CAHR Conference in VANCOUVER Here I Come!!!

So yes i am going to this conf to co-facilitate the HIV Research Cafe that is going to be held at some point during this conf. from April 22 to 26 return the 29!I cannot wait as this will be a very exciting trip for me as i havent been out to BC this will def be an adventure to remember for sure!!!The Recent leadership alumni gathering was also a great success & i am very greatfull to Thomas Egdorf & the Ont Aids Network for this chance to attend & be apart of a great gathering of like minded peoples trying to effect positive change here in Canada!!!PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLKS!!!

We Are Spiritual Being's on a Human Journey Not Human being's on a spiritual Journey!!!

So the recent leadership Alumni conf was held & was another great success.This is offset by the fact that i did NOT get the scholership to attend Vancouver to help co-facilitate a HIV Research Cafe..having facilitated 3 now i have a better understanding of the concept & why shelly finds it so importent to bring this to more peoples & places.So i am going to facilitator 3 this weekend which will leave me only 1 session left to go before having completed all training offered by the OAN.As i tried to do my best in promoting this little tidbit of info that happens to be so very true,as i found this out inside after being touched by the spirit.No words can describe the overwhelming love,compassion & peace that overwhelmed me that day while waiting to be transfered back to the range.The fact that we are indeed spiritual beings popped into my head & i have been saying this fact for awhile now.Well i bid u all a great day & a good night GODBLESS Folks!!!PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLKS!!! JAMES JC GOUGH

HIV-AIDs Front Lines of Attack!!!

Great we are now starting another front line of attack against HIV-AIDS!!!

Economy Stressing Many-Overwhelming Kids =20/20 Review By James JC Gough

I watched 20/20 tonight ∧ it had a bunch of high-school kids that posted a video called R U Listening on You-Tube.Turnes out the president was listening & stepped in to help...Wow i think...but what about all the dyeing kids over in Africa each & every hour,second-YES SECOND's!UNIVERSAL TESTING & TREATMENT MUST BE INIATED ASAP!!!
As i leave for T.O. next week i will be very busy the whole time down there.I started my presnttation all over again from scratch only to have it all disappear on me!I hate that when that happens(more then a few times now) i am guesing i will finally have to take a course after all if i ever want to truly master these machines...well folks peace love & happiness to you all,& have a great day eh!
Ebola is now on this side of the world...fear is spreading faster then the disease. ..without education stigma will not be far behind...this world seems like its falling apart & i can do nothing but sit n watch it all slowly disintegrate before my very eyes. We all want n need to love n be loved, we are all 1 family. ..when will we learn this scientific fact? Peace & Love has got to rule over war n hate...at least in my world.

,HIV Support Group Sudbury is Morphing Into a Social Group

So ya as allot of PHA's are more stable the support group is no longer needed-no PHA's attending is the reason for the upcoming changes.I think a skill's building & social group would be more productive & helpfull to PHA's living here in Northern Ont.Too bad we don't have the services that Toronto has for HIV+ folks...someday maybe...So Opening Door's is gone for another yr.This yr we received allot of information on medical pot-Its just too bad that the ONLY specialist we have does not believe in prescribing pot for persons with HIV-AIDs.Maybe 1 day we can get that fixed & PHA's living in the north wont have to suffer needlessly.Well the Leadership Alumni Meeting is coming up next week & i will be presenting on saturday afternoon for the first time!I call it "Creating New Front Lines of Attack on HIV-AIDs Blogs,Vlogs & Video's 2!``it`s aimed at PLWHA`s to get them to break their silence & to start talking about HIV-AIDs,creating websites & web pages will bring more education & awareness to the www.I think this is a medium that is under-used by PHA`s & more monies should be added to keep educating folks on HIV issues & concerns.As for myself i would personally like to Thank one THOMAS EGDORF for his wonderful dream & i hope his program takes off & goes National as it is a great way to encourage & empower PHA`s...The trouble is when we get back to our cities & try to engage our ASO`s many times we face rejection & ridicule...but we must not let that get us depressed or down.If we keep our trust in GOD & Jesus Christ then we have nothing to worry about do we...well it was a great ride support groûp suds & i would also like to thank those that joined this site...this will remain here for PHA`s to add blogs or pictures or just to VENT Little=its cool & its welcomed eh!PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLK'S!

,HIV Support Group Sudbury is Morphing Into a Social Group

So ya as allot of PHA's are more stable the support group is no longer needed-no PHA's attending is the reason for the upcoming changes.I think a skill's building & social group would be more productive & helpfull to PHA's living here in Northern Ont.Too bad we don't have the services that Toronto has for HIV+ folks...someday maybe...So Opening Door's is gone for another yr.This yr we received allot of information on medical pot-Its just too bad that the ONLY specialist we have does not believe in prescribing pot for persons with HIV-AIDs.Maybe 1 day we can get that fixed & PHA's living in the north wont have to suffer needlessly.Well the Leadership Alumni Meeting is coming up next week & i will be presenting on saturday afternoon for the first time!I call it "Creating New Front Lines of Attack on HIV-AIDs Blogs,Vlogs & Video's 2!``it`s aimed at PLWHA`s to get them to break their silence & to start talking about HIV-AIDs,creating websites & web pages will bring more education & awareness to the www.I think this is a medium that is under-used by PHA`s & more monies should be added to keep educating folks on HIV issues & concerns.As for myself i would personally like to Thank one THOMAS EGDORF for his wonderful dream & i hope his program takes off & goes National as it is a great way to encourage & empower PHA`s...The trouble is when we get back to our cities & try to engage our ASO`s many times we face rejection & ridicule...but we must not let that get us depressed or down.If we keep our trust in GOD & Jesus Christ then we have nothing to worry about do we...well it was a great ride support groûp suds & i would also like to thank those that joined this site...this will remain here for PHA`s to add blogs or pictures or just to VENT Little=its cool & its welcomed eh!PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLK'S!

Leadership Training a Must For PHA's in Ont.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING A MUST FOR PHA'S In ONTARIO!!!I am now 5 yrs clean from coke.heroin&speed...i do admit to eating & vaporizing weed though as it helps alot with the HIV & program,first dreamt & started -up by Thomas Egdorf,has been a major factor in my keeping clean for this length of time.if 10 yrs ago someone would have told me that my peer mentors & chosen hero`s would be gay,i woulda said u were crazy!Its true though.I have met some of the most amazing warrior`s,each one special & unique,but all sharing the same bond-HIV-AID`s.This program teaches you tools to deal with situations & events in life,& i highly recommend this program to all peoples that are HIV+ & live in the Ontario region(hopefully this will go nation wide)& more PHA`s will become empowered to create the changes we need to happen in our ASO`s...Who better to help those with HIV then those that live with it...its time the GIPA Principles were followed here in Ont.Break the silence & join the leadership program toay!It may save your life too!james jc gough,PHA HIV-AIDs education & awareness speaker for access aids sudbury.

Today is a Historic Day-Restored Hope For The World

Today the USA restored hope world-wide.Not only US peoples were watching the swearing in ceremony(of which 2 million folks were present)The rest of the planet watched as well.Records were broken today...with the amount of folks attending the swearing in ceremony & the amount of folks watching-records are sure to be set.This is indeed an exciting time to be alive regardless of race,colour or creed...what Obama has shown us is that anything is indeed possible & that if you work hard enough you will succeed.My thanks to the Ont Aids Network-one Thomas Egdorf Warrior extraordinaire & Steve darn forgot his last name ...sorry steve i am not good with names as u can see!!!Well folks,i thank U all,& pray that PEACE,LOVE & HAPPINESS OVERCOME EACH & EVERYONE OF YOU THAT READS THIS BLOG!

In Aknowledging Death We Affirm Life-Musing's of a Recovering Addict

So as a PLWHA that has lost many family & friends in his life's journey,i have recently been invited to attend a workshop on multiple death-coping with loss & the grieveing process.This is something that i have alot of personal experience in,as i have lost my dad,brother,grampa,daughter,mother,aunt & too many friends,ex girlfriends to OD's,various diseases-cancer & aids being the main ones.I am sure i will learn about the dyeing process the more i live.So many folks have been killed in the name of GOD-religeous persicution =inquisition.Man has now devised ways to kill off whole cities of men,or to drop a bomb down the chimney of a building.Man's inhumanity to his fellow man never ceases to amaze & sicken me.Africans killing africans because they are from a differing tribe-genocide.The list is endless really... religeon teach PEACE & LOVE &FORGIVENESS?Than Y all this WAR?Isreal is attacking UN positions at the time of this writing...now missles from lebenon fall upon that country...opening a 2 front.R the Isreali's going to invade their too?I doubt it.They have an army to defend themselves.NOT that they prob wouldnt win.After all R not the Isreali's GOD's people?Except when they were to be taught a lesson,then GOD would have a foriegn army overtake & enslave the peoples!So many peoples have been killed in the name of GOD.Has GOD asked for this>?I highly doubt it.Peace n love is what we are supposed to be liveing & preaching & practicing isn't it?I mean if we R christians or muslims true to our faith-PEACE & LOVE should be what we wage-not wars n walls! PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLKS!!!

Trying to Live Positively in a Negative World-

So ya it isn't easy being positive in a negative world these day's especially around the holiday season,as this is the time for family & friends to join each other in celebration of our Lord's birth.At least this is the premise,as i think christmas has lost its true meaning & has become far too comercial.As my folks are both deceased,along with a brothr & daughter my holidays have turned into nothing but misory for me as i stay by myself alone in my apt.Losing wieght isn't a problem for me as long as i smoke pot.Being HIV+ is hard enough,throw in addiction problems & a few others n well its no wonder i am single & alone.I have this woman jenifer taylor in my mind & i cannot escape her!She is so beautifull,breathtakingly so pretty i can now see Y angels would want to mate with human females.Of course she doesn't know i exist,isn't that the way of things eh?I am far too nervous to contact her,or talk to her,I am sure yu all know the feeling U get in your stomack when U R in love & U get close to that person?Ya u want to upchuk right?Well i look at her pics & it seems like she is looking right at me,& no one else!I know this isn't so,though,& theres not much of a chance of me ever getting a woman of her beauty,but its still nice to dream eh!k folks i will sign off now,& wish everyone a safe & prosperous new year filled with PEACE,LOVE & HAPPINESS!!!

Micro-chipping HIV+ Patient's Dangerous

Micro chipping HIV+ patients in ANY country is a dangerous !!If goverments start doing this,WHO will want to be tested for HIV-AIDs?This can & will set the whole movement back 20 yrs.We have made huge strides in finding meds to fight the hiv virus.Sure we still have a very long way to go,but,we must keep our faith strong & our hope alive,Trust in GOD & we will survive & thrive!Being HIV+ myself,not only is this AGAINST my religeon & beliefs,(666=number of the beast hand or forhead)but i believe this is setting a dangerous precedent.We MUST NOT allow micro-chipping of anyone,let alone those suffering from HIV-Aids.Where is the compassion here?Empathy?Peoples living with hiv are our sisters & brothers,fathers,mothers,aunts & uncles,grandpa's & grandma's!Will we wage WAR on them just because they smoke weed to help stop the nasea,vomiting,pain & generally make life alot easier to live with HIV-AIDs.PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLS!!!

Busted For Pot-I am HIV+ & Should Have The Right To Seek Alternative Treatment Therapy

I have had to deal with stigma & discrimination most of my life,even though i am white,we havent always lived a rich lifestyle & couldn't as we were "poor".I grew up poor & i remain poor as i am on disability pension making 10,000/yr when the poverty line is 21,000 /yr.But i have all i need.The extra medication i need is what is costing me the most.I have nasea in the mornings& it helps me want to eat,otherwise i dont eat.I dont smoke & i dont eat its that simple really.Now that the cops have raided my place & trashed it,taking my 1/2oz of homegrown & 7 grams of roaches!I hope when i go to court that if i produce a Dr script that this will be dropped!I am in the process if obtaining a signed application for medical pot.Its a long & tedious process.I have also applied for a research assistent's position,which would entail me traveling around doing interviews with PLWHA's all over ont.GOD i hope i get this job!I could use the funds & it would give me a life again,as i dont have much of one at this time.I watch alot of TV lately,isolating myself inside,which isnt a good thing really.Thats all i need is more stress on top of what i am already going through with my mom passing on last feb24 surrounded by family.She has yet to have a headstone placed on her gravesite.I will be glad when that is over & done with.Claude doesnt seem to want to move too fast on anything i now see this as he hasn't taken anything down yet(plates)I asked claude to give gary a piece of jewelry of mom's like a cross or maybe a rosery,along with the plates!Love the guy but he can be a procrastenater like myself.Time i started to visit with my grandkids again!I thought i would wait untill all of my legal matters were solved.MISTAKE!I should have kept in closer touch with them,they are of my blood,& along with my 2 son's they are all i have left on this earth!Brothers R all busy with their own families these days ,& life goes on i guess eh folks!Do the best we can with what we have.Peace ,LOVE & HAPPINESS TO ALL PLWHA's everywheres!!!

Harper Gone Harris=Cuts Funding For Social Program's Yet Again!!!

For how long must we live with threats of funding cuts just because 1 party gets elected & not another!These R vital programs to develope ,educate & promote PHA involvement .Thomas Egdorf of the OAN has a great program=Leadership Training for PHA's living in Ont.With funding cuts we will lose this & many other serices that help those that R HIV-AIDs infected & affected.Please contact your local gov, reps & tell them we need more funding NOT less!Every 1 dollar saves 4 if spent on prevention!Y not save alot & invest large?Harm Reduction is the way to go folks-Its a proven methodology,where as Abstinence based doesnt work at all!!Y Harper would adopt a failed policy is crazy!PEACE N LOVE FOLKS NOT WARS N WALLS EH!

Harm Reduction Proven To Work Over War on Drugs!!!

Injection-related disease - One third of people with HIV in the United States were infected through injection drug use. Every year, another 8,000 people are newly infected with HIV through sharing contaminated syringes and another 15,000 are infected with Hepatitis C.These infections are preventable. In communities where access to sterile syringes is supported, transmission of HIV & Hepatitis C in injecting drug users has declined as a proportion of all cases by mode of transmission. Decreases have also been documented among the sex partners and children of injection drug users.Syringe Exchange programs are highly cost-effective. The lifetime cost of medical care for each new HIV infection is $385,200; the equivalent amount of money spent on syringe exchange programs would prevent at least 30 new HIV infections.Syringe exchange programs increase access to drug treatment & medical care. In addition to the reduced risks for disease, sterile syringe access programs facilitate greater access to drug treatment. These programs also provide a crucial entry point into medical care, detox and rehabilitation, and mental health treatment.Nearly 200 syringe exchange programs currently operate in 38 states, Puerto Rico, Washington DC, and Indian Lands. Most operate on a shoestring, surviving on dwindling private donations and severe restrictions of public funding.The medical and scientific community support syringe exchange. Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Academy of Sciences show that syringe exchange programs are effective. Programs have the support of the medical community, including the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association and the American Nurses AssociationSyringe exchanges get dirty needles off the streets. Research demonstrates that the presence of a syringe exchange program results in fewer used syringes improperly discarded. In Baltimore, after an SEP was implemented, the number of inappropriately discarded syringes decreased by almost 50%. In Portland, the number of discarded syringes decreased by almost two-thirds after the NEP opened. In 1992, Connecticut repealed a law forbidding the sale of syringes without a prescription. As a result, reports show a reduction in needle sharing by 50 percent and a decrease in HIV infections by over 30 percent. In addition, law enforcement officials experienced two-thirds fewer needle stick injuries.Please

Just Here Doing Nothing-Happy Easter All=Love 1 Another eh!!!

Ya so thats what Christ commanded his followers to do,love each other !!!Now how hard is this?Its shouldn't be hard but it can be at times.Not all R the same belief system as i have but we should all respect each other enough & not harm other human beings.

New Discovery in War on HIV-AIDS~~

New discovery in battle against AIDSReuters Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Researchers have found another handle that the AIDS virus uses to attack cells, and said this one may explain how it gets into the gut, where it hides out and multiplies for a full assault on the body.
The handle is a cell receptor, and its discovery could open new ways to fight the fatal and so far incurable virus, the team at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported on Sunday.
The human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, attacks immune system cells, or lymphocytes, known as CD4 T-cells. It was known to use three main receptors, or molecular doorways, to infect cells: CD4, CCR5 and CXCR4.
Writing in the journal Nature Immunology, the NIAID scientists said they found a similar receptor, more a handle than a doorway, called integrin alpha 4 beta 7.
"It is a homing receptor for lymphocytes to get to the gut. It is the very molecule that steers lymphocytes to the gut and keeps them there," NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a telephone interview.
"It is not only important in that it is a homing receptor to the gut. But it also can play a role in enhancing the ability of HIV to spread in the body."
Much of the body's immune response takes place in the gut, in gut-associated lymphoid tissue, or GALT.
Soon after HIV has infected someone it quickly moves to the gut tissue and starts replicating. This kills off the CD4 T-cells, leaving patients with a poorly functioning immune system and vulnerable to the infections that mark AIDS.
"The gut is where the virus really takes hold," Elena Martinelli, who worked on the study, said in a statement.
"We found that integrin alpha 4 beta 7, whose natural function is to direct T cells to the GALT, is also a receptor for HIV. It is very unlikely that this is a coincidence."
This could help explain why drug cocktails called highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, cocktails often fail to completely suppress the virus. They can keep patients healthy for years, but never eradicate the virus.
"It has been suggested that the massive depletion of memory CD4 T-cells from the gut, soon after transmission, is central to HIV disease," the researchers wrote.
They said an important next step will be developing drugs that stop HIV from attaching to this receptor.
More than 33 million people are infected with HIV globally and 25 million have died of AIDS. There is no vaccine.YET,but we hope with research we will find 1 before a million+ PHA's Pass away!

HIV WARRIOR COMMITS LIFE TO CREATEING MORE FRONT LINES OF ATTACK ON HIV-AIDS!!!

No one knows why Frisco resident Glenn Kopanski is still alive, including him.In the time the AIDS survivor has left, he is devoting his life to educating young people about the disease.While on active duty in the United States Navy Kopanski was wounded in a bombing in Beirut in 1983. While being treated for his injuries a doctor advised him to have a tonsillectomy because of the chronic upper respiratory infections he suffered.While performing the tonsillectomy the doctor nicked an artery, making a blood transfusion necessary. That was before anyone knew that donated blood could carry the HIV virus or hepatitis C microbes.The young serviceman contracted both diseases from that tainted blood transfusion.It took four months for symptoms much more serious than upper respiratory infections to appear. He was diagnosed with what later became known as AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.Kopanski is the 18th longest surviving AIDS patient in the United States. He said none of his doctors has ever offered an explanation for his longevity. He said he believes his sheer determination to live an active life and to help educate people about AIDS could be part of the reason.When cytomegalovirus (CMV) confined him to a wheelchair a few years ago, he eventually taught himself to walk again. He refused to take the doctors seriously who told him he would never be able to walk again.He spoke to students at Griffin Middle School earlier this month and will speak to students at Clark and Fowler middle schools in the near future.“There is such a spirit out there for wanting to know about AIDS,” Kopanski said. “These kids are going to be helpless out there. Let’s educate them and then maybe we’ll see the number of new cases go down.”He said students listen to him intently. He usually brings along many of the medications he has to take every day. Someone usually asks if he has encountered any prejudice because he has AIDS.He tells them about a neighbor he had in Lewisville who put up signs in the yard that said, “No AIDS on my lawn.”Shortly after he was diagnosed with the disease, his fiancee left him because she questioned how he contracted the disease. He said people have refused to go near him for fear of getting AIDS.He educates students that it is impossible to contract the disease from a blood transfusion now the way he did because blood is tested for those diseases. He also tells them that young people between the ages of 12 and 25 make up the highest number of new AIDS cases in Collin and Denton counties.Since being diagnosed with AIDS Kopanski has chosen to live a celibate life to avoid putting anyone else at risk. He tells young people to know the person they are dating very well.Kopanski is also on the board of directors of AIDS Services of North Texas as well as a patient advocate for the organization. He also writes a landscape column for a local electronic newsletter.“My key to survival is staying motivated,” he said. “I want to bring AIDS awareness to the city of Frisco by fighting this disease through education. I want to tell young kids what I’ve been through in my life. I also want to stop the hatred. AIDS education can beat a cure any day. It’s living life responsibly and knowing your partner. There’s consequences to everything you do in life.”Comments are

COURT STRIKES DOWN REG ON AMOUNT POT GROWERS CAN GROW!ABOOT TIME EH!!!

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COURT STRIKES DOWN REG. ON POT GROWERS=ABOOT TIME EH~~~!!!!VOTE NDP & LETS LEGALIZE WEED!!!


strikes down regulation limiting growers of medical marijuana
Last Updated: Friday, January 11, 2008 | 12:45 AM ET
CBC News
Canadians who are prescribed marijuana to treat their illnesses will no longer be forced to rely on the federal government as a supplier following a Federal Court ruling that struck down a key restriction in Ottawa's controversial medical marijuana program.


The decision by Judge Barry Strayer, released late Thursday, essentially grants medical marijuana users more freedom in picking their own grower and allows growers to supply the drug to more than one patient.


It's also another blow to the federal government, whose attempts to tightly control access to medical marijuana have prompted numerous court challenges.


Currently, medical users can grow their own pot but growers can't supply the drug to more than one user at a time.


Lawyers for medical users argued that restriction effectively established Health Canada as the country's sole legal provider of medical marijuana.


They also said the restriction was unfair, and that it prevented seriously ill Canadians from obtaining the drug they needed to treat their debilitating illnesses.


In his decision, Strayer called the provision unconstitutional and arbitrary, as it "caused individuals a major difficulty with access…"

Ottawa must also reconsider requests made by a group of medical users who brought the matter to court to have a single outside supplier as their designated producer, Strayer said in his 23-page decision.

While the government has argued that medical users who can't grow their own marijuana can obtain it from its contract manufacturer, fewer than 20 per cent of patients actually use the government's supply, Strayer wrote.


"In my view it is not tenable for the government, consistently with the right established in other courts for qualified medical users to have reasonable access to marijuana, to force them either to buy from the government contractor, grow their own or be limited to the unnecessarily restrictive system of designated producers," he wrote.

Ron Marzel, a Toronto lawyer representing the group of medical users who brought the matter before the Federal Court, called the decision a "great remedy" for his clients.


"All this means is that the limit — the one-to-one ratio — it's the last nail in the coffin for that ratio," he said in an interview.


"The court has said, 'Look, unequivocally, this is unconstitutional, it's arbitrary. All the reasons you've provided us with so far for this one-to-one ratio, they don't pass muster. We don't buy it, we don't accept it."'

The provision had been struck down by the courts before, but was reinstated by the government who contracted Prairie Plant Systems Inc. in Flin Flon, Man., to provide the drug to patients./As a PHA that has to use pot in order to eat- i face RED TAPE & beaurocratic BS. by Drs the refuse to help,politicians throw their hands in the air & do nothing!!! i think the CAS should mandate that 1)pot access for patients, & subsidizing $ spent on medical pot-or reimbursing us at tax time~~!!!Housing is another big issue that need attention.PEACE N LOVE NOT WARS N WALLS EH FOLKS!!!!

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME & HIV

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To: catie-news (catie-news@mercury.catie.ca)
CATIE News – Restless legs and HIV

Complications affecting the nervous system are common in people with HIV/AIDS (PHAs). In part these arise because HIV-infected cells produce proteins that affect the health of cells in the brain and spinal cord as well as nerve cells in the rest of the body. As a result, some brain cells can malfunction and even die, as can nerves in the rest of the body. Some of the complications that can affect the nervous systems of PHAs include the following:

* difficulty concentrating
* poor memory
* difficulty thinking clearly
* problems controlling muscles
* difficulty coordinating movement
* pain or numbness in nerves in the hands, legs and feet

Now doctors at the University of Münster in Germany have found what may be an additional complication—restless legs syndrome (RLS).

RLS is the term for a group of symptoms whereby people feel compelled to move their legs, feet or, in some cases, arms. The need to move legs occurs when a person is lying down or sitting for prolonged periods. Relief from RLS usually occurs when affected people do the following:

* stretch
* shake or wriggle their legs
* walk
* engage in exercise

Symptoms of RLS are usually more troublesome at night. People affected by this syndrome often have sleep disturbances—waking up prematurely or difficulty falling or staying asleep.

The precise cause of RLS is unclear. Some researchers suggest that there may be an insufficient level of a nerve-signaling compound called dopamine in the nerves of affected people.

In general, RLS is not linked to a serious underlying medical condition. But sometimes RLS can be found in people with the following symptoms or disorders:

* damaged nerves in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy); this can arise from alcohol abuse, diabetes or HIV infection
* insufficient iron
* severe kidney damage; when kidneys malfunction the level of iron in the blood can decrease

Some researchers think that there may be some kind of link between abnormal immunity and RLS. For instance, conditions in which the immune system attacks itself or parts of the body (autoimmunity) have been noted to carry an increased risk for RLS. These autoimmune conditions can include the following:

* rheumatoid arthritis
* multiple sclerosis
* diabetes

Researchers at the University of Münster have theorized that since HIV damages the immune system and increases the risk of peripheral neuropathy perhaps it also carries an increased risk for RLS. They conducted a pilot study to find out. The results from this study suggest that RLS may be more common in PHAs than in HIV negative people.

Study details
Researchers handed out or mailed surveys to 228 PHAs; only 129 PHAs responded. The study team then compared health information from 100 similar HIV negative people to the 129 PHAs. The average profile of PHAs in this study was as follows:

* 14% female, 86% male
* age – 44 years
* CD4+ count – 333 cells
* 44% of participants had AIDS-related symptoms in the past
* 82% of participants were taking HAART

Results
Of the 129 PHAs who responded to the survey, 33% had RLS compared to 7% of the HIV negative people. Moreover, PHAs were more likely to have severe symptoms of RLS. Also, the lower a PHA’s CD4+ count, the more likely the severity of RLS.

About 20% of PHAs with RLS also had a relative with RLS. None of the HIV negative people reported having relatives with RLS.

PHAs with RLS were more likely to have other complications, including the following:

* difficulty falling asleep
* difficulty staying asleep
* unexpected daytime tiredness

Bear in mind
The researchers suspect that RLS may have an underlying immunological link, though they cannot identify it at this time. That about 33% of PHAs had this problem is noteworthy because that is about the proportion of people with RLS in some other studies of immunological disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. The study team highlights the apparent relationship between RLS and reduced CD4+ count in PHAs.

A major weakness of this study was its recruitment of volunteers from hospital-based clinics specializing in neurology and internal medicine. These sources of recruitment may have led to an excessive intake of PHAs with nervous system disorders. Still, the German study is an important first step in identifying RLS in PHAs. Hopefully, this research will stimulate other research centres to also study RLS in this population.

Although the intent of the study was not to assess the effectiveness of therapy for RLS, doctors at the University of Münster’s clinics prescribed L-dopa (dopamine) for 10 of their PHA patients. According to the research team, responses to therapy were “good to excellent.”

—Sean R. Hosein

BEST ANSWER TOQ=WHATS YOUR JOB & DO U LIKE IT?

I am on disability pension but do HIV-AIDS Education & Awareness & Living with HIV Talks at local places of education & i do out-reach work at night.I am always happy to do the talks,afterwords is cool as 9/10 all the students will come up & continue to ask Q ,saying how it takes guts to stand in front of a class & tell your life story & to keep up the great work on staying clean off of coke heroin & speed.(3 yrs) & so where i once was part of the problem i am now part of the solution.My faith in GOD & Jesus was not misplaced,& so i take 1 day at a time.i forgot to mention that i did have hep-c but found out recntly that i am no longer hep-c +!!!i Thank GOD EVERYDAY!!

* 1 week ago

Source(s):
me,myself & i,gratefull recovering coke,heroin&speed addict with 3 yrs clean.HIV+ 2001,ohya cured of hep-c in 07!

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Asker's Comment:
thanks for all the reply's .......they all sound interesting .......but i have 2 choose this answer .......cause i couldnt do this job knowing i had hiv ............you are braver than i would be tc xxx