week with the same formula cannot help but get a bit tedious after ten years, especially with so many fresh and new series coming to the fore which are less formulaic. I'm still watching but I'm also a little less enthusiastic each and every time I tune in. Probably this tenth series was every bit as good as the prior nine but its rigid formula over all that time is tiresome.

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