Archive for January, 2010

HIV Infected: What To Do Then?

Posted by admin On January - 15 - 2010Comments Off

Even If you are infected with HIV virus, your life can be good. In fact, there are lots of people infected with the virus that has a normal life and a normal behaviour towards other people. It’s just a preconception a person infected is not happy. A successful therapeutic program should consider even other factors: first of all the psychological one.

You need to know some immune system facts in order to understand how HIV spread and causes danger. If you have the knowledge of your disease, this can be less bad for you. If a person is aware of being HIV positive, may take appropriate steps to avoid infecting other people. Some types of vaccines require special procedures if the person is HIV positive. The physician should therefore be aware of the state of the patient not to further jeopardize his health. The same happens in case of major surgery, as overstretched the immune system. The operation will thus be carefully planned in the interest of the patient. Alcohol, smoking and drugs are even more dangerous for HIV because their immune systems weaken further. Positives should pay more attention to diet and raw foods that could be dangerous (think of salmonella and other bacteria, intestinal parasites and other viruses). He instead recommended a healthy diet, rich in vitamins, protein and calories. Anyone travelling in countries with poor hygiene conditions, particularly in the tropics, is facing a high risk of infection. The sieropositive should only take medication prescribed by a doctor, because of possible side effects due, including but not limited to interactions with other drugs. The intense physical demands and stress, but also sunbathing or exposure to the sun can interfere with the functioning of the immune system.

The doctor can play a key role in helping patients to adapt to the positive result of the test anti-HIV.
Patients need to digest this fact, their new condition. This includes the formulation of questions about many aspects of their lives, the reassessment of priorities and goals. A further problem for many people who are infected with HIV has the sense of guilt towards the behaviour that led to their conditions. It ‘important that your doctor does not give opinions about the status of his patients. Patients who show a strong interest in treatment and actively participate in decisions on treatment to follow are more likely to adhere more to the prescription. However, for many patients, it is difficult to establish a relationship with your doctor.

Adequate nutrition, regular exercise, control of substances luxuries (such as alcohol or drugs) could influence the course of HIV infection and, in any case, the quality of life and psychological state of the patient. Your doctor may encourage the patient to a healthier lifestyle and regular. The continued use of drugs increases, for HIV-positive patient, the probability of the risk of exposure to new infections such as hepatitis C.

You can lead an active life for a long time. Just learn more about your disease can help you. Maybe sharing your emotions even with other people inside a support group can be good.

What Is Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis?

Posted by admin On January - 12 - 2010Comments Off

There are three types of nail fungus infection or Onychomycosis out there and Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis is considered to be one of the rarest types. It is usually associated with HIV because it only occurs to those who have weak immune systems.

This infection will usually affect an individual with damaged nails and most of the time, it occurs due to fungus known as Trichophyton rubrum. It can also occur if the individual is exposed to fungus such as Epidermophyton floccosum, Trichophyton tonsiurans, Trichophyton schoenleinii, Trichophyton megninii and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis is diagnosed by observing the fungus sample under a microscope. This has to be done due to the nature of this infection where it affects the fingernail and toenail area.

An individual affected by Proximal Subungual Onychomycosis will notice their nails to appear thick, fragile, dull and brittle. It can be painful when the fungi gradually lift the nail. The person who gets this infection will lose more nails if he is not getting any treatment. In fact, he might even lose all his nails if the condition goes untreated at all.

Doctors will usually prescribed infected individuals with oral medications or topical ointment, but topical ointment treatment will usually require at least 6 months before it show any improvements. More serious condition might involve surgical removal. As you can see, some of the treatment options involve complicated procedures that can cause pain to the patients.

Individuals who experience this infection will suffer from the pain in their nail bed area. There are certain serious cases where the patients will lose their nail permanently. That is the reason why they are usually advised to remove any dirt from their infected nails on daily basis as a way to prevent further infection.

Consuming long term oral medication to treat this infection might also cause unavoidable side effects such as skin rashes and also liver damage. That is why people who have liver disease or congestive heart failure are usually advised against taking oral medications.

The best way to prevent it from occurring is to wash and dry the feet carefully before sleep. Applying antifungal product such as Penlac or Lamisil can also prevent it from occurring.