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Editor’s Letter
In “I Will Survive” (can’t you just hear the music?), Ron Rosenes tries to figure out why he’s still here 20 years after his HIV diagnosis: “It may be part genetic and it may be part luck, but sometimes I think it’s just pure pluck.” Many people who can afford and tolerate HIV drugs attribute their longevity to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). But although meds may be part of what helps you stay alive, as we hear from Rosenes and four other long-term survivors in this issue, there are many more ingredients for survival — such as eating well, taking good care of yourself, doing your homework, finding support, healing your heart, minding your mind, and dealing with addictions, to name a few. Oh, and a dash of love, of course. What are the ingredients you pour into living your wild and precious life? It’s something you may want to think about. With The Positive Side, we hope to give you some food for thought. In this issue, Lark Lands dishes out her grocery list of 15 food groups for some quick and easy ways to boost nutrition (two recipes included!). Albert McLeod’s article on the HIV/AIDS Medicine Wheel describes a unique, holistic approach to looking at life with HIV. And in “Better Living through Rehab,” Peter Williams serves up an array of choices to help improve your overall health and quality of life. Perhaps there are some ingredients you’d rather keep out of your pantry (and panties) — such as cigarettes and syphilis — because the problems they cause you can probably do without. And then there are side effects, which make living with HIV all the more challenging. In Chatty CATIE, five people with HIV candidly share their side effect struggles — with fatigue, anemia, nausea, diarrhea and facial wasting — and dole out advice on how to deal. On the opposite page you’ll find our very first letters to the editor. We’re so thrilled that in some way The Positive Side has reached out and touched you. We hope to hear from more of you soon. RonniLyn PS. Here comes the sun!
Decisions about particular medical treatments should always be made in consultation with a qualified medical practitioner who is knowledgeable about HIV-related illness and the treatments in question. MORE Production of this Web site has been made possible through a financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada. |
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