Positive Impact Women and Girls Support Group

12/03/2018

06/03/2018

A simple act of CARING creates an endless RIPPLES.

28/02/2018

Breastfeeding & HIV Guidelines
Breast Feeding as a Woman Living With HIV
Yes, it is true that a women who lives with HIV can have HIV in her breast milk. At the same time, breast milk is the best food for a young baby. When the woman is taking ARVs, there is very little – if any – HIV in the breast milk.

A mother with HIV should exclusively breast feed the baby for 6 months. Then, it is recommended that she continues breast feeding – with other forms of food – until the baby is 12 months old if the baby tests HIV negative with the PCR Test. If the baby tests HIV positive with the PCR Test, the breast feeding continues for up to 24 months. This is to help the baby.

It is also very important for her to take ARVs every day during breast feeding. Government health centres do not give baby formula any more, unless there is a medical reason that the mother cannot breast feed.

Breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding in the first months of life, is the cornerstone of good infant nutrition, health and survival. The various health benefits include the mother and also extend beyond infancy to protection against common non-communicable diseases in adult life. These benefits take on even greater salience in low-resource settings.

NO MIXED FEEDING METHODS! Either exclusive breast feeding or not at all during the first six months.

One of the postulated mechanisms for the increased rate of transmission in mixed breastfeeding infants is that cow’s milk protein or solid food causes low-grade gut inflammation, thus increasing susceptibility to HIV. This possibility may be especially true for the immature gut.

19/02/2018

Ways to prevent HIV transmission to your partner

18/02/2018

Liver Health
ARVs are broken down in our livers... this means we need to keep our livers healthy by limiting alcohol And eating for liver health

Heres how to do that:
Beets and Carrots
Both are extremely high in plant-flavonoids and beta-carotene; eating beets and carrots can help stimulate and improve overall liver function.

Leafy Greens
One of our most powerful allies in cleansing the liver, leafy greens can be eaten raw, cooked, or juiced. Extremely high in plant chlorophylls, greens suck up environmental toxins from the blood stream. With their distinct ability to neutralize heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides, these cleansing foods offer a powerful protective mechanism for the liver. Try incorporating leafy greens such as bitter gourd, arugula, dandelion greens, spinach, mustard greens, and chicory into your diet. This will help increase the creation and flow of bile, the substance that removes waste from the organs and blood.

Avocados
This nutrient-dense super-food helps the body produce glutathione, a compound that is necessary for the liver to cleanse harmful toxins.

Apple
High in pectin, apples hold the chemical constituents necessary for the body to cleanse and release toxins from the digestive tract. This, in turn, makes it easier for the liver to handle the toxic load during the cleansing process.

Olive Oil
Cold-pressed organic oils such as olive, h**p and flax-seed are great for the liver, when used in moderation. They help the body by providing a lipid (fat) base that can suck up harmful toxins in the body. In this way, it takes some of the burden off the liver in terms of the toxic overload many of us suffer from.

Cruciferous Vegetables
Eating broccoli and cauliflower will increase the amount of glucosinolate in your system, adding to enzyme production in the liver. These natural enzymes help flush out carcinogens, and other toxins, out of our body which may significantly lower risks associated with cancer.

Lemons and Limes
These citrus fruits contain very high amounts of vitamin C, which aids the body in synthesizing toxic materials into substances that can be absorbed by water. Drinking freshly-squeezed lemon or lime juice in the morning helps stimulate the liver.

Walnuts
Holding high amounts of the amino acid arginine, walnuts aid the liver in detoxifying ammonia. Walnuts are also high in glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids, which support normal liver cleansing actions. Make sure you chew the nuts well (until they are liquefied) before swallowing.

Cabbage
Much like broccoli and cauliflower, eating cabbage helps stimulate the activation of two crucial liver detoxifying (cleanses)enzymes that help flush out toxins. Try eating more coleslaw, cabbage soup and sauerkraut.

Turmeric
The liver’s favorite spice. Try adding some of this detoxifying goodness into your next lentil stew or veggie dish for an instant liver pick-me-up. Turmeric helps boost liver detox, by assisting enzymes that actively flush out dietary carcinogens.(stuff that causes cancer)

18/02/2018

Why you cannot get HIV from kissing:
Saliva of infected individuals usually contains only noninfectious components of HIV indicating virus breakdown.

So its like the dead virus rubbish parts that are found in saliva... Nothing infectious.
Nothing!!

And if you bleeding in your mouth... well then....

Saliva contains proteins and a low salt content that actively reduce its infectiousness.

18/02/2018

Our support group meets from 1-3pm on the third Wednesday of each month at how A8, Gura Loh Dung Zang,
Jos, Plateau State.

18/02/2018

CD4 and viral load… Which one should you focus on? Both! (David)
Your CD4 count is a good overview of how well your immune system is working and how much damage HIV has done to it. Viral Load (VL) will show you how active the HI Virus is in your body.

It’s really important to get a number of readings of both, over the course of a year or two, rather than making a decisions based on any single test result. Results change constantly, so it’s best to get several tests and see how you have a much higher risk of developing an opportunistic infections (OI’s).

CD4 Cell Count - CD4 cells are the immune system’s leaders, issuing commands to nearly every other cell. For people living with HIV, CD4 counts are the No. 1 sign of how strong or weak the immune system is. Most experts recommend CD they compare over time. A CD4 count below 200 is an immediate cause for worry because 4 measurements every three to six months—more often if they’re lower or changing quickly. Low CD4 counts are a sign that the HIV is in need of treatment. HIV may cause other numbers (e.g. neutrophil counts) to fall as well, which may call for treatment. Talk to your healthcare provider about your options.

HIV Viral Load measures how much HIVirus is in your blood. This information will help you and your healthcare provider make decisions about starting HIV treatment (ARV’s) and will show whether the medications are working or not. Fewer than 50 copies of HIV per mL—about a teaspoon of blood—will show as “undetectable”. Results can range from undetectable up to millions of copies per mL

When should you have a viral load test done? If you can, at the same time as you get your CD4 counts done—typically every 6 months or more frequently, based upon your health care providers recommendation. —then between you, you can monitor your HIV infection and see if any change in treatment are needed. A sudden or dramatic change in viral load may call for an immediate repeat test.

An undetectable result doesn’t mean the virus has left your body, but rather indicates the success of your treatment and less chance of the disease getting worse. If you are on HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment/ ARV’s—a potent combo of HIV-fighting drugs), an undetectable viral load is considered the ultimate prize and shows that your treatment is working.

If you’ve just started treatment, this could take several months— another test in two or three months will tell for sure. Even if the viral load is considered undetectable, it may occasionally bounce up to small but measurable amounts. Continual, detectable viral load, while you’re on HAART/ARV’s, is cause for concern, as it signals that your treatment isn’t controlling the virus. You and your healthcare provider need to talk about switching treatment.